Founded in 1949, Austrian brand Wolford is renowned for its sumptuous hoisery, shapewear and lingerie solutions. Their brand stands for exceptional quality, durability, aesthetic appeal and fit. Take your pick from elegant everyday essentials, to creative on-trend fashion pieces. Join stars such as Cheryl Cole, Victoria Beckham, Rihanna and Pixie Lott in experiencing the World of Wolford.
Michaela
The Bebaroque label was started in 2007 by Mhairi McNicol and Chloe Patience. After meeting at the Glasgow School of Art the two designers separately began designing leg wear, until they decided to unite and create the innovative Bebaroque, which went on to win the Accessory Designer of The Year award at the Scottish Fashion Awards 2008.
The originality of the brand is tied in with its eccentricity – the height of creative hosiery – expect hand embroidery and intricately drawn designs.
My interview with Bebaroque:
1. Both of you designed leg wear separately before you started your label in 2007. Why did you both focus on leg wear? What gave you the idea to name your label Bebarque?
WE BOTH PLAYED AROUND WITH DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS FOR OUR MASTERS COLLECTIONS AND MOVING ONTO HOSIERY WAS AN APPEALING IDEA FOR US BOTH. THEN WE DECIDED TO JOIN FORCES TO MAKE SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL AS THEY WERE PROVING SO POPULAR. WE DECIDED ON THE NAME BEBAROQUE BECAUSE THE WORD BAROQUE IS USED FOR ART AND DECORATION THAT IS OVER THE TOP AND OVERLY ORNATE, WHICH IS THE WAY THAT WE TEND TO DESIGN. WE ALSO DONT SEE THE POINT IN BEING BORING WITH WHAT YOU WEAR SO WE WANT EVERYONE TO BEBAROQUE!
2. What made you join forces? How do you work together? How do decide what is next?
WE WORK WELL TOGETHER, WE DESIGN TOGETHER AND DO ALL THE BUSINESS SIDE TOGETHER ALSO.
3. I am a huge fan of your brand. It is fun, yet stylish and gives the wearer a unique look. Though you make use of colour and embellishments your collection has always something for any type of leg shape and size. What inspires you to create the next collection?
AT THE BEGINING OF EACH SEASON WE DECIDE WHAT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT, AND THEN CONCENTRATE CAREFULLY ON THE SUBJECT DRAWING AND DESIGNING FROM THE INSPIRATION WE FIND. AT THE MOMENT WE ARE DESIGNING FOR AW11, WHERE WE ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH AT LONDON FASHION WEEK
4. What would you consider is your iconic signature style?Who brings which personality into Bebaroque?
OUR SIGNATURE STYLE ISS DEFINITELY INTRICATE DRAWINGS AND OUR USE OF BOLD EMBROIDERY AND COLOUR. WE OFTEN INVOLVE OUR SIGNATURE STYLE TATTOO PRINTS AND EMBROIDERIES INSPIRED BY VINTAGE LACE.
5. Besides legwear you started to do Bebaroque Body. What gave you the idea to move from leg to body wear?
WE HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DEVELOP THE COLLECTION TO BODY WEAR TO LET US DECORATE THE BODY FURTHER. WE ARE NOT TIGHTS SPECIALISTS , WE ARE TEXTILE DESIGNERS SO WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO EXPRESS OUR DESIGNS
6. How many collections do you create for leg wear and body? Your products are available in stores such as Liberty or online like my tights. Where is your strongest customer base- online or in stores?
WE SELL WELL THROUGH BOTH WEBSITES AND IN STORES BUT MOST OF OUR BUSINESS IS THROUGH STORES. OUR PRODUCTS NEED TO BE SEEN ON THE BODY SO IT IS ALWAYS GREAT FOR THE CUSTOMER TO VIEW THEM ONLINE THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY ALSO
7. What is next?
LONDON FASHION WEEK, THEN PARIS TO LAUNCH AW11 COLLECTION. THEN WE START TO DESIGN AGAIN FOR SS12. WE WANT TO CONCENTRATE ON THE HOSIERY, BODY WEAR AND ACCESSORIES BEFORE GROWING ANY FURTHER.
