From sweet parisenne styles to a new even bolder twist on the 1980’s power dressing.
Yes mum, I know ‘It’s all back again and if only you hung onto that jacket.

Pencil skirts are everywhere.  Be sure to match your pencil skirt with a top that gives you some horizontal detail at the neck, head or shoulders.  That way you will be balancing your body.

A lot of red and purple this season, works great on darker toned ladies.  If you have lighter hair and tone be sure to carry the stronger hues with your lipstick, maybe match jeweled tones with neutrals to bring it back a peg.  Don’t let the colours wear you.

Luxe is best worn with a mix of fabrics, break it up with a sexy jersey.  Animal prints look great on warm toned women.  A cooler based lady could try the slate animal prints and match it back with a bold red.  You will see a lot more nudes, tones that are close to your own skin look great when it is framed with a contrasting piece of jeweler, scarf or collar.  

Images from the David Jones fashion week.

Believe it or not trying on a handbag is just as important as trying on clothes. Even though a handbag is just an accessory, wearing the wrong style, size or shape can really ruin your look. The part of the body that the handbag rests on will be the part of the body that the eye will be drawn to.

Things to consider before purchasing a handbag online:

If you are slim and tall

If you are short and petite

If your hips are large

If you are top heavy

If you have great curves

If you're a plus size

A stylish lady with a beautiful simple outfit.  Buy keeping the top and bottom ½ of the outfit both light Gwyneth has lengthened the look.

Her height allows her to wear the jeans slightly cut off at the ankle.  If you are short in the legs then opt for a longer pair of jeans.  

The structured Jacket has created a good wide line across the shoulders.  Which is what you need if you are of  the triangle/pear type body. Be sure not to wear the Jackets hemline at the widest point of your hips.  This seasons current Blazers are a great way to gain that extra balance between the hips and shoulders.  

The boyfriend style jean is a loose relaxed silhouette. 

Great for the triangle/pear types that don’t always want to squeeze into the straight or skinny styles.  

Megan has followed the light tones all the way through her outfit and the bootleg creates balance for a larger hipline.  Katie has followed the dark tones through her outfit and the hat gives her a focal point that leads your eye up to the face, which helps with the lengthening we all want to achieve.    The tom boy effect is sexy if you keep it simple.   If you want a more feminine feel, opt for fitted tops that will emphasize your top half.

Caaren Hulme from www.stylizit.com.au With background as a costumier, designer and stylist for film, TV and theater, Caaren Hulme is now providing the same quality services and expertise to men and women everywhere.

OK! So it’s Christmas and I know-you know!

I am not going to tell you what to buy because chances are you already know that too.

 

I LOVE this time and I HATE this time all in one. I hate that the shops are so busy and well there is not always a joyous vibe going around with the shoppers, have you been into the carparks? Ha.

But I do LOVE how my daughter gets so excited to see Santa but when she does she gets really scared. I love the thought that I get to see my family who I don’t see very often. But will I actually get time to enjoy it? That’s up to me!

 

It’s crazy busy I know! What I would like you to do is take 2 minutes now and see if you are Naughty OR Nice?  I guarantee you, you will laugh out loud! Then send it onto your partners to see how well they know you! You might even give them an idea or two :0)

 

Are You Naughty OR Nice?

 

Something tells me that it is going to be another long hot summer.  Keeping cool, fresh, dry, wrinkle free and on top of things can be a struggle if your boss won’t update the air con.  Or the kids need your taxi driving skills taking you in and out of the car all day long.  A cool body brings on a cool mind that is my motto.   

Cottons, silks and wools are the three traditional natural fibers that offer natural breathing capabilities. Keeping the wearer fresh and cool.  But have you ever considered looking at Bamboo as an alternative fabric.  Bamboo is also a natural fiber which claims to be anti microbial, thermal regulating, anti fungal, anti static, hyper allergenic, breathable and absorbent, keeping you drier and fresher.  It is the new “green” fiber, farmers claim that soil erosion is reduced and pesticides are reduced with the farming of Bamboo.

I really was impressed when I read the reports about Bamboo.  But what impressed me more was its touch. Wow, it is the most beautiful fabric to touch, they make many baby products from Bamboo and it is now time to celebrate some of the local Australian labels that are making a go from this fantastic fiber.

You may be looking for a beautiful sundress that can take you from the beach to a summer’s evening’s meal out, or a vest that will keep you in check for a business lunch, or for that awesome pair of exercise pants that you thought you would never find.

