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Neutral Patterns, Endless Rewards

July 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Tweed fabric hanging from hooks.

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A clash of colors, a collision of styles: patterns cling to you with unfortunate persistence. Geometric shapes battle with bold florals; horizontal stripes challenge their vertical counterparts; and the result is a look that lacks all good sense. You’re drenched in fashion (and it simply doesn’t flatter).

Patterns are essential to crafting outfits. They offer visual interest, texture and depth — allowing clothing to spark interest instead of yawns. Choosing more than one style, however, often proves too challenging for would-be fashionistas. Designs contradict each other: overwhelming any figure and causing cringes.

It’s imperative that all shoppers – including you — recognize the need for restraint. Blending patterns requires moderation: with one meant to dominate and all others to complement. There must be a clear focus, with secondary designs offering muted colors and shapes.

Neutral patterns are necessary. These represent textures that seem solid from a distance, their depths indistinguishable until viewed closely. Items like tweed or houndstooth offer relief. They match any style without overwhelming it. All other patterns can be used with them — with these offering subtle hints of variety and nothing more.

The value of neutral patterns is immense: allowing individuals to create outfits that delight, instead of offending strangers with too many bursts of color. These become the cornerstones of entire wardrobes and move from season to season. Their rewards are many.

It’s vital therefore to select neutrals. They tame outfits, allowing them to appear polished rather than erratic — and that’s what every style maven wants.

 

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Adding Makeup

February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Outfits are rarely complete with simply just your clothing. Everything that prepares your look helps to create your outfit. Your hair, makeup, and accessories all add a little extra to your outfit to create a completed look. Sometimes all it takes is a little makeup.

The type of makeup you add to your outfit depends on the type of outfit you are wearing. For example, you may wear your makeup differently if you are wearing formal attire than if you are dressed casually. If you are dressed formally, you may take a little extra time doing your makeup and apply more than when you are dressed casually.

For a casual look, you may want to go lighter on the makeup. Your makeup should look natural, but you can go with your preference. It’s easier to use natural colors because it blends in easier and you won’t have to spend as much time applying your makeup.

When you are dressed formally, your makeup may be darker than usual. This is common if you are attending a dance or party that will be dimly lit. If your makeup is light, it will be difficult to see any at all, but if it is dark, people will be able to make out your features better in the dimly lit room.

There is so much variety of what you can do with your makeup when you dress fancy. You can try to match the color of your makeup to your outfit, make it look natural, or simply apply it a little darker. If you are wearing dark colors, you should apply it a little darker than normal. If you’re wearing your makeup the same that you normally do, it will look a lot lighter because of the contrasting color of your outfit. It doesn’t have to be too much darker, just apply a little more blush and eyeliner.

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Mix and Match Classic Clothing to Build a Wardrobe

December 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Stretch your dollar by stretching your wardrobe and making the articles in it accommodate more than one occasion. Accessories help clothing take on different looks for different occasions. You can even go from afternoon to evening simply by changing out the accessories you wear with an outfit. Update your older clothing by adding some modern accessories. Classic white button downs and pencil skirt never go out of style but they do need to be refreshed with each season.
To get the most out of the wardrobe, mix and match the items that make up the closet collection. A few pieces can change to go with other pieces to create many looks. Take out everything from the closet that is clutter. If the dress, skirt, or blouse doesn’t fit, get rid of it. Keep anything that flatters your body. Get rid of everything that you haven’t worn in the last six months.
Get the closet organized and place the clothing pieces into categories. A simple and mundane as this sounds, it really will improve your ability to mix and match the wardrobe. Organize all similar colors together. Then sort them by clothing type such as skirts, blouses and pants.
Only buy clothing items that belong to colors that can interchange with other items in your wardrobe. Sticking to black, navy or tan never goes out of style. At least twenty outfits can be built from nine pieces of clothing that are purchased with interchanging in mind. As a general rule of thumb, each new item should work with no less than two existing closet items. Make a monthly budget for clothing and stick to it. This will be easy if you plan ahead. Always purchase quality items rather than more items. A well made garment will fit better, look better and last much longer than a cheaper version. Because you are interchanging, each item will be used more higher costs for higher quality is justified.

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Outsmart Fashion Trends By Building a Wardrobe with Items that Never Go Out of Style

December 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Penduricalhos
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Avoid being a slave to trends and fashion by building a long term wardrobe of accessories that are certain to stand the test of time and never go out of style. The best way to make sure your closet will still be acceptable next season is to build an arsenal of accessories and jewelry. The jewelry box may be the most important aspect of a woman’s style.
The accessories can mix and match to go with any outfit and even change to look of clothing all together. A perfectly selected piece of jewelry will make a simple day dress transform in to an appropriate dress for an evening dinner. Gold jewelry or other metallic pieces will go with any clothing color or print. You will also be able to use gold pieces with other jewelry colors. Many people do avoid mixing metal types when wearing jewelry. For example, if your earrings are gold, avoid wearing a silver necklace.
Women who want to give a feminine appearance may choose to use jewelry with softer lines and even add a soft colored scarf around the collar. These can be easily changed out to a bold color scarf and jewelry with loud colors of bold lines. The more dramatic the jewelry piece, the more drama your presence will create in the room. If you want attention at any particular event, consider letting your accessories do the talking.
If you are unsure of what to wear consider the following guidelines. Pearl earrings go with anything. Simple studs will make an understated elegant look. If you want drama you will need to go with something else. Consider taking a crystal brooch and including it in a grouping of two or more on the same shoulder. A handkerchief or scarf can be worn around the top of any blouse or along the edge of a jacket. This softer look minimizes lines and wrinkles on older women.

