As the very last post of 2014, here are some superlatives to wrap up the year of style, fashion and retail. My musings are completely subjective, so feel free to agree, disagree, and add to the list. It’s all in good fun.
2014 fashion has been AMAZING. I’ve had the the most fun shopping this year because the trends and colours were right up my alley. As a result I bought more than usual for Spring/Summer, which is not my dominant season. As luck would have it, Seattle had the hottest Summer on record and my new items were put to good use.
Best Trends: Fluid fits (generally more wearable than oversized fits), white-out, pointy toe footwear, ankle straps, year-round knitwear, sporty luxe, daytime sparkle, boyfriend jeans, and wider trousers.
Worst Trends: Seasonally confused outfits that are very Wintery on top and a Summer party on the bottom. Like a pair of cropped pants worn with sandals, flats, pumps or peep-toe booties, which is then combined with chunky knitwear, bulky coat, scarf and woolly hat.
Most Unexpected Fashion Trend: Longer hair. Most women and girls I see on the street in the United States and around the world, have shoulder length or longer hair. Most fashion bloggers and celebrities have longer hair. Short hair is definitely less popular than it used to be. Perhaps we’ll see a change in 2015.
Most Saturated Items at Retail: Cropped pants, sausage casing skinnies, pencil skirts, and oversized tops.
Most Undersupplied Items at Retail: Tailored tops, knee-covering skirts and dresses, V-necklines, fashionable two inch dressy heels, tall boots for narrow calves, and full-length trousers.
Biggest Missed Opportunities at Retail: Two-piece dresses, trumpet skirts, and interesting longer skirts in general.
Favourite Photographer: Greg, because he creates the most beautiful images with impeccable attention to detail and a lot of heart. His pictures for my outfit posts are a true labour of love.
Worst Selfie Photographer: Me.
My Very Unexpected Wardrobe Purchases: White backpack, bell bottom jeans and big white sneakers. I was quite surprised by how much I ended up loving sporty luxe items like the sneakers and the backpack, and flares are not a typical choice for a non-boho style persona. Yet I love these items.
Favourite New Petite Outfit Blogger: Boston-based Jean from Extra Petite, who we featured earlier this year. I love her extremely polished modern classic style. Casual or dressy, Jean is a very chic lady.
Best Blogger Hair: Amber from Forever Amber. Her beautiful long red locks take my breath away.
Favourite Outfit Blogger: Veronica from Bittersweet Colours. A beautifully pulled together and fashionable lady who continues to ooze daily sass with her new maternity style.
Best Aspect of Today’s Fashion: There is no one way to be stylish.
Worst Aspect of Today’s Fashion: Casualization.
Most Depressing Colour of the Year: Solid grey because it really doesn’t make me happy when I wear it, although I love my charcoal Smythe equestrian jacket because of its cognac accents. It was also disappointing to see most retailers in the US end the year with a massive assortment of grey merchandise. Not festive at all.
Favourite Street Style on Pinterest: I’m fondest of street style looks that include pets, so Linda Rodin and her adorable poodle Winky win hands down this year sporting their complementary outfits:
Retailers With the Best Customer Service: Nordstrom, Zappos and Amazon continue to reign supreme, but I’d like to give J.Crew, Gap and Zara a shout-out.
I had trouble with my J.Crew password when purchasing an order online, so I phoned customer service who apologized profusely for the inconvenience, and gave me an additional 15% off my purchase.
I shop at the Gap, Gap Body and Gap Fit quite a bit both for myself and for clients, and I’m most impressed with how consistently helpful and friendly their sales assistants are. They stand out from the crowd, and make a difference. Thank you.
I’m in the Seattle Zara store very frequently, and am thoroughly impressed with the professionalism and efficiency of the sales staff, especially when handling returns, or when the store is crowded during an end of season sale. Zara’s online service is excellent too.
Best Winter 2014 Runway Outfit: Minus the hat, I want this gorgeous mixture of Equestrian Sporty Luxe White-Out.
Favourite Style Tips: Assess how you FEEL in an outfit. Keep poison eye to a minimum. Be patient with your style.
Most Stylish Way to Keep Warm in Winter: Stay indoors.
Only Style Rule: Have fun with fashion at ANY age.
And last, the best little doggies Jasmine and Rosie are sadly no longer with us, but they are in our hearts forever. Words cannot express how much we love and miss them.
