Archive for the ‘Power Shoulders’ Category

How to find the perfect fitting jacket for you!

Jackets have become  our Wardrobe Heroes – our champions as much as Jeans are today’s multitaskers.  No matter what you we wear for work, day to to day or pleasure our jacket pulls our style, look, mood and personality together.  By adding a jacket to our outfit we are giving it our signature look and feel.  It is like the icing on the cake. Therefore choosing our jackets is an essential  and emotional love affair.

Photo by: JP/AAD/starmaxinc.com 2010 5/19/10 Kate Moss attends the Topshop Store Launch Party. (London, England) Photo via Newscom

In order to make this love affair an ever lasting one, here are some key notes to remember the next time you going shopping:

  • A jacket has to suit your dominant colour.
  • It has to follow your body shape.
  • It has to reflect your body size whether being tall, short, plus size or petite.
  • The jacket has to be comfortable to wear- otherwise you won’t feel confident in it.

Here are some guide lines for each body shape on what to look for in a jacket:

Neat Hourglass: You are the most flexible one and therefore take advantage of any details and colours.

Full Hourglass: Focus on your curves and stay away away from any fuzz. Less is more here!

Apple: Avoid any volume and attention at your fullest point. Balance your fullest point with the top as well as with the bottom. Stay away from any double breasted styles.

Pear: Focus on attention, buzz and details on top. Choose Empire styles for best fit. Avoid hemline and pockets that finish on your hips.

Inverted Triangle: As always the rules are the complete opposite to a Pear. Keep the drama to your lower part. Avoid any shoulder details or cropt styles.Opt instead for boy fried jackets.

Rectangle: Main focus is to create the illusion of a waist. Cropt jackets or Empire styles are good as well as single breasted ones. But never ever choose a double breasted version. It will make you look boxy.

Lean Column: Add curves is your mantra. So look for shoulder pads, deep necklines, Empire or cropped styles . Single breasted styles are great as well double breasted as long as they are not too chunky and carry styles that will add curves to your shape. Avoid styles that are dead straight and make you longer and leaner.

Here are some guidelines for each body size what to look for in a jacket:

Petite: You are petite in your build. So, avoid any chunky styles and patterns. It will overpower your you.

Plus Size: Avoid fitted styles and too many details at your fullest part. Best are loose fitted styles.

Short: You have to elongate your height. Great are Empire styles as well as styles that keep details to the top.

Tall: You can afford to break your height with many patterns, details and colour blocks. Avoid styles that are solid in colour and have no features.

Click here to view all jackets on Joy of Clothes

Michaela

Monday, June 21st, 2010

15 Special Occasions – 1 dress!

The special occasion season is in full swing and with it comes the wardrobe panic and dilemmas about what to wear to each of them? One can’t wear the same outfit to all of them since many guests at the special occasions are overlapping. At the same time you can’t always afford to buy a new dress or a new outfit. As well you can’t wear the same outfit from last years or the years before- especially when you were not only seen in it but also the evidence exists in pictures. So, therefore think if the dress is king the accessories are queens!

Here is 1 dress and 15 different outfits!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15

Click here for more outfit options!

Michaela

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

The good soldier!

Yes, the military styling and chic has staying power and is one of the key trends this summer. Double breasted coats, buckles, camouflage prints, safari jacket, vests, and boots are the staples of this trend with strong shoulder shapes and button detailing- but not for everyone is the military look good news. Some will excel in this trend, others have to pick the right pieces that work for their body shape,- size  and features. Others have to skip this trend altogether because the structure, detailing or colour simply doesn’t work for them.

Balmain Fashion Show - Paris

Some tips how to wear it:

