Ten bad things about the way we dress that we can make better
By Bridgette Raes
A client once asked me if I am always working when I am out in public. What she meant was that given what I do I must be always looking at the way people dress. She isn’t wrong. Given the fact that I have worked in fashion for over ten years, it is second nature for me to check out what people choose to wear. Sometimes I am inspired and other times, well what can I say, I am not always that inspired. In an attempt to not sound incredibly cruel or judgmental, I have to admit that there are times that I can’t help but find myself critiquing some bad choices. Oh come on, we all do it.
So I thought about some of the things that are not my favorite things that women wear, or do with their wardrobe and some solutions of how they can make it better.
Fashion mistake #1 Polar Fleece
Ok, this may surprise some of you but I hate polar fleece. Few women look good in a polar fleece pullover and trust me there are some warm and cozy alternatives to looking like a polar bear. I guess that most could argue that polar fleece does have its place, and I don’t argue with that, but yesterday I saw a woman wearing a polar fleece pullover in a ghastly red and black combination and she was wearing it with a skirt, this ladies is not a good look.
So why do I hate polar fleece. Well, for starters aside from people wearing polar fleece when they shouldn’t, polar fleece is bulky, shapeless and very masculine looking. It is very active so unless you are hiking or participating in an outdoor sport there are some other more stylish choices.
I love Barbour products http://www.barbour.com/product/profile.asp?productid=667&activityid=0&departmentid=4&categoryid=0&womens=true in particular their quilted jackets which I think are much more stylish than a polar fleece. While Barbour does sell polar fleece, I think that choosing something like a more tailored quilted jacket is a much simpler solution to a outwear piece than a dumpy polar fleece. Also a basic quilted jacket is much more versatile in your wardrobe, it is a great basic that can be dressed up for a weekend sophisticated look and then dressed down for a rugged day out.
Fashion Mistake #2 Too many bags at once
There is nothing worse than a well dressed woman with too many bags hanging off her shoulder. Aside from a woman’s posture being affected with the burden of doing this, it just doesn’t look good. In addition usually one of these bags dangling from a woman’s shoulder is usually a laptop bag. Most laptop bags today are incredibly masculine looking, so in addition what also looks bad about the plethora of bags hanging from a woman’s shoulder is that the laptop bag doesn’t look feminine.
So what is the alternative to too many bags? I can’t recommend Talene Reilly’s laptop bags enough. Nicole Arslanian who started the company created these bags for exactly the reason I mentioned. She was a corporate executive who often found herself lugging around several bags at once. Sound familiar? Catching a glimpse of her reflection in a window one day made her think about a solution for this unattractive problem. First addressing the fact that most laptop bags out there today are made for men, she created bags that women would want to carry. Secondly all of her bags come with laptop sleeves, room for power cables and anything else that you would carry in your regular handbag. By stylishly consolidating with a Talene Reilly bag you can look good and be functional at the same time.
Fashion Mistake #3 Sneakers to commute
I think that sneakers to the office is one of the ugliest looks going. Ok, I understand comfort is important however just because you need to wear sneakers to get to and from work does not mean that they have to be ugly sneakers. There are plenty of stylish comfortable shoes out there, trust me big white sneakers are not it.
So what is the alternative to a ugly sneaker for commuting? Born shoes (www.bornshoes.com) are incredibly comfortable and stylish. I recommend either a cool sneaker style or a driving moccasin style both which can be found on their site.
Fashion Mistake #4 Shapeless Tops
Ok ladies, repeat after me, Shapeless tops DO NOT camouflage!!! I never understand why someone would choose a top with no shape. Even if you are a plus size this is a no no especially if the length of the top hits you at the largest part of your thighs. What you wind up doing by dressing this way is looking like a squat box and in most cases you have also bypassed the thinnest part of you, your waist. There is nothing wrong with a tunic style top, but even a tunic that looks good will have a little bit of tapering in at the waist.
So what is the alternative to a shapeless top?
