Four Shortcuts to a More Current Style

Often I work with clients who are happy with their wardrobe overall, but want to make their outfits more current. In this situation I have found that there are four places to make your style modern and fashionable that have the most visual impact. In fact, the first two, hairstyle and eyewear, are things that I also suggest tackling first when you are doing a major wardrobe refresh.

Hairstyle

Reassess your hairstyle annually and make sure you’re happy with it. Cutting it shorter is one option, and growing it into a different style is another. So is going lighter, darker or to a different colour. Perhaps you should enhance the curl of your hair, or softly straighten the waves to create the style you’re looking for. Choose a fashionable look that you can style and manage daily. Have it reshaped and touched up regularly. 

Eyewear

This applies to those who wear specs daily, and I can’t stress this point enough. Wear a stylish pair of frames because it’s your number one accessory. Reassess the shape and colour of your frames every two to three years. Some styles of frame look current for five years, especially when they’re Retro. Prescription eyewear is expensive, but online stores like Warby Parker can provide a great look at a fraction of the price. 

Footwear

Footwear has the ability to update and elevate an entire outfit. And one pair of shoes can be worn in many different outfits, so a single new pair can have a big wardrobe impact. You don’t need to wear uncomfortable shoes for the sake of fashion. Now more than ever before, comfortable shoes are making a fashion statement and there are plenty of options to choose from. Find the footwear trends that work for your feet and incorporate them into your style. 

Handbag

Handbags are another item that can impact many outfits. They are less important than the previous three elements because we don’t always carry a handbag. Still, when we do wear a bag it makes a big visual impact. You don’t need to swap out your bag frequently if that’s not your thing. Feel free to carry one bag for the season, but make sure that it’s fashionable if you want your style to be current.

Hairstyle, eyewear, footwear and handbags can go a long way to update a well maintained wardrobe. The other side of the coin is that if none of these elements are current, even the most fashionable clothing can look a little dated. Rather go modern on the elements above and classic on the clothing than the other way around. 

Weekly Roundup: Transitional Pieces

Many of these pieces can be dressed up for the office or dressed down for casual settings. Of particular interest is how good H&M looks at the moment. I was impressed with the quality of their new lined jackets for Fall, and of course, the prices are very affordable. Look through all the colour options.

The next three months of retail will showcase the bulk of Fall and Winter stock for 2014. I’m really excited to see how the rest of the season will unfold.

H&M
Short Jacket
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Top Pick
6
H&M
Tailored Jacket
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Top Pick
5
Boden
British Tweed Blazer
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Top Pick
5
H&M
Draped Wrap-style Blouse
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Top Pick
12

Bustlines and Breast Pockets

Some of my clients, friends and family members with a fuller bust stay away from tops, dresses and jackets with breast pockets. They feel that breast pockets make their bust look larger and draw attention to their bustline, which they don’t want to do. The effect is more pronounced if the fabric is bulky and there are flaps on the pockets. Or if the pockets are ruched and gathered in some way to create volume over the bust. Some styles of breast pocket create a focal point in the outfit, like bias cut plaid breast pockets on a plaid shirt that draw the eye straight to the bustline. Or high-contrast colour blocked breast pockets that do the same thing. 

There are, however, two breast pocket designs that my clients are perfectly happy to wear even when they are concerned about emphasizing their bustline.

Invisible Pocket Placement

The breast pockets on these plaid shirts have been matched up to perfection with the front of the shirt. That way there is zero extra bulk on the bust, and the pockets are almost invisible.

Foxcroft Check Print Cotton ShirtTreasure Bond Classic Fit Plaid Shirt 

High Pocket Placement

The second option is to choose styles where the breast pockets are positioned a littler higher on the chest. That way they don’t create the bulk across the fullest part of the bust, if at all. Choosing this style of pocket placement on a plaid shirt with bias cut pockets can create a visual focal point on the bust, so choose a solid top with self colour pockets if you’re uncomfortable with that visual.

Burberry Brit Woven Check ShirtFree People Catch Up With Me Top

For other types of breast pocket, it does help if the top or dress is fairly fluid, and the fabric of the pockets are soft rather than stiff. Then the pockets will drape over the bust in a more subtle way. Of course, if you are not at all worried about emphasizing your bust, then by all means wear pockets of any description.

Over to you. Do you wear clothing items with breast pockets? If so, do you look for specific design details?

