Wear Your Life Well

Fashion 911 Tip: Fashion vs. Style

Many women underestimate the importance of true personal style. Let's face it, finding clothes that fit and flatter takes time and effort and can be a real pain in the neck. Your choices can be either a wardrobe triumph or disaster.

Fashion is what the designers and the garment industry puts out there for you to choose from. Style is what you decide to take from it.

If what you see in the stores, on the runways and in magazines doesn't work for you this season - just say NO. Fashion trends will change soon enough and you'll find the clothes that make you feel great.

VERTICALLY CHALLENGED AND MISSING HALF MY CLOTHES!
by Loretta LaRoche

I went shopping yesterday to buy some summer clothes and was hard pressed to find any pants or blouses that didn't look like they had been shrink wrapped. Something has happened to the sleeves on t-shirts, blouses and tunics. Someone in the fashion world decided that they should be three-quarters instead of full length.

The sales clerk in one of the stores I was in stated that this is what the majority of women want because they are cooler. I didn't get that explanation, because I have never had hot forearms that drove me to cut the bottom of my sleeves off. I can unequivocally state, that I don't like them, nor do I think they are flattering, unless you are young, thin and have long arms. I'm sure my opinion is jaded and somewhat cynical, but I personally don't think that older women have very exciting forearms, unless you've been training with the Navy Seals.

I have short arms, and wearing a blouse that has three quarter length sleeves gives them a stump look! Pant length has also been shortened. Capri's are now a phenomenon. Once again being short becomes a problem with this type of pant. They should hit you at mid-calf, but when you are vertically challenged, they often end up being just shy of the top of your ankle and end up looking like you had them hemmed by a pissed off seamstress.

Once again I think the taller you are the better you look. Wearing mid calf pants when you look like a Sumo wrestler doesn't really make sense either. I have also noticed that a lot of shirts and pants have lycra in them so that (according to the designers) they don't lose their shape. Well, lycra also attached itself to you like glue and it can make your lumps, bumps and muffin tops look grossly exaggerated. It also feels hot! Once again this is one woman's opinion. I find that material that skims over the body to be much more flattering. But then I come from a generation that had family watch dogs.

My grandmother, and my mother were not interested in following fashion. They were interested in making sure your appearance was commiserate with family values and respect. I'm sure sleeves and pants will get longer again. They have to because we all know that in order to sell, sell, sell, you need to keep convincing people who what they have doesn't work for them anymore."

Loretta LaRoche is an international stress management and humour consultant whose wit and irreverent humour has, for over 30 years raised the humour potential in all of us. Visit www.lorettalaroche.com

 

Fashion 911 Tip: Shop in Your Own Closet

Most women have a burst-at-the-seams closet and still think they have nothing to wear even though at least half of their purchases are left to gather dust at the back of the closet. It's almost impossible to put together a cohesive wardrobe if you can't even see what is in there.

It's time to get ruthless and cull your clothes. If you are like many women you probably even have items with the price tag still on them and shoes you have not worn. 

A closet clear-out is often easier said than done for several reasons. For some guilt gets the best of you about the money wasted on clothes that you are not wearing. Perhaps it's about clinging to your 'skinny' wardrobe despite the fact that those articles of clothing no longer fit. For others it's emotional hoarding.

So, before you head to the stores for more impulse buying, take a shopping trip through your own closet. You've probably forgotten what is in there. Take a look with a fresh eyes. You might be surprised to find that you do have something to wear.

Does Size Matter?

 

You body is a shape, not a size. After all, what is a size? It's nothing more than a general guideline used by manufacturers to help you choose clothing that might fit you. The challenge is that each body is unique; long in places, short in places, curvy in places and straight in places. The fit of of each manufacturer is also unique as each design house uses their own standards for their interpretation of average.

When a designer is designing his line he uses a real person called a fit model. He makes his patterns to fit the particular proportions of that individual and then adjusts those proportions to accommodate the variety of sizes. If the original pattern was drafted to the shape of a woman who has a body that is different from yours, that clothing is never going to fit you. You simply need to keep trying on different clothing lines to find the fit that is closest to your body shape.

We keep trying to squeeze ourselves into clothing that is a smaller size because we just don't believe that bigger is better. In fact, it is. Wearing a bigger size, makes you look smaller.