Well this is an easy one, a shaped top of course. And I am not saying that you have to choose tops with extreme tapering. A top that nicely skims your body will look so much nicer than one that sits away making you look bigger than you really are. The best fabric for this is matte jersey which has some beefiness to it but also skims the body nicely without being confining see here http://www1.talbots.com/talbotsonline/item.asp?item=A129586&hbcmp=KAC-CatData&hbatt=A129586&h=M
Another solution to a shapeless top is having it taken in at the waist by your tailor. I have had many clients save some tops that they love by having the tailor taper them slightly in the waist area.
Fashion Mistake #5 Rolls over low rise jeans
I find it hysterical that while all I hear are complaints about low rise jeans from women, there is little out there to choose from as an alternative. Perhaps fashion thinks that we all like our butt cracks peeking out from the back of our pants. The other big hate I have about low rise jeans is that an infinitesimal amount of women actually look good in them. The look I personally hate the most is when a woman’s love handles actually roll out over the jeans. Ok, just gross.
So if I could tell you where to get jeans that aren’t low rise I would, but I am still looking for a pair. Instead for now I will just tell you to wear shirts long enough that will cover this unsightly look. Gap makes what they call their Favorite T http://www.gap.com/asp/Product.asp?wdid=20&wpid=692040 and the reason I recommend it is because they are really long and could be the perfect length for concealing.
Fashion Mistake #6 Horrible Hair
There are many women I look at where I am convinced that their hairstylist did not purposely intend for their hair to look as bad as it does. Ok this is more a beauty mistake than a fashion mistake but I have to mention it. Believe me, I tell Fabian, my hairstylist, all the time that if I had the money I would pay him to come to my home and blow my hair dry every day. This would certainly ensure more good hair days than bad ones.
This obviously isn’t a reality that most of us live in so let me offer you some alternative solutions. Well first be up front with your hairstylist. If he wants to give you a hairstyle that will require too much time or effort and staring in front of a mirror with a blow dryer isn’t your idea of a good time tell him. I used to tell Fabian that if my hair takes more than ten minutes in the morning I wasn’t interested. As a result I never got a very tricky haircut. Sure I liked the way more intricate hairstyles looked but I knew it wasn’t realistic for my hair.
The other thing I suggest is learning how your hairstylist blows your hair dry. Ask him if you can come in for a blowout lesson, or while he is blowing your hair dry don’t tune out, watch him and ask questions. I admit I will never be as good as my hairstylist, but I do come pretty close and it is because I have watched and learned.
Fashion Mistake #7 Pegged Pants
Pants that are too tapered on the bottom are so ugly. When a woman wears pants like this I call it the drumstick or light bulb look. If you are someone who has larger thighs avoid this look because it will only make your hips and thighs look wider.
The best pants for anyone who has larger thighs are pants that fall straight from the widest part of you hip. The pants that fall straight from the widest point of your hip camouflage the width of your hips. Another flattering style of pants for a woman who has bigger thighs is a boot cut. Boot cut pants, because they fit and flare counterbalance the width of your hips with a wide hem http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/product/551/mip_5518411.htm?cs_catalog=BR%5FSpring2%5F3%5F2005&cs_category=20&cs_id=5518411 .
Fashion Mistake #8 Poor pocket placement on pants
I am always amazed when designer put pockets in a flat front pair of pants. Flat front pants sit so close to your body that I am often puzzled by what they think a woman can fit in that pocket in the first place. Secondly pockets on flat front pants often bag open making a woman look even wider in her hip area. Hmmm, nothing like adding extra width where a woman is already wide. Click here to see the types of pockets on pants I am referring to http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod67493761&catId=cat69841
So what is the solution? I always tell my clients to bring the pants to the tailor and have him stitch the pockets shut. I mean really, why do you need them? What can fit in them? Also while the tailor is stitching the pockets shut have him remove the pocket bags. After all if you are closing up the pocket you don’t need the bags anymore. Besides many times you can see the pocket bags through the pants, another unsightly look.
Fashion Mistake #9 Slumming without style
I had a client recently ask me to help her with the outfit she wears when she rolls out of bed to get her kids off to school. She hated the fact that what she wore was so ugly and ratty. While it is hard to justify looking good for rushing the kids off or just lounging around, but when you think about it, why not? Why do we let ourselves completely go off the stylish deep end when we have no justifiable reason to put some effort towards the way we look?
