Developing Style

Developing Style

There are several things that you can do to develop your 'style'.

Determine your body type and what suits you and what does not. This is one constant factor that will never change, even when you gain or lose weight your shape stays the same, it just gets bigger or smaller. "What Not to Wear" can be very helpful in determining what styles (cuts of clothing) you should avoid completely, even if they are 'all the rage' and 'everyone is wearing it'.

It can be very helpful to choose some fashion role models. These may be people in the media or people in your life. They might be your own 'what NOT to do' examples. You may choose several role models that represent different areas of your life, i.e. someone who does casual very well, someone that inspires you for smarter occasions. Then PAY ATTENTION to the DETAILS. It is easy to look at someone but not notice these things. Look not only at the shirt and skirt, look at the shoes, accessories, jewelry, haircut, make-up, coat, purse, etc. Take in all of the details and notice what works together and what would work for you.

Assess what you own. Take a look at different ways of wearing things together. Note gaps in your wardrobe. What are the things that you like, that make you feel good when you wear them. What is it about them that makes you feel so good? Pay attention to the fit and the cut/line of the clothes. Then make your shopping list of things that you need to fill in, using your observations of your style models and your assessment of your body and your current wardrobe. Ask your sweetheart to help you buy those.

Shop, shop, shop! Ask for her help. Look, I mean REALLY look at things before you buy them. Make sure that the cut and line is right for you and in a flattering color. Always respect her opinion because She is naturally woman. A bargain is no bargain if it looks awful and you never wear it. Go into stores that you don't usually shop in. Try places that you can't afford, just to look at what they have and appreciate the quality of their clothes and try things on so you can train your 'eye'.

You probably already know that the best times to shop for clothes are January and July. Those are the times when the stores start marking down their inventory to clear it out for the new season. While Wal-Mart may be OK to shop for socks or kids' clothes, pretty much everything there is going to look bad on just about anyone. You can get better quality items that will look better and last longer by shopping the sales at better stores. It will save you money in the long run, even if you end up with fewer items because you won't have to replace them as often.

Talking about replacement, take care of your clothes! If it needs mending, then mend it! If it is stained or is damaged beyond repair, recycle it into rags. If it doesn't fit right, and never will, get
rid of it by blessing someone else with it. If it needs to be altered, do it yourself or take it to a good tailor. Fitting can be the biggest challenge in any garment, even if you are good at sewing.
Make sure the hems are the right length and have darts put in if you need to. A good tailor can be a gal's best friend. Nothing makes an outfit look worse or more dumpy than when it doesn't fit. This is especially important if you are large. Shapeless sacks and too-tight clothes look terrible on anyone but most especially the full-figured. No matter your size, clothes should skim over your body, allowing for ease of movement while defining your shape.

If it sounds like a lot of work� well, it can be, especially at first. Once you have established your 'style' you will know where you like to shop, what you need to buy, and what works for you and what doesn't. Keep paying attention to detail.

It is FREE FREE FREE to LOOK and to PAY ATTENTION to details in other people, in what you own and wear or toss, in things in the stores, and in what you actually DO buy.

If you can do your own alterations, they too are FREE! You [can buy a skirt] to fit your larger part, and take in the other parts! Take some pins with you when you shop if you are a hard-to- fit shape, so you can see how it will look after you take it in. If you have large hips and a small waist, you buy a skirt that fits your hips and take it in at the waist (more work) or if you are kind of straight up-and-down, you buy it to fit the waist and take in the hips (less work, quite easy really). Making alterations like this and putting darts into tops or even just some shaping into their side seams can make bargain clothes look SO MUCH better. It is all about FIT and SHAPE.

Even when you only have $100 to spend, look at it this way. A $25 T- shirt will last 4 or 5 times as long as the $10 T-shirt and look much better, too. That way, the next time you have $100, you won't need to buy a whole wardrobe because you will still be wearing the clothes you bought last time. You won't need to buy another T-shirt to replace the cheap one that wore out, you can buy something else that you need. Now, that is just an example, you have to decide on which items you are going to "investment spend" and which items will be "disposable clothes". You know that you are going to make sure that the "investment" item is one that will not go out of style and that you are going to love wearing for a long time.

How To Dress Slimmer

If you are on the shorter side, or not model-thin, then read on . . . We've researched the clothes that will make you look slimmer and come up with tips and tricks on looks that will achieve LENGTH in your body.

1. Choose clothing all in one color to give yourself a long, lean look; or choose colors that coordinate well together. A well put together look in one color paints the picture in someone's mind that you are a classy, got-it-going-on woman who knows how to properly pull an outfit together. This isn't to say that you can't infuse color into your outfit, we would recommend infusing it by way of a scarf, a belt or some other accessory.

