Summer Wardrobe part a

Hi Girls,

Well believe it or not summer starts next week! Normally we'd have been wearing shorts for a month+, but not this year!! So if you are looking to complement your current summer wardrobe, check out these items below. This week, during my research, I noticed that there are some great sales to take advantage of.

My goal for writing about a summer wardrobe is to demonstrate the importance of using one or more neutral bottoms and blazers/cardigans (white, beige/light brown, brown, grey, and black) to create a truly mix & match wardrobe, which I like to call a foundational wardrobe. And why do we need to do this? - Because most of us are everyday ordinary women who have to be creative with the budget that we have. That's not to say that we don't buy those special one off pieces that don't fit into this category; but this is the starting point, or the foundation on which to add the more elaborate/patterned bottoms and/or cardigans/blazers.
These are the minimum items that create a mix/match summer wardrobe, so that when you buy something you are guaranteed to have other items with which to pair it, and which creates at least 3 outfits.

MINIMAL SUMMER WARDROBE:

• 1 pair of shorts in a neutral colour (casual or dressier, depending on your preference)
• 1 pair of pants in a neutral colour likely the same colour as your shorts (casual or dressier)
• A variety of tops (casual & dressy) but make sure either the shorts and/or pants are dressy
• 1 blazer or cardigan in a neutral colour (until you build on cardigans of other colours this is a fall back colour that will give you a more completed look)
• 1 blazer or cardigan in a colour that is prominent in your tops
• 1 dress (particularly a little black dress: it's important that the fabric is appropriate for all seasons of the year, otherwise you restrict its use - all of the ones I've chosen seem appropriate, but without actually seeing them in the store I cannot be 100%).
• (potentially 1 skirt in a neutral colour (casual or dressier, depending on your preference) (I did not include skirts due to lack of time).

Although it may seem boring, keeping to the same neutral colour for your 1 pair of shorts, pants and blazer/cardigan will give you optimal opportunities for mixing & matching, and adding in fun accessories, tops and shoes to create distinctive & creative outfits.

ADDING TO THE MINIMAL WARDROBE:
You could continue to add to your first neutral colour by adding in dressier or casual versions that you do not already have. Or another option is to then start building on a 2nd neutral colour.

So I think the next question is, which one or 2 neutral colours should I start building into my wardrobe? Black is always a good option unless you really don't like black. But before you make a decision be sure to lay out some of your most favourite tops, scarfs, and possibly your jewellery to help you determine which colour to start with.

MATCHING NEUTRALS
The other thing to consider, especially if some of your minimal items are different neutral colours, is to know which neutral colours match. You know that the neutrals match every colour, but not all the neutral colours match.

• White, beige, grey and black match each other.
• Brown works with beige but not with white, grey and black

Sometimes you will see someone wear black & brown together and it make look good, but I think this is more an exception than the rule.

Have fun looking over these items which I have chosen from various canadian retailers' websites. To view the retailer, item details/price, click on the collage of photos. Then my polyvore.com page will load containing all of these items and their associated detail (by either hovering over an item, or looking at the list of items down the right side of the screen). If the retailer's price is not listed, click on the item's link for the retailer's site. This link will take you directly to that item, and you will find additional details and the price.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to add a comment or email me at kayclaresaint@gmail.com. Please note that there is another blog entry below because I ran out of space!



SHORTS & PANTS (CASUAL & DRESSIER)
Below are examples of shorts and capris/pants in casual and dressier styles - in neutral colours.
I was unable to find dressier brown shorts and dressier brown pants. If I come across some, I will add them. For the black pants - there's a fine line between the two of them; both could be considered dressy, the "casual" ones are more fitted/skinny jeans, whereas the other ones are still fitted, but a bit more dressy.

IMPORTANT POINTS:
1. Again back to the issue of budget, I recommend you buy a pair of pants that you can wear year round. For example, the fabric would be more on the heavier than lighter side.
2. Choose pants that have 1 colour, not 2+ colours/tones e.g. a pair of brown pants may have a light and slightly darker brown or a pair of pants that have a pin stripe in a slightly different colour. When you have two colours it creates a sort of pattern and no longer represents a clean/fresh backdrop and will compete with your focal point item e.g. patterned top.
3.If you have to make a choice between casual or dressier shorts or pants, I definitely recommend leaning towards the dressier versions. You can typically wear a casual top with a dressier pair of shorts/pants but the converse is not true; you cannot get away with wearing a dressy top with casual shorts/pants. However, in saying that, you also have to balance that with your lifestyle and comfort.

