In the Nude

Don't be shy, keep it in the buff--your clothes I mean, silly!  Pale shades of tan, stone and white are rendered chic in relaxed yet luxurious fabrics.  Think silk and cashmere.  Ok, and maybe some fine cotton jersey--you get the idea! 

Douglas Hannant Spring 2010 RTW photo courtesy of www.Style.com

What are the Everyday Glamour Chicks, (E.G.C.'s), investing in?  Neutral pants with drape.  Pair them with a drapy top in a contrasting or matching neutral color.  Then you have two routes to chic:  1.  Boho weekend chic--add a vibrant print scarf and tan accessories, (but keep the accessories minimalist!)  2.  Sexy chic-ditch the scarf and add some snakeskin into the mix, (either bag or shoes, but not both!)

Alexandre Birman sandals photo courtesy of www.BergdorfGoodman.com

Ten HUT!!

 

Chloe Spring 2010 RTW courtesy of Style.com

Luckily you don't have to enlist to get with Spring's military trend.  (Phew!)  Utilitarian details like oversized pockets, epaulettes, and D-rings look sharp, even if the real utility is just to amplify your Everyday Glamour Chick-ness, (E.G.C.-ness).  Plus, the gold buttons look snappy. 

Think khaki, brown, tan, and olive drab of course.  Your best investment?  It's a khaki jacket in olive drab--you'll wear it with everything! 

Philosophy Resort 2010 RTW

Recipe #1:  Wear it with jeans or shorts, add one part slouchy hobo bag and two parts flat sandals.  You just cooked up relaxed elegance.  Recipe #2:  Wear it with a pencil skirt and gladiator stillettos.  Easy chic...yum!  Recipe #3:  Add a pinch of red--a belt, a bag, a scarf perhaps...just a pinch now!  Recipe #4:  Throw it over a white lace dress.  Who knew?

Chloe sandals courtesy of Net-a-porter.com

And one more thing....no fatigues!! 

Peace and love.

Accentuate the Assets

Lemme guess--you don't have the figure of Heidi Klum.  Who cares?!  Everyday Glamour Chicks, (E.G.C.'s), never worry their pretty little heads about what they don't have.   Because we all have our strengths.  It's just a matter of accentuating those strengths for maximum impact.  In other words, it's not about what you don't have, it's what you do have that counts...and how you choose to work it.  What are your assets?  Besides your brains, charm, and finesse, I mean.

The trick is to focus on one strength and play it to the hilt.  You have a great waist?  Then emphasize that and make it the focal point.    Great ass?  Lucky you!  Flaunt it and you're golden!  Warning:  Flaunt one asset at a time, and keep everything else demure.  (Unless you're making an appearance in a Jay Z video.)

Tibi runway photo courtesy of About.com

THE WAIST

• Belts


• Sharp color contrasts at the waistline


• Peplum jackets


• Waistline ruching


• Wrap dresses

 

THE CHEST

• Sweetheart necklines


• V-necks


• Show off the collarbone


• Sculpted bodice

 

THE ARMS

• Racerback tank


• One shoulder tops


• Sleeveless tops   

 

THE BUTT

• Stretchy fabrics on bottom


• Contour seaming in back


• Cropped jackets


• Always wear heels

Photo of Giovanna Battaglia courtesy of IWantToBeARoitfeld.com

 

THE LEGS

• Short skirts and covered arms


• Shorts with flats


• Leggings and skinny jeans with long/loose tops

Photo courtesy of Lagarconne.com

What asset will you be accentuating this season?

Shop Like a Man, Look Like an Everyday Glamour Chick

Helmut Newton photograph, Yves St. Laurent, "Le Smoking", 1968

Ladies, there's nothing better than a sharply dressed man.  (Well, er, maybe there is something better, but that's neither here nor there.)  Let's try to focus, now.  Ahem.  The Sharply Dressed Man, (S.D.M.), walks into a room with authority, confidence, and grace--his back straight, and his shoulders square.  With only a flash of his smile, he can turn the most cantankerous female into a pool of driveling mush.  Yes, S.D.M. is a charmer.