2. Try to avoid shapeless clothing. No one is fooled, and loose clothes often make you appear wider or heavier anyway. Don't wear clothing that's two sizes or more too large. You might think you're covering up extra weight, but you'll only look like you're hiding under yards of
material. Most people don't look as overweight as they think they do. There is nothing worse than seeing someone in a baggy t-shirt with jeans walking through the mall. The reason they are wearing it is obvious- they don't have enough confidence in the way they look. What most people don't realize is they are actually drawing more attention. People notice well-dressed women and not-so-well-dressed women. If women follow the basic principles of style and wear clothes that actually fit them- not too tight, not too baggy, they will actually notice an
improvement in their overall style. Buy well-fitting clothing and you'll actually look smaller.

3. Avoid tight clothing that will emphasize your heavy areas. Don't wear clothing so tight that you look melted and poured in. Wearing clothes that are too tight is not attractive either, especially if you are carrying a few extra pounds. Tight clothing constricts our bodies from being able to breathe and move around properly. When the body is put into a body cast of spandex or tight cotton, the outcome is a horrendous mess. By wearing tight clothing, you are showing off those insecure areas ten-fold to the rest of the world.

4. Steer clear of horizontal stripes, which make you appear wider, but consider vertical stripes, which make you look longer and leaner. Get rid of clothing with horizontal stripes. Even the slimmest person will look portly in outfits bearing horizontal patterns and stripes. If you prefer clothing with patterns and stripes, make sure they run vertically. They will give the body a taller and slimmer appearance. Illusion is a major key to looking thinner. Speaking of patterns, avoid clothing with large patterns. For some reason clothing designers create plus size fashions with large patterns. These patterns are usually large flower blossoms and geometric shapes. They often look garish and tawdry. Even if you wear plus sizes, don't go for these unflattering fashions. If you like flowers and geometric shapes, look for clothing with smaller designs. Large gaudy patterns flatter no one. Unless you are petite, avoid very small prints as well.


On Shopping For and Finding Clothes �Ti

Myth: �dark colors are classier�. It is true that black is slimming, especially when it comes to things like that 'little black dress'-- great for an evening out-- but I disagree when it comes to the part where dark colors are classier. Dark colors can potentially make one look dull, especially if one only wears dark colours. It is much classier to wear colors that are seasonally appropriate. How many times have you seen pictures of 'ladies who lunch' types in pastel suits? They look very classy. And one would not look at all classy showing up to a garden party in a navy or charcoal-colored ensemble. But the most important part of color choice is making sure that one wears a hue that is flattering to one's skin tone. It is certainly possible to look very classy in a wide range of colors.

Regarding quality . . . Better-quality clothes will certainly last longer than those of poor quality. The difficulty is learning to recognize high-quality clothing and realizing that higher price does not always mean higher quality/durability. Things to look for (and look out for) in better quality items:

* All clothing that you buy has a starch on it (called 'size' or 'sizing' in the industry, even though that makes no sense whatsoever and is totally confusing). Beware of clothing that is heavily starched, as this can be a trick used to hide poor quality fabric.

* Good fabric has an even thickness. It is very uniform. There are no bits of lint or threads sticking out of it. There are no thick and thin spots. It feels heavier, generally, than poor fabric. Run your hands over it and run it through your hands to really feel it. With practice, you will be able to quickly identify poor materials.

* Good fabric is also straight 'on grain'. This means that in a woven fabric, the threads are all at a perfect 90-degree angle to each other. It is not shifted or twisted. The cross-wise threads run straight across and the lengthwise threads run straight up and down. You can really see this by looking at hems and side seams. Things should look exactly the same on the left and the right. This ensures that the garment was made 'on the grain' of the fabric as well.

* The above obviously does not apply to garments made on the bias (usually thin, silky dresses). Then both grains run at 45-degree angles to the ground but they still start at 90-degrees to each
other (they stretch and shift to fit you when you put it on � that is what gives it such great 'drape' and fit.)

* On knits, the side seams should be straight up and down and not twisted, one towards the front and one towards the back.

* The garment should not have any loose threads hanging off of it.

* Look for better seam finishes inside the garment: facings at the neckline, taped seams or hems, etc.

* Look for more construction in the fitting: curved side seams, bust or waist darts. These things are all extra work and are a sign of better quality.

* Good clothes often have a little envelope attached to the tag that will hold extra buttons (or beads, or sequins, or other trimmings that could fall off). On a shirt, the extra buttons are usually sewn at the bottom, below the regular row of buttons.

Brand-name items often have better quality. For casuals, Gap makes pretty indestructible stuff (for kids, too) but be aware of the shrinkage factor in cottons. Polo/Ralph Lauren makes great quality for guys and gals - very spiffy sporty stuff. Jones New York and Liz Claiborne for gals' stuff. Beware of the lower-end label that Liz Claiborne makes, it is not-so-good.

The more time that you spend even LOOKING at good quality stuff (even if you don't buy it and can't afford it) the better you will train yourself to recognize quality.

Caring For Your Finds:

The way that you care for your items can make a BIG difference in how long they last, too. 100% cotton can go into the washer and be tumble-dried at high heat but it will shrink the most that way. More gentle washing and lower dryer heat is better. For the most fragile items, hand wash them and hang them or lay them flat to dry.