Today the official count down to Christmas has begun. So from today we will provide you with tips & information on what to wear for all your official and private engagements. It order to make our advice count we will give you our top 3.
Velvet is having a big comeback and it has proven to be one of the top choices for the festive season. Velvet is said to have originated from Kashmir at the turn of the 14th century. But it was the 80’s that the majority of us first got to notice this luxurious fabric.
This season it was championed on the runway and the high street as Topshop, Boden and Marks & Spencer proved that Velvet is back in our favour. The choices of Velvet items are great on hats, bags, dresses to skirts, shoes, bodies. It’s perfect for parties, but it is wearable as well for the day – as long as you stay clear of the bright colours and opt for a mix and matching look with other more subtle fabrics. Remember do one look and style at a time. Don’t try to squeeze all fashion trends into one.
Here are my top 3 rules for velvet:
Wear Velvet only on body parts where you can take the shine and thick fabric. Don’t highlight features that are less flattering on you.
Keep it current by wearing only one velvet item at a time. If you wear a velvet dress don’t combine it with a velvet jacket or boots- it will give you a dating look from the 80’s. But wear it with a boyfriend jacket or blazer or tuxedo jacket.
Opt for darker shades overall in your velvet piece for your day look. Otherwise you might look too glossy and you get the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
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!
“There is no such thing as an ugly woman- there are only the ones who do not know how to make themselves attractive”.
Christian Dior
From slate to cloud to dark charcoal- the new greys can be found in any clothes item.
Many of us are shying away from grey- because it can look quickly aging, boring and will show bad quality in fabric in comparison to black, dark navy or purple. But it is a fantastic basic and neutral colour for any outfit, occasion or personality if you know what to do and what not to do. Grey is not as forgiving as black and has to be handled with care and thought when dressing yourself.
Grey is the colour of teamwork, agreement, and passivity. In a darker charcoal shade, grey is a true power colour. In a lighter shade, it becomes more relaxed. Grey is a good choice for people in sales, banking, or finance and it is ideal in combination with other colours to personalise according to colouring, body shape, scale and proportion. However, grey is not a colour to be worn on its own – it will make you look “robot like” ie lacking any own personality…
Grey is a great alternative for those who should not wear black near the face
Don’ts
Dressed all in grey in a corporate environment can send the message you are lacking of imagination and personality.
Same goes for combining grey with white or ivory or black.
Avoid wearing different shades of greys in different outfits together – it can work, but very rarely and it is so easy to get wrong.
Don’t combine grey with any soft or mudding colours- it looks aging, your look will be dated and overall it won’t give you a confident boost wearing your grey.
Never ever wear a washed out grey in any of your garments. Remember grey shows quickly bad quality and together with a washout tone…let’s not go there!
Does
When wearing grey from top to toe e.g. coat, dress, suit remember it needs a sharp or /and tailored look.
Grey needs colour- a strong dynamic bright colour. You can choose a dramatic look, but you can also be subtle in your choice. Important is that you have focus point and your look looks energetic, fresh and modern.
Studs and Sequins are fantastic ways of adding an edge, glamour and sparkle to your outfit. They are especially great when wearing them in or with grey knitwear. It will transform your look instantly.
Grey can look nice with beige, but remember keeping it sharp e.g. with a white blouse. Add personality with a statement accessories, so you look will look sleek and elegant rather dull and dowdy.
Mix match your grey with different fabrics or fashion.
A little advice here- grey looks best when you are groomed. Too much make up & big hair and it will remind everyone quickly of the 80ies and will just drain you. Even if you wear a strong colour in your grey look- the colour needs to be balanced with a groomed understated look.
Grey and lipstick- you can say the more grey or neutral your outfit & look is the stronger and bolder you can be in your lipstick choice.
Keep our body shape, height and proportion in mind when choosing your grey and when combining it with a dynamic colour. Darker greys are more slimming and will make you look more taller. When accessorising grey with a dynamic bright colour keep in mind to choose a ” positive “body feature that will make you feel comfortable and confident to show off by creating a focus point.
Last not least Grey makes a fantastic investment buy!
