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The more familiar we get with our personal style, the less we’ll be inclined to get lost in the brain zone that leaves us powerless over purchases we end up regretting. I’m not suggesting NEVER giving in to spontaneity, but before going over the edge at least make sure there’s a good return policy. In my personal experience, I’ve gotten in more trouble over shoes than anything else.
Ankle boots are at the top of my Fall Wish List. They have a versatility I’ve grown to appreciate because of the black patent leather ones I’ve worn several times a week for the past 3 falls and winters. The cost per wear is pennies by now. It’s time for some new ones.
Here’s what looks good now by color, heel height, and by price point.
1. Miz Mooz $137, Foster Ankle Boot. 2. Rachel Comey $341, Sir Barton Bootie. 3. Donald J. Pliner $285, Monica Booties. 4. Earthies $159, Halley Booties. 5. Elizabeth & James $295, Shane Booties. 6. Rag & Bone $495, Lovell Booties.
1. Born $130, Tie Ramsey. 2. Stella McCartney $385, Preston Ankle Boots. 3. Stuart Weitzman $450, Xplain Bootie. 4. Teal Wedge $110, Aldo. 5. DVF $150, Military Tie-Up (Editor’s Pick!) 6. Jeanette Booties $480, Opening Ceremony.
The NEW shoe guide lines:
- Shoes should NEVER match the bag if you’re a day over 30. It’ll age you at least 10 years.
- Shoes and clothing that match should be limited to bridal occasions and not much else. In other words, if you’re wearing a red dress don’t wear red shoes. The most modern way to do it is to wear either a contrasting or a neutral color.
- Do NOT be afraid of colored shoes!
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It’s NOT your mother’s Talbots anymore! Even a die-hard flashionista can find lots to love! I was invited to cover the annual Hostess Night Event at a local store. Here’s what I bought with the evening’s discount. I could build a whole other blog post on items I had to put on my wish list. A girl has to have a little self-control!
1. I’m a cardigan lover. I’d like this one in all the colors, but for now I settled for Charcoal Grey. 2. I never would have tried this color (Pool) but Debbie, the manager, convinced me. It looked great with the rust jacket. 3. Animal prints are like cardigans, I can’t get enough. Can’t wait to wear it with jeans and a cardigan, of course! 4. The Rust jacket, the fit is so modern; cropped and nipped at the waist. 5. Grrr! Another animal. Zebra pumps, I’ll wear them with almost anything EXCEPT other animal prints. 6. If you haven’t tried Talbots pants on yet, do yourself a favor, the fit is awesome. These signature fit black pants are going to get a real workout in my closet. 7. The rolled up leg is MY look, so these boyfriend jeans were a no-brainer. 8. This wrap is deceptive; it’s so lightweight you’d never guess how generous it is. I’ll wear it as a scarf and a wrap.
See the photos from Fall 2011 Talbots Hostess Night Event
When stylish items start turning up regularly in Glamour, Lucky, and People Style Watch, you know you’re not dealing with your mother’s Talbots anymore. They’re not suddenly targeting a 25 year old customer either, they are designing updated clothes and accessories that stylish women over 45 can look great in.
Flashionista was invited to cover Talbots recent Hostess Party, an event they do yearly in their village stores. It was a blast roaming around with a camera and even more fun trying on the clothes. With the lovely discount I was given, I was thrilled to shop and ended up with some great wardrobe boosters. The clothes look like they have designer pedigrees, but the prices are easy to swallow (even without the discount)!
Here’s what I bought!
The current dress mania is driven in part by the popularity of Mad Men. The secretaries, wives, and mistresses all wear dresses reminiscent the 60s and 70s which is exactly why many of the ones that look the most modern right now look familiar. We’ve either worn them before or remember our mothers in them.
Use volume and design details to call attention to what’s not there. Color, pleats, draping, tucks, and strategically placed gathering are design features that move the eye toward some body parts and magically conceal others. Soft fabrics such as chiffon and jersey create fluid forms that generally need extra volume. Fabrics like crepe, gabardine, and twill are more substantial. They can fit closer to the body and usually need a little more tailoring.
Call it Carnaby Street, Mod, or Mondrian: The visual created by the blocks of color has huge practical advantages in fashion. It’s slenderizing, especially when the design forces the eye to travel vertically. 1. Maggy London, $148. Nordstrom. 2.Calvin Klein $80, Macy’s. 3. Maggy London, $138, Nordstrom. 4. Knit Dress $70, Lane Bryant. 5. Rag & Bone Fulton Colorblock $325, Bergdorf Goodman. 6.Calvin Klein, Macy’s.
The difference between us and the ladies of the Mad Men era, is that we’ve made it from the typing pool to the corner office in style. 1. Keyhole Dress $128, Ann Taylor. 2. Cowl Neck Dress $149, Talbots. 3. Shirt-dress, Lane Bryant. 4. DVF $385, Bergdorf Goodman.
Draping is magical, if you’re curvey, a draped style creates the illusion of an hourglass figure. If you’re slender as a twig draping gives you curves. 1. Donna Morgan Faux Wrap $128, Nordstrom. 2. Suzi Chen Bluefly. 3. Lanvin Dress $3896, Barney’s. 4. Pleat Neck Dress $148, Nordstrom.
