The word “jegging” comes from joining together the words “legging” and “jeans”. IT was created to describe a new fashion item, namely a hybrid design between super skinny and stretchy jeans that are almost as form fitting as leggings.

My good friend Laurel and I popped into Banana Republic on our way to volunteer at Dress For Success Seattle this week. We stopped to look at their jeggings and had the following conversation:

Laurel: “I have a name for you to brand.”

Angie: “Really? What’s the name?”

Laurel: “Leans!”

Angie: “Leans?”

Laurel: “Yeah! Leans.”

Angie: “Oh!!! LEANS. Yes! That’s brilliant.”

Laurel: “Yeah! Don’t you think that’s a good word?”

Angie: “I do! So much better than jeggings! Jeggings look more like jeans than leggings anyway. AND they make your silhouette look lean. What a great word. You’re so clever!”

So from now on I’ll be referring to jeggings as “leans”. Just for fun.

For a few seasons now, most outfits in fashion magazines, billboards, online stores and retail catalogues have been showcased with either high or very high heeled footwear. Why is that?

• Are current fashion trends more visually balanced with high heels?
• Are extra long leg lines more attractive?
• Is it that heels make an outfit more feminine?
• Is the perception that wearing high heels makes you stylish?

Retailers are about selling more product, so clearly they think the majority of us are more likely to be interested if the model wears high heels. But why would they think this? After all, I know many people who never wear such high heels.

Then I saw the results of YLF’s recent poll asking you to pick sides between Heels or Flats and I began to understand. It was a landslide victory for Team Heels. A real eye opener for me! Even women who don’t wear heels regularly chose to side with Team Heels because they love the way heels make them look and feel. In light of this poll, it makes sense that most fashion is showcased with high heeled footwear. It’s what most women aspire to wearing.

We are now living in a world where three inch heels are  considered medium height heels. Although three inches is my limit, this is fine with me. I happily welcome sky scraping heels even though I don’t wear them. They make a strong fashion statement that I can totally appreciate on others.

But what I don’t appreciate is the uniformity. I want more heel height variation in the presentation of the latest fashions. I want a fashion world that showcases ALL heel heights, from the flattest gladiator sandal styles to the tallest of platforms, and everything in-between. Show us some outfits with lower heels. Show us some celebrities wearing lower heels. Just like fashion and style is more than a dress size, show us that fashion and style is also more than the height of our heels. Is this too much to ask?

When it comes to style preferences, one big difference between my late Mum and me was our choice of metal. Mum always wore gold and I love silver. My Mum thought that gold was by far the superior metal, and that includes hardware on accessories. Perhaps it was her generation, or perhaps it was cultural. Either way, Mum often encouraged her daughter to wear gold jewelry. When I was very little, I wore a gold necklace and gold stud earrings. That changed by about the age of 10 when my preference for silver came to the fore.

So I’m definitely on Team Silver. For the last 29 years I’ve been very particular about sporting only silver, white gold or platinum. So much so that I couldn’t purchase a handbag or wallet unless the hardware was silver too. But thanks to last year’s YLF challenge, I started to include a bit more gold into my wardrobe, both in handbags and jewelry. My Mum would be VERY happy.

Over to you. Are you Team Gold or Team Silver? If you prefer platinum or white gold, you’ll bat for Team Silver. Remember that you have to pick a side!

Retail stores get to wipe their slates clean at the beginning of a season no matter how unappealing their ranges were the season before. New fashion buyers, a new management team, a new fashion office, and new marketing strategies can completely change the look of a retail clothing assortment from one season to the next. Everyone gets a chance to start over twice a year – once for Spring and once for Autumn. So don’t give up on a retail store too quickly!

Gap’s ladieswear has left me cold for years. Perhaps I wasn’t in the target market, but I found their merchandise very much geared to kids in school. Occasionally I’d find the odd gem within the mix for myself and for clients. But they were few and far between. Things are changing. Looks like the Gap wants to capture a little more than the going back to school crowd. I’m in.

I was impressed with their jeggings a few weeks ago, and here are a few more items that are worth a look:

• Dolman T: So 80’s, so fab and so easy. It’s long, a good weight and has a great sleeve length. The scooped neck is a deep but you can pull it back. They have many more colours available in stores. If I wore T-shirts, this is the one I would wear.
• Cowl Neck T: Even though the cowl neckline comes down quite low, it’s fine to wear with a camisole. Soft, drapey but not clingy. If you prefer high necklines like I do, wear this style back to front. It works surprisingly well.
• Sleeveless Cowl Top: It fits similarly to the Cowl Neck T but sans sleeves. A great layering top.
• Silky Ruffle Dress: A super little easy casual dress when worn with casual flats or wedges. The review says its clingy but I did not get that impression.
• Coated Canvas Tote: Available in many colours. Practical and vegan friendly.
• Vintage Cardigan: A cotton-nylon-silk blend ideal for sensitive skin. Nice fit and offered in a lovely assortment of colours. Casual, preppy and comfy.

I also saw an adorable pair of menswear inspired tweed walk shorts with turn-ups that isn’t available online. The fit was roomy which makes a nice change to snug jeggings and leggings. I have my eye on those to wear with boots for Autumn.

Most of Gap’s merchandise is available from sizes XS to XXL, and often in petites and talls too. It’s also not hard to get a Gap discount coupon online so don’t be put off these full price items yet. Have you had luck shopping at the Gap lately?