The solution I find for feeling good while we are bumming around is to downgrade the good vs. upgrade the bad.
It’s similar to how my sister uses sponges in her kitchen. A sponge starts out as a dish washing sponge and as it loses its appeal it gets downgraded to being a floor sponge. The sponge is still good to use just maybe not good enough for passing over her flatware. The same is true for clothing. If you are someone who uses their ratty clothes that you wouldn’t want to be caught dead in for a lazy Sunday or for doing errands why not instead wear something that was good at one time but has lost a bit of its appeal like a great cashmere sweater that may not be good enough for the office but perfectly fine for kicking back. This is a great way to cycle clothing out while still getting some good use.
Fashion Mistake #10 Evening looks for daytime
Nothing is worse than seeing a woman in glittered makeup for the daytime. It looks like she never made it home from the night out before and just went to work without changing. To avoid looking like you have the disco dust from the evening before still lingering on you avoid looking too overdone for the day.
The best solution I can offer for this is to compartmentalize your looks. Glittered makeup, spangly tops, earrings that are extreme chandelier styles are very evening, keep them for your evening looks.
If you are going out after work you can always reapply your makeup darker and change your accessories, you want your outfit to match the time of day that it is.
A bonus hate!
Fashion Mistake #11 A boring handbag
An uninspired way to dress is to have a boring handbag. As much as I would like to admit that I change my handbag with every outfit, I don’t. I have one basic brown bag that I use just about every day. When I chose the bag I looked for functionality, size and style. For some reason many women think that they have to give up style for practicality and I say no to that myth.
If you are someone who never changes their bag that this rule really applies to you. Choose one bag that is basic yet stylish. Think of all the things that you need a bag to do for you. Be it size-- like myself who needed a handbag that could fit a file folder for clients, function-- like a small front pocket for grabbing the cell phone quickly; never sacrifice style for these important features. The reason we sometimes think that being stylish comes with a sacrifice is because we don’t buy stylish things that are still functional.
A client once asked me if I am always working when I am out in public. What she meant was that given what I do I must be always looking at the way people dress. She isn’t wrong. Given the fact that I have worked in fashion for over ten years, it is second nature for me to check out what people choose to wear. Sometimes I am inspired and other times, well what can I say, I am not always that inspired. In an attempt to not sound incredibly cruel or judgmental, I have to admit that there are times that I can’t help but find myself critiquing some bad choices. Oh come on, we all do it.
So I thought about some of the things that are not my favorite things that women wear, or do with their wardrobe and some solutions of how they can make it better.
Fashion mistake #1 Polar Fleece
Ok, this may surprise some of you but I hate polar fleece. Few women look good in a polar fleece pullover and trust me there are some warm and cozy alternatives to looking like a polar bear. I guess that most could argue that polar fleece does have its place, and I don’t argue with that, but yesterday I saw a woman wearing a polar fleece pullover in a ghastly red and black combination and she was wearing it with a skirt, this ladies is not a good look.
So why do I hate polar fleece. Well, for starters aside from people wearing polar fleece when they shouldn’t, polar fleece is bulky, shapeless and very masculine looking. It is very active so unless you are hiking or participating in an outdoor sport there are some other more stylish choices.
I love Barbour products http://www.barbour.com/product/profile.asp?productid=667&activityid=0&departmentid=4&categoryid=0&womens=true in particular their quilted jackets which I think are much more stylish than a polar fleece. While Barbour does sell polar fleece, I think that choosing something like a more tailored quilted jacket is a much simpler solution to a outwear piece than a dumpy polar fleece. Also a basic quilted jacket is much more versatile in your wardrobe, it is a great basic that can be dressed up for a weekend sophisticated look and then dressed down for a rugged day out.
Fashion Mistake #2 Too many bags at once
There is nothing worse than a well dressed woman with too many bags hanging off her shoulder. Aside from a woman’s posture being affected with the burden of doing this, it just doesn’t look good. In addition usually one of these bags dangling from a woman’s shoulder is usually a laptop bag. Most laptop bags today are incredibly masculine looking, so in addition what also looks bad about the plethora of bags hanging from a woman’s shoulder is that the laptop bag doesn’t look feminine.
