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.
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.
White is always a spring/ summer trend. It never goes out of fashion. What changes is how you wear it, what you wear it with and which of the latest items you accessorise it with.
As secure and safe it might sound to buy white there are a lot of mine fields to step into. Many of us are so concerned with the latest fashion trends and items that a lot of us forget that a fashion trend doesn’t only have to suit your body shape, size and colouring but also the occasion, weather and season. You just can’t wear all the fun and colour of spring and summer when it is cold and raining outside. It makes you look sad and desperate and turns someone who is a fashion savvy into a fashion victim, because they can’t adopt to the weather condition. Fashion is only fashion when it not only looks right on you but also when you look comfortable and at ease. Something you never feel when trembling of being cold, getting wet and soaked because not dressed for it, getting all the dirt on your white outfit that comes with bad weather. White is a colour that requires sunshine to come out to its full potential- in cold or warm weather. Also, white only looks good when it looks white and clean otherwise you look very quickly shabby in your outfit.
A solid white outfit is not always a winner for everyone’s colouring;
Dominant Colour Light:
A fantastic choice. You can wear white from top to to if you like and if it is appropriate.
Dominant Colour Deep:
Not best to wear it as solid colour near your face, because it is too light for you and it will wash you out. Unless you wear your e.g. white top or shirt with a jacket or coat in a deeper colour. The deeper colour has always be stronger or in majority versa the white colour. Or to be sure keep keep the white to your lower half.
Dominant Colour Warm:
It is a bit of tricky one. If you got porcelain skin and red hair the pure white will provide a good contrast to your hair. But if you don’t have that type of skin it will easily clash with that and your hair together. Therefore you need to “warm” the white with yellow driven colours such as brown, green, orange, yellow, coral, tomato red etc- meaning you need to combine it with any of these type of colours when wearing white.
Dominant Colour Cool:
One of the best colour and absolutely must for this group. It will balance your white hair and make any outfit sharper- especially when wearing some nude/neutral colours with it.
Dominant Colour Clear:
As well one of the must colours for this group. It will almost always guarantee a contrast effect with any other combined colour.
Dominant Colour Soft:
White is an essential accent colour for this category to ensure that the overall look doesn’t look to muted.
Some adivce when buying your white item in question:
The white shirt: Always a winner no matter what age or season. It should be part of every woman’s wardrobe. A white shirt makes muddy/ nude colours look sharper and by wearing a cardigan, jacket etc on top of it you always can tune and soften the pure white to suit your colouring.
White top/ T- shirt are a must as the white shirt in a woman’s wardrobe. It is a great neutral weapon to dress up or down an outfit and will give any outfit always a lift. A classic that shouldn’t be missed in anyone’s wardrobe.
White Dress: Is a beautiful choice for a summer outfit. But be careful the more formal, elegant and in a maxi version the more festive it will look. Many times it looks like women are taking a wedding dress out for a stroll. Try to choose your white dress right for the occasion, in a style that can’t be mistaken for a wedding dress and/ or choose it with colour and a pattern combination or mix it up with accessorising it with an contrasting theme or style. Avoid to dress in white from head to toe unless the occasion requires it. Also, the older we get the less forgiving a pure white dress will look on us. I guess it goes with the territory ” not that innocent anymore…”.
White Jacket: As well a must for any woman’s wardrobe, but should be worn only in sunshine or in a warm climate. Not only one looks being on the wrong side of the planet but also the whole look can you turn look naff.
White Coat: Always a favourite for the summer! But proves in the UK not always a great investment buy since the sunny and warm days are here numbered. So, the more time you spend in a warm climate the better your money is spent on a white coat.
White trousers: Injects instantly elegance and chique to your outfit. It can be a one of your wardrobe heroes that you can’t live without it, but be careful since white trousers are not very forgiving when not having an easy body shape to dress. It brings always attention and adds additional “visual volume” to that part of the body. So, make sure you can take it. Also, ensure you wear the right underwear with it, because many times the colour, style and make of your underwear can be seen by anyone but you. Not a good look at all!
White shorts: It always brings a smile to our faces since it is always the synonym for sunshine, warm weather, fun, good time simply ” me time “. Watch out you got the right hemline for your thighs, calves and age. The thumb rule is the bigger and older they are the longer the hemline.
White skirts: Almost nothing makes an outfit as instantly girlie or feminine chique as a skirt- depending on its style. Most of the times they are not best to wear with tights, therefore they should be only worn with warm temperature, a hemline that suits the leg and occasion and in a style that works your age.
