I turned 30 years old just over a month ago. I must say turning 30 was a pivitol moment for me as I believe at this point is where I turned into a woman. Being a woman for me mean’s a range of different things, one of the main things being having to start looking at life a lot more seriously.
One of the things I relate to age is the way we dress. The way you dress as a woman says a lot about you. Being a stylist I often find my self paying attention to and analysing the way women of different ages dress and the changes in dressing women close to me have undertaken as they’ve got older.
Turning 30 has definitley made me start to think about the way I dress, and think about whether there is a big difference to the way women dress in their 20′s to women in their 30′s.
I’m quite a spontaneous dresser so I don’t really follow trends, I shop in a range of shops which include Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, Reiss, Topshop, Zara, Karen Millen, French Connection, River Island and many more High Street Brands. However as you may know all of the above are quite different in regards to the type of aparel they stock. Reiss is quite conservative and elegant whereas Urban Outfitters is a mixture urban and vintage.
Being a follower of celebrity fashion and looking at celebs who are in their 30′s such as Kim Kardashian, Katie Holmes, Kelly Rowland I have noticed changes in their dress sense as they’ve hit their 30′s though very subtle changes.
A Classic outfit, which isn't too old but neither too young. The colour's are quite subtle and can be worn during the day or on a dinner date. Try and keep wardrobe with a mixture of tailored items including tailored jackets, trousers which can be dressed up or down.
I think being in your early 30′s shouldn’t make you feel as though you need to have a whole wardrobe revamp or even fear being seen as ‘mutton dressed up as lamb!!! I think we have at least a decade or two before being seen as this. Although I do feel it is time to maybe dress at bit more conservative at times going over the top and looking as if you’re dressed for a day at the office 7 days a week is not the way forward.
Au revoir!
After finding this gorgeous jacket on Net-A-Porter I started daydreaming about what I could wear this beautiful ensemble with. My imagination always seems to get the better of me whenever I spot a beautiful garments, I start putting together outfits in my head and then I start hunting the world wide web for these garments I’ve made up in my head and for some strange reason I always manage to find them. The joy’s of being a stylist ay!!! I love it!
Anway’s see below for what I managed to come up with:
Roksanda Ilincic, Basket weave silk jacket, £780.00 www.net-a-porter.com
Yellow Frill Sleeve Top, £25.00, www.topshop.com
Prad Fluid Silk Crop Hareem, £205, www.flannelsfashion.com
Carvela , Gallant, £130.00, www.kurtgeiger.com
Nai nai xx
With spring only around the corner, I think its only right that I start revamping my wardrobe with some spring clothing.Though I’ve been looking for hours I’ve managed to find a couple of must’ve goods one including Dip-Dye water colour Kimono from Topshop.
Dip -dye Water Colour Kimono,£38, www.topshop.com
The thing I love about this Kimono is that it is so versatile. It can be worn in many differnet ways. I’ve pictured myself wearing it in the summer with a pair of denim shorts and a pair of engineer boots. However they could be worn with some skinny jeans and a pair of courts or even over a swimming costume on the beach.
I’m definitely loving this item, its a wardrobe must have.
Chow for now!!!
After flicking through a few mags and checking out some of the latest catwalk shows last night like last years trends this years are going to be vibrant, chic, and very sexy. However this years trends are set to be a lot more sophisicated and not as hard. If you rememeber last years trends were a mix of hard and soft i.e military wear, sporty, hard jackets, tight dresses etc. Whereas this years fashion is going to be a mix of soft materials, loose dresses, wide legged trousers, dolman sleeve tops etc. Much more lady like.
So far my favourite trend by far is the mid length and long skirts and dresses. Like the maxi dress this trend is set to sweep the nation having us all looking like the ladies we are.
The mid length and long skirt can be dressed up with a corset top or even a blouse or dressed down with a pair of combat boots and t-shirt…..
STYLE TIP OF THE DAY:
Wearing your mid length skirt just below your calf give the illusion of a longer leg. This being due to you not actually being able to see where your knees are ,which is what usually gives away your leg length. So to all you people with shorther legs this could be the look for you!!!
This year the girl has definietly transformed into a lady!!
I’m sure all you women out there know exactly what I mean when I say ‘Little Black Number,’ as a little black number is something all us women have tucked away somewhere in the depths of our wardrobes, that dress you always look good and feel sexy in.
Just in case you’re not familiar with the little black dress here are some things you should know about the Little Black Dress:
- The Little Black Dress is that one item of clothing that you never throw away and is a classic buy.
- The Little Black Dress is that dress that can be worn in summer autumn, winter or spring.
