On July 17, and two months short of 89, our precious Papa passed away in his hometown of Velp, in the Netherlands. The loss is immense, and we are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us. Our hearts are heavy, but my brother Hugo and I are thankful that we flew out to be with my Dad earlier this week. Papa was a devoted husband, a wonderful father, a fabulous Opa to grandson Sebs, and a role model to many. 

Papa had an extremely tough time growing up in the Netherlands during World War 2. His family didn’t have much during and after the war, and the hardships they endured were rough. This tough start to life is part of what made my Dad the strong, hardy, hard-working, tenacious, and independent person that he was. It also made him thankful and grateful for the smallest things, awfully humble, frugal at heart, and very patient.

My Dad’s life greatly improved when he accepted a job offer in British Hong Kong in the late 1950s. This was a brave and adventurous thing to do back then, but quite typical of my Dad. He had a fearless and adventurous streak, despite his very sensible, and introverted demeanour. He was ready to tear into what life had to offer. Intelligent and academic, he became a Chartered Accountant and had a successful career in the shipping industry, ultimately becoming financial director at a large shipping company.

He met our Mama on Repulse Bay beach in Hong Kong and that was that. They were married shortly afterwards, had two children, and happily lived abroad in Asia and Africa for decades.

When Mama died of cancer twenty-one years ago, Papa moved back to his home town in the Netherlands. He was heartbroken, but tried his best to be happy by spending a lot of time with his children, their spouses, their families, and his grandson. Until the age of 83, my Dad travelled around the world like a spring chicken and did everything himself. He slowed down at age 84 but was still fiercely independent. He walked everywhere, and lived on his own until a year ago. Papa was AMAZING.

I love how gentle, sweet, strong, smiley, resourceful, polite, and passionate our Dad was. He was kind, generous, warm, and loved his books. Papa had the BEST bellowing laugh, and a fun mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Papa was popular because in his quiet and modest way, he was extremely charming — a real gentleman. He was respected, and a good person. He was the king of understatement and never exaggerated. If you said it was 3 pm, but it was only three minutes to three – he would correct you because Papa was very exact about things. He was disinterested in fashion and style, but looked dapper in his checked shirts, bright pullovers, statement specs, and a hat. You might remember a fun interview with my Dad about fashion and style I posted ten years ago.

Papa enriched our lives and made me a better person. He was greatly loved, and will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, sweet Papa. I love you.

I’m in favour of wearing white jeans year round. We wear black in Summer, so why can’t we wear white in Winter! White is the colour of snow, looks fresh and modern no matter what, and functions as a bright. Ignore the guideline that you shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day. 

Here is one way of wearing white jeans in cold weather, and it happens to be my favourite. It’s about combining white jeans with a support act of statement pullover and booties. You might be able to shop your closet for the look right away, in any colour palette. I’ve chosen cool and warm neutrals. Ink blue because it’s softer than black, and camel for Team Earth Tones. 

Here are the components: 

White Jeans: Choose your silhouette, from straight legs and skinnies, to bootcuts or boyfriend jeans. I vote optical white, but cream or ecru is another option. 

Statement Pullover: You’re after something a little more than a basic sweater, so think oversized drapey styles, high-low hemlines, patterns, cheeky pullovers, and conversational prints. Of course, if a basic pullover is your preference, that’s fine too. Tuck, semi-tuck or faux tuck. 

Booties: You have a choice of keeping the booties low or high contrast against the white of the jeans. I’ve chosen high-contrast ink booties and caramel booties to match the pullovers, but white, tan, light taupe or silver booties are a low-contrast choice. I also chose heeled booties to offset the horizontal line that is created by the high-contrast colour. Oxfords and shooties are additional footwear options. 

Coat: A wool coat of your choice finishes off the look. A cape, trench coat, wool blazer or leather jacket works as well. 

Accessories: Wear a belt if you semi or faux tuck the pullover. I’ve chosen an on-trend silver clutch because silver works well with white and adds in sci-fi fabness. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.

It’s the sheer brightness of white jeans and the fact that they are dressier than blue jeans that appeals to me most about wearing them year round. I have three pairs that are wardrobe workhorses, and I’m in white jeans at least once a week. As I type this, I’m wearing white boyfriend jeans with a neon pink cashmere pullover, leopard belt and leopard booties. I have also worn the ink and white ensemble version on the left quite a bit.

I love white jeans, and need no convincing to wear them. Will you wear white jeans in cold weather?

I’ve been in the fashion world for more than half of my life. I’ve learned so much and it makes me very happy to share my experience with others when it can help them on their style journey. Here are are my top style tips in no particular order. 

