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GETTING THE LOWDOWN ON FASHION COLOURS

colour decoder

As a trained colour consultant I believe that you should follow fashion colour trends on your own terms. Just because, for example, bright yellow is terribly fashionable doesn’t mean that you should hurry out and buy a garment in that colour. Unless you look fabulous in yellow of course in which case you can buy as many items as you can afford.

My advise is that you first find out what your best colours and neutrals are. Then if you decide that you MUST have something yellow, but yellow is not really your colour, take time to explore different shades of yellow. All people can wear all colours, the key is to finding out which particular shade suits you best.

I do realise, however, that some people like to follow trends and/or don’t give a toss whether a certain colour actually suit them or not. If you belong to this category then you may be interested in finding out the more precise details of colours that you see in the fashion media. If so, or you may just have an interest regardless what your colour outlook is, I think the colour decoder is a useful tool for finding out which colours are used by various fashion designers. Make a note of that Pentone code and hit the shops, you can’t go wrong here!

SHOE SALE AT SHOE STUDIO!

shoe sale at Shoestudio

Ha, what a glorious joy walking into House of Fraser’s shoe department the other day. They really do have great shoe sales on! Good reductions, great selection – what more can a girl ask for? The sad truth is though that I saw so many styles I liked that I couldn’t make up my mind which ones to buy. So in the end I walked away empty-handed … and ended up buying a pair on sale at Topshop instead.

You don’t want to be like me though – if you haven’t been to House of Fraser yet for the summer sales then don’t wait any longer. There could be a pair, or two, or three on the racks with your name on them. A flavour of what is available can be had by visiting the Shoe studio website. I just noticed though that not all the shoes available in the shops are displayed online, so a visit to the actual shop is recommended! Of course it could be vice versa as well, but what the heck, at least you got out of the house  …

Beth Ditto designs for Evans

Beth Ditto designs for Evans

Read an article today in the Guardian that the singer Beth Ditto is about to launch her own clothing line with Evans. Which is great for her. My thought when I read the article though was that “how come only either large women or small women (read superskinny) get a mentioning in the media when it comes to fashion? What about the rest of us that fall somewhere in the middle? I suppose that we are so “normal” and therefore uninteresting and boring that we aren’t worth wasting space on. Just a thought.

Are long skirts trendy again?

long linen skirt

Those who know say that “two’s a coincidence, three’s a trend”. If this is correct, then long skirts are most definitely back in vogue as I have lately seen them on ladies ranging from adolescent girls to women of a certain age.

Trends are a bit funny, aren’t they? That nothing is new under the sun are words of wisdom – most fashion trends have been around in one way or another in an earlier time. In fact, come to think about it, fashion trends can therefore be compared a bit to recycling – take a useful feature and remake it into something new! It’s rather interesting though how some trends take 20 odd years or so to come around again (eg platform shoes, leggings, flares, shoulder pads) while others are back within a few years. As I see it long skirts definitely belong to the latter group.

long hippie skirt

I haven’t really made a note in my diary of the last time that long skirts were high fashion, but can it be about five years ago or so? At some point it felt like everyone was wearing long skirts with tiered layers, oozing of boho feel. Wise from insight one might have seen them coming again though as maxi dresses have been on the scene for a few years now. The step from dress to skirt is not all that big …

So what does one make out of the resurgence of long skirts? As with most trends it does take a while to warm to them (how long depends on the individual), if at all. Personally I like the theory of wearing long skirts. They are comfortable, a bit of a statement garment and can be practical and stylish. In practice though I prefer shorter skirts, knee length or shorter as I think it flatters my proportions more. Plus the fact that they look so much better with high heels, a trend that I’m completely hooked on. As I see it long skirts tend to look better with flats or low heels.

long wrap skirt

On the style front long skirts, just like short skirts, come in a wide range of cuts. But because there is so much material involved I think the cut and use of material is more important to consider when buying the longer version as first impression is so much more in your face. Do you want to relay boho style, party time, city chic or holiday mode? The choice is yours.

