I had never heard the term “SexyFace” until one of our forum members mentioned it and linked to this article on Jezebel. Ah-hah! The penny dropped. SexyFace is when models and celebs pose with their mouths open to appear more sexy, like in the photos below. As Jezebel puts it, “the mouth is supposed to turn people on, the look is supposed to make people feel like they are intruding on a private moment “. 

As soon as the phenomenon had a name, I started noticing it everywhere. In magazines, on billboards, in posters, on fashion blogs and even on the red carpet. SexyFace makes me laugh because, to me, it looks so contrived and self involved. It also reminds me of my kindergarten days when a child with blank stare and mouth wide open would be asked “Are you trying to catch a fly?”. “No”, we would reply before the teacher gave a stern “Well then. Close your mouth!”

I’m attracted to people who smile, so I like to see models smile when I’m browsing through clothes online. If they aren’t smiling, I prefer models to look neutral or expressionless, because that seems more natural. Of course, all the shots are posed, but for some reason expressionless looks less contrived than SexyFace.

There is nothing about the SexyFace pose that will make me like the photo or the outfit of the wearer more. Smiling on the other hand, captivates me instantly. My vote: bring back the models who smile. 

On the contrary. Repeating great outfits from head to toe simplifies your life and increases the cost per wear of the items. It also reinforces the fact that you can feel fab with fewer wardrobe items. There is no need to sport something new to feel your best. 

I firmly believe that if you feel great in an outfit combination, repeat it. Don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken. Of course, I also love remixing to create different combinations. But there is no need to constantly feel the need to re-mix wardrobe items to create different outfit combinations just for the sake of it. 

Fashion bloggers who post their outfits daily, or almost daily, seldom repeat exactly the same outfit in fear of boring their readers. That’s why they place a strong emphasis on remixing wardrobe items, which is understandable. A repeated outfit would probably not evoke the same amount of traffic or commentary as a new combination. But in real life, this is not the case. People will not hold it against you if you repeat the same outfit combination from time to time. 

I also understand the pressure to NOT want to wear the same outfit combination to work, or amongst the same group of friends, until a certain amount of time has passed. I guess the right amount of time is up to you. For some it’s a week, and for others it’s a fortnight, a month or even longer than that. 

I often repeat the same outfit. If I feel extra great in a particular combination, I will wear it as soon as a few days later, provided the items are clean and I’m not seeing the same client or friends. If I was going to see the same people I would be happy to repeat the same combination a few weeks later. And when I’m traveling, I wear the same outfits more frequently regardless of whether I’m seeing the same people or not. 

Do you repeat the same outfits? If so, how much time do you leave in-between the repetitions? Or do you feel better when you’ve tweaked an outfit just a little.

M.A.C. Cosmetics is being applauded in the media for chosing “an unexpected beauty role model” – Serbian bodybuilder and fitness model Jelena Abbou – as the face of their new collection “Strength”.

Japanese makeup brand Shiseido has developed a foundation containing a warm water sensor, meaning it doesn’t react to cold water but easily washes off when it comes into contact with water over 40°C. No cleanser required.

I enjoyed this video explaining how the makeup artists on “Les Misérables” performed their magic and transformed the stars into a very convincing wretched looking bunch.

Fab Links from Our Members

Mochi encourages us to find out more about the relentless beauty standards accepted by young female students in South Korea in this podcast. Eye-opening for sure.

More and more children’s clothing companies are starting to design for grown-ups as well. Laurinda is a little concerned about the “today’s parents have an almost insatiable desire to connect with their children” part. What do you think?

Carole directs us to Already Pretty where Sally has some good tips for busty women wearing scarves.

A while back Kat at Corporette wrote a still very relevant post about tattoo sleeves in the workplace. Angie points out that both the article and the comments are an interesting read.

Caro recommends this affirmation post on Kind Over Matter for any of us struggling to love ourselves in any way. A reminder to treat ourselves with the same tolerance and kindness we give others.

We’ve been talking about figure flattery a lot on the forum lately, and in that light Manidipa found “You Don’t Have to Be Pretty” on A Dress a Day very affirming.

Gaylene recently started a great thread in the YLF forum about how she is singing a different tune these days when it comes to the fit of her clothes. This is how she put it:

“All this talk of “slouchy” has obviously influenced my style goals without my knowing it. More and more I’m passing up on my skinnies for a looser pair of jeans these days and relegating my slim pencil skirts and shrunken jackets to the back of my closet. And I think there is more to it than my just wanting to indulge and make merry over the holidays.

Somehow those skinny, body conscious looks that I wore constantly last season just seem so unexciting now. I’m not really going for the full on over-sized, baggy, slouchy look, but clothes with a touch of ease and volume seem more appealing these days. Sizing up instead of sizing down just seems to be the right choice more often than not”.

Gaylene’s words really resonated with me. I bat for Team Looser Clothing no matter what the fashion trends are. That’s not because I want to hide my shape, but rather because something about a slightly looser fit looks more modern, luxurious and “no-nonsense” to my eye. The visual effect is also more tomboyish, and since my style is equal parts Boyish and Ladylike, this fits. I still wear form fitting turtlenecks but that’s it for body con fits. I dabbled in a few body con frocks and denim jeggings last year but the trend was short lived for my style. Even my tailored fits are looser than the norm because I think they look more flattering that way, not to mention the added level of comfort.

The thread produced interesting comments that are well worth a read. Like me, some felt the same way as Gaylene. Others felt quite the opposite. For example, some felt that they finally have a handle on wearing form fitting clothing after sporting clothes that were a couple of sizes too big for years. So wearing looser clothing would feel like a style regression. Some are worried that wearing looser clothing means that they might “grow into them too easily”. In other words, form fitting styles motivate them to stay at a particular weight. 

I’m not overly concerned with “growing into my looser clothes more easily” because my weight does not fluctuate very much. But I have reached the stage where I pop on skinnies and they feel SO TIGHT, yet I am at the same weight and size. So although they look the same, they feel very different. That’s what frequently wearing baggy and slouchy jeans and trousers will do to your impression of wearing skinnies. 

Oversized clothing, whether slightly or very oversized, is on trend and, for now, there is no stopping the look. In fact, volume is possibly the biggest trend on recent fashion shows. So each season we are likely to see the trend feature a little more strongly at retail as it filters down from the runway.

I am interested in how the oversized trend is affecting your perceptions of fit. Is your eye adjusting to the look of slightly looser clothing? Do you prefer the comfort of the baggier fits? Are you a tailored or body con gal at heart? Are you worried about oversized clothing potentially leading to weight gain, or is this of no concern?