I bet we’d all wear dresses in Winter if they were long sleeved and made in a substantial weight fabric! I don’t know why dresses with three quarter or long sleeves are hard to find. I guess the fashion industry would prefer us to layer both under and over sleeveless dresses instead of wearing them on their own.

Even though dresses with long sleeves are scarce, below are styles that might tickle your fancy. I’ve fitted some of them on clients and they pass fit and quality control:

1. Origami Detail Dress:  If you like brown, Ponte knit fabrications and arty detailing, this one is worth a look.
2. High Twist Jersey Dress: Front knot detailing is flattering for many reasons. If you prefer solids to patterns, check it out in black and marine.
3. Red Dot Jackie Jersey 1/2 Sleeve V-Neck Dress: Another easy to throw on dress which does not cling. Fantastic on a fuller bust line and comes in grape too.
4. Michael Kors Assymetrical Ring Dress: Bold and beautiful. Great drape and good coverage.
5. Laundry by Shelli Segal Peacock Print Matte Jersey Dress: Love the ruched sleeves and vibrant jewel tones.
6. Calvin Klein Zip Neck 3/4 Sleeve Sweater Dress: This one is in my shopping cart since I’m having a great run with Calvin Klein dresses. Sweater dresses are cozy and easy to wear with boots and hosiery.
7. Calvin Klein Ponte 3/4 Sleeve Dress: Dress this style up or down, add the spunk or keep it classic. It has a fun exposed back zipper and front pockets. I have a similar style it teal blue which I adore.
8. Chetta B Belted Ponte Knit Sheath Dress: A great colour.
9. Karen Kane Cowl Neck Dress: Prada-esque simplicity at its best. Fab price.
10. Ralph Lauren Print Faux Wrap Jersey Dress: Nice ruching and more flattering than you might expect. One of my clients bought three different versions of this frock because the fit was so impressive.
11. Calvin Klein Drape Neck Jersey Dress (Plus): Stunning.
12. Chequer Long-Sleeved Sweater Dress: Love the outfit from top to toe. Look at those booties!

Remember that it’s HOW you wear a dress that gives it personality. Add expressive accessories, fun hosiery and killer boots. Top it off with scarf, hat, coat and gloves and you are good to go.

Happy Shopping!

I sometimes wonder what my style will be like 20 years from now (I will be 60). Our dazzlingly stylish 50 plus forum members, a particular 70 year old client who rocks my style world, the more mature ladies on the streets of Hong Kong and Paris, and 62 year old Vera Wang’s ensembles are all an inspiration when I look into the crystal ball to see my future personal style. These ladies make me look forward to having as much fun with fashion later on in life as I do now. Thank you!

How much will my look change, and what will stay constant? It all became a little clearer when I saw what looked like my older double walking out of Barney’s a few weeks ago. She was a similar height and size and if I had to guess her age, I would say early 60’s. She had short grey/blonde hair, black retro specs and a peaches and cream complexion. She wore a dark grey silky blouse with an impeccably cut and interesting gangster-striped charcoal blazer. It had tails, a slightly voluminous sleeve, lots of pockets, a high stance and was quite avant-garde. On the bottom she wore skinny mid blue jeans tucked into flat black shiny knee-high riding boots. She’d added a beautiful wool-silk blend black, blue and cream geometric patterned scarf, a pearl bracelet and a chunky gold watch. Her make-up was barely visible but the polish was there. A slightly pink cheek and lip with strongly defined eyebrows. She carried a simple cream Chanel handbag sans the chain detail straps, and walked out the store clutching an umbrella with her two King Charles spaniels in tow.

I was mesmerized by the inspiring mystery lady and her dogs, and I stared at her from across the road until she faded into the distance. If I’d been closer by, I’d have walked straight up to her and gushed about her killer look. Alas the opportunity was not there, but the image of her style is implanted into my brain. This is how I’d like to sport smart casual wear 20 years from now. A little more monochromatic, tailored and classic than my current style, but with just the right amount of fashionable spunk. I would also like to own the perfect cream Chanel handbag.

Have you thought about the flavour of your style 20 years from now? How do you envisage your future look? Care to share what you see in your style crystal ball?

If turtlenecks aren’t your thing, how about a versatile, crossover V-neck sweater? This one from Express has been a great find thanks to viscose cashmere blends. It’s soft, non-itchy, fits like a glove, drapes well, AND is machine washable. Although the cut line under the bust suggests that it might not work for a fuller bust, give it a bash anyway. It has worked on some of my busty short-waisted clients with a camisole because it’s stretchy.

Readers often wonder what I wear instead of a long sleeved T-shirt. Well, I wear knitwear like turtle necks and this style of pullover. Since my style is quite dressy, I prefer the visual effect of knitwear over T-shirt fabric. Knitwear also tends to retain its shape and colour for longer.

I like to wear this type of pullover in the same way that you wear a tee: on its own with a scarf or necklace, tucked into high-waisted pants, with a skirt, or layered under a jacket. I bought the sweater in black when there was a 30% discount on the style last week. I’ve already worn it often so I might even duplicate the item in my wardrobe. Be sure to size up because it runs small.

I refuse to purchase expensive knitwear because I’ve burned my fingers in the past. No matter how much I spent, the quality was up to maggots after one season. Infuriating! Thanks to places like Express, the Loft, Macys, H&M and certain brands at Nordstrom I can buy inexpensive knitwear and not hit the roof when it starts to pill, stretch out or lose its lustre.

When women wear long black trousers, be it fashion forward tapered pant styles, leans, jeans, or classic bootcut slacks, I prefer to see the colour black repeated above the waist. In this way the outfits look more balanced.  This is by no means a rule, just my subjective preference for outfits with black trousers.

You can bookend black trousers in many ways. It will happen naturally if you have black or very dark brown hair. You can also achieve the same effect by repeating black in the top half of your ensemble. You have many different options:

• Black tops, jackets, camisoles, cardigans and waistcoats
• Black in the pattern of a patterned top or scarf
• Black belts, necklaces or eyewear
• Black buttons or black piped trim

You can substitute black above with another very dark, low contrasting colour like charcoal grey or ink blue. Sometimes it takes only one of these ways to successfully bookend an outfit, but you might also use several at the same time.

Looking at the examples above from left to right:

1. The black pants are bookended with a low contrasting, dark grey top.
2. The black pants are bookended by the model’s jet black hair.
3. The black pants are bookended both by the black camisole and stripe of the model’s top.
4. The black pants are not bookended, since the model has light hair and is wearing a light coloured top. It’s not a bad look, but I would have preferred the outfit with a black camisole, jacket or belt.

Short black skirts, shorts or cropped trousers don’t need to be bookended in the same way as black trousers because they are broken up by another texture, like skin or hosiery, which automatically balances things out.