8. Who is your ideal customer and if you could pick any celebrity you like- who would you like to dress with Bebaroque and why?
WE WOULD LIKE CHLOE SEVIGNEY TO WEAR OUR CLOTHES AS WE LOVE HER UNIQUE AND STRONG LOOK.
9. Which are your favourite products on Joy of Clothes?
10. Bebaroque on Joy of Clothes:
Thank you for your time,
Michaela
On Saturday night Cheryl Cole wore her best dress since the beginning of the show. The strapless maxi dress by Roberto Cavalli worked like a dream for her inverted triangle body shape and her warm colouring. It was classy, current and worked her body. What didn’t work was her choice of earrings, because they interfered with her hairstyle . The earrings looked clunky . They were too close to her hairstyle and they put too much distance to her decollete line. It looked too disconnected. She should have chosen discreet drop earrings that would have looked effortless and closed the gap between her hair style and decollete line. On Sunday Cheryl was back to some unfortunate style choices. The dress style was not ideal for her body shape with its features on top, but since it had a full A-line skirt that went out wider than her shoulder it kind of looked alright. The feel about the dress was a bit Gothic and pairing it with a kind of medieval hairstyle it looked quite scary altogether. Having said that it would have been a good look for Halloween night. As well her choice in earrings didn’t work in style or theme. It looked again all very clunky.
Dress suggestions for Cheryl:
Though Danni’s style choice and look rocked again on Saturday it wasn’t a hit for me. Yes, the style of her dress fitted her body shape perfectly, her earrings looked perfect in colour choice with the shape and style for the dress and her hair style brought the whole outfit together. What didn’t work for me was that the colour white. It is not close enough to Christmas and combining this white drapey dress with turquoise/gold earrings it feels more appropriate for summer or a warmer climate than for cold English November in the UK. The theme is too breezy and has more of a ” hot summer night” feel about it. On Sunday she was back by going for an animal fitted dress that worked her full hourglass shape to perfection. She kept the whole look current by wearing an animal printed dress in the current fashionable 50s style, combining it with a hairstyle that picked up on the edgy feel of the dress but keeping it classy at the same time. But what I liked best about it that the dress had a a bit of a “dress for success” feel about it. Since it was eviction night I thought that style of dress and theme was most appropriate for the occasion. She turned this day dress to an evening one by wearing metallic Christian Louboutin heels and wearing earrings that went with the theme without overpowering or competing with the animal prints.
Dress suggestions for Dannii:
Rebecca Ferguson dress was a perfect fit for her pear body shape and for her style personality. But it didn’t work with her colouring. The neutral or nude colour of the dress is washing her out. But her make up, hair style and accessories were absolutely spot on and worked like a dream.
Dress suggestions for Rebecca:
Kate Waissel look and style on Saturday was reminding me of the movie Grease . To me it was all too much of everything from her headband to studded leather jacket, printed cropped T-shirt, washed low rise jeans combined embellished belt and key ring to the studded biker boots. Every single inch of her body was decorated.
Cher Lloyd style is getting better and better. Since she is a lean column in her bodyshape she needs to add fullness and roundness to her body shape. Her slightly oversized metallic blazer with its metallic features and the metallic printed trousers did that. The nude, metallic and black combination worked for a deeper colouring -even though she wore a nude colour on top-, because she wore her long, full dark her open. My only dislike is that she is styled like the MINI CHERYL COLE rather going for her own identity.
More printed hosiery:
Michaela
Who gets the thumbs up this time around?
Dannii Minogue’s fashion sense and style show every week how versatile she is . Her looks and outfits are always different but always true to her body shape, colouring, style personality.
Dannii Minogue outfits on both shows are a celebration of the return of the full hourglass body shape, but as well on trend with the 1950 fashion dress code. A lot of waist and keeping the hemline below the knee. But still she makes it her own by keeping it current with her hairstyle, make up and accessories. By combining metallic pumps with her electric blue Victoria Beckham dress – that is one of the hottest colours this season- she turns the elegant lady like dress to an evening outfit. While on Sunday she turns the tea party dress to an evening gown by adding black elegant pumps and keeping it current with casual wavy hairstyle. Styling in perfection.