There is no denying that the short is on track to make a splash again this season.

With Summer temperatures rising this fashion item can be a great supplement to our wardrobes both for day play, work and evening.  It really is just a matter of selection and co-ordination.

Fit a baggy loose pair of shorts with a fitted or semi fitted top and a fitted pair of shorts looks great with a loose relaxed top.  Blazers can be used to dress up a great tailored pair of shorts for work, and a sequined or metallic top with some shorts is just the thing for a hot summer night out.

With so many shapes and lengths on offer the best thing to do is evaluate your own legs, body length and horizontal shape before you make your investment.

• To de-emphasize a wide hip look for styles that are dark rather than the light, avoid design features such as angled or patch pockets and heavy stitching lines. 

• Ladies with shorter legs need to choose styles that are lighter and sit high on the leg. The more leg you can see the longer the leg will appear. Avoid the baggy styles, you want length not width.

• If your legs are not shapely, look for mid to ¾ length shorts in a mid range colour that are not too fitted and not too loose.  The trick here is to finish the hemline of your shorts at a point on your legs that is not you’re widest; cuffs should also be avoided as they will just add bulk and weight.

• Really thin legs will look silly with a baggy style, as it will make your legs look like sticks.

• Short waisted ladies should look for low rise shorts, anything to high in the waist will cut you in half.  Don’t let your shorts swallow you up.

• Tie belts and pleats that fold in will attract attention to your waist, a flat fronted short is the best option is you have a tummy to conceal.

• Lastly, be wary of how tight or how loose the shorts are around your leg. You don’t want a pair that cuts into your leg and you don’t want a pair that swallows you up with a mass of fabric.

Caaren Hulme from www.stylizit.com.au With background as a costumier, designer and stylist for film, TV and theater, Caaren Hulme is now providing the same quality services and expertise to men and women everywhere.

Wash your bra without handwashing.

I am really excited!

I have found a way for you to wash your bra without handwashing ever again!  That isn’t a wash bag because if you wear gel, water or padded bras they can not protect them therefore ruining the shape.

 
Meet the Bra Ball, this nifty little gadget not only totally protects your bras it also improves the quality of your whole wash. Pretty cool isn’t it!

It’s a given, sequins and  metallic fabrics with all their shimmer and shine are dominating the catwalks and window displays everywhere.  So with summer party season at our doorsteps isn’t it time to go and grab yourself a bit of the action, with so many choices on offer you can’t go wrong.  Or can you??

Are you Winter, Summer, Spring or Autumn?

·    Winter - Best in bright shiny fabrics, look for white, pewter and silvers, lolly pinks and electric blues.               
·    Spring - Best in bright shiny fabrics, go for the golds.
·    Autumn – Your coloring is lower in contrast so you are best in matt and mid sheen fabrics, choose golds and brassy tone.   
·    Summer - Your coloring is to low in contrast to pull the high shines off.  Best in matt or mid sheen metallics, stick to the pewter’s, silvers,  
                         Soft pinks or blues.

The aim is to find harmony with the amount of sheen/shine and warmth/coolness in the fabric. It should not overpower you and you should not overpower it.  

Pictures compliments of www.polyvore.com

Caaren Hulme from www.stylizit.com.au With background as a costumier, designer and stylist for film, TV and theater, Caaren Hulme is now providing the same quality services and expertise to men and women everywhere.

The best advice I can give someone who is searching for their sense of style is to step back and look at fashion from a non – emotional point of view. Just for the time being anyway.   Think about it, fashion houses rehash and release past trends that are reworked with new colours and fabrics and market them successfully into the frenzied world of fashion.  Step back and look around.  What do you see?

Today’s fashion victim who chases every fad is tomorrow’s style guru.  She is a girl that experiments and plays, she is the girl that gets away with extreme colour choices and odd proportion designs, she is the girl that jumps from one look to the next.  With youthful attributes this girl can have fun.

 
This fashion frolicking works for a while, but it can catch up with you. There will come a time (different for all of us) when we change our strategy for choosing our look.  Instead of relying on fads and trends we need to take a bit of the control back.  Find what works for us, and build on that essence.  It is this essence of style that can elude the best of us.

How do we start to find this sense?  Where do we look?  When I first meet a client who is ‘lost’, the first thing I study is their face.  Body shape follows later.  Face, hair, neckline and shoulders set the scene. Try to get a feel of the overall tone and flavor of your appearance.