I was wondering if you might address correct hem lengths in one of your future blogs. I am on the short side (5′ 4″) so almost all of my clothing needs to be shorted but I am never quite sure what the correct length is. For example, are pencil skirts and dresses hemmed at the…
All whites are not the same, and different whites suit different colouring. We can go from a very bright white which is cool and quite stark and only suits those with very cool colouring, via a soft white, through ivory to cream, which is very warm and suits those with warm colouring. Soft whites are…
There are lots of problems with the fit of commercially made garments, these are things that if you’re making the garment you can alter out of the pattern. But before you buy, make sure these are not problems built into the garment for you. There are some common issues with fit that are reasonably easy…
How the sleeve is cut and fits into a top or jacket can change the way a garment appears on your body. If you have a deeper, lower cut armhole, this will add some bulk to your chest region, so is great for women with narrower shoulders (A shapes) or smaller busts who would like…
\ Niamh was looking through some old photo albums, you know, the ones with pictures of me in my primary school classes, she was going through and picking me out of the sea of faces in each class. When I asked her how she knew it was me, she said: “see, your face is shiny…
Following on from yesterday’s post on Mad Men style and body shapes. There were some comments on the dislike of the patterns that Peggy wears. So it got me to think about why each character wears the prints and patterns chosen for them. Peggy – she’s a woman in a man’s world. She wears checks…
Patent leather can’t be polished up in the same way with shoe polish that regular leather works with, so how do you remove scuff marks? Soap and water can get some marks off. One thing you could try is to put some some non-acetone nail polish remove on a cotton pad and wipe over the…
One of the comments left on a post the other day was this: jinnan-tonnyx said… Can you explain more about why trousers pull across the crotch on X shapes? I am an X and whenever I buy a new pair of pants my husband always says they don’t fit right – and I tell him,…
Many women shy away from prints as they’ve read or been told that all prints make you look larger and are generally unflattering. Yet this is not true for all prints and patterns, in fact, many can be really wonderfully camouflaging if you know how to choose ones that flatter you. There are dimensions to…
Prada sent a flurry of chunky knits down the runway in their Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. And as we know – where Prada leads, many brands (and wardrobes) are sure to follow. But before you rush out to stock up on oversized sweaters and cable-knit everything, let’s talk about the very real style challenge these pieces…
I was shopping yesterday in Century City, LA with lovely blogger La Belette Rouge and she tried on a version of this top at Banana Republic. It looked great on her, but was about 2.5″ too long and hit at an unflattering point on her hips and made her looked proportionally unbalanced and a…
When economic times are tough, what can we do to save on our wardrobe? Here are 4 easy to follow budget fashion tips for the Recessionista Fashonista. 1. Alter You can make a garment fit properly with alterations. I spend a lot of time in wardrobes pinning garments, adding darts when it’s too boxy, taking…
Deja Pseu of Une femme d’un certain age recently asked if horizontal lines could ever be worn by a fuller figure. So what do you think? Horizontal lines – good or bad? Most of us just steer clear of horizontal stripes as they’re fattening – which they are in general, but there are ways you…
Pattern, and whether or not you like it, and the kinds of patterns you like, is based on your personality and not everyone is into pattern mixing. You don’t have to like or wear it, but if you do, go for it. So as a little guide, I’ve done up an image with a limited…
Did you know that sewing machine sales have skyrocketed in recent years. This made me think – are people actually going to start making their clothes again? Or is it more about revamping and altering what they currently own? As an image consultant, I spend a lot of time in people’s wardrobes. They often think I’m…
Do you like to wear a patterned skirt but are unsure what colour you should choose for your top? If you are an X, A, 8 or H shape, choose a lighter or brigher colour from the top to draw attention away from the hips/thighs and up to your face. If you’re an H, O,…
So we’ve looked at all the physical aspects of fabric, but now lets take a look at your personality and how that may affect your choice of fabrics. Classic If you would describe your style as of the Classic variety, you will chose plain fabrics, or maybe a discreet pinstripe at most. You will like…
Another element of fabric is the pattern or print. How to choose one that works for you? One of the main influencers on which patterns we may choose is based on our personality, which I won’t get into on this post. But what I will go into here is how to choose a physically flattering…
Along with texture and drape, another element of fabric is the sheen. Some fabrics are matte – they don’t reflect light and appear to absorb light – these fabrics are the most SLIMMING fabrics as they don’t draw attention to your body. Which Fabric to Choose – Matte – Sheen – Shine Matte fabrics work…
What is Fabric Drape? Which kinds of fabrics should you look for? Why is this question even important? Doesn’t it just matter that the style suits your body shape? Sadly the answer is that you need to take into consideration both the drape of the fabric and the style – this is why people will…
Texture is one of the pieces of the Style Puzzle (body shape is one piece too, yet so much is written about body shape, people think it’s the whole puzzle, instead of just being a small element of the whole). Textured fabrics can be anything from lace to cable knits, devore velvet to quilted fabrics.What…