When S.D.M. walks into a room, he commands a certain kind of attention.  Let's analyze.  Ladies, do you think, "OOOO, Armani.  Nice jacket!"  Or do you think, "OOOO, who is that.... man?"  You don't have to answer out loud.  You can answer silently, to yourself.  When S.D.M. walks into a room, we overlook the jacket in favor of the man.

Would we notice the man if he traipsed in without that fabulous jacket?  Maybe yes and maybe no, it depends on the man.  But my point is this:  S.D.M. knows that the power in well-tailored, quality garments is that they stealthily enhance his best features while largely going unnoticed.  How clever of S.D.M.!

What can we learn from S.D.M.?

 

How To Shop Like a Man & Look Like an Everyday Glamour Chick, (E.G.C.):

1.  Time is Money.  S.D.M. thinks that shopping is a nusance.  For him, shopping is not a hobby.  And he doesn't waste time peruseing all the stores and looking for the ultimate bargain.  However, S.D.M. would never look shabby, and so he must shop, "sigh".  What to do?  Shop twice a year, once in Fall, and once in Spring.  Visit one very expensive, high quality store, and stock up on everything that you need.  S.D.M. goes in with a plan.  The salesperson shows him his options.  Maybe he asks the salesperson to put together some shirt/tie combos.  He makes a quick decision and hands over the credit card.  In and out.  No hemming and hawing.

2.  Fit Over Fashion.  S.D.M. is not swayed by the fickle whims of the fashion machine.  He's a man, so he's exempt.  S.D.M. knows that fit is of utmost importance.  Right after he hits his very expensive, high quality store, he's off to the tailor.  S.D.M.  just spent a lot of money on clothing, they had better fit!

3.  Quality Over Quantity.  S.D.M. visits one very expensive, high quality store twice a year, once in the Fall, and once in the Spring.  The clothes are expensive but are of  high quality, so S.D.M. can rest assured that they will last him a very long time.  He then visits his tailor, so he can rest assured that the fit will keep him looking his best.  So does S.D.M. really need a lot of new clothes?  Does he need to keep stuffing his closet?  No way!  S.D.M. has only a few nice things, and that suits him just fine!

Now come to think of it, there is something better than a sharply dressed man.  The Everyday Glamour Chick, (E.G.C.),  hits the ball out of the park every time!!

Remembering Alexander McQueen

Photo of Alexander McQueen Spring 2010 RTW courtesy of Style.com

On February 11, 2010, fashion designer Alexander McQueen was found dead, the result of suicide.  And with this great tragedy, the fashion world mournes the loss of a creative genius.

Alexander McQueen's designs were the spectacular result of expert old-world tailoring mixed with generous doses of rebellion.  While his lavish runway shows exemplified exactly how to shock, (headwear made of trash?  10-inch heels shaped like lobster claws?), closer examination of his clothing revealed beautifully tailored construction that draped the wearers' body as only haute couture can.  His designs were edgy, but never failed to seduce.

Alexander McQueen's grounding in fashion started at age 16, when he apprenticed for Saville Row tailors.  Even when working in the most fundamental, conservative area of clothing design, he stayed true to his bad-boy nature.  He famously wrote, "I am a c_ _ t" on the inside of the suit he was working on for Prince Charles before sewing in its lining.

Let us end with a quote that I feel summarizes exactly what Alexander McQueen was about.

When I design something, I'm giving my time to it.  I always have.  At 16, I was a tailor on Saville Row, making clothes for the Prince of Wales.  It took two weeks to make a jacket, even if I did write obscenities in the lining.  For our last show in Paris, we did a dress for Kate Moss made out of tiny pheasant feathers.  I'd thought:  'I want to try that, so why not do it?'

Quote from July 30, 2006, The Sunday Times, "When Heston Met Lee"

Photo of Alexander McQueen courtesy of Style.com