The majority of women who's bodies have matured and wear clothes in size 12,14,16... seem to go through  a considerable amount of angst when Misses sizing no longer gives them the ease and comfort they need and 14W,16W,18W...is starting to fit better. Woman's sizing simply means that it is cut a little fuller in the areas of the body where women naturally have curves. Sometimes, depending on the shape of your body, you may wear a Misses Size 14 on top and Woman's Size 14 on the bottom, vice versa, or any number of combinations. Nothing is right or wrong - it just is.

You probably have a size range in your closet this very moment, all garments that fit you well that are made by different manufacturers. What size are you really? Who cares? If you do, cut out those size labels and enjoy a wardrobe that is perfectly fitted for you.

So c'mon, stop obsessing about size and blaming your body for something that doesn't fit you properly. If you must lay blame, put it on the garment that wasn't cut for you to begin with.

Retail Therapy

 

When I go to a store, most often I am looking for something specific. Sometimes going shopping doesn't turn out the way I expect. We've all had those days - you know when you intend to purchase new dish cloths and end up with a cashmere sweater.

We buy non-essentials because of emotion and then justify the purchase to ourselves with logic. The only why I could come up with for this purchase is that when I tried it on, I felt beautiful. Isn't that reason enough?

What was your last feel good purchase?

Senior's Appreciation Day

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
-Jack Benny

The first time it happened I was horrified.

Within a few days of my 55th birthday last year, I stopped at a corner drug store to pick up some cleaning supplies on my way over to my son's condo. He just moved out and I was going over to help him give it a thorough cleaning before the new owners took possession. I'll admit I didn't exactly look my best.

As I was paying for the paper towel, the cashier invited me to their upcoming Seniors Appreciation Day. To add insult to injury she went on to explain that I didn't need to purchase anything in order to enjoy the free coffee and donuts. Now, I might have forgiven her if she was some young 'un behind the counter who has a basic belief that anyone over 30 is old, but that wasn't the case.

It happened again that summer at the local Garden Centre. Apparently Tuesday's are Seniors Days and us old folks (does that really include me?) can enjoy 10% off any purchases. When asked if I was a senior, I told her I would use my Horticultural Club membership card to qualify for the same discount. Obviously, I was still in denial.

Last week I was back in the drug store. This time I was more dressed up and looking to buy some new cosmetics. The loose mineral powder I was planning to purchase cost $49.00 and the lovely mature woman behind the counter told me that if I spent $50.00 that day I would be entitled to a 20% seniors discount. Apparently, that's all the convincing that I needed, because the next thing you know I was looking for a lip gloss. The problem was that the writing on the bottom of the tube was so small I couldn't read it. Within moments, three menopausal mama's (myself, the store clerk and the woman who happened to be standing near me at the counter) all had our reading glasses on, trying to see if that teeny tiny text said Exotic Orchid. Suddenly we were a sisterhood.

I'm no longer horrified. Heck, now I note the third Thursday of every month in my calendar. Who doesn't want to save 20%?

What do you think? At what age do we become a senior citizen?

Fashion 911 Tip: It costs HOW much?

We all like to save but sometimes paying full price is still worth the cash. An item that ends up hanging in your closet because it's not quite right for you is expensive, no matter how deeply discounted it was when you bought it.

Whether you are on a tight budget or have money to burn, before you take that item to the till ask yourself these questions:

• Is it a good colour for me?
• Does the style of the garment suit me?
• Does it fit me NOW?
• Is it ME?
• Am I happy with the quality?
• How often will I wear this? Do I need this?
• Is this going to work well with what I already have?
• Do I feel GREAT in it when I put it on?

When building your wardrobe with core investment basics don't buy anything unless you truly love it and don't settle for something different than what you really wanted.

Be prepared to buy half as much stuff and plan on spending twice as much money on what you do buy. Even at full price that is good value.

If it's on the third markdown even better, but be honest with yourself. Would you still buy it if it was full price? Sometimes getting caught up in the pursuit of the almighty bargain and buying an item mostly because it feels like the store is practically giving it to you, just isn't worth it. However, if you did end up buying something truly special on sale OMG enjoy that tremendous sense of pride, accomplishment and the bragging rights on your shopping savvy.

 

Shop Till You Drop

 

 

I don't like shopping. I like buying. It's not about hunting, it is about gathering and if it happens to be on sale, that's the icing on the cake.

