“Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.”
Vivienne Westwood
You have your outfits for the occasions, but nothing that complements it with a perfect cover up! Masculine meets feminine in this glamorous season, so the focus is on the waist and shoulders. When choosing your cover up you have the choice from capelets to shrugs, cropped jackets, tuxedo, boyfriend jackets to faux – fur jacket.
But before choosing your cover up you have to decide whether it has a certain function to fulfil like covering big arms, tummy or deeper neckline, where it becomes automatically part of your outfit that you won’t take it off. If not, then you are more flexible in your choice, because its function is merely to cover you up when going from A to B.
Plus these cover ups are fantastic tools to bring out your personality, where you can create your own individual look and style. But before choosing know your body shape, so it follows your shape rather adding bulk to the wrong areas and giving an unflattering look.
Metallic’s have become a must in everyone’s wardrobe and it is a great way to lift one’s outfit or mood at day or night. You can add shine by choosing clothes in fabrics such as sequins, metallics, lurex, studs or jewels. Anything goes – even for the day.
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:
Keep it current by accessorizing your metallic’s with the right clothing that will neutralise the shine, so nobody will have flash backs from “80ies” when seeing you. Metallic tops or trousers look great with knits, T-shirt and jeans- mix match your look rather going for matchy matchy! Click here for more info
Know your personal colouring when choosing between silver & gold metallics. It can badly clash when choosing the wrong metallics too close to your face. Click here for more info
Body shape! Don’t be fooled by the item because it looks so nice, or it is the latest or everyone wears and has it who is hip and in. Highlight body features that can take the lime light. Remember metallics need space to shine and breathe, but they will also add “volume” to the part in question. So, make sure it highlights the best of you where you can take the clutter, volume and glam. Click here for more info
“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:
Think first of your body shape and then of your dress! It is all about virtual balance and something out of balance never looks good or flattering.
Only because you manage to fit into a dress size don’t mistake it for the right fit. Keep the overall look in mind e.g. if you have big thighs and calves don’t even try to go for a mini dress. Choose instead a dress at or above the knee . Only wear it with thick and dark tights only if you don’t opt for a maxi or full length dress.
A sexy look requires that you are comfortable in what you are wearing and you are accentuating what is the most flattering on you. Create a focus point e.g. bust, legs, back, waist, shoulders, arms or bottom.
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.
“Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly”
Epictetus
Dating back to the late 1800s, the capelets developed from the traditional full cape cut off just past the shoulder to accommodate and accentuate women’s waists and hips.
More feminine tastes came to the fore in the early 1900s as sumptuous fabrics such as lace and fur were used so that the design became a more decorative piece.
In the 1920s delicately beaded, sheer capelets become more the trend for a slim, unfussy silhouette. The 1940s and 1950′ were more influenced by fur stoles.
This season all style types of capelets joint forces, so that the fashion landscape for capelets varies from beads to fur to collar to stole to cropped jackets to sequins to cashmere in classic or bright collars.
Capelets are transforming instantly any outfit and can be worn over a turtleneck jumper or blouse or dress. They are a fantastic cover ups for dressy events and festive seasons especially for strapless tops and dresses.
Some words of wisdom here:
Triangles should avoid this fashion trend. It just accentuates their broader shoulders.
Super for Pears to add volume to the top- no matter what you wear.
They work beautifully for apples and full hourglasses, just make sure you don’t add clutter and volume to the bust and keep them cropped rather longer to the waist.
Lean Columns and Rectangle should opt for rounder shapes around the bust line, so that add curves to their body shape.
A fantastic way to cover up bigger arms, but avoid dropped or batman sleeves and make sure they cover you up to your elbow.
The new way of wearing the Sequin trend is to wear them in your everyday wardrobe rather wearing Sequins just by night. Best is to wear the metallics by mixing them up with different textures, patterns and styles . It is all about mix and match rather “matchy matchy” as it was in the “80′s”. They don’t come only in different colour variations, but also they can be found in every clothing item like leggings, tops, belts, shoes, bags, berets etc. The trick to wearing sequins is to use your ” Sequin” only in one clothing item, so it adds the right day shine to your outfit and gives your look a bit of glitz and glam. While wearing Sequins at night e.g. a Sequin dress it is important you don’t get your look dated by wearing it like in the “80′s”. Instead shake it up by combining them with current and edgy items, which will give you an up to date look.
One more important thing to remember: Sequins will put the spotlight on you. So, make sure you choose the right Sequin items to wear, so they will complement your body shape and your body features.
“Fashion is architecture: It is a matter of proportion”
Coco Chanel
Here are some Sequin outfit ideas for various bodyshapes:
Michaela Jedinak is the founder of Joy of Clothes, the easy way to buy the clothes for you, your body shape and your colouring . She is also the founder of Joy of Colour one of the leading colour and style consultancies click here to read full bio