People often ask me about colours that suit them.  They will also comment on how people always comment on particular coloured clothes they have in their wardrobe.

I was reminded of this when recently I saw photos of a friend of mine on Facebook who was wearing the most divine cobalt blue dress (a colour like the one Kate Winslet is wearing in the picture above on the left), yet what I noticed in the photos was that the dress was the star, and she just disappeared as the blue was completely unrelated to her colouring and drew all the attention away from her face.  Notice how in the picture of Kate above the blue on the left is the first thing that grabs your attention, but the blue on the right, which does suit Kate is in balance with her colouring so her face is the focus.

Now the style of this dress worked well for my friend’s body shape and she has a fabulous figure which makes for a great clothes horse, but for many of us, who don’t have that figure, we are more interested in our face being the focus rather than our body.  As I always say, if you’re looking in my eyes, you’re not noticing my thighs.

This is why so many of my clients will comment to me after a colour analysis when wearing their most flattering colours, that people keep asking if they’ve lost weight.  It’s because of that face focus that these colours create.

You will notice in all the photos I’ve chosen here today, that in the picture on the left, your attention is taken first by the colour, it drags your eyes away from the face.  While the picture on the right, there is a balance and harmony between the colour and the person.

This is the aim when doing a colour analysis, to find those colours that flatter you, so that you are the star, not the colour you’re wearing.  Plus those colours will also make you look alive, healthy and glowing.

Click here for some more tips on finding your most flattering colours.

Women

• Wear a cocktail dress if the dress code is formal, it should end around the knee
• Not too much cleavage or leg or see-through fabrics without an opaque layer underneath.
• Classy not trashy
• Don’t forget to accessorize – a clutch not your laptop bag!
• Avoid Christmas themed jewellery – unless you work with kids.
• If the party is at the office or in a casual environment you still need to dress appropriately.
• Do dress up a bit, don’t just wear your regular clothes – it’s a party – make an effort!

Men

• Keep the cartoon ties and joke accessories at home, nope, they’re not funny once you’ve left primary school.
• If the invitation says formal, this doesn’t mean your best pair of jeans.  It means a dark suit and tie at a minimum
• Leather shoes are a must, whatever the dress code.  Leave your sneakers for exercise.
• Black tie means just that – a dinner suit and bow tie.

There are traditions and dress codes to be adhered to around what to wear to the races.  Remember:

1. It’s daytime, so wear a day dress, rather than an evening dress.
2. Don’t go crazy with the fake tan.  Pale can be elegant.
3. The weather is variable, think about wearing a jacket or shrug if the weather turns cool.
4. Dresses should come to the knee, decorum is classy.
5. Head wear is usually made to sit on the right side of your head, so if you part your hair on the left, when attaching a fascinator, part it to the right so the volume of your hair balances your hat.

Derby Day – Black and White

If your colouring is cool, this colour combination works for you, particularly if you have dark hair and pale skin.  But if you’re a cool blonde why not try a mostly white outfit with just a hint of black, such as a patent black belt with patent black shoes and a black clutch.

If your colouring is warm, rather than go stark black and white, choose an off white, buff or beige to go with your black.

You can add a touch of colour with a belt, bag or shoes, but don’t go overboard.

Melbourne Cup Day – Dress to Impress

Melbourne Cup Day is your day to go all out.  Wear colour and don’t forget your hat.

Crown Oaks Day – Ladies Day

Today the men will be wearing a pink rose, so why not think about this as the day to bring out your more feminine side, lace, florals and a feminine shape are appropriate.

Emirates Stakes Day – Family Day

The most relaxed day of the Spring Racing Carnival, but never go under dressed – there are still race day dress code standards to uphold.  Think about having fun with your outfit, a solid colour with alternate colour shoes and clutch is a great option.

Men

There are four days of racing at Flemington during Cup Week, and each raceday during the Spring Carnival has an official flower: for Derby Day is it a Corn Flower, Melbourne Cup Day is a Yellow Rose, Crown Oaks Day is a Pink Rose, and on Emirates Stakes Day is it traditional to wear a Red Rose.

Dress codes are strict, so always wear a suit, shirt and tie with leather shoes.  Match your shoe colour or go darker than your suit for the most dapper look.

Unlike the suit you may wear to work, racing attire is more flamboyant, but you still want to look classy and refined.  You don’t need to buy a new suit, but think about putting it together in a more creative way.  Don’t forget to get your buttonhole flower, and think about tying in the colour of the flower to your shirt or tie colour to create a harmonious and cohesive look.

This year the pocket square is back in a big way.  The rule is to NEVER match it exactly to your tie – it could be one colour from your tie, or a pattern in the same colours as your shirt and tie, but not exactly the same.

Have fun mixing prints.  A pinstripe suit, with a fine check shirt, a spotted tie and paisley pocket square.   The trick to mixing prints is to relate the colours, but keep the patterns different.

Don’t forget a hat.  You’re most likely outside for most of the day.  A hat is not only stylish, but will also keep the sun off your face.

1. Keep them slim – wide leg openings make your legs look shorter, so keep them slim for a leg lengthening effect.  Avoid all cropped pants with flared or bootleg openings (or alter them to a slim fit if they’re already in your wardrobe).
2. Keep the colour close to that of your skin – just like a nude shoe elongates your leg, a cropped trouser in a colour similar to your skin tone – stone, beige, browns and tans, depending on your skin colour, will not make the demarcation line between where the trousers end and your legs begin so obvious.

capris and cropped pants how to wear by imogenl featuring skinny jeans
3. A wedge or flat-form sandal or heel will make up for the length lost by the cropping of the pant.    Make that shoe either a low vamp shoe too, or in a nude colour so that you don’t further foreshorten your legs.