Alternative electric blue dress:
Cheryl Cole styling to the launch of her new single ” Promise” was picture perfect. Cheryl ‘s black and white outfit contrasted her red hair colour without over powering it. The bandage print tights and the sequined knickers gave her outfit the edge, the twist and the wow factor. The statement blazer and the laceup added elegance and personality.
Her nude long HMH (Hanna Marie Hutchinson) Couture gown, with cut-away side panels and a twist-knot front worked beautifully for her inverted triangle body shape and with her new found hair colour. It was also a nice break from her black and white dress choices. Her make up and her de Grisogono earrings completed the whole look. The only thing which didn’t do it for me was the length of the dress. A shorter hemline would have balanced more the waist details and definiton.
Sunday it was back to a white shine silver one shoulder panel mini dress by Kristian Aadnevik. The one shoulder dress is not ideal for her shape, but she made work by having a slight a- line hemline and wearing her long hair down. All in all it doesn’t look bad or wrong, it is just more of the same outfit and colour choice. It would be nice to see her more versatile in her colour choices and looks. White dresses are best worn in summer and white outfits closer to Christmas. But her current hairstyle is one of her best.
Rebecca Ferguson was channelling Jessica Rabbit for her Guilty Pleasure performance on Saturday. Her redfloor-length one shoulder maxi dress by Hardy Amies Couture came with a with dramatic side-bustle. Again very wrong shape for a pear body shape. The side- bustle is sitting on her fullest part. The red colour in her dress and lipstick look great on her. But it should have stopped her. The red hair is too much and as Dannii Minouge said- it is ageing her.
What were they thinking when they were dressing Treyc Cohen in rock-chick figure-hugging Izmaylov dress with exxagerated feathered statement shoulders? They got the colour right and the idea of the right shape for her body shape but got it very wrong with the statement shoulders. You need a long lean neck in order to make it look balanced. Treyc neck is too short for this style and it makes her face look cramped inbetween the shoulders. Also her dress in the sing off on Sunday didn’t flatter her shape and her colouring. The draping Grecian mini dress is creating unflattering volume and attention on her thighs and the they grey colour is washing her out.
Whether you are fan of Katie Waissel or not- her styling and outfit were perfect!Retro styling works best for her! Especially the style of the 1920 with their head pieces and shift, flapper dresses will work on her like a dream!
Cher Lloyd stayed true to her style by keeping to a street ghetto look, which goes with her music and image.
Michaela
Another fashion trend that doesn’t go away this season. One can even say its fashion is even bolder than ever before. As much as we fall in love with the look of a leggings we need to stay focused and keep the fact in our mind that leggings fashion is only for the women who can show off their legs. It requires perfectly shaped legs- preferably skinny legs so they can deal and add all the drama to their legs, that will create the extra volume . In order to be able to show off designs and patterns one better have as well a long pair of legs.
A visually balanced body, regardless of weight or height, always looks most flattering. Legs and calves come in different sizes and shapes and each variation requires a different styling and dressing guide.
Dressing your legs and calves requires a strategy, because you need to have an understanding of your build, you need to put the size of your calves in context with your bust, body shape, height and proportion (ie do you have a balanced body? A longer body with shorter legs? A short body with longer legs?). By modifying the lines of your clothing you can create visual balance whether you have small or large calves.
In short here are the rules for leggings fashion:
The rest should stay clear and focus on other fashion trends that are more suitable to your build. Opt for hoisery that tunes our leg line down rather than puts it on full display.
Michaela
When dressing for your shape, colour and occasion you need as well “to dress yourself” from the inside in order to ensure that you feel good about yourself. Both.phpects need to be addressed – none can co exist without the other. No clothes or make up will be able to cover up a lack of sleep, a bad diet that is lacking of the right nutrients to make you feel good and look energised. Also it will have the unpleasant side effect to add additional pounds to your shape and mostly when that happens you put it on where you don’t want it. It is not about wearing Size 0, which I do not support, but about feeling good about yourself- no matter the size- with no regrets. Looking and feeling as good from the outside as you feel on the inside can be influenced by the right diet for your shape but also by the right workout for your shape. Every shape has different criteria good and bad therefore it is only logical that when we workout we need to apply different sets of rules to address different parts of the body we like to keep build up, slim down or just keep in shape. Someone who is a for example a. pear- carrying the weight on hips, thighs and calves will need to choose a different regime in diet and work as someone who is e.g. an inverted triangle who have broader shoulders or/and upper body than in comparison to their bottom . So, it is natural that their diet and workout plan has to vary from each other.