  • Military jackets have to sit straight. So, great news for the flat chested women- especially the higher the neckline. Therefore women with a bust should pass on this one. The shoulder details like straps and buttons are great for women with a long neck but bad news for the ones with a short and/or wide  neck.  It is great for pears, neat hourglasses and lean columns. While apples and inverted triangle should stay away from this trend.
  • Camouflage trousers or trousers with lots of zippers are fantastic for women who are tall have longs and small calves. These women can deal with all the details and additional volume to that part of the body. While short women, big thighs and big calves should never wear them.  Inverted triangle, neat hourglass, lean column, rectangle are best suited to pull these features off. While a pear shouldn’t wear it since it adds more volume to their already bigger lower half and it is too much clutter for an apple though most of them have good legs. Since they have more volume on top they have to opt for “quieter” loose fit on their lower half.
  • Vests, jackets and coats can be single or double breasted. Double breasted are great for the small busted women while not at all for the ones who have a bigger bust.  In general a double breasted jacket is ideal for pears, neat hourglass, lean columns while single breasted for full hourglass, rectangles ( double breasted types will make them look even boxier!) and apple should always avoid any buttoning in their tummy area.
  • The military trend comes mostly in nude, camouflage, white or blue colours. Clears and cools should opt for the navy and white options instead, while it will work great on the softs and warms.  Lights will be quite flexible on any of these colours while the deeps need to ensure that they wear a deeper colour near their face.

Click here for more products.

Have a nice day,

Michaela


New Designers to NET-A-PORTER

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Choose the right diet for your body shape!

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 aspects 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 triangle bulletInverted Triangle

Your build is characterised by:

  • Straight and squared shoulder line
  • Little definition between waist and hips
  • Flat hips and bottom
  • A bottom half that seems smaller than your top half

Advice

Doing 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.

Essential diet tips

  • Stick to foods that are moderate in unsaturated fat – to avoid piling on the pounds – and high in calcium.
  • Incorporate a balance of low G.I carbohydrates with lean proteins.

Essential exercise tips

  • Lower body exercises like squats and lunges.
  • Upper body toning exercise.
  • Incorporate moderate to high amounts of cardiovascular exercise

  • lean column bulletLean Column

Your build is characterised by:

  • Narrow shoulders
  • Flat chest or small bust
  • Small and non-defined waist
  • Narrow hips and flat bottom

Advice

An 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

Essential diet tips

  • Make sure you include plenty of lean protein, like fish and turkey; complex carbs, such as wholegrain rice and pasta; and calcium-rich foods, like yoghurt and tofu in your diet.
  • Avoid carbonated soft drinks and cut down on starchy foods like white rice and potatoes.

Essential exercise tips

  • No activity is off limits for your shape, but abdominal and back exercises should be high priority.
  • Three days a week of formal exercise with lots of rest in between is ideal level.
  • It’s important to exercise intensely and really tax the muscles during each workout in order to achieve good muscle tone.

  • rectangle bullet Rectangle

Your build is characterised by:

  • Straight shoulder line
  • Straight hips and bottom
  • Very little waist definition
  • Straight ribcage

Advice

Short fast bouts of cardiovascular exercises are recommended. High repetition resistance exercises may help tone and define shoulders, waist and hips.

Essential diet tips

  • Eat a high protein diet to help muscle development. i.e fish, chicken, eggs and dairy products.
  • Include RDA (recommended daily allowance) of omega 3 and 6, to help with joint suppleness during extra resistance training.

Essential exercise tips

  • Upper body cardiovascular exercises will help define shoulders. Boxing training may help this as well as helping definition of the waist.
  • Compound resistance training will help shape and strengthen of the middle part of the body.
  • Exercises such as squats, deadlifts and pressing movements will help.

  • apple bulletApple

Your build is characterised by:

  • Rounded shoulder line
  • Curved back
  • Fullness around the middle
  • Flattish bottom

Advice

Apples 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.

Essential diet tips

  • Eat a moderate amount of healthy fats found in grains and oils, as well as lots of fruit and vegetables.
  • Replace brown-coloured whole grain foods with smaller quantities of white.

Essential exercise tips

  • Do high reps with low resistance for the upper body and high reps with moderate resistance for the lower body.
  • Best exercises include step and spinning classes, racquet sports, abdominal crunches, kick-boxing and skipping.
  • Worst exercises include all upper body exercises that involve using heavy weights.

  • pear bulletPear

Your build is characterised by:

  • Full hips or thighs
  • A defined waist
  • Shoulders that may slope and are narrower than your hips
  • A top half that appears small

Advice

Doing 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.

Essential diet tips

  • Stick to foods that are low in fat – to avoid piling on the pounds – and high in calcium.
  • Lower your salt intake to reduce water retention and cellulite in problem areas.

