Getting dressed. We all have to do it.
All this stuff about image shouldn't really matter...but it does. So each season, women go thru the same wardrobe dilemma. What criteria do you use to determine which items will make it into your closet? How do you follow all those almighty trends that are touted like an edict from the fashion gods!
(Image: Catherine on the Just My Size Tour)
Want some advice? Some pearls of insight? A little guidance? Me too! I wanted to give you the 411, but this time I chose not to do it alone.
I called in the 'big guns' - because part of being wise, is knowing who to ask. I consider my friends and colleagues to be my own personal board of advisors. Believe it or not, because they are walking down the street and not the runway, their opinions truly matter to me. What goes into their decision making process?
Fall is THE major fashion season. Maybe there is more at stake for store retailers because we like wearing more layers of clothing as the weather gets cooler. Because we’ve associated September with the end of summer and the beginning of school for most of our lives, we are ‘hardwired’ to turn over that proverbial new leaf and that makes us more inclined to buy something new.
I always say, “Style is being yourself on purpose.” Each season I try to decipher a direction. For me somehow it always boils down to ‘appropriate.’ Hey, with age, size and shape as determining factors, the trends have to work for me in a practical yet applicably glamorous way. It’s got to be flattering and make me look like I’m “trend friendly” as opposed to “trend victim.” Attitude is key – BUT knowledge runs neck and neck with interpretation.
I can honestly say that fashion saved my life. At a time when I suffered the death of my first husband, if I hadn’t had fashion to get me up and out the door each day I would have sat and stared at a wall, I swear. But no, I did my hair and makeup and “dressed for the day” …it actually made me feel like I was participating in my grief recovery and that connecting with myself made me literally look at myself in the mirror everyday and make a conscious decision to ‘get on with it.’
I was lucky enough to be given a second chance when I accidentally took the wrong subway one day and met my hunky Italian second husband, Stefano. He complemented me on my cashmere wrap coat and at that moment and I was glad that I took the extra time to get ready that morning. Put it this way, I don’t think he would have struck up a conversation with the barefaced woman in the overly baggy jogging suit! Get my drift?
So here we are, fall is in the air, it’s time to consider what new pieces from the autumnal lineup are going to be “must-haves” for all us double digit divas. Our AmaZe Executive Editor, Michele Weston, always sends the fashion editor’s a trend report for the coming season. Since I always run things by my personal board of advisors and see what they have to say on the subject, I figured it might be good to share their reactions with you. Turns out we all had our own way to interpret the latest trend report and the results were enlightening.
Sharon Wilkins
40 something
5’0” petite 16
Profession: IT Exec – Law Firm
CS: So what do you think when you see the trends for the upcoming fall season?
SW: My initial reaction? It’s sort of the subtext to all that I ever buy, too – will it overwhelm me? I don’t know about the plaid trend and blown up black and white houndstooth checks or textured designs. A little goes a long way. I would definitely go for my own smaller size pattern. I am not doing leggings, maybe for yoga class. It’s just not me. I'm classic in my style and I find that those alternative lifestyle trends don’t work in my wardrobe. I know it’s asking a lot, but I always ask, “Will it make me look taller?” I am surprisingly proportioned for how small I am, so I am fortunate that I have that in my favor. I really want to look more streamlined so that is my primary concern.
Since I work in a corporate environment I find that the more polished and pulled together I am, the more seriously I’m taken. I always wear heels. (I can walk for miles in heels.) So, the ankle boot trend scares me personally, being petite in stature. So I will stick with pumps, sandals and sling backs, thank you!
Gina Bauer
30 something
5’2, size 14
Profession: Personnel/HR Department - Logistics Firm
CS: I see you staring at the trend pics from the NY runway shows like your life depended on it. What’s going on?
GB: I’m thinking! What can I afford that I can actually wear combined with what I already own. Also, what are they going to look like when I wear them? I am a lot bigger than the models in the runway photos. Also, which trends have the most longevity and which ones can I wear for a few years. Oh, and how can I incorporate them so that I am out the door in 20 minutes? I am not a morning person and getting my kids ready is more of a priority than getting myself ready. If I adopted any of the trends, I think it would be the black with bright highlights; black with color and the black sheer fabric mixes. I’d probably try sheers for evening, and that’s just one dress for me. Does this make sense?