In my years in the fashion industry I was both a professional buyer and a professional shopper. As a boutique owner I made regular trips to New York and bought the inventory for the store each season. It was fun, glamorous and involved a lot of really long days and hard work. Yes,I know there are worse jobs. When I left the retail world to work as a consultant and stylist, I was also a personal shopper for my clients and had no loyalty to any particular store.

Now that I am shopping for only myself, I can assure you that I don't think there is anything recreational about retail. My idea of a good time isn't trudging around a mall where you can't find a parking spot and have to fight crowds of people only to end up seeing store after store all selling the same stuff. But, I do it. I appreciate the small independent stores that offer unique labels and great service however they don't always have the selection or sizes. Truth be told, I'm a Winners gal at heart even though it's the most hit and miss of all because I never know what they will have.  

The reality is that I can't find everything at one type of store. I end up buying in department stores, chain stores, specialty boutiques and discount stores - whichever type of store has what I want and need at a price I am willing to pay.

Especially as we get older, it gets harder and harder to find things that work for us in among the racks of clothing that has clearly been designed for 20 year olds. We have to cherry pick the racks of inappropriate garments for items that fit and flatter.That means looking everywhere at every price point.

Where do you like to shop?

If the Shoe Fits

When women say, "How high should my heel be?"
I say, "How high can you handle and stay
in for two hours without having two Advil?"

Michael Kors

At what age do we go from Stiletto's to more sensible shoes? Nothing makes me crankier than a pair of shoes that hurt and I can't believe I spent so many years working in the fashion world wearing shoes that put me in severe pain at the end of the day. I look around today and see stylish younger women teetering on their high heels looking like they might fall and break their neck and I am grateful that one of the good things about getting older is finding the courage to just say "no, they hurt, I won't wear them anymore."

Guys just don't get why we love shoes so much. They don't seem to realize that each pair is a friend with a distinct personality. Some make us feel glamorous and sexy, others chic and sophisticated and yet others casual and funky. Our shoes have magical powers, just like Cinderella's slipper. Of course we need shoes that are the basics in our wardrobe - boots, evening shoe, classic pumps, ballet flats, casual shoes, sandals and sneakers. Then there are the shoes we want, and how many pair we have should only be limited by our budget.

Shoes always make us feel good. No matter whether we are currently fitting into our skinny pants or our fat pants, our foot size remains the same. Shoes never make you feel fat.

One of the biggest style mistakes we can make in midlife is foregoing stylish and accepting boring as the only comfortable alternative. There is nothing that says dowdy faster than old lady shoes and you know exactly those I am talking about. There are lots of cute, sexy, stylish and comfortable quality shoes available. They are an investment price that is worth every cent and if you can find them on sale that is a bonus. Buy good shoes. Spend the money. Happy feet = happy face.

Did I mention that I love shoes?

What Do I Want?

To tell you the truth, I'm already fed up with hearing about this fall season's must-have items and it's only September. After all isn't it me who should decide what I must have? And, given how many things I already have in my overcrowded closet it's an overstatement anyhow. Instead I'm going to call them my want-to-haves.

I was once a career fashionista, with a closet full of clothes and credit card debt to match. A friend once told me she kept her credit cards to the maximum for security reasons, just in case anyone ever stole them. There was a time we could convince ourselves of anything for that fabulous new outfit.

Although I was once obsessed with wearing the latest in designer labels I have re-thought my priorities in midlife. So, what now? I've been there, done that for most styles and trends. The latest IT item and fashion-forward pronouncements are no longer important to me. I still enjoy the fun and freshness of good fashion and I want to stay current. There is a balance to be struck and the less-is-more approach appeals to me now . I'm not prepared to spend long periods of time in front of a mirror every day and I definitely don't want to spend a fortune on clothes. Staying sensible and shopping smart are my new values and I have put my shopping spending on a diet. Having said all this, I hope you understand that I need to make a disclaimer statement. This value system doesn't apply with respect to all those cute new outfits that I love to buy for my young Granddaughter Zoe.

I just want to look good and feel good in my own skin and re-claim that special 'je ne sais qoui' in a style that is sophisticated, timeless and modern.

Yet, I'll admit. I still enjoy the retail therapy that shopping for something new, anything new every now and then provides.

Have your shopping habits changed over the years?