Our guide will help you find the perfect regime for your shape choose the right diet for your body shape!
Inverted TriangleDoing a mixture of cardiovascular and resistance exercises will help. More resistance exercises on your lower body will be necessary, to obtain a balance between lower and upper.
Lean ColumnAn exercise routine should include exercises to enhance gluteus and shoulder muscles. This will help curve out the shape of the body. Also do whole body
RectangleShort fast bouts of cardiovascular exercises are recommended. High repetition resistance exercises may help tone and define shoulders, waist and hips.
AppleApples shapes should concentrate their exercise regimes on cardio activities to bring the body back to proportion by reducing upper body mass, while core- strengthening exercises will help to trim the waist further.
PearDoing cardiovascular exercises for quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteus for long durations will help. An example of this could be cycling or running. It would also help to do heavy resistance training on the upper body.
Doing moderate to high intensity cardiovascular exercise will help tone the whole body. Carrying out resistance training at high reps and low weight will also help.
Full HourglassTo help fat burning do interval training or circuit training. This will help burn excess fat around the body.
Have a nice day,
Michaela
P.S: Net- a- porter is now available on Joy of Clothes
“The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress.”
Hubert de Givenchy
It’s party time! Glide effortlessly from desk to the dance floor by choosing day dresses that you can easily dress up by changing accessories. Or have a spare one in the office. Only women who choose appropriately for their body shape and body features will make most of the dress, will have the most fun at the party and will get all the compliments !
Tips for choosing your dresses:
Click here to shop for more dresses
Have a nice day,
Michaela
P.S.
The trick for the day is to keep it to a small amount where the purpose is more to lift’s ones complexion. It should be used more as an accent “colour” rather to make a “shining “impression.
The best way to wear “Glam” and “Flash” now is to wear just one shiny piece-small or big- at a time. Remember that metallics draw attention to whatever body part you wear it on, because the light reflection will grab attention. So, make sure you are highlighting a flattering part of your body otherwise you will just achieve the opposite of “Glam”.
It can be at times quite challenging to keep the choice appropriate for the occasion ,current and right for your body shape.
Here are the top 3 tips how to wear them:
Click here to shop for more “Glam” outfits
Have a nice day,
Michaela
P.S
“The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress”
Hubert de Givenchy
The festive season is imminent and the big questions we all face are what do I wear? Do I have anything to wear? So many engagements to attend, but not enough outfits and dresses to wear. Can I spend all money just on clothes? So, let’s do some black magic and cast a spell on it ” how to create more outfits out of one”.
Top 3 Black Magic Rules:
Click here to find more black dresses
Once you have got your dress then start to accessorise! Again, choose your accessories carefully!
Click here for more style advice
There are so many fantastic styles out there for everyone’s budget. And it is a great way to express your own style by making the dress your own with your own signature look.
Have a nice day,
Michaela
P.S: Here are some gift ideas
Michaela has a unique range of experiences from the fashion , media and design industry in London , New York , Milan and Prague . She was the MD of Cosmopolitan in Prague where she deepened her passion for colour and style. In 2005 she founded one of the leading colour and style consultancies Joy of Colour www.joyofcolour.com . Joy of Clothes aims to share her experience with a wider audience.
Michaela believes that everyone is different and they should build on their own unique DNA rather than try to be a bad copy of someone elses. Nowadays there are so many fashion trends co-existing that there is something suitable for everyone. Michaela advises against following every single fashion trend . Dressing with style needs strategy and an understanding of your colouring and body shape . Joy of Clothes aims to make it easy for you to identify the fashion that works for you and your life style.
