I went shopping with a client yesterday who didn’t have a single dress in her wardrobe, and only one skirt that is completely orphaned. She maintained that no matter how gorgeous the dress or skirt, she looks best in trousers and jeans. That all changed when she tried on an amazing purple tiered striped dress from Bailey 44 at Anthropologie.

My gorgeous client is a tallish US size 8. Her body type is slap bang in the middle of racy rectangle and adorable apple. She prefers minimal outfits and shies away from styles and colours that are overly bold. She does not like to wear anything clingy around her mid section. So when I suggested that she try this frock she had her doubts, but was willing to step outside her comfort zone. She popped on the dress and we were both immediately smitten. She looked so killer in that frock I could barely stand it. So, so, so attractive. It was our favourite item that she tried on that day and of course, the frock followed her home. 

Diagonal stripes can have a magical flattering effect. Visually, this combination has the power to both add curves AND flatten them. I can’t explain why this is the case, but it’s remarkable. Another advantage of the style of this particular dress is that the diagonal striped pieces are not joined by visible seams, but pieced together so that they overlap, adding visual texture. My hat is off to this genius designer. 

We went to Macy’s and found a black and white Vince Camuto knitted top with the same pattern and design elements. My client snatched it up in a heartbeat because, despite the boldness of the stripe, it was so very flattering. The fact that both items have great length sleeves is an added bonus. 

My client will pair her new frock with brown Franco Sarto Yonker Stretch Boots because they effectively slim at the ankle (a great look with midi skirts and dresses). Incidentally, she also has gorgeous long curly brown hair that she leaves loose. It looks spectacular with the striped dress and top! 

For many years now fashion designers haven’t just been bringing out their seasonal clothing collections. They have also successfully branched out into accessories like footwear, handbags and jewellery. Some are even taken it a step further and are adding other style-related items to their repertoire. Think Kate Spade smartphone covers and laptop cases, or books written by big names in the industry. 

However, this type of merchandise isn’t limited to products made by designers and fashion labels. Many other items with a style theme fall in this sideline category, be it because of the fashion images they sport or because of their ingenious design, stunning colours, interesting mix of patterns or fab texture.

Products that fall squarely into this category are fashion and style inspired calendars and organizers. I recently came across some beautiful examples that can help you stay organized at home, in the office and on the go. Here are my top picks for 2012.

Wall Calendars

• Condé Nast Archive Fashion Magazine Art Wall Calendar: Deliciously retro fashion images from the Condé Nast archives spanning the 1920s to 1940s.
• Little Black Dress Wall Calendar: Even if the little black dress is no longer the almost mythical “go-to must-have solution for every occasion and every woman”, this collection of gorgeous black frocks still makes for irresistible eye candy.
• Glamour Vintage Fashion Illustrations: Sumptuous ensembles, exaggerated leg lines and tiny waists evoke the fashion trends and lifestyle of days past.
• Audrey Hepburn Wall Calendar:  No fashion calendar post would be complete without mentioning Audrey Hepburn, one of the most famous style icons of the 20th century. Here’s a look at the different months.
• Vogue Wall Calendar: With iconic fashion illustrations from the covers of Vogue throughout the mid- to late 1920s, a fantastic homage to the art deco era.
• J’Adore Glamour Small Wall Calendar: As a huge fan of René Gruau’s fashion illustrations – his clean, very strong lines and bold colours are divine – I simply cannot resist this little treasure.
• Haute Couture Wall Calendar: Romantic, yet modern artwork by French artist Fabrice de Villeneuve adorns this colourful wall calendar with large day grids for notes.
• Erté Wall Calendar: Beautifully illustrated calendar by renowned Russian-born fashion illustrator Erté, that combines almost architectural lines with old-world opulence.
• Shoes Gallery Calendar and Handbags Gallery Calendar: Two delightful page-a-day calendars for those of us in need of their daily shoe or handbag fix.