Red is showing up as the standout color for the season. In fact maybe red and animal prints are the new black! 1.Beaded Empire Waist $79, Macy’s. 2. Charter Club $60, Macy’s. 3. Wool Sheath $199, Talbots. 4. Animal Print $85. Ralph Lauren.
Pleated style with a little volume can soften and minimize curves (like 1, 3, or 4). If you’re slim, pick a style that’s closer to the body ( like 2 or 5). 1. Donna Morgan $138, Nordstrom. 2. Donna Ricco $138, Nordstrom. 3. Pleated Dress $189, Talbots. 4. Pleated Tie Dress $119, Jones NY 5. Maison Martin Margiela $1055. Neiman Marcus.
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Advanced Style: Fashion Week Party 2011: PHOTOS!
Fashion’s Night Out: In Pictures
Fashion’s Night Out: What is it?
Lessons Learned From a One Year Fashion Fast
Getting Dressed is Easier When Less is More
It’s become Hollywood legend that under their magnificent dresses, the gorgeous wearers are crisscrossed with duct tape. It’s unappealing to visualize and painful to think about clothing literally being taped to the body. Does removal require one quick agonizing maneuver, or does it take place slowly and painfully over a number of hours? Dressing and undressing should NOT have to hurt.
Here’s how to wear a dress with maximum success and minimal pain.
Buy the right size, then have it altered. It’s practically impossible to buy a one piece garment that fits the body without some alteration. Buy the size that fits the biggest part of your body, and then go straight to your tailor.
Don’t consider any alteration a one-shot deal. People who look like everything they wear was made for them, almost always have their tailor on speed dial. No matter how fine the quality, if the dress doesn’t fit, that’s the first things people will notice.
Watch out for pulling, grabbing, and bunching. The dress shouldn’t pull across the hips or bust. Hemlines and slits should not cause over exposure. No one needs to see your Spanx, or anything else that’s holding you together.
From neck to waist should be smooth. If the dress has a waistline, it should hit your natural waist, with some wiggle room. There should be no extra fabric above the waistline. Anywhere the garment is too loose or too tight needs altering. If the fit exposes a midriff bulge, wear an undergarment that makes it disappear.
Try the dress on before you take it home from the tailor. Take that few extra minutes to make sure the alterations have been done correctly. Whether it’s a special occasion gown or an office worthy day-dress, the last annoying thing you want to happen is to find out at the last minute that the dress doesn’t quite fit right.
Foundation garments can make or break the dress. Shapewear is the closet equivalent of power tools. It can magically minimize midriffs, back fat, tummies, waists, thighs and hips and anything else that interferes with the lines of the dress. If you don’t already own it, buy what you need and wear it to your fittings
If you can’t stand the bra, don’t wear the dress! Even if you’re flat as a Florida highway, a bra will fill in the blank spaces and make the dress look and fit better. If you’re even slightly endowed and think you can get away without one, RESIST. Almost NO dress has enough built in support.
A beautiful dress deserves beautiful footwear. Wear pumps or sandals with a 2 to 4 inch heel, depending on what you can tolerate. A heel that’s too low will look dowdy, and a higher one will cause unsteady teetering. Wear your shoes to your fitting.
Sit, stand, move, bend and breathe. Don’t bring the dress home until you can do these things comfortably while wearing it.
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Advanced Style: Fashion Week Party 2011: PHOTOS!
Fashion’s Night Out: In Pictures
Fashion’s Night Out: What is it?
Lessons Learned From a One Year Fashion Fast
Getting Dressed is Easier When Less is More
We attended the Fashion Week Extravaganza sponsored by Advanced Style and Tavi Gevinson at the Ace Hotel. Once we realized we were old enough to pull rank on the bouncer, we sailed past the velvet ropes without a backward glance.
Advanced Style is Ari Seth Cohen’s hugely popular blog dedicated to the colorful lives, eccentric closets, and lusty adventures of glamorous women over 50. Tavi Gevinson is one the hottest bloggers on the fashion radar right now. She’s 15, lives at home, goes to school, and muses on fashion like a seasoned veteran.
The party guests ranged in age from 15 to 100. Part of the evening’s entertainment was a cabaret show by Ilona Smithkin, a 91 year old chanteuse with a taste for wild pairings of bold dramatic color and an enviable show woman’s energy to keep singing and smiling through the endless blaze of flashbulbs.
READ MORE:
Fashion’s Night Out: In Pictures
Fashion’s Night Out: What is it?
Lessons Learned From a One Year Fashion Fast
Getting Dressed is Easier When Less is More
R-Rated costumes, fuchsia hair, sequins, sparkle, fascinators (a la the Duchess of Cambridge) and outrageous shoes!!! Just what you’d expect for Fashion’s Night Out. Good taste and bad taste in extremes! In other words the party rocked. Since a picture is worth a thousand words I’ll stop the blah blah blah and just get to the showstoppers!
But first: next years FNO to-do list:
1). Get DRESSED UP! I mean REALLY REALLY decked out in something I would never wear to anything but a FABULOUS party during Fashion Week!
2). Get a better camera and learn how to use it!!!!
3) BYOCG. Bring my own champagne glass. No one seemed to run out of bubbly, but glasses were in short supply!