So what is the alternative to too many bags? I can’t recommend Talene Reilly’s laptop bags enough. Nicole Arslanian who started the company created these bags for exactly the reason I mentioned. She was a corporate executive who often found herself lugging around several bags at once. Sound familiar? Catching a glimpse of her reflection in a window one day made her think about a solution for this unattractive problem. First addressing the fact that most laptop bags out there today are made for men, she created bags that women would want to carry. Secondly all of her bags come with laptop sleeves, room for power cables and anything else that you would carry in your regular handbag. By stylishly consolidating with a Talene Reilly bag you can look good and be functional at the same time.
Fashion Mistake #3 Sneakers to commute
I think that sneakers to the office is one of the ugliest looks going. Ok, I understand comfort is important however just because you need to wear sneakers to get to and from work does not mean that they have to be ugly sneakers. There are plenty of stylish comfortable shoes out there, trust me big white sneakers are not it.
So what is the alternative to a ugly sneaker for commuting? Born shoes (www.bornshoes.com) are incredibly comfortable and stylish. I recommend either a cool sneaker style or a driving moccasin style both which can be found on their site.
Fashion Mistake #4 Shapeless Tops
Ok ladies, repeat after me, Shapeless tops DO NOT camouflage!!! I never understand why someone would choose a top with no shape. Even if you are a plus size this is a no no especially if the length of the top hits you at the largest part of your thighs. What you wind up doing by dressing this way is looking like a squat box and in most cases you have also bypassed the thinnest part of you, your waist. There is nothing wrong with a tunic style top, but even a tunic that looks good will have a little bit of tapering in at the waist.
So what is the alternative to a shapeless top?
Well this is an easy one, a shaped top of course. And I am not saying that you have to choose tops with extreme tapering. A top that nicely skims your body will look so much nicer than one that sits away making you look bigger than you really are. The best fabric for this is matte jersey which has some beefiness to it but also skims the body nicely without being confining see here http://www1.talbots.com/talbotsonline/item.asp?item=A129586&hbcmp=KAC-CatData&hbatt=A129586&h=M
Another solution to a shapeless top is having it taken in at the waist by your tailor. I have had many clients save some tops that they love by having the tailor taper them slightly in the waist area.
Fashion Mistake #5 Rolls over low rise jeans
I find it hysterical that while all I hear are complaints about low rise jeans from women, there is little out there to choose from as an alternative. Perhaps fashion thinks that we all like our butt cracks peeking out from the back of our pants. The other big hate I have about low rise jeans is that an infinitesimal amount of women actually look good in them. The look I personally hate the most is when a woman’s love handles actually roll out over the jeans. Ok, just gross.
So if I could tell you where to get jeans that aren’t low rise I would, but I am still looking for a pair. Instead for now I will just tell you to wear shirts long enough that will cover this unsightly look. Gap makes what they call their Favorite T http://www.gap.com/asp/Product.asp?wdid=20&wpid=692040 and the reason I recommend it is because they are really long and could be the perfect length for concealing.
Fashion Mistake #6 Horrible Hair
There are many women I look at where I am convinced that their hairstylist did not purposely intend for their hair to look as bad as it does. Ok this is more a beauty mistake than a fashion mistake but I have to mention it. Believe me, I tell Fabian, my hairstylist, all the time that if I had the money I would pay him to come to my home and blow my hair dry every day. This would certainly ensure more good hair days than bad ones.
This obviously isn’t a reality that most of us live in so let me offer you some alternative solutions. Well first be up front with your hairstylist. If he wants to give you a hairstyle that will require too much time or effort and staring in front of a mirror with a blow dryer isn’t your idea of a good time tell him. I used to tell Fabian that if my hair takes more than ten minutes in the morning I wasn’t interested. As a result I never got a very tricky haircut. Sure I liked the way more intricate hairstyles looked but I knew it wasn’t realistic for my hair.