White shoes: Not always a hit. White pumps are best left for special occasions and white sandals and trainers are dirt sensitive. It is better to buy cheaper white footwear but two instead, so you have more and longer wearing the look before they look shabby. It is simply impossible to keep them out of any dirt, foot marks or scratches.
White swimwear: Looks great on young, toned or both body. Wearing a white swim wear gets you very quickly into dangerous waters with your skin, body and size and age. If in doubt just pass on this one!
White bags: As nice as they are in form of a clutch or shoulder or handbag or shopping bag they quickly pass their sell by date. They only wear with the right outfit, occasion, weather and also only when they are still completely untouched by any scratches and marks.
From tropical brights, futuristic abstract to image,graphic, dainty and monochrome – prints are the answers to the nude, pastel and utility trends dominating spring & summer season. Prints are a wonderful way to add character, individuality and colour to your outfit- no matter what the occasion or weather. But when choosing your favourite print you shouldn’t only decide by the mood you are or which one you like best but always consider your body shape and dominant colour when choosing them.
Here is an overview of the different prints dominating this season :
Animal Print
Graphic/ Abstract
Image
Flora & Fauna:
Monochrome
Brights/ Colour blocks
Tribal
Tropical
Here is some know how to wear them:
Your dominant colour is a decisive factor when choosing the pattern of the print. For example the brighter the print is near your face the more suitable it will be for a clear, cool, light than for a warm or soft. Unless you wear the brighter print on your lower half and tune it down with a calmer top.
Floral prints are great to add roundness to rectangle, lean columns and inverted triangles ( on the lower half only!)
While graphic & abstract & edgy print will counter balance the roundness for apples, full hourglass and pears ( only on top!)
Horizontal lines are only for lean and tall bodies or body parts since they either shorten visually your body or add roundness.
Vertical lines are super for short people but a no no for tall people since it will you elongate you further.
Block prints are great- but watch out. They add serious attention to that body part and add volume to it. So, firstly make sure the colour combination suits you, secondly the pattern size are right for body shape size and thirdly that the patterns are sitting at the right place of your body shape.
Artwork/ photographs/image have to hang like a canvas from the wall. That means if you wear it on top you need to be slim, lean and flat chested. Otherwise it looks like if that the artwork or photographs got dents, which is really not a good look at all. Therefore they are never a good choice for women with a bust or fuller bust or have a apple or full hourglass body shape. Don’t be seduced by the image.
Last but not least make sure that the print you are using is suiting the occasion and the weather otherwise you look quickly out of place.
There is a shape of trousers that has staying power among designers and high street: Harem and Peg or Jodphur trousers. You either hate or love them.They are combining both Arabic (harem-style) and Asian (fisherman’s trousers) influences, ultra-modern dropped-crotch, gathered waist and hem, slouchy cut- they can come in high waisted trousers or/ cropped leg.
I am sorry to break the myth, but they are not easy to pull off and only suitable for a few body shapes and who have a good set of legs. These trousers drape and add volume at parts of a female body where most women have already their natural female curves and really do not need the extra fullness, detail, attention, draping and volume on top of them. It is even more of problem when they come in a bright colour or in a strong pattern.
Here is some body shape advice:
Style is noting without a fit and with style we need to create visual balance. Let’s keep in mind that the neat hourglass is the perfect body shape, because it is all proportional. The rest of the 6 body shapes need to do proportional dressing in order to create the visual balance.
The Harem/Jodphur/Peg trousers are baggy in the crotch- some of them more than others. The baggier they are they not only add more volume to that area but shorten at the same time as well your leg length visually. Even more if they come with turnups!
Therefore they are not suitable at all for the following body shapes: Apple, Full Hourglass, Pear. These shapes have already female roundness around their waist, tummy and thighs and don’t need the extra fullness. It is wrong to assume that the baggy shape will hide ones female curves. Instead they will just make them look rounder and fuller.
But they are suitable for lean columns , rectangles, inverted triangle and neat hourglass. Lean Column can always do with extra volume and roundness to their body shape, while the roundness of these trouser shapes balances the edgy shape of a rectangle body shape. And it provides a perfect counter balance to the inverted triangle to balance with their broader upper body. The neat hourglass are in total ease to wear more or less what every they want.
The baggier the shape is the taller you should be since they will shorten you in your leg line even more when they come in cropped style or in shorts.
Also, the thinner you leg and calves are the better because the baggy style and drapes are only coming out to shine when they can create a contrast between their full style to a thin leg. Drapes need to “hang” and they will only do that when they have enough leg space. The fuller the leg the less “leg space” is in the trouser and the drapes start to change their shape by being “ stretched”!