- The Little Black Dress is the dress you pull out when you are in a dilemma and cannot find anything else to wear.
- The Little Black Dress is that dress you wear on your fat days, you know the day’s when you look in the mirror and all you can see is rolls and ripples even though they are none existent.
The good thing about little black dresses is that they are quite easy to accessorize. All you really need is a pair of diamante studded earrings a chain if you need one, a nice pair of strappy shoes or maybe a pair of courts, a nice clutch bag and you’re good to go.
Though I’m a gal that likes putting together outfits when I’m going out, I do have them days when I can’t be bothered to think of what to wear so I take my little my little black dress out and it never ever lets me down.
If you haven’t yet got your hands on a little black number hurry up and go out and buy yours as it will never let you down and you’ll be able to wear it forever!!
- Corset Cut Dress, £55, www.oasis-clothing.com
- Polka Dot Silk Twill Dress, Marc by Marc Jacobs, 385, www.net-a-porter.com
- Stella McCartney Batwing Jersey Dress, £675, www.net-a-porter.com
- Graphic Bandage Dress, £135, www.karenmillen.com
- One Shoulder Signature Dress, £180, www.karenmillen.com
- Vivienne, £120, www.reissonline.com
- Ruched Bandeau Dress ,£45, www.topshop.com
- Ruched One Shoulder Dress, £60, www.warehouse.co.uk
Spanx, Bodyshapers, Suck Me in Pants and Power Panties are the various names given to this god given item that all women should have. Whether you’re a size 8 or size 18.
Many women don’t realise that wearing the right underwear can make your outfit look ten times better. Actually put it this way if you look great whilst wearing the wrong underwear imagine how you’ll look whilst wearing the right underwear……. a million dollars!
Spanx is the name given to the shaping underwear, the magic underwear that is made to hide all of your unwanted lumps and bumps. There are so many different types of spanx; there are ones that will take 5 inches off your waist, spanx that give you slimmer thighs, spanx that lift your booty.
If you’re anything like me then you’re a person who’s always admiring celebrity bodies and wondering how- on- earth their bodies manage to look so good all the time. I know they have personal trainers and go on theses weird diets but is it really possible to look so picture perfect all the time? No. Like us they do have fat days and their bodies are not oh so perfect. So what is their secret…….SPANX! Beyonce wears spanx, Katie Perry also wears spanx and yes super model Naomi Campbell wears spanx too.
Like I said before, I wear spanx and I’m a size 10. However, the reason I wear them, is to give my body a smooth finish when I’m wearing that tight little black number. Control pants help to smooth out the little roundness on your tummy which many of us do have. They also help to define our curves and acts as a base in which helps our dress to fall better. I wear my spanx whenever I wear a dress or something clingy that will show unwanted lumps, I love them and could never live without my Trinny and Sussanah Magic knickers.
Until next time. Chow!
1. Plie High Waist Control Brief, £25 – www.shapewearonline.co.uk/plie-shapewear
2. Trinny and Susannah Magic Knickers, £35- www.trinnyandsusannah.com
3. Trinny and Susannah Tummy Flattener Thong, £30- www.trinnyandsusannah.com
Us women come in all shape as and sizes. I’m 5’6’’ and size 10. My legs are quite long and my torso is quite short. When I have heels on which are usually 4 inches and higher I look very tall mainly because wearing heels makes my legs look even longer. People are always shocked by my height when I have flat shoes on as they expect me to be much taller than I am.
Most women want to look tall and slim, however if you are naturally small and past adolescence which means you’re not likely to grow any taller then the best thing for you to do is give the illusion of being much taller and slimmer than you really are.
I can hear you all saying ‘How do I do that?’
Well I’m going to let you in on a few tips and tricks on looking good in everything you wear.
Firstly whenever putting together an outfit you should always remember the principle of horizontal’s and vertical’s.
Remember:
- Horizontals make you look short and stocky
- Verticals make you look tall and slim
- The less horizontals in your outfit the better
- Our Legs are one of our strongest verticals
- Our Shoulders are a strong horizontal
For instance, if you’re wearing a skirt and top the waist line will be a horizontal within the outfit, the hem of the skirt will be a horizontal plus your shoulders as our shoulders are one of our strongest horizontals.
The reason we don’t like horizontals is due to them drawing our eyes across the body rather than up the body towards the face. I.e. wearing a long fitted ball gown with a split up the leg will draw the eyes upwards towards your face as it is a strong vertical. A long outfit will always make you look much taller and slimmer than a short outfit as you are working with one less horizontal.
