When I started working as a fashion stylist in the US, I learned a few interesting things around Christmas time. First, that people in America refer to the period between Thanksgiving and New Year as “the Holidays”. This was so new to me! Second, that many men, women and children wear more red at this time of year than any other. In fact, some of my clients wear red during the Holidays, but not during the rest of the year.

I do think of red as a festive Christmas colour, but I’m on Team Red and wear just as much of the colour during the rest of the year as I do during the Holidays (and so do our doggies Rosie and Jasmine, who have had red collars, leads, harnesses and jumpers at one time or another).

Do you wear red during the Holidays? Is it the only time of year that you wear red?

I have a 70 year old client who rocks my style world. She’s about 5′ 8″ with short black hair and mesmerizing light green eyes and fair skin. Her pretty body is pear shaped, short-waisted and a size 8 or 10. She adores Ralph Lauren, jewel tones and sleek lines.

This is one of the relaxed outfits we put together last week. My client loves the look because it’s casual yet polished, comfy yet tailored, colourful yet clean. And above all flattering, versatile and appropriate. It can take her from running errands in the morning, to lunch with a friend in the afternoon, and right back to babysitting grandkids at night.

Apart from the scarf, which is similar in colour and shape to the one we chose, the rest of the items shown are the exact same items that we used in my client’s ensemble.

We layered a camisole under a shawl collared knit top and topped it off with an unbuttoned purple boyfriend cardigan. We tucked a dark pair of Gap Real Straight Jeans into a pair of  impeccable flat Via Spiga riding boots (weather proofed with spray). We accessorized with a soft voluminous printed scarf and kept the knot vertical to accentuate a long lean line. To finish, we added arty silver earrings and bracelet, a black patent satchel, and structured trench coat plus umbrella to combat the elements.

The tunic length of the boyfriend cardigan, worn open with a long elongating scarf, helps my client feel less exposed around the hip and thigh area once the trench comes off. Tucking jeans into boots helps ground the outfit. The low colour contrast between the top and bottom makes my client feel pulled together and chic. Of course, high contrasting colours are chic too, but this client prefers low contrasts. The green in the scarf brings out the green in her eyes.

The outfit is fabulously modern classic, simply stylish, and ever so practical for a wet and cold climate.

The most interesting thing of all is that it looks great on my 70 year old client, I would wear it at 40, and so would a classic 25 year old lass. Versatility at its best.

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As a passionate fashion professional who dresses women of all shapes and sizes, I would LOVE to see a fashion and style world that is accepting of all body types. I’m sure that you share this wish.

Although the fashion world is nowhere near to being adequately representative of all body types, things are changing for the better. In my opinion we have the blogosphere to thank for a lot of that. Fashion bloggers of all shapes and sizes showcase their fabulous outfits and look beautiful each day. I love that and it’s extremely encouraging.

You don’t need a model’s body to be stylish, because style is not a dress size. This is a common mantra in the blogosphere and long may it continue! If you’re caught referring to someone as unstylish because they are not model-thin then the blogosphere will put you in your place pretty darn quickly. This is a good thing. After all, women who are shorter and larger than regular sized models represent the majority of the population.

So here’s the thing I’m not happy with: Somehow, amid all the talk about body acceptance, it has become acceptable to discriminate against skinny women. It is so common to hear comments like “who wears size 0 and 2 anyway?”, and to hear people making assumptions about eating disorders when someone is slim. I often hear average sized women making a comment along the lines of “wow, do you eat?” to a skinny friend, but imagine the consequences of asking one of your larger friends, “wow, do you eat a lot?”. It is a double standard.

Sure, the fashion industry may be projecting skinny as an unrealistic ideal, but that doesn’t make it acceptable to make snide comments about someone who is thinner than average. After all, skinny women are not all part of a secret society that is conspiring to keep the fashion industry obsessed with their body type. They are mostly just women who are naturally thin. Body types have a distribution, just like most things in nature, and there will be examples at both ends of the spectrum.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing is the phrase “real woman”, used to describe women with body types that you don’t see on the runway. Skinny women may not be the average size, but they aren’t freaks of nature either. They are just as real as the most curvy woman among us. Yet this phrase is used frequently in the media and the blogosphere. Even by me! When I was writing this post I looked back at old posts and found myself using it once or twice. I can’t remember the exact moment, but at some point in the last couple of years it occurred to me that this wasn’t ok.

I really don’t want to sound judgmental of people who use this phrase today. In fact, many of my favourite writers and bloggers do so all the time. I’m absolutely certain that the last thing they would want to do is make offense. On the other hand, I do know women on the thinner end of the distribution who are taking offense. So I think it is worth raising the point that whenever one uses the phrase “real woman”, one is implying that if you aren’t in the body shape majority, you aren’t real. We need to find a different way to talk about fashion that doesn’t only target the runway ideal.

All women are real and that includes skinny models and slim women who wear really small sizes. There is no such thing as a ridiculous size. Size 0, 8, 16, 24, or whichever size fits, that’s the reality of the body you’re in. Style is beyond all sizes, which is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about what I do. And as I far as I can I will protect all women from unkind comments as far as their size is concerned.

A pullover is any style of knitwear with a single neck opening. It has no front or back opening and is often referred to as “a sweater” in the US and Canada. A cardigan, on the other hand, is any style of knitwear with a center front opening. Sometimes the opening has no closures and sometimes there are button, snap, zipper or hook closures.

I feel the cold quickly so I have lots of knitwear. I have more pullovers than cardigans because I love turtle necks (polo necks) and cowl necked sweaters. Cardigans definitely earn their keep in my wardrobe, but pullovers win hands down. I am Team Pullover.

Over to you. Are you Team Cardigan or Team Pullover? Tell us why. Absolutely no batting for both Teams. I predict that there will be an even split between the Teams in this game.