I know, I know. It’s weird to hear me say this because for several reasons I wear flats most of the time. And when I wear heels, they’re only one to two inches high. I seldom wear really high heels, which is most unusual for my dressy style and job as a fashion stylist. I dare to be different!

But a couple of times a month, I break out my high heels, which are no higher than three inches because that’s all I can bear. And I feel fabulous. Here’s why:

• Amplified femininity: I feel extra girly in high heels and enjoy the sound that they make as I walk.
• Extra height: Some outfits look better with high heels so it’s great to take advantage of the elevation.
• Shaped calf muscles: This is my favourite reason for wearing heels. I don’t have shapely calves but I do when I wear high heels.

If you’re a high heel wearer, do these reasons resonate with you? Any further reasons to wear high heels?

Linen is a natural fabrication that creases heavily. Linens blended with synthetic fibers like nylon, acetate and polyester crease less, but they still crease. So when you purchase any linen garment, you have to commit to the creases as part of the look. And the wrinkling starts the minute you move in the clothing so by the end of the day you’re pretty creased.

Linen clothing rears it’s cool and breezy head every Summer for both men and women and is particularly popular in Europe. It’s found in all sorts of garments from dresses, scarves, trousers, shorts and skirts, to shirts, blouses, tunics and jackets. You can also get linen bags and shoes.

Linen clothing tends to denote a casual vibe, but in the right structured garments it can be interpreted in a more dressy sense too. Business casual slacks, jackets, shirts and suits are available every year and I especially see a resurgence of linen dresses. This could be another 90’s influence but I’m not sure.

It’s a given that you’re going to look creased at some point during the day no matter what. So the question is whether structured, but wrinkled linen can look professional in business settings. There are several things to consider:

• Your specific line of work
• The actual blend of the linen fabrication (some crease more than others)
• The type of garment you choose
• The rest of your ensemble

I wear structured linen button down shirts and have a few linen jackets. I wear them both in a business casual sense and smart casually with jeans. I believe that structured and tailored  linen pieces (like the ones below) can work for business casual in warm weather when dressier elements like shoes and accessories accompany the ensemble. But unstructured linen garments are best left for casual wear.

What do you think? Do you wear linen and get your head around wearing the natural fiber in business casual settings? Or is linen strictly for casual wear?

These linen items are dressy and worn in a dressy way. For me, they will work in a business casual environment that leans toward casual.

For years fashion experts have been swearing by nude or flesh-toned shoes because they visually extend the length of the leg right down to the foot without a break. So it’s as if your legs magically received ten inches of extra flattering length.

I must admit that it took me a while to get used to the idea of wearing flesh-toned shoes, for two reasons. First, I felt like I was barefoot and forgot to put on shoes. Second, they seemed a teensy weensy bit too mature. But after a bit of nude shoe soul searching, I saw the light and have several pairs.

But I still don’t fancy nude shoes that look “flat”. They must have some sort of leather texture and self-colour embellishment for me to like them. Or, they need to be sandals so that your painted toenails add visual depth to the picture. So while I vote yay, it’s with conditions.

Do you like the look of nude shoes and wear them? Or you think they look odd on the foot. Yay or still nay?

For several seasons, dresses that bare one shoulder have been a fringe trend. The look is still fringe, but it’s definitely gaining favour. I’ve seen many more in stores this year and they might be even more popular next year.

I like asymmetry and have a few asymmetrical pieces in my wardrobe. So over the years I’ve tried on several one-shouldered styles and popped clients in them too. I’m not wildly passionate about the look, but don’t mind it either. At the end of the day, I’m not a lover of Grecian inspired dresses and one-shouldered styles will always have a bit of that flavour for me, no matter how modern and edgy the cut of the garment.

But the silhouette can look strikingly different and attractive when matched with a killer statement cuff on the forearm of the bare shoulder. No necklace and no earrings but just the dress and the cuff. That type of strong outfit simplicity appeals to me, so that’s why I’ll continue to entertain the look. Who knows, perhaps I’ll even sport it myself one day.

So what do you think ladies? Do you like the look of one-shoulder dressing? If you don’t fancy the silhouette on yourself, is it something that you can appreciate on others? Do you think that strapless styles look better than one-shouldered styles?