The other thing I suggest is learning how your hairstylist blows your hair dry. Ask him if you can come in for a blowout lesson, or while he is blowing your hair dry don’t tune out, watch him and ask questions. I admit I will never be as good as my hairstylist, but I do come pretty close and it is because I have watched and learned.
Fashion Mistake #7 Pegged Pants
Pants that are too tapered on the bottom are so ugly. When a woman wears pants like this I call it the drumstick or light bulb look. If you are someone who has larger thighs avoid this look because it will only make your hips and thighs look wider.
The best pants for anyone who has larger thighs are pants that fall straight from the widest part of you hip. The pants that fall straight from the widest point of your hip camouflage the width of your hips. Another flattering style of pants for a woman who has bigger thighs is a boot cut. Boot cut pants, because they fit and flare counterbalance the width of your hips with a wide hem http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/product/551/mip_5518411.htm?cs_catalog=BR%5FSpring2%5F3%5F2005&cs_category=20&cs_id=5518411 .
Fashion Mistake #8 Poor pocket placement on pants
I am always amazed when designer put pockets in a flat front pair of pants. Flat front pants sit so close to your body that I am often puzzled by what they think a woman can fit in that pocket in the first place. Secondly pockets on flat front pants often bag open making a woman look even wider in her hip area. Hmmm, nothing like adding extra width where a woman is already wide. Click here to see the types of pockets on pants I am referring to http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod67493761&catId=cat69841
So what is the solution? I always tell my clients to bring the pants to the tailor and have him stitch the pockets shut. I mean really, why do you need them? What can fit in them? Also while the tailor is stitching the pockets shut have him remove the pocket bags. After all if you are closing up the pocket you don’t need the bags anymore. Besides many times you can see the pocket bags through the pants, another unsightly look.
Fashion Mistake #9 Slumming without style
I had a client recently ask me to help her with the outfit she wears when she rolls out of bed to get her kids off to school. She hated the fact that what she wore was so ugly and ratty. While it is hard to justify looking good for rushing the kids off or just lounging around, but when you think about it, why not? Why do we let ourselves completely go off the stylish deep end when we have no justifiable reason to put some effort towards the way we look?
The solution I find for feeling good while we are bumming around is to downgrade the good vs. upgrade the bad.
It’s similar to how my sister uses sponges in her kitchen. A sponge starts out as a dish washing sponge and as it loses its appeal it gets downgraded to being a floor sponge. The sponge is still good to use just maybe not good enough for passing over her flatware. The same is true for clothing. If you are someone who uses their ratty clothes that you wouldn’t want to be caught dead in for a lazy Sunday or for doing errands why not instead wear something that was good at one time but has lost a bit of its appeal like a great cashmere sweater that may not be good enough for the office but perfectly fine for kicking back. This is a great way to cycle clothing out while still getting some good use.
Fashion Mistake #10 Evening looks for daytime
Nothing is worse than seeing a woman in glittered makeup for the daytime. It looks like she never made it home from the night out before and just went to work without changing. To avoid looking like you have the disco dust from the evening before still lingering on you avoid looking too overdone for the day.
The best solution I can offer for this is to compartmentalize your looks. Glittered makeup, spangly tops, earrings that are extreme chandelier styles are very evening, keep them for your evening looks.
If you are going out after work you can always reapply your makeup darker and change your accessories, you want your outfit to match the time of day that it is.
A bonus hate!
Fashion Mistake #11 A boring handbag
An uninspired way to dress is to have a boring handbag. As much as I would like to admit that I change my handbag with every outfit, I don’t. I have one basic brown bag that I use just about every day. When I chose the bag I looked for functionality, size and style. For some reason many women think that they have to give up style for practicality and I say no to that myth.
If you are someone who never changes their bag that this rule really applies to you. Choose one bag that is basic yet stylish. Think of all the things that you need a bag to do for you. Be it size-- like myself who needed a handbag that could fit a file folder for clients, function-- like a small front pocket for grabbing the cell phone quickly; never sacrifice style for these important features. The reason we sometimes think that being stylish comes with a sacrifice is because we don’t buy stylish things that are still functional.
posted by Unknown @ 4:27 PM