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Update Your Fall Wardrobe by Deleting Your Outdated Pieces

December 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Fall is a time that you start to look at your packed up sweaters and other fall attire. Last years cuts and colors are probably not going to work for this season. Try going through all that you own as a way to get inspired to update your fall wardrobe.
Go through all of your clothes closets, dresser drawers and storage trunks. Lay everything out in one room so you can process and see what items you already have. Take out any clothing items that haven’t been worn in the last six months. Take out any items that you just don’t think you will ever wear again. If you have some old favorites that are worn and weathered, take them out as well. This part can be difficult but must be done if you want to update your style. Go ahead and take out clothes that do not fit at this moment. Avoid saving clothes that you think you will get into again. Just purchase new ones if you lose weight.
Go through your coats as well. If you haven’t purchased a coat in the last three years, it is time to do so. If you purchase a style that never goes out then you will be able to keep it for many years beyond the typical three. Do not skimp on coat quality just to save money. This is a long term use item, if it starts to look worn next season, it will need replaced and you haven’t saved anything.
Now look at what is missing. List any basic necessities that you will need. Get ideas by looking through catalogs and online for fashion trends. Purchase items that can be mixed and matched with other items in your wardrobe. This will expand your selection without breaking your budget.

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Transition from Summer to Fall by Updating Your Patterns and Fabrics

December 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Take your wardrobe from summer to fall without breaking your budget. It is not necessary to purchase a completely new wardrobe every season to stay in style. You can use the exiting wardrobe pieces as a basic piece for the transition period.

Use your light knit sweaters as cover-ups for the summer evenings as they start to get cooler. These can also work on the beach at night because it is very cool near the beach at night. The sweater can be used in conjunction with a turtleneck when the weather gets colder.

Hold on to those long maxi dresses. These are a popular look for summer months but also work well during the transition period before fall. Simply add a shawl or trendy wrap to add a little warmth. Even floral dresses can still be worn in the transitional period before fall is here. Choose a complementary garment that is in a fall color to go with the floral print. A burnt orange wrap will add a touch of fall to the dress. A chocolate brown will get your through the winter as well. The mini dress can now be worn year round by adding some tights to the dress or even kneed high black boots. Boots can be pricey but you can wear them in the winter, fall and spring. Boots can be worn over jeans in the summer with a sun shirt too. So boots are a very economical choice for your wardrobe.
Accessories are a vital asset to making the transition period between summer and fall. The accessories that you choose should go with most of your clothing. Choose simple colors or neutrals this way they can go with any outfit. You can even wear the same accessories regardless of the season. Handbags do need to be updated more than pins and brooches. But you can update a handbag by customizing it with a small scarf.

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Use Fabrics to Get Your Fall Wardrobe Ready

December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A variety of contemporary fabrics. From the le...
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Just because fall is setting in doesn’t mean you have to give up looking fashionable. Fall is a great time to take advantage of sales that occur in relation to back to school and holiday events. Take inventory of your current wardrobe before making dramatic updates or major purchases.

The most important aspect of getting your wardrobe ready for fall is to warm up your clothing. This doesn’t just mean making them physically warmer but you must consider the color palette when selecting clothes for fall. Avoid bright colors and cool hues. Look to nature to find the shades you will need. When you think of autumn you think of browns, sage greens, deep blues and even gold. Consider the colors you see around you when the leaves begin to fall, then translate these over to apply to your clothing.

Fall is a great time to add texture to the fabrics. This adds a cozy feel to the clothing item. A cami that is worn in the summer can go straight to fall by adding a thick knit cardigan. A vest in a cable knit will also compliment the cami. Look for skirts that are from textured fabrics such as plaids and tweeds. Corduroy pants are also a great look for fall rather than trying to use your linen trousers. Wool is also a great fabric for fall and winter.
Just because the colors are muted and duller than the fun summer prints doesn’t mean you have to be a wall flower. Add some sequins, silver or gold fabric. Sparkle is very appropriate for fall right on into the winter months. Large jewelry and bangle bracelets can also spice up your fall wardrobe. Boots are another accessory that every woman should keep in the closet no matter the season. They will likely get used most during the fall and winter so make sure these still look good before the fall begins.

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Fabrics and Textures are Key Elements of Fall Clothing

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Sweaters.
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Fall fashions are identifiable by their colors and unique materials. When you consider purchasing for fall think of thick fabrics with texture. Corduroy, wool, knits and heavy cottons are the fabrics that most all fall fashions are made from. The color palette is usually colorful but not bold and bright like the summer and spring clothing. Instead of a bright bold red you will see rust on the racks. Rather than aqua blue the color of choice is teal in a deep tone. Golds replace canary sunny yellow and browns are in vogue.

Consider the fall staples that never go out of style. The smartly cut blazer in a thick fabric will be versatile all season long. This is also true for sweaters in a color that can be interchanged with your bottom coordinates. A long trench coat can be costly but will be used year after year. You can also update your tights so you can continue to wear those mini skirts. Consider adding a pair of boots with the short skirts as well.

Fall clothing require heavily on accessories in order to be fresh. You can soften the fall colors by adding a scarf. Leather cases are always in style and can go with any outfit, business or casual. If you are going out after work consider dropping a few flashy accessories in your bag. The same outfit will go from day to night with the right pieces of jewelry.

Just like you did with your color choices, look to nature to find the type of accessories you want to wear. Many people choose this time to wear accessories that mimic the environment. There are many brooches available that are in a leaf, acorn or vegetable styles. Fall is a time for big sweaters, big lines and big accessories.

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