Blouses aren’t everyone’s cup of tea because they are fussy, dramatic, dressy and high laundry maintenance. For these reasons many people stick to comfy knitted tops.

Blouses with neckties have a small target audience because they’re even fussier and hard to wear if you’re well endowed. This happens to be my favourite type of blouse and I know I’m in the minority. I adore their vintage, yet modern appeal and playful charm. They make me feel feminine, lady-like, elegant and alluring. (I’m very drawn to the “naughty librarian look” which works well with my specs and short hair).

Necktie-blouse don’t need to be sleeveless. They’re just as fab with a longer sleeve in Autumn layered under a cardigan or jacket. Opt for a V-necktie blouse to elongate the neckline. Stick to wovens for a crisper look. You don’t need to tie a bow at the neck with this silhouette. A neat square knot or loose tie often looks better.

A necktie blouse is a superb way to maintain a professional look in warm weather. Pop it over a pencil skirt, slacks, jeans or clamdiggers and you’ve got a great little look (belted or voluminous). Blouses in general are my “go-to” top in warm weather and I wear one almost every day. Any other blousy girls out there?

Most necktie blouses are woven, but occasionally you’ll find one in a knit like the black style above (which theoretically makes it a necktie knitted top). Necktie blouses that tie at the neck look particularly good on women with a smaller bust line and longer neck. But it’s easy to elongate this look if you don’t have a long neck by knotting the ties instead of tying them into a bow.

Fab casual pants are a missed retail opportunity. Apart from jeans and cropped pants (clamdiggers and walk shorts), the options are limited.

Here’s why:

• Khakis: It’s hard to look hip and stylish in an ultra-casual pair. Khakis either look too young, too conservative or dated when matched with casual shoes and knitted tops. Substitute a pair of casual khakis with white/cream cotton pants (pique or twill), or jeans (blue or white) and it’s an instantly better look. A smarter pair of khakis matched with a tailored black or white top and dressy shoe is a nice outfit. But that’s business casual, and not the relaxed vibe you’re after.
• Cargos: Few women look great in rigid cotton cargos. They’re best on inverted triangles if you find a pair with a sophisticated edge. Most styles tend to look wide, masculine and teenybopper-ish. Silk or silk blend cargos in drapey fabric are sweet, but delicate and shiny. They tend to look best with a dressier shoe which once again takes you out of the casual dress code.
• Poplin, seersucker, stripes and prints: Casual pants in these fabrics can work, but they’re not versatile. It’s hard to match them with tops and you’ll have wardrobe orphans if you aren’t careful.
• Linen: You either like the creased linen look or you don’t. If you don’t, it rules out another casual Summer pants option.
• Micro-check: I like this casual pants look, but it’s hard to find in America. I’m referring to a very fine, subtle plaid in neutral colours. It’s usually in a cotton or poly-blend and looks great in full length pants or cropped styles. A super look with sandals, thong sandals, Converse or ballet flats. Wish there were more to choose from.
• Knits: casual pants in knits are gear. We either exercise or lounge in these.

So we’re down to denim, or cotton twill/ pique pants (full length or cropped in any colour). Micro-checks and linen bottoms are next on the list of versatile casual pant options. Bottom line: your options are limited if you lead a casual lifestyle and your preference is for pants, but you don’t like denim. Day dresses and skirts solve the problem, but they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Left: White cotton “weekend pants” from Banana Republic are available in other colours, but I think they look best in white. Middle: Yellow cotton sateen pants from J Crew are an interesting casual bottom alternative. I fancy the idea of matching them with black, white, cream and cobalt blue. Right: If anyone wears pants like this elasticized brown linen style, I’ll have an apoplexy.

More and more men and women are omitting watches from their wardrobes because they can check the time on their mobile phone.

I feel naked without a watch. It is a no-nonsense accessory that completes a look like no mobile phone can. In fact, I have several watches that I like to change daily, weekly and seasonally. It’s a fun and subtle way to mix-up an ensemble. There are signs that phones are becoming stylish too, but I’m not convinced that they will be fashion accessories in quite the same way as my chunky white watch.

And the watch on my wrist is more convenient. This may have something to do with the fact that I’m a little obsessed with the time. I look at my watch 100 times a day and can’t imagine having to reach for my cell phone instead. In my life, wearing a watch is as practical and necessary as putting on specs.

Perhaps I am old fashioned, and the mobile phone is replacing the watch as the single piece of technology that is with you all the time. Do you view your phone as a functional, but fashionable accessory? Has it replaced your watch?

Last week I asked about the jeans in your closet. So many people shared detailed information that we thought it would be fun to summarize the results.

First of all, how many pairs of jeans do you own? The largest group of people own between one and 5 pairs, with almost the same number of people between 5 and 10 pairs. This seems reasonable if you wear jeans regularly. Note that there were also people at the extremes (one person had zero pairs, and another had 48), but those are excluded from the chart below.

On the color front, most people stuck to a dark blue wash, which is definitely the most versatile and cost effective choice. I was delighted to see that of the non-blue jeans, white and cream was the most popular choice. Black and grey followed soon after. I have a hunch that black-black jeans are going to make a comeback sometime soon.

Breakdown of non-blue jeans	Split between blue and non-blue jeans	Breakdown of blue washes

The chart below shows the brands that were mentioned three times or more. First surprise: There were more than 50 brands represented in our sample. Second surprise: the popularity of Levis amongst our top brand contenders. I have spent an exhausting amount of time in Levis stores trying unsuccessfully to fit myself and my clients into their jeans. They do have good fits for men though.

No surprises with the styles…

• Bootcuts were the forever flattering and fashionable favorite. They cut across, age, body type and fashion persona and are always a good, safe choice. It’s a rule: when in doubt, opt for boot cuts.
• Skinnies and straight legs were next in line. For some, straight legs are “their version of skinnies” because they offer a similar sleek silhouette. I’m happy to see this look gain popularity. It’s contemporary, mainstream and practical. You know I’m a big fan.
• Wide-legs and flares were less popular, which does not surprise me. It’s a hard look to wear.

Overall, a great mix of brands, styles, washes and duplications. Well done you stylish lot.