Essential exercise tips

  • Use aerobic activities to slim your lower half and then strengthen the upper body with weights and resistance training.
  • Best exercises include push-ups, chin-ups, leg lifts, jogging and dancing.
  • Worst exercises include rollerblading, stepping and high resistance weights.

  • neat hourglass bullet

Neat hourglass

Your build is characterised by:

  • A defined bust
  • A defined waist
  • A neat bottom
  • Neat hips

Advice

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.

Essential diet tips

  • Eat lean protein, such as skinless chicken breasts, and lots of leafy green vegetables, like spinach, broccoli and cabbage.
  • Avoid foods high in sugar and limit your intake of eggs, dairy products and nuts.

Essential exercise tips

  • Focus on losing weight and inches first with high reps and low resistance exercises, then slowly incorporate weights if you want.
  • Best exercises for your shape include fast walking and slow jogging with no incline, jumping jacks, swimming for distance and stationary cycling with light resistance.
  • Worst exercises include step and spin classes, leg presses and thigh machines on high resistance, weighted squats and lunges, and running or rollerblading on incline.

  • full hourglass bulletFull Hourglass

Your build is characterised by:

  • A full bust
  • A small waist
  • A rounded bottom
  • Rounded hips

Advice

To help fat burning do interval training or circuit training. This will help burn excess fat around the body.

Essential diet tips

  • Eat lean protein, such as skinless chicken breasts, and lots of leafy green vegetables, like spinach, broccoli and cabbage.
  • Include lots of antioxidants and minerals to help break down fats within the body.

Essential exercise tips

  • Use interval training and circuit training to help burn fats and tone up the whole body.
  • Include exercises that help strengthen both lower and upper back.
  • Include toning exercises like light resistance training for the whole body.

Click here for more advice

Have a nice day,

Michaela

P.S: Net- a- porter is now available on Joy of Clothes

Net-a-porter UK

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Over the Rainbow !

“Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.”

Coco Chanel

The ever-stylish Sarah Jessica Parker returns to her London hotel following the afterparty for Did You Hear About The Morgans?

Wearing a bright colour in your dress will enable you to wear it for daytime occasions, but also for evening engagements- you just have to combine the right accessories. Dress these coloured dresses up or down by wearing them with boots, flats or high heels or nude tights, coloured or patterned tights or with chunky necklaces and bracelets, or with hats or scarves or with a faux fur jacket or fancy dress coat. The choice is yours.

These dresses are great to add your signature style, by dressing them up or down or with your individual style and making them your own. Therefore they make great investment buys since you can create so many looks with them for different occasions and make them work as well in different seasons.

Have fun and experiment with colour, but since these dresses come as block colours you need to make sure you wear the right colours for your colouring, body shape and proportion. Colours bring the spotlight on you and the darker the colour the longer you will appear visually- and vis versa. But also bright colours are adding volume while darker shades are more slimming.

Dressing in the right colours is about creating balance and harmony between your own colouring and the colours you wear, in both clothes and make-up. Balance and harmony is achieved by wearing colours that have similar characteristics as our colouring so that the undertone, depth and clarity are in a similar range. It’s an easy way to look good, feel good and co-ordinate your wardrobe. Not only that but wearing the right colours can help you achieve a younger, healthier and groomed look.

Click here for more info wearing the right colours

  • Know your dominant colour before choosing your dress in a rainbow colour

Click here for more info

  • Know as well your body shape before you are choosing your favourite rainbow colour- otherwise you might be in for a bad surprise.

Click here for more info

Wearing your favourite colour and wearing the right colour for your colouring and body shape might not always be the same thing. Keep also in mind that little changes in your hair such as highlights or lowlights in your hair will affect your dominant colour. This means a colour that may have looked great in the past, now doesn’t work so well because your hair colour has changed or skin matured. So, don’t try to force it and try something new instead – embrace change rather than seeing it negatively. If there are colours that look great on you, but for one reason or another you don’t like the colour on you or at all, then just don’t wear it. As important as it is to wear the right colours, it’s also important to feel comfortable with the colour choice you are wearing.


Shop for more dresses in rainbow colours:

Also, this the last blog before Christmas.  We will be back with more blogs around the New Year! I am wishing you all a merry Christmas and a relaxing and happy time. All the best for the New Year- hopefully you will have a fantastic beginning.

Have a nice day,

Michaela

P.S:
theOutnet.com

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009