Here are some ideas what to buy in Grey and how to mix match them:
Uggs Boots domination is growing daily whether you love them or hate them there’s for sure no escaping them – Uggs have become one of the favourite choices of footgear amongst celebrities and women in the UK. There are so popular that you can see them even worn in summer. Women have now the choice between homey uggs, classic uggs, and fashion uggs but also they have now also entered the world of bags and gloves. Uggs Boots have become so phenomenal in their brand recognition that they now define the category. As a result many other companies started to do their own range of “Uggs Boots”. So, the question is do you “uggi”?
(Please note clicking on the celebrity pricture will take you to our picture partner , all product pictures will lead you to our shop)
Here is some advice how to “uggi “right.
Uggs Boots are wide in the front and around the calf .They came in ankle, calf or knee length and in different colours and prints. The Uggs boot look everyone is aspiring to is the contrast between the long & leggy legs and the wide Uggs boot embracing the calf with its width and volume around the calf. So, not where the Uggs boot seem to be part of your leg line or highlighting a short leg or bigger calf. It doesn’t mean those women can’t wear Uggis, but the choices are limited and come with rules.
Here is some general advice:
Short in height
Opt for ankle or calf boots in deeper and darker colours. Avoid any heavy prints, busy or too light colours or any knee high Uggs.
Tall in height
You can afford to shorten your leg line by wearing busy colours, prints on your Uggs and you are flexible as well on the type of Uggs. But also the finishing touch will be dictated by the size of your calf. The smaller it is the more freedom you have the bigger it is the more restricted you will be in colours and patterns.
You got the choice how you like to “uggi” the world. Keep in mind the shorter you are the less flexibility you have to shorten your leg line. So, keep it to ankle, calf length boots in uni colours. The busier the boot the shorter you will look visually and therefore unproportional.
Stick to uni deep colours- no prints or fuzz that will add additional volume to your bigger calf. Choose ankle Uggs Boots only and ideally wear trousers over it- but only if the trousers have a wider leg line e.g. boot cut, flares, wide leg. You don’t want to wear an unflattering stretch over look that just underlines what you are trying to hide: your big calf.
Lean Column/ Rectangle:
Uggs Boots are ideal shoe wear to add visual roundness to their “edgy” frame. The size of your calf will determine the fine tuning of what to wear in the end.
Neat Hourglass
They can wear any style and type the like and are only restricted by the size of their calf, but also what is appropriate to their “age”. Only because it fits it doesn’t mean it looks good overall.
Full Hourlgass
Be careful you don’t add to much roundness and volume to your leg line. Keep in neutral rather too trendy. Again keep in mind here your calf size.
Apple:
Normally this body shape have fantastic legs and a fuller top. Though someone could say you are therefore flexible in your choice, I would be careful in choosing your Uggs Boots, because you don’t want to create the look of a heavier top and bottom, which is connected by thin legs. It will make you look like a “dumbbell”. Therefore you want to choose the middle ground that balances your top but also doesn’t overpower your leg and calf size.
Pear:
Unfortunately- including me- not the best choice of foot wear. Firstly because it is adding more volume to the bottom ( which is exactly the opposite rule for us) , which makes our leg line fuller rather than leaner. Also, most pears have bigger calves which makes us even more restricted in the choice of our Uggs boots. That they are heel less doesn’t help here. My advice here. Opt only for neutral, classic ankle boots in a deeper colour range where you keep them underneath a wider leg line.
Inverted Triangle
They are ideal for this bodyshape guideline. Uggs Boots create volume and width that balances nicely with their broader shoulders and create visually the illusion of the right body proportion. In general it is their field day, but watch out here as well if you are short in height or have a bigger calf. You will need then as well to do proportional dressing.
The time of year has arrived when we start to wear tights. This season we see a huge variety from leg warmers and leggings to decorative tights. They come all in different styles and colours, so it is up to us to choose what suits the occasion, your personality and our body shape. As much as the style trend “shoulders” is something for the ones who can take the volume and attention on the top, this one is purely reserved for the ones who have good legs and calves and can take the spot light. It is all about keeping the visual balance.
