Jackets, Pants, and Shoes-Oh My!

Jackets are very popular in Paris. The most prevalent style I saw was a belted safari jacket, usually in linen or lightweight cotton. Belted jackets are fantastic for women with curvy or hour-glass figures!

There were also a lot of military styled jackets, which the fashion magazines like to tout as hot for certain seasons, but truly, they’re never really out. The other style jacket that was highly visible was a cargo style made of sheeting cotton with a lot of double stitching and details.

If linen isn’t your thing, a lightweight, neutral colored, cotton safari jacket, military jacket or cargo jacket could give your wardrobe great mileage throughout the summer season.


Pants
I was fascinated with the pant styles in France. To a degree, almost anything goes. I saw super wide legged pants and very skinny pants. What was also interesting to me was that all styles were worn with both flats and heels. (More on shoes coming up.) What I took away from this is to just go with what works for you lifestyle and personal style.

Lastly, I saw what we’d consider dressy pants worn in a casual way. This is a different for American women, but it’s certainly a way to get more use out of your dressy clothes.

Shoes
I’ve saved my favorite subject for last. There are so many shoes in France! I definitely noticed a prevalence of flats. The lifestyle is very urban with a lot of subways and walking. I also saw a lot of kitten heels, but in addition to traditional kitten heels, there were kitten heels that were stacked wood with a broader base for more stability. Hopefully, we’ll get these soon in the U.S.

There was also a lot of variety in toes: round, pointed, and a cross between the two, pictured below. Having so much variety for shoes excites me, because it allows us more opportunity to be both fashionably and comfortably shod!

The thing that I was most surprised about Paris fashion was its simplicity. I didn’t have a lot of expectations of what I’d see, but somehow thought I might see a few extremes. I think this is good news for us in the U.S. It was truly refreshing to see comfortable, classic styles worn with ease. I encourage you all to seek out cool, comfortable clothing for summer that truly suits your lifestyle and personal style.

French Scarves

It’s true what they say; every French woman wears a scarf. Most scarves I saw were linen, cotton, or rayon casual scarves, which in that Parisian chic way didn’t always match the outfit, but always looked fantastic. Although everyone had their own little twist, the scarves were mostly worn either like a muffler or as shown in the picture.

Although I only had a cashmere scarf with me, I found the nice thing about it was that as the day warmed up, I could shed the scarf, and then in the evening, I could wrap it around my shoulders for added warmth.

Paris Summer Chic

Home at last-France and Italy were everything I’d hoped for. Along with studying all of the art and history of Europe, I’ve always been a big people watcher, and observing the trends and differences between French, Italian, and American women was absolutely fascinating to me.

I could truly write a book about everything I did and observed in Europe, but I’ll start smaller for today! I’d like to tell you about the trends I saw in Paris and share with you how you too can adopt “Parisian Chic!”

Linen

The biggest trend I noticed was linen. Women of all ages were wearing it. Overall, the styles were fairly casual and unstructured. And yes, it was wrinkled. But the wonderful thing about it was that it didn’t seem to bother anyone. The thing is--linen is supposed to look wrinkled. If you work in a business casual environment, consider an unstructured linen jacket and either matching or coordinating pants or a skirt for a cool, comfortable way to beat the heat.

I did a little shopping in Paris’ major department store, Galleries Lafayette, where I could have spent weeks. When I purchased a couple of unlined linen jackets, (surprisingly affordable,) I inquired about the care instructions. They’re washable linen. Even though linen will wrinkle, it’s definitely best to start the day with everything ironed. I actually think that a Jiffy Steamer, (www.jiffysteamer.com, using promo code image 048 for free shipping,) would do a good job, too.

The one thing I noticed the most is that although there are trends, no one looked the same or interpreted the trends exactly the same. It’s kind of difficult to explain, but there’s a quiet confidence among French women. They seem to create their own look, not being afraid of trying something a little different. For example, one of my favorite looks was a woman in her late 30’s to 40’s wearing lilac, wide legged, linen pants; a white linen safari style jacket; a medium gray athletic style t-shirt; white satin, ballet toe shoes; and a light gray nylon purse. Beautiful!

Vogue figure types

I just received my April issue of Vogue. Typically, I love Vogue, and as an image consultant, I was excited to tear into it. The top teaser on the cover reads Perfect Fit-DRESSING FOR EVERY SHAPE FROM SIZE 0-16. I have to admit, I was sorely disappointed to find their 5 figure types:

1. Tall
2. Pregnant
3. Thin
4. Curvy
5. Short

Tall is not a body type! Of course, very tall women can have some challenges, especially finding pants that are long enough and things that are long enough in the torso and sleeves. The article is disappointing in that they simply profiled a tall woman who spoke of the benefits of being tall, not the challenges.

Pregnant is not a body type! Pregnant is pregnant-as in having a baby! Of course there are challenges, but they're not permenant. The best highlight of the profile is that the model has learned to show off her baby bump and celebrate her temporary figure and baby. She also mentioned that she's learned to appreciate her pre-baby body more and will wear more fitted clothing when she gets her waist back.

Thin is not a body type! Models are Tall and Thin-what most women work for their entire lives. The article hints that the woman featured may think she's too thin. If you've got a very thin body with very few curves, the best advice is to avoid clothing that is super tight. Unfortunately, the article again is giving no real practical advice.

Curvy is a body type! As I mentioned in last week's post, "curvy" is another way of saying hour glass or very full bosom and hips with a very small waist. This featured vintage clothier has learned to dress her body, and mentions that if something is "too tight across the bust or hips, I'll buy the next size up and have it tailored." This is wonderful advice, and I couldn't agree more!

