I live in San Diego and it is the middle of August. You would think we would not yet be feeling the hint of fall but oh no. Our mornings are getting cooler much to my distress. I really am a hot weather girl. Does it ever get to hot for me? Rarely! But that is about to change.
If the cool bite of the morning air wasn’t enough, the bulge in the mail boxes of all the beautiful catalogs. That says it’s time to look at our wardrobes to see what we can squeeze out of our tight budgets to spice up what we have. We went through a spring where just adding a beautiful bright handbag did wonders for our wardrobe. We can now do the same with just a few new items for the fall.
The pieces that you add must be in jewel tones. Amethyst purple, Emerald green and Sapphire blue are on the fashion horizon. To those among us who love color this is a banner year. Not into the bright colors? Don’t despair! Gray my new love is hot, hot, hot! Gray with white or for you old school folks who don’t wear white after Labor Day, cream and black is just delicious. This fall promises to be fun and very chic!
Archive for the ‘ hues ’ Category
When I was in my twenties, I moved to California. And being young, I rarely needed an outer coat. I have always adored leather, but back in the day, designers thought that big girls should not sport leather goods. Well let me tell you those days are gone! Full figured females and ladies of advanced age can and do wear leather!!
I am now in clothing heaven. Designers have dropped the old style boxy leather coats and jackets. Leather is now so soft and supple that it can be fashioned into styles never thought possible before. You don’t even have to put them away in the Spring. Leather is so light that it can be worn as a part of the total outfit and worn indoors all day like your other jackets.
One designer that makes jackets that fit this niche is Bradley Bayou. He dresses many of the stars and is known for fitting problem figures. His jackets have that couture fit where the seaming hides flaws and accentuates the positive points of a woman’s body. In his book, “The Science of Sexy“, he explains his philosophy of making women look their best.
Watching his jacket with all the colors, navy and yes black. But there was lime, cooper, and he has done white. My white jacket had a woman chase me across the parking lot to ask where I got it. She then told me how good it looked. My friends know that I am a 1X.
What am I saying? Try leather for the Spring and give your outfits a real boost with a couture designed jacket that caresses your figure and brights out it’s best features! Leather is indeed better.
Unless you have been on a retreat or hiding under a rock, you know that handbags have taken a turn from utilitarian to fashion statements. With the economy being what it is, most of us can’t afford to go out and buy a whole new spring wardrobe. I think you can breathe life into last years clothing by adding a wonderful new handbag.
First let’s look how handbags have evolved. They used to be a shell where you dropped whatever you needed to carry during the day. Often they were black holes where items were placed never to be seen again. Now bags are colorful, organized, and outfit making. The colors that these bags now come in boggles the mind and lifts the spirits! There are colors from black which can’t be called boring because of the croco prints ultra suede, (oh yes, suede in summer!), to a frosty white and many colors in between.
The artist that does it best for me is Kathy Van Zeeland. Her bags have great style, plus they come in at a reasonable price. This new company was founded in 2004 and has taken off like a rocket. There are now branches in Milan, the Middle East, and Asia.
This morning I watched two hours as bag after bag went by each more beautiful than the last. One of the things that amazed me is how our lifestyle has caused handbags to change. We are so busy that now bags have compartments to organize our belonging so they are ascessible. There are places for our cell phones, sunglasses, checkbook, and PDA’S. Some even have places for our water bottles!
I can see myself in one of last years monochromatic suits popped with a Kathy Van Zeeland bag, while listening to the eye catching hardware jingling that is her signature touch. The hard part comes when I have to fill my desire with only one bag for the season.
This high fashion week show, by invitation only, brought out the hippest designers and is the predictor of what we should be wearing for spring.
After looking at two hours of the new items, I came to one conclusion. If you are not slim or at least fit, these fashions will be hard to wear. There are a lot of short jackets that reach only to the waist and skinny pants are still in. Those of us with a lot of junk in the trunk might find these hard to wear.
One of the new designers was uber conservative Elizabeth Hasslebeck of the View. Not one of my favorite people to be sure. She brought fabrics and styles that looked, at least to me, that would look better on those who go by the rule you are never too thin. I did like the look of one of her blouses. It was a one shoulder number. But I was wondering how a real woman who needed a bra could wear it. I must not have gotten the memo because they do have bras to wear with this style.
Hasselback, as well of the other designers, are taking jackets in a new direction. They are softer, but constructed with seaming that gives them a great fit. Her fashion had great color and high style but I don’t see how they will translate to the average woman who wears a 16 or larger.
I think if you observe children you just might get a glance of their future. I am sure my first grade teacher, Cassie Evans, is looking down smiling because she had planted the seed for my love of color. The first paying job I had was at eight or nine, coloring pictures from coloring book so she could make posters for her class. Often she would tell me how she wanted things to be colored but most of the time I had free reign. I am sure I was one of the few eight year olds with an eye and understanding for the different hues in color.
Today I love color and wonder if women pick up the subtle differences a color can make in your wardrobe. Buying clothes should not be helter skelter. Thought should be placed on: Is this the best color for my complexion? Will this fit in with what I already have? No longer if you are a woman of color or large size should you refrain from wearing some of the brighter colors.
Gone are the days when you dared not mix one of my favorite combinations blue and green. Heaven forbid if you had put pink, orange, and yellow near each other. Explore with color! Rejoice in being a woman! Go through this world not with rose colored glasses, but adorned in hues that brighten the body as well as the spirit.