Some of them come as well with a high waist in that case the rectangle shape is out of the equation and will be only suitable for lean columns, neat hourglass and inverted triangles. A high waisted trouser style needs a waist and this is not what a rectangle has. Though a lean column doesn’t have much of a waist as well, but due to heir petite frame the drapes and bagginess of the trousers will “ create artificially one”!
Last not least if Harem, Peg or Jodphurs are low in rise it is not creating a problem for the body shapes which are ok to wear them. But they will find another restriction if these trousers are mid or high in rise.
The bagginess, drapes need space to shine. Even more when they are coming in a belted version. So, if the allowed body shapes have a short waist it will be as well a no no for them, because the volume of the trousers style will “kill the waist”. If you are high waisted the bagginess and drapes might create an unproportional shape. That means it most suitable for women who have a normal to a long waist.
Some style advice:
Don’t clutter this look where it has already volume. Jackets and coats should not finish on the thighs or bottom. Keep lean on top and combine it with a cropped jacket or with a long coat that is lean in style.
Choose shoulder details like puffed sleeves or batman or dropped sleeve style to balance with the broader bottom.
Best for visual effect is when you choose shoes that keep about at least a 10 cm distant between the end of the trousers hemline and the beginning of the shoe top.
Cross body bags go best with these type of trousers since it goes with the theme. Even if they site at the fullest part. Wear them right in front of you rather at the side.
Always wear with a heel!
As I said these type of trousers are only suitable for a very few women, which doesn’t include me as well. So, if you are not one of the lucky ones but you must have them and you can’t live without them, I suggest you wear them then at home for comfort only instead- in the manner they were intended when created:-)
Who doesn’t feel ready to ditch the winter clothes and last season behind and embrace the new spring and summer collections? Especially now that the excitement of sales are almost behind us!
Although slowly but surely the next collections are hitting the shops we still don’t feel ready for all the spring and summer looks- it is just too grey, cold and wet outside and really doesn’t go with the theme of the clothes. One would feel utterly undressed or wrong for the occasion. Quite right!
So, why not ease the way by wearing clothes in the colours of hot pink, fuchsia or magenta? It is a fantastic investment buy because you can combine with any colour, dress it up or down, create different feels, looks and themes. Last not least it is the perfect colour to path the way from winter to summer from last collection to the new one.
Fuchsia/ Black: Glamorous, edgy, sophisticated
Fuchsia/Grey: Feminine, formal, elegant
Fuchsia/ (navy) blue: Cools the pink, takes the nudge down, adds masculinity to femininity
Fuchsia/ neutral colours: romantic, elegant, soft
Fuchsia/ lime green: fresh, fun, strong
Fuchsia/ orange: bohemian, creative, excotic
Fuchsia/ purple: creative, feminine, indulgent
Fuchsia/ red: daring, glamorous, sexy
Fuchsia/ white: summer here we come!
Find your perfect piece for your wardrobe, body shape and body size. Make sure you wear it the colour at the right part of the body so it can take the spotlight. There is no point for buying a piece because you love but doesn’t play up to your strengths. A beautiful outfit can only follow a woman’s body line, shape and size- it can’t make you into something that you are not.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
“Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.”
Coco Chanel
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.
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.
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.
“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.
We are talking coats of many colours, cuts and shapes- from lady like strict tailoring to military, bright to neutral shades, slouchy and fitted to volume in shapes, statement coats to belted wraps, camel, patterned and tweed, wide or high collar, neutral or bright.
It might seem at first that there is no common theme among them, but you will find that the big fashion trends this season are buttons and wide or high collars or both or even all of them together.
So, how do you find your coat (s)?
Though it seems that there is an endless choice (at first) and making the right choice might look daunting to choose the right one (s) – especially now that it is getting cold and with the festive season ahead of us. But on the second glance the choices for your coat (s) can be narrowed down easily
You want to make sure that the coat you choose is versatile for different occasions and works not only for your life style and personality, but also works for your body shape and colouring. Remember the coat should complement you and make you look and feel good. It is not about having the latest but having something that works for you.
Coat style tips for this season:
High Collars: Not a good look for women who have short necks and a bigger bust. But is great for women who have a shorter body to create the illusion of a longer torso- as long as the neckline is clutter free! Therefore it is fantastic one for women who have a long thin neck. They can take the clutter in any given way.