CS: That’s a good answer. In many ways there are lots of our AmaZe readers who will identify with your situation too.
Diane Schwartz
40 something
Profession: Entrepreneur and Image Consultant
CS: What would be your approach as a professional fashion and style expert to incorporating trends this fall season? How do you do them for yourself and is it the same approach you use for a client?
DS: First and foremost, it has to flatter my physical characteristics (hair, eyes, skin and body type). The second is that it has to coordinate in color, fabric and pattern. Then it has to fit properly. be appropriate for the occasion (and for my age) and then it has to be current (some interpretation of a trend). I encourage people to update their wardrobes but to follow trends that meet the above criteria.
I adapt the trends to meet my needs and preferences. I would wear the animal prints in a jacket or a scarf – maybe not in an all-over print. The style has to be my style.
As for the metallic trend, I love them. But the shade has to be of the right value and not washed out. I would search for gold tones, bronzes, and copper tones in my personal color choices – Remember - all metallics are not created equal.
My outlook for myself and my clients is to incorporate trends to your lifestyle – here and there and keep you overall look or style somewhat consistent – don’t go all over the place from year to year. Keep looking in the stores every so often, add pieces here and there and build on what you already have that flatters your overall appearance.
Beverly Wallace
50 something
5’6” size 20
Profession: Home Business - Floral Arrangements
CS: So, Little Miss-Stay-at-Home-and-be-your-own-boss - are these trends of importance to you?
DS: I am a Talbot’s addict. All this stuff scares me. I have the same tweed blazer I wear to death every fall. I can’t help it, but I love it. Menswear is always somehow ‘in.’ I may drag it out again this year. I usually stick with what I’ve got already and add some pizzazz with a new shoe or handbag or fabulous accessory. I felt really radical doing a bright yellow handbag (knock off she admits) as my everyday satchel. It was the best zingy punch I could have imagined this spring/summer. I don’t dress up - except for appointments.
Brenda Kinsel
40 something
Profession: Author, Expert Fashion and Beauty Consultant
CS: So Brenda …millions of women hang on your every word…. how are YOU going to interpret the trends, not only for yourself but then for your readers and image clients?
BK: Two things happen to me when I see the new trends for the season. I go between yelping with delight and groaning out loud, "People are wearing that?????!!!! No way!!!!!" I have a 50% rule about trends. Whatever I see in magazines, I try to visually look at it as if I could cut the look by 50%. If layers and volume are in (as they are for fall) I'll consider half the volume and that's how I'll work into a trend. It would be easy to think that these trends are edicts sent down from on high and everything that was in my closet from last year needs to go and be replaced with this year's offerings. Not true!
I will look at color first and let my eyes and my heart have a feast and I'll wait to get the word intuitively about what color I'd really like to add into my wardrobe this season. I am in love with metallics. I'm thrilled to be considering adding more metallics to my wardrobe. They make me feel rich, luxurious and luminescent! So if I can put that in a coat, a top or a handbag, I want, I need metallics!
I love black, so black being the new black is fine by me. I also adore the ankle boots. I'm all about texture so I will look for ways to introduce more textural pieces to my wardrobe so I can mix and match them with things I have had in past seasons. The more texture, the better! Being in the San Francisco Bay Area, I couldn't help but be thrilled at the emphasis on capes both for a layering piece here where temperatures can be 10 or more degrees different 30 minutes away, but also because they offer such a great finishing pieces to an outfit. Structured coats can seem too stiff. They are reassuring, comforting, yet glam!
And I'm thrilled at all the attention on sleeves this season. I am very much looking forward to putting attention on that part of my body -- and that's completely new. I haven't been thinking of my arms and sleeves in a creative way. So I'm excited about that. There's much to love!
One important note: I'll see how the trends ‘fall out’ from the runways of the designers I love over the coming months to the lower-end markets. Happy shopping everybody!
I had a ball with those interviews.
So I leave you with three helpful words that’s a trend form all of the women, including myself: incorporate, interpret and inspire. Words to live by this fall season! Have fun getting dressed each morning, because you never know what the day might hold.
Dress to impress…yourself!
Reprinted with permission from AmaZe Magazine Online
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