Short is not a body type! Of course, being petite is a reality, but a petite woman can have a curvy figure, an inverted triangle figure, a triangular figure, a too thin figure or one that simply lacks any curves. Again, the woman featured doesn't offer up any advice. She has truly made a bit of a caricature of herself by mostly wearing flats and wearing short shorts with a blazer and oxford style or Converse high top shoes.

Last week, I gave many tips for the curvy woman. In future posts, I'll give ideas for real figure types as well as the challenges listed above. Stay tuned.

How to flatter a curvy, aka hour-glass, figure

The other day when I was pre-shopping for a client, a woman in her late teens or early 20's struck up a conversation with me. (This is precisely why I only charge for two hours of pre-shopping.) The woman was very sweet and proceeded to tell me that she used to wear a size 8. Now she wears a size 18 and just doesn't know how to dress her body anymore.

She had a curvy figure, which is really just a euphemism for an hourglass figure, as you can see below. We've heard for years that the hour glass figure is ideal, but it's simply not true. The challenge that women with hour glass figures deal with is that their waists are much smaller than their hips and bust lines. If you're not dressing correctly, it's easy to look much heavier than your really are.

I gave my new friend a couple of tips and would like to share those and more with everyone today. Looking at the photos of America Ferrara below, the outfit on the left is a don't and the one on the right is a do. It's important to show your waist and never wear boxy, over sized clothes like the cardigan. Tailored, semi-fitted blouses always flatter!

It can be tempting to hide your figure in "schlumpy" over sized hoodies. You're not doing yourself any favors. Clothes should always skim your body. They shouldn't be overly tight, nor should they be overly loose.

V-neck tops are always flattering. Whatever you do, avoid turtlenecks, especially short sleeved ones. They tend to give a "uni-boob" look. There's just too much unbroken fabric. On the same note, avoid high waisted pants like these. You need a little more of your waist showing to balance your figure. (It's undeniable that Jessica Simpson has a great figure. She's just doing everything wrong here!)

Wrap dresses are easy and always flatter a curvy figure. You may need a camisole like the one shown for more modesty. If this dress appears a little dull to you, notice you've got a great neckline to fill in with modern jewelry. Also, the bracelet sleeves call out for a brightly colored bangle or cuff bracelet.

For a dressy dress, something like the one below is perfect. You've got the curves. Show 'em off! This dress is not only gorgeous, and on trend, but the belt will help widen your waist just enough to balance to your figure to make the rest of us jealous.

Halter styles also work for you-with a supportive bra. The deep V is extremely flattering. The cummerbund flatters the waist, and the skirt floats away from the body. What's important is to make sure there aren't gathers below the fitted waist or empire seam and the there is not too much fabric that can pouf out and start people wondering if you're pregnant. Think sleek!

Last but not least is a a top and sweater style to seek out. As I mentioned earlier, wraps are always flattering. You'll notice in the photo below, the sweater wraps just under the bust line, has a deep V-neck, and skims the waist and hips. A cardigan that buttons just below the bust line and worn over a fitted knit top is another updated style that will flatter your curvy, hour-glass figure.

Love Your Shoes

During the Millionaire Mindset workshop the other day, I stressed that you should never buy anything your not head over heels, falling down drunk in love with! This includes shoes. Think about it. We have countless options of what we can wear as women, but to be socially acceptable and appropriate, we have to wear shoes.

The thing that is great about shoes is that no matter how much you eat, your shoe size tends to remain fairly constant. Finding shoes to fit it leaps and bounds easier than finding pants or jeans to fit. And there are a lot of shoes out there, so I recommend instead of just finding shoes that merely fit comfortably, find shoes you LOVE!!

I love all of these shoes (which can all be found at Nordstrom):

Almost everyone can use a basic pair of black pumps. This is a beautifully cut pair that will last for years.

It sometimes seems difficult to decide what shoes to wear with light colored business clothing. Either of these shoes would be absolutely KILLER!

Shoes can be the piece that take a ho-hum, conservative outfit to looking like a million bucks. High quality, red shoes can't be beat for doing just that.

(The shoe on the left is a Cole Hahn and has an air insole-wonderfully comfortable!)

Basic jewelry

With all of springs colorful clothing it's best to downplay your jewelry and accessories. In other words, pair basic metallic and pearl jewelry with bright clothing. Or wear colorful jewelry with neutrals such as black and white.

You'll actually find that metallics are big trends in jewelry at the moment, so now is an especially good time to build or refresh your basic jewelry wardrobe. I'm not much of a "pearl girl", but I've been loving this necklace:

It's modern, yet classic and basic. I personally can't decide on the silver or the gold. I'm not the kind of image consultant that does color consulting and strongly recommends certain colors over another. I know I look better in gold, but I feel gold makes more of a statement than silver. So whichever you choose is a personal decision.

Because the necklace above albeit basic, makes a statement, I like the concept of pairing it with simple, somewhat more casual hoops like either of these.

Another option for an everyday, "go to" necklace is crystal. (Or if you've got the money and are comfortable, go with diamonds.) The necklace below could be worn dressy with a suit and matching crystal earrings.

If wearing the crystal necklace and matching earrings feels too dressy or "matchy," pair it with the plain hoops. The important thing to know is that any of the jewelry pictured can be worn with formal business wear, business casual clothing or even with jeans and a t-shirt.