(rows from top to bottom: casual shorts, dressier shorts, casual pants, dressier pants)

 

CASUAL TOPS
A variety of colours and styles are represented here. I absolutely love the Joe Fresh t-shirts. This spring I haven't purchased any, but the fabric, stitching, colours and pattern options are fantastic considering the price of approx. $10.

 

Summer Wardrobe part b

DRESSY TOPS
I have been disappointed with the lack of variety of dressier tops this season. On the bright side Le Chateau's halter top is available in white, light blue and pink. This neckline is so feminine and so fitting for the summer. In my search I couldn't find any other halter tops. And yes, I like black! :)

 

CARDIGANS/SHRUGS & JACKETS/BLAZERS
Cardigans & jackets often complete an outfit, whether it's to look a bit more professional at work, or just to add a bit of warmth on a summer evening. As I noted in the first part of this blog, as a starting point I recommend you have a cardigan or jacket in a neutral colour, and have another in your favourite colour (assuming you have multiple tops containing your favourite colour). Then build from there...

IMPORTANT POINT: Short versus Long: Unless you are very tall, opt for the shorter version. The shorter version will be much more flattering on you. All the lengths represented here are super; I do not have an example of a shrug (cardigan) because I could not find one. They are even shorter and work very well for more formal outfits.


 

SUMMER DRESSES
Some of these are more dressy than others so if you search for a summer dress; choose one that fits your lifestyle for this summer.



SUMMER LITTLE BLACK (& WHITE & SILVER ) DRESSES
If a little black dress is not already hanging in your closet, you may want to consider buying one. A LBD (little black dress) is so versatile assuming the fabric is appropriate for all year wear. You can lighten or bold it up with an accent colour e.g. either a light, airy or a bright, primary colour.
However, if you choose a silver & black dress I recommend you chose accessories in these colours. The white & black dresses are a bit more versatile; again you could probably add in a third accent colour.

IMPORTANT POINT: For this to be a lovely and feminine outfit, ensure it tapers in at the waist so that it accentuates your feminine figure. Or if you are more self-conscious about your tummy, a higher waistline, like an empire waist (it is tapered just below the bust) is a better choice since it still creates definition.

Using the Placement of Colour to your Advantage

Hi everyone! Welcome to the weekend.

Most of what we're going to focus on today is intuitive, but I think the challenging component is actually applying it. Placement of colour will either work to your advantage or to your disadvantage, but to go further, something that acts as a disadvantage for someone of a particular body shape will be an advantage for someone of a different body shape.

We can use colour to make you appear:

• Taller: Wear shoes the same colour as your bottom half (assuming you are wearing a solid colour) or wearing e.g. a nude coloured shoe to match your skin colour if you are wearing shorts, capris or a skirt
• By wearing the same colour enables your eye is able to travel quickly down the length of your body without stopping hence creating an illusion of being taller
• Taller/Thinner: Use one solid colour for your pants and top, and add a jacket or sweater. This is called Column Dressing which creates one long vertical line from top to bottom hence making you appear taller and thinner.
• Shorter: Wear shoes of a different colour as your bottom half 
• To add to this you can also wear a belt of a different colour than your top or pants
• Using these breaks of colour forces your eye to slow down, hence creating an illusion of being shorter

Examples of Taller

All of these photos are perfect examples of appearing taller - the shoes blend into the legs, making the girls seem longer/taller. One thing you have to be careful with nude shoes, is making sure they're actually nude, or that they do actually match your skin colour. You will notice with "Classic Swing Dress" example that the dark beige shoes do NOT blend in the skin colour, hence foreshortening the legs. Also note the other example - the black pants again blend into the black boots, creating a lengthening effect.

USmagazine.com

http://onmulberryst.tumblr.com

Example of Taller/Slimmer (Column Dressing)

fiftynotfrumpy.com

This is a great example of column dressing -both the pants & top are black, and the jacket of a different colour. This jacket still has the black in it, but you can have a jacket in a different colour. The underlying colour, in this example is black, but can be any colour and the pieces don't need to be solid pieces. The darker the colour, the more slimming. The only change I'd make would be to replace the green shoes with black, extending the black straight through, creating a lengthening effect.

Examples of Shorter
Conversely to the "longer" examples, the colour is broken up in these examples, creating a foreshortening effect.This effect works really well for taller women who want to appear shorter, but not for shorter women who want to appear taller! :) For the first two examples, the shoes are a different colour than the pants/dress. And in the JNY dress example the beige belt, also breaks the flow of red, creating a shortening effect.