long velvet skirt

What to wear when it’s HOT

loose fitting top and skirt

Have recently been on holiday in a place where it was VERY hot, with that meaning high temperature and around 90% humidity. Just lifting a finger made you sweat.  Coming back to this part of the world it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the warm weather had found its way here as well, albeit not quite as sticky.

lightweight cotton top

But are there more people than me out there contemplating what is actually comfortable to wear in temperatures around 30 degrees? Without resorting to gear making you look like you are heading for the beach?

loose fitting silk top

Having myself given this some thought I have come to the conclusion that loose fitting is the keyword.  And natural, light-weight  fibres.  As I see it loose fitting garments ensure that air can circulate around your body and help prevent sweat marks showing up in various places. Natural fibres “breath” and are therefore better at absorbing that same fluid.

loose fitting silk dress

When I’m referring to loose fitting I’m primarily thinking of tops as this is were the most visible sweating is taking place.  What one wears below the waistline is naturally also important – is there anything worse than sweat glueing the clothes to your thighs and bum? HIGHLY unattractive if nothing else.

In this post I have inserted some images that I think illustrates what I consider are comfortable but still chic city wear for hot weather. Some of them are very pricey and therefore not necessarily garments that I would have bought myself. The images will be useful for reference though when I’m heading down to my local Dorothy Perkins, Zara or H&M … .

Women’s wardrobe

women's wardrobe

Good book if you are interested in getting your wardrobe in shape. Click on the image to have a look inside!

Are leggings passé?

LNA Flat Black Cropped Zipper Leggings

Some fashion trends tend to stick. And leggings is certainly one of them. I can recall getting a pair back in early 2006 and admit to experimenting with different “leggings-looks” for a season. I then decided to drop them as a hot potatoe when I one day looked around and saw that EVERYONE was wearing leggings. It may just be me, but I just don’t like to wear what everyone else is wearing.

Fast forward three years or so and nothing much has changed. Women everywhere are still wearing leggings. And to be blunt I think this look is now rather boring, to say the least. The interesting part about this statement though, is that a couple of weeks ago I – very reluctantly – bought a pair of knee-length denim leggings. My reason for doing so was because I wanted something to wear underneath this short-ish dress that I’ve got. And I decided that denim leggings were similar enough to jeans to avoid looking like “ordinary” leggings. Wearing real jeans underneath the dress could of course have been an option, but as they are on the bulky side they make you look bigger than you are. And I don’t think many people like that. Leggings are good that way in that they can create a more streamlined look.

I know the above all sounds rather confused (that could be my middle name), but the bottom line is that it doesn’t really feel all that good wearing those leggings. They are undeniably practical and kind of hot on the right person (read right body). Somehow though I can’t get away from that instinct telling me that the look is very passé. At least for this time around.

White shoes

white shoes at ShopStyle UK

Read in latest Elle UK (July 2009) that white shoes are the latest vogue. That’s a pity, I know for sure that I won’t be joining the bandwagon.  I find that white shoes look cheap, no matter how much money you have paid for them or what brand it is. Plus that they have a tendency to get dirty VERY quickly.

Having said that - I love white trainers, they look fresh and sporty. And it doesn’t matter if they get dirty – then it actually looks like you are using them the way they are intended .

white nike trainers

The greatness of slipovers

pink slipover by ben sherman

Call me late, but I have recently discovered the greatness of slipovers. It may have taken some time, but suppose better late then never. I know that not everyone agrees with me – it appears that some people think that “slipovers never have been and never will be chic”.

grey slipover by ben sherman

Well, sorry, I can’t possibly assent to that. In addition to being chic, my view is that they are cool and sporty, can add a splash of colour without being too much as well as keeping you warm. Not bad for a rather small garment, eh? In this post, I have illustrated my view with a couple of groovy slipovers from Ben Sherman.

argyle-patterned slipover by ben sherman