Proportional dressing with Capris by imogenl featuring cotton shirts
4. Keep proportions between pants and top balanced – We expect legs to look longer than our body, sadly cropped pants shorten legs, so you want to ensure that you don’t further make your body look boxy by wearing a top that is a similar length to your pants.  If you have a slim long waist, tuck your top into your trousers and look for a higher waist.  If you have a shorter body or wider waist, then end your tops either at your hip bone or go for a longer mid-thigh tunic length top with a very slim pant.  If you don’t know your proportions and want to, click this link to discover how to measure your body proportions
5. Capris need to end at the slimmest part of your calves – if you’re tall, that will be below your calf muscle, if you’re petite this may be just below your knee, above the calf muscle.
6. Keep them pocket free – or at most a slit pocket or jeans style pocket  at the waist.  Style with slash pockets, cargo pockets or patch pockets will widen your hips and thighs.
7. Avoid cuffs – cuffs create extra and unnecessary horizontal lines, which will shorten your legs further already.  Particularly if you cuff denim, where you see a very different colour (the inside of the denim being lighter than the outside).

how to wear capris by imogenl featuring capri pants
8. Know your body shape – capris and cropped pants are much easier to wear if you are slim through the hips and thighs.
9. The rise matters – if you have shorter legs proportionally already – then you want to wear trousers with a higher rise and avoid those that sit low on your hips.
10. If you have a curvier bottom half, but shorter legs and worry that a lighter trouser will make it look larger and more obvious, ensure that your top is even lighter or brighter than your capris as this will draw attention up to your face.

Don’t end skirts in the frumpy zones

The frumpy zones are the ‘widest’ parts of your legs below your knees.  Particularly if you have proportionally shorter legs (which many women do), this is a really important tip as longer skirts will shorten your legs, and short legs tend to look frumpy.  A 20 year old can get away with the longer midi-skirt trend, but a 40 year old one, unless she has really long legs naturally, and wears them with a heel, will look dumpy.

The Style Zone – for ending skirts – is between just above the knee, and just below the knee (depending on the shape and length of your legs).

Chunky texture = Chunky body

Then you want to consider the texture of your garments.  Fine fabrics and textures will make you  look slimmer and less bulky than chunky textures and fabrics.

Yes those cable knit cardigans are warm, but they also won’t make you look stylish (unless you’re a 6 foot supermodel).

Want to get warm?  Look for fine wool fabrics, wear fine thermal underwear under your clothes (it really can make a huge difference), and invest in cashmere and layer fine layers.  In winter I’m often wearing 5 layers of clothing (I get really cold really easily) but you wouldn’t know, because those 5 layers are all slim and fitted, rather than chunky and bulky.

Balance and Proportion are Essential

Always remember that balance and proportion are essential to style.

Your body should look shorter than your legs.  If you have short legs and then wear a longer skirt or longer top (particularly with cropped trousers), you will throw off that balance.

You want your top and bottom to be unequal in length (one longer than the other).  In the picture above the tops/bottoms on the left are more equal and the tops end in the Frumpy Zone (around the widest part of the hips/thighs), vs the tops on the right which end at the Style Zone- narrower points (waist to hip bone area) which also gives unequal proportions.

Balance the Volume

Only 1 voluminous garment at a time.  This is particularly important if you are petite as too much fabric will consume your frame very easily.

Don’t forget the shoes!

If you don’t have a full length mirror, you may not realise that your shoes are letting you down and taking you to Frumpy Town!

For those of you who can’t or don’t want to wear heels, there are many flat shoe options to choose from that will still be stylish.

Look for a low vamp when wearing skirts and dresses.

Avoid anything clumpy and too chunky (remember the chunky rule from earlier?).

Also, you will need different shoes for different outfits.  Yes, you do need more than 3 pairs of shoes in your life to look stylish, the same pair just doesn’t go with everything!

Most of us don’t have unlimited clothing budgets, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to look great in the clothes we wear.  So how do you get more bang for your buck?  How do you invest your clothing dollars more wisely?

To look like a $million, you need to think quality.  You can find quality at all price points so what should you look for?

1. Clothes that fit you well.  Garments that appear to have been tailored for your unique body always look more expensive than ill-fitting garments, which look like you can’t afford your own clothes and you’ve borrowed someone elses.  Get your clothes altered to fit you and they will instantly look higher quality – and so will you!
2. Good condition. Pilled, stained, torn, faded clothes make you look old and worn out.  When deciding if your clothes are still good enough for you to wear, run this past them “would I buy it from a charity shop?”  if the answer is NO, then let them go.
3. Good quality fabric.  Acrylic pills within 1 or 2 wears – it’s not worth the money you spend on it.  Good quality fabrics will last longer and look fresher.  Sometimes spending a little more to get a better fabric will repay itself multiple times over as you keep the garment for much longer and your cost-per-wear diminishes hugely.
4. Well-constructed.  Look at how the seams are finished, how large the stitches are that have been used, whether or not a garment is lined.  All these are indicators of the quality of construction.  If you want a piece of clothing to last and look great, it needs to be made well.  