Organizers & Planners

• Daily Muse Shoes 2012 Calendar: Elegant-looking diary with fab purple cover and full-colour shoe illustrations for every week of 2012. Comes with a shoe time line, iconic designers and sizing charts.
• Fashion 2012 Small Agenda: This compact diary easily fits in your handbag, with fun black and white vintage fashion photography and lovely cream and green interior.
• Shoes Compact Engagement Calendar: Whimsical shoe illustrations on the cover of this weekly planner with space for notes and addresses.
• myAgenda Desktop Planner – Zebra: Sweet zebra print cover made from stain-resistant material, plenty of note space and extra features like a separate area for expense records.
• High Button Boot Slim Planner: A boot to remember, the striking red and the ornate gold detailing stand out against the black background of this cute dayplanner.
• Petals, Purses & Pumps Engagement Calendar: Michel Tcherevkoff creates an almost fairy tale-esque atmosphere with footwear and accessories fashioned from fresh flowers.
• Stripe Weekly Planner and Polka Dot Weekly Planner: Sarah Pinto’s navy blue stripes and yellow polka dots look so brilliantly cheerful next to each other, that I’m tempted to get them both.
• Moleskine Red Weekly Notebook Diary/Planner: Moleskine always appeals to my minimalist fashion sense. Most of their collection comes in the trademark black, but this bright red version is super stylish too. Fans of fun colours might also fall in love with the X-Small Horizontal Weekly Planner in lime green or the X-Small Daily Planner in sky blue. If you fancy a separate, compact and colourful notebook for each new month, then the Colour A Month Daily Diary/Planner might be just the thing for you.

Just as I’m not the person who would wear a particular designer from head to toe, I have no plans to decorate my entire home around a fashion trend or only use style-themed accessories from now on. But I love keeping up to date with what’s out there and tremendously enjoy browsing “fashion merchandise”. Also, if an item catches my fancy and it fits my personal aesthetic, I’ll happily snap it up. How about you? Are you interested in fashion beyond what you wear? And do calendars like the ones above interest you?

I vote yay. I loved plaid trousers as a child and teen, and still love them today. My old zippered cream and black micro check skinnies are close to my heart and I don’t think that I will ever pass them on. 

I am much more likely to wear plaid on the bottom half of my body, be it trousers or skirts, because I prefer to wear crisp, simple and clean-cut tops and jackets close to my face. I used to enjoy wearing bold  lumber jack plaid shirts in the early ’90s, but those days are over. I also have a bold plaid jacket that I am almost ready to pass on to a happy home. But I adore the colours so I’ll wear it a few more times. 

As much as I adore plaid trousers, I do prefer a specific vibe and silhouette. I like them best with tapered hems both is bold and subtle plaid designs. Skinny silhouettes and slouchy pleated styles tickle my fancy in any plaid design as long as they cover the ankles (here is my version in glen plaid). I also really like bootcut styles in subtle plaids like the styles below. Add a simple solid top and footwear, let the plaid do the talking, and you’re good to go. I generally do not like wide-leg plaid trousers in bold, bright plaid designs. Those tend to look more clown-ish to my eye. 

Although I bat for Team Minimal, I also like plaid matched with argyle knitwear. To my eye, the combination is a harmonious geometric mixture of squares and diamonds. Perhaps I should have taken up golf. 

What’s your verdict on plaid pants? Do you wear them? Can you appreciate the look on others if it’s not your cup of tea?

After considering all the entries to last month’s competition, Rob and team chose punkgurl as their favorite example of stylish cycling, and winner of a brand new PUBLIC bike. They particularly enjoyed seeing her variety of comfortable bike-riding styles with both boots and heels. Her photos showed great outfit details and in-motion riding shots (chicken chasing included!). 

Queen Mum won the second prize, a signed copy of the book “A Girls Bike”. 

Congratulations, punkgurl and Queen Mum! Hope that you enjoy your prizes.

By the way, we couldn’t help but notice that PUBLIC has introduced 5 new colors in time for Christmas.