Wide collars: A big no no to women who have a big bust, who have a short body and longer legs. Women who are apples and inverted triangles should stay clear of this style. Full hourglass should be extra careful by choosing this style. Also, not a wise choice for short women it will visually shorten them if the collars are to chunky or made too much of a feature.
Belted Coats: Belts need a waist. They need to lay into your waist and not wrap around a not existing waist. It is really not a good look and not an option for rectangles. Though lean columns have a similar shape as rectangles, but their body is more petite in build. That means if they go for chunkier & looser belted coat versions e.g. wraps they will create the illusion of a waist, because the extra volume of the coat will “build” up above the belt. Also women who have an apply body shape should stay absolutely clear of belted coats version, because it will right sit on their fullest part of the body and highlight that part in the most unflattering way.
Military Coats: It is a great style for those who need attention on the upper body e.g. pears, small busted, long waisted women but it is absolutely the wrong choice for those who don’t need the attention there e.g. inverted triangles, women with a big bust, short waist or short neck. It is just too much detail and details need space to breath and come to light.
Shoulder Details: Is a big feature this season and therefore it can be found in many different styles & designs on coats. Again this is great for those who can take the attention. It is adding volume and therefore a fantastic feature for lean columns, pears and neat hourglass. Rectangles have to be a bit more careful by choosing designs that adds roundness to their visual balance and not make them look more “edgy”. Unfortunately this trend is not good news for inverted triangles and apples- it is just too much attention and clutter for these shapes to cope with.
Patterns: They are great if they work and you choose the right ones. It can be a bit of a tricky on! You need to know your body shape, proportion, height and scale to make the right decision. In general patterns or colour blocks should be only worn on body features that are flattering on you. They create attention to this part, so you need to make sure you can take it. If you are a lean column or a rectangle opt more for “rounder” patterns e.g. florals, dots but stay away of horizontal strips in your waist area ( similar concept to belts) and also from “edgy designs and graphics”. While women with “rounder shapes” e.g. apples and full hourglass should opt instead more for abstract & edgy designs ( obviously at the right places only!). Pears should be wearing patterns only on the top, while inverted triangles should do exactly the opposite.
Buttons: Buttons as any other of the details mentioned above need space to come out to shine. So, the longer and leaner your body the more buttons you can take and vis versa. If you have a shorter body and longer legs or are an inverted triangle so keep the to your lower and not upper part. If you have a longer body and shorter body make sure your buttons don’t go any lower than your mid waist. Otherwise it will even more emphasise your longer upper and shorter lower. Empire styles are a great choice here. Women with a small chest will have a field day with this trend. Now who should opt for double breasted, single breasted or just single button coats? Double breasted are great for those who have space on the upper part, but no good for bigger busted women, apples, short/body long legs, short women and full hourglasses need to be extra careful here. Double breasted are super for tall women, small busted, long body/ short legs. Rectangles and lean columns’ need to make sure that their double breast coat will come with features that adds roundness and softness to their frame e.g. big lapels, chunky collars, volume in its sleeve line. Super as well for pears but not any lower as mid waist- anything lower and you enter the “no fly zone”! Single breasted are good for everyone depending on the pattern, shape and cut. Lean columns should stay away from tailored cut since it will make them look even leaner and longer. Single breasted is as well a much better choice for women who have a fuller top. But apple shapes should opt for the one or two button types that sits under the bust and over their tummy.
Sleeves: Women with fuller upper part as inverted triangles, full hourglass and apples need to opt for clean cuts in their sleeve line- no volume or clutter. It will just make them fuller. Great for pears to balance out their smaller upper part. Puffs, volume, wider sleeve lines are also good for rectangles and lean columns to add a visual roundness to their shape.
Fashion is architecture: It is a matter of proportion
Coco Chanel
Make the most out of the new season’s knits. The big cardigan is the new cover up and the waist belts will give you an edgy layer look.
Some quick guidelines how to keep the look in the moment:
Mismatched texture and fashion style- contrast is key
Multi layers for the oversized look ” a la just have thrown these clothes on”- Allow layers to peek out, combined with cheerful or icy colours in order to keep the look sharp. Be careful you don’t look messy, uncoordinated and unproportional.
Layer over coloured tights, funky leggings, skinny jeans.
Make sure that your knitwear looks current in order to avoid a dated and dull look
Also, please caution this oversized, layered look is not best for women who are apples, full hourglasses, pears, big busted, non balanced in proportion.
But here are some ideas how to enjoy your knits for any body shape. Keep your dominant colour as well in check for maximum impact!
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