Next.co.uk: Tie Front Stud Top

JNY.com: Classic Swing Dress



Next.co.uk: Marl Jersey Maxi Dress









One thing I've noticed about each of these effects is that you notice them more clearly when you view the person or yourself (in a mirror) from a distance. You could practice these looks in the mirror :).

I'll talk to you next week. I think we're going to dive into some key pieces for summer before talking about body types.

cheers,

Kay :)

Colours: Approaches to which Colours Suit You Best

Hi Everyone,
Hope you've had a good week! I trust you're relishing this warm weather.
So let's continue our venture into colour; and this week we are going to discuss  two approaches I'm aware of, which are used to determine which colours look good on an individual.

Before laying these out, I will just say that we probably all have at least one favourite colour that we love wearing, that we and we are magnetized to those items handing in our closet because we know it'll pick up our mood, that we will radiate from the inside out and others may possibly comment how fantastic we look! :)

1. Formal Colour Analysis Theories a.k.a. seasonal colour analysis, skin tone colour matching, or personal colour analysis. Most people are probably more aware of the seasonal colour analysis; individuals were classified either as being a "Spring", "Summer", "Fall", or "Winter" and there were certain hues, tints, shades etc. associated with each season.
These theories (some or all) do the following:

• Determine an individual's best colours for clothing and/or makeup which match his/her skin tone, hair colour, and eye colour. These "best" colours will make you "glow" whereas in contrast, other colours will tend to make you look "washed out"
• Determine types of responses from others based on an individual's colour choice(s) e.g.blue & black are more authoritative

2. Informal Colour Analysis Theory by Caryn Franklin (British Fashion Expert)
Having been in the fashion industry for 30+years, Caryn is a fountain of fashion knowledge and is enthusiastic about sharing this knowledge with the average woman. She has written the most amazing books for each body type, detailing which types of tops, pants etc. work specifically for that body type - and they are FREE!!. I will write a number of blogs on body types and will provide key points, but if you like detail, you'll absolutely love having your own personal :) guide! http://www.howtolookgood.com/dress-for-your-shape/
So back to colour analysis; Caryn's approach is radically freeing!
Her colour toning approach does the following:

• Identifies that there is a scale for skin tones, which combine well with similar colour tones 
• Pale skin tone (light in pigment) -> Light colours (light in pigment)
• Mid skin tone                           -> Mid colours
• Dark skin tone                          -> Bright colours (rich colours, dark in pigment)

Light blue tone - Next.co.uk

     

       Mid Blue tone - Next.co.uk

          

                 Dark/Bright Blue - Next.co.uk

• Throws out the primary colours; she proposes that they suit very few skin tones over age 5!
• Suggests you wear the comparable tones e.g. if you have a pale skin tone you will definitely suit light colours and medium colours, but bright colours will be too strong. The opposite would be true for someone with dark skin tone, light colours would wash out the individual.
• Suggests you hold a colour swatch up to your chin (in natural light) to give you a good sense as to whether or not it compliments your skin

My 2 Cents

• The formal colour analysis theories are very accurate and hold enough weight and for particularly important situations it may be to your benefit to wear your most flattering colours
• I believe that you can still wear those colours that are less complimentary to you but ADD in the more flattering colours as accessories, especially closer to your face e.g. if you have a dark skin tone, white might wash you out, but you could add a bright/dark chunky necklace to create balance 
• I think we instinctively know which colours suit us; they're the ones we love to wear. And conversely we know the ones that don't work.
• I believe that what overrides the colour tones we wear is that:
• Colour tones match
• Clothing items fit 
• You wear your coordinated outfit with confidence e.g. "The Emperor's New Clothes" (don't try this! :) )
• Your outfit style is classy & compliments your personality 

Free Colour Analysis:
1. Created by Shari Braendel & Crew (Seasonal Colour Analysis):
http://www.colorenalysis.com/online_color_analysis.html          
2. Created by Pretty Your World (Seasonal Colour Analysis - 12 seasons):
http://www.prettyyourworld.com/free-quiz.html

Other Resources:                                                                                                                                  

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_analysis(art)                                                                                        

2. http://www.thechicfashionista.com/your-best-perfect-colors.html

Next week we will will talk about how to use certain colours to your advantage, to create certain effects :)

cheers,

Kay