Get some inspirations from Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrell in Sex in the City 2: (Please note clicking on the celebrity pricture will take you to our picture partner , all product pictures will lead you to our shop)
Dressing your 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 .By modifying the lines of your clothing you can create visual balance whether you have small or large calves.
Here are some general tips and advice how to wear them:
In general the longer and leaner your leg the more attention it can take in colours, patterns and theme. Firstly because they need space to look good and also they add volume to your leg line and calf size. So, if you don’t have a long lean leg and calf, it will look unflattering and your leg and body shape will look out of balance.
If you have the proportion shorter body and longer legs, then dressing your legs and calves with leg warmers, leggings or coloured &patterned tights are your answers to get your visual balance in proportion. They will visually shorten the length of your legs due to the volume they add to your leg line.
Keep in mind also if you have small calves or a short leg you don’t want to go overboard with too big patterns. Keep them small to medium, so they don’t overpower them.
If you have a big calf stay away from any patterns and leggings, because they will just highlight the size of your calf. Opt instead for full length tights in dark uni colours- ideally in medium to high denier. This is not a style trend you can get right no matter how you try. This includes as well any form and shape of fishnets or seams on the back of your calf.
Read the Joy of clothes style guide on how to dress your calf.
Bold shoulders rule this season in tops, blouses, jackets, coats and dresses. The new focus on a well- defined shoulder represents the season’s biggest shift in silhouette. Structured pieces, such as coats and jackets, come with sharp shoulder pads: exaggerated puffs and pagodas emphasise the look on dresses and blouses. We can thank Balmain and Balenciaga for the dress shape, which started this trend last season.
Here are some tips on how to wear it:
Power shoulders need focus! Therefore wear it only with a defined waist. Otherwise your look will lose focus and you will end up looking wide.
Power shoulders need an edge in your look otherwise you will look dated and it loses its cutting edge. Team it up e.g. with tailored pieces, or/ and statement skirt, leggings, tights, biker boots, ankle boots, biker boots, over the knee boots or add sophisticated accessories that underline and compliment the bolder shoulders rather bulking them up.
Power shoulders add width to you look and height, so visually it shortens you. So, the rule is the shorter you are, she smaller your shoulder pads should be and also wear your look tone in tone. Only the tall ones among us can afford bulky shoulders and breaking the colour at the same time by adding colour blocks to their look. So, to be safe wear always a heel with power shoulders.
Power shoulders are a blessing for almost all body shapes, because they create structure, shape and focus to your silhouette.
Rectangle and Columns
Bold shoulders will help them to create the illusion of a waist
Apple and full hourglass
Bold shoulders will give them a more clutter free silhouette and visually ” less round”.
Pear
A must trend for this body shape, because it is balancing effortlessly the lower half.
Neat Houglass
This perfect proportioned silhouette can wear this trend as they like- the only think they have to keep in mind is their height.
Inverted Triangle
This trend is a big no no for this body shape. Inverted Triangle have already broader shoulders and don’t need to enhance it any further. Stay clear of this style trend.
It is a style trend in ‘09 you can’t ignore and there is a leather look for you no matter what your size, shape or budget. Work this look by dressing it up or down or combining it with other style trends. Wear it with the colour red, studs or with leggins . Alternatively wear a biker jacket or biker or ankle boots. If you have got the legs wear the the over the knee boots.
Kate Moss leads the way … (Please note clicking on the celebrity pricture will take you to our picture partner , all product pictures will lead you to our shop):
Heavy metal – studs and zips-are rocking up to centre stage- no matter what the age group is. It is loved and embraced by everyone and they are great for bringing attitude to your look. However it is important to remember the older the wearer the quieter and less fierce the “heavy metal” look has to become and be replaced by a more softer one by combining key pieces with studs embellishment with more luxurious fabrics. Here are some ideas how to wear the “heavy metal look” at any age: (Please note clicking on the celebrity pricture will take you to our picture partner , all product pictures will lead you to our shop)
20s: Punk Princess: It is all about attitude
30s: Rock Chic: Less attitude but sleek rock’n'roll updaters
40s: Edgy Elegance: Tailored pieces with sharp key pieces
50s plus: Touch luxe: Mix match fancy garments with with softer pieces
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
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