The same principle goes for wearing vertical and horizontal stripes. Horizontal stripes will make you look more stockier than vertical stripes as again vertical stripes lead the eye up the body rather than across the body giving the illusion of a taller slimmer body.
At the moment I know that one of the biggest trends is shoulder pads and big shoulders however if you already have broad shoulders this style is not for you as you are making an already strong horizontal much stronger.
I know it all sounds quite complicted but once you get it right you’ll look great in everything you wear. So don’t forget to eradicate as much horizontals from your outfits as possible as this will make you look like the woman you have always wanted to.
Chow!
This year’s spring and summer wear is going to be a season to remember as every trend you can think of is currently hitting the High Streets. Monochrome, Utility, Digital Print, Embellishment, Maxi Dresses the list goes on.
One of my favourite trends this spring I must say is Tribal wear. Having been to Africa, I must say the High Streets have really got it right. Whilst in Africa I explored the different types of clothing worn by men and women and many of the clothing is brightly coloured printed material which is usually made into gowns and head wraps.
Though the High Street version of Tribal wear isn’t as authentic as the traditional African Tribal wear it definitely does give you the feel of Africa. With the beaded bangles, printed dresses and bib necklaces this trend is sure to be a winner this summer.
Ways to wear tribal wear is to clash two different patterns; so maybe wear a skirt with a large pattern with a top with a smaller pattern (make sure they’re from the same colour palette), though I feel you really have to know how to carry off this look if you wear it this way. If you’re not as daring, I’d say wear a patterned/printed skirt with a plain top. If you’re still not daring enough but you love this trend, wearing a jersey back maxi dress with a beaded necklace and some beaded bangles will look great.
My waist is one of my greatest assets as it is quite small (many hours of slaving at the gym) and it makes me feel womanly and feminine.
After doing a bit of research it was brought to my attention that during the nineteenth century the waist was one of women’s most feminine features and they done anything to accentuate there waists; mainly by wearing corsets. During the 50’s and 60’s women had much smaller waists than women do now during the twenty-first Century.
As women of the twenty-first century I think we sometimes pay more attention to our boobs, legs and bums and forget about waists and how to accentuate it.
If your waist is smaller than your hips, bust and shoulders, than your more likely to be an pear, or hourglass shape which means you have a figure many of us would die for. However there are many of us who may have a larger waist, which means you are likely to be an apple shape.
Whether you are small or larger woman there are ways to accentuate your waist. If you look at yourself in the mirror you may notice that the area above your waist, just under your boobs is smaller so it is usually a good idea to go for clothes that sit just over your waist line as this draws the eye to the more narrower section and gives the illusion of a smaller waist. If you have a small waist you can get away with almost anything however if you have a larger waist it can sometimes be harder to disguise.
Waist tips:
- Always go for draped dresses and tailored dresses as they hide a larger tummy.
- Go for wider legged trousers i.e. boot cut or flared trousers, as they will create a more balanced silhouette.
- Try and avoid horizontal lines, as the eyes will be drawn from left to right giving the illusion of a wider waist. Always try and go for verticals as your eyes are automatically drawn up the body rather than across.
- Wear accessories to draw attention to your face rather than your stomach area. Wearing, earrings and necklaces will automatically draw attention upwards.
- Try and wear three-quarter length jackets rather than shorter jackets which end on your waistline or just above it as this draws attention to your mid-section
- Try and wear darker colours on top and lighter colours on the bottom.
- Invest in a body shaper, they work well no matter what shape you are. They keep fat in and they’re great to wear under dresses as they smooth out any seams. I have one!!!!
As you all know I’m a Fashionista who’s first love is Fashion. I live, breath and eat fashion (I would if I could), lol. One thing I’ve noticed that I do all the time is think up new outfits in my head, whether they are outfits I plan to buy or outfits I simply fantasise about(I told you I love fashion).
I could be browsing through Topshop and happen to spot a pair of trousers I like and from then I start to think of what top or maybe what shoes would go with this particular garment, and what I could add to the outfit to make it look funky. I could be laying in bed and I’ll be thinking up new outfits, I do it constantly; it may have something to do with me being a stylist, I dunno.
Anyway, yesterday I took a long awaited trip to Oxford Circus as I needed some new shoes for my birthday. I ended up buying these from Aldo:
As usual I started to think of what I could possibly wear with my gorgeous new shoes and this is what I come up with:
Shoes, £45, www.aldoshoes.com
Denim Waistcoat, £17.99, www.internacionale.co.uk
Lace Leotard, www.riverisland.com
Paperbag Peg Leg Trousers, £45, www.warehouse.co.uk
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