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Karen’s Summer Style: Casual Chartreuse & White

This is the second outfit in our series about client Karen’s Summer style. To recap, graceful and elegant Karen who is in her seventies, has had a major lifestyle shift that has affected her wardrobe choices. She now lives part of the year in Seattle and part of the year in Arizona, which means that she dresses for mild weather most of the year. Be sure to take a look at her first outfit if you haven’t seen it already, and also to read about here three style epiphanies at the start of Summer: fluid fits, patterned pants, and subtle pattern mixing.

Karen’s most important style epiphany to date though concerns her preference for neutrals. She loves the idea of colour, and seeing the pieces hang in her wardrobe makes her happy, but she seldom feels like wearing them. Karen opts for a neutral outfit ninety percent of the time. This means that we have to be VERY careful with the colour that we add to her wardrobe so that the items aren’t orphaned. 

Casual Chartreuse Right

In the light of Karen’s strong preference for neutrals, this outfit is particularly notable because of the bright chartreuse top. Even more so because it is Karen’s favourite of the year! She has worn it over and over again with an exceptionally high happiness factor. HAH. We laughed about that quite a bit. Obviously, the right colour in the right item, and combined with neutrals, does work for Karen. In this case, the chartreuse brings out Karen’s stunning light green eyes, and picks up the chartreuse dot in Karen’s favourite scarf of all time.

Casual Chartreuse Close

The fluid Eileen Fisher linen knit top with high-low hemline and sleeves provides an ideal way for Karen to stay cool but covered while sporting trends. Karen is not at all comfortable baring the top part of her arms, so tops like these are brilliant for hot days. Being a lover of lightweight gauzy Summer scarves, Karen likes this top best matched with this scarf.

Karen LOVES to wear white pants and jeans and has several pairs in constant rotation. Here, she’s wearing the Roll-Up City Chino from Banana Republic, which soon became workhorses so she tripled up on the style (all in white). They are roomy, but not slouchy, and work with most Summer tops in her wardrobe (which are generally white, black, grey or ink blue). I love the way white bottoms pick up the silver grey streak in Karen’s hair. Attractive colour repetition. 

Casual Chartreuse Full

On trend Charles David pointy toe ankle strap flats add an extra modern touch to the outfit. The ankle strap was made for this length of pant, which takes Karen back to the ‘50s and ‘60s when she wore this combination too. The black bookends Karen’s hair, while the patterned strap picks up her signature grey streak. Although super cute, these ankle strap sandals are a little orphaned because Karen reaches for her black Paul Green Trisha sandals more frequently. The comfort level of the Paul Greens cannot be beat, and bookend her hair in a similar way. 

Casual Chartreuse Left

Karen prefers to wear one bag for the season, and this year it’s a studded two-toned Michael Kors satchel which I passed on to her. It was orphaned in my closet when I started to prefer less hardware a few years ago. But it’s brilliant how the wardrobe pet has received a new lease on life in Karen’s wardrobe. Earrings, wedding ring and watch are all Karen needs in the jewellery department. 

In this outfit Karen is fully embracing the concept of just enough structure. The rolled hems on the pants, bare forearm skin, tapered sleeve fit, the asymmetrical hemline, and refined footwear style provide sufficient structure to counterbalance the less tailored casual top and bottom. These details are important, and make all the difference when it comes to Karen feeling like her ultra chic and polished self.

Casual Chartreuse Close

Team Satchel, Shoulder Bag, Crossbody or Clutch

This week’s poll covers our handbag preferences. A satchel is a handbag with short handles that you clutch with your hands or hook through one arm. A shoulder bag is a style that you carry on one shoulder, like a tote. A crossbody is a style that you wear diagonally across the body. And a clutch is a bag without handles that you clutch with your hands or under the top part of your arm. 

I’ll go first. I bat for Team Satchel and Team Clutch, and cannot decide between the two because I find them both very comfortable. I keep the contents of my handbag to a minimum, so carrying a clutch is actually quite practical. I have one old L.A.M.B shoulder bag that I love the look of, but don’t carry often because I do not like carrying bags on my shoulder. I find the style uncomfortable and end up feeling lopsided. I cannot handle wearing crossbody bags. I find them extremely uncomfortable on my neck, shoulders and hip, although I love the way they look in outfits. If comfort were not an issue, I would wear crossbody styles more frequently. 

I’m sitting this one out on the bench with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberry sauce. Over to you? Can you bat for one style of bag or are you joining me on the bench?