1. Style is beyond size, age and body type. It’s an energy and confidence that is expressed through clothing, footwear and accessories.
2. An authentic style is one that’s manageable and makes you happy. It celebrates that style is PERSONAL, and emanates from the inside out.
3. Be patient and positive with your style. Relax into your style journey. Pat yourself on the back every time you get it right.
4. Dress the body you have right now. Don’t wait for some future version of yourself.
5. Create a column of colour when you’re after a streamlined and slender outfit effect.
6. Be mindful of how you wear black. It can look chic, dressy, slimming, hard-edged, strong and dramatic, but it can also look boring, harsh, flat and predictable.
7. Focus on fit, and not the size written on the clothing label.
8. A glowing smile, great posture, and happy eyes are the best accessories to an outfit.
9. Do not underestimate the importance of fabulous hair, killer eyewear, and excellent underwear. These are the areas of your style to analyze first when you’re in a style rut.
10. Don’t “compare and despair” by focussing on what others have and you don’t. Compete with the best version of your current self, and focus on what you do have.
11. Don’t take the emotion out of your style. Listen to how you FEEL in an outfit. The more you are in tune with your preferences, needs and emotions, the easier it is to sport a style that is easy, authentic and makes you feel fabulous.
12. Celebrate your body because it’s an incredible gift that deserves daily care and praise at any shape and age.
13. The sooner you embrace the next phase of your own beauty, the easier it will be to stop fighting the aging process and start celebrating the miraculous journey that is your life.
14. Appreciate all the different ways we can be beautiful. Life would be awfully dull if we all looked the same.
15. Create brow, lash and lip definition to frame your face.
16. Look after your skin and wear sunscreen daily.
17. Keep your fashion feet moving. Allow your style to evolve.
18. Judge the outfit, and not the person.
19. Never say never in fashion and style because you’ll be surprised at how your feelings about a look, colour or item can change over time.
20. Ask three questions to troubleshoot outfits:
    1. Is it the length of an item that will make the difference?
    2. Is it the contrast between the items and your skin tone?
    3. Do you need to add heels to the outfit?
21. Create outfit proportions that align with YOUR figure-flattering priorities.
22. Your favourite colours are always in style.
23. Life is too short to save your clothes for special occasions. Ration the super special stuff and wear the heck out of the rest.
24. Modern Classics can be incorporated into any style.
25. Have fun with fashion at any age. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about your fashion exploits.

Which of these style tips resonate with you the most? Please post your own favourite style tips in the comments section below.

Conventionally flattering proportions create a streamlined silhouette with a long neck and leg line. They celebrate the female form by accentuating the curve on the bust and hip, and defining the waist. Fits are neither too tight nor too loose, but beautifully tailored. Outfits are structured with few or no horizontally cutting lines. The idea is that these outfit proportions accentuate your “assets” and make your body look its best. 

On the other end of the continuum, fits are either too tight or too loose by conventional standards. Outfits are often unstructured in the extreme, surrendering the waist and ignoring the curve on the bust and the hip. The neck and leg line are usually severely shortened, and there are many horizontally cutting lines in the outfit. 

It used to be that conventionally flattering proportions were the way to look stylish. Outfit proportions that strayed from the benchmark were deemed less flattering, or even unflattering. Things have changed. The wonderful thing about our current fashion era is that we’re becoming more tolerant than ever of outfits that defy conventional figure flattery. It is an era that accepts and even encourages all sorts of outfit juxtapositions and silhouettes. Often the edgier and more fashion-forward the outfit, the less conventionally flattering the proportions. 

This is wonderful, but it is also means that the tried-and-true guidelines associated with conventional figure flattery are less useful than they used to be. So I have found it very useful to think in terms of outfits that are just flattering enough. These are outfits that sacrifice some conventional figure flattery to be more fashion-forward, or more comfortable, but they keep just enough of the traditional guidelines to make us feel confident. Typically by adding a little structure or elongating the lines in just the right places. These little tweaks make all the difference, taking the outfit out of unflattering territory.

This is the modern approach to creating outfits. The results are more interesting, and allow us to feel more comfortable and creative in our outfit choices. And as our eyes adjust to outfits that are just flattering enough, they will become conventionally flattering. We will be able to push the boundaries even further. This shifting of the figure flattery goal posts is inevitable, and I’m curious to see where fashion, outfit proportions and figure flattery will be ten years from now.

Of course, figure flattery is in the eye of the beholder, and we all have different thresholds that define when an outfit is just flattering enough. That’s why dressing according to your own figure-flattering priorities is the best guideline that I can offer. Whether you prefer conventionally flattering proportions or veer much further up the continuum to create outfits that are just flattering enough, it’s all good. The most important thing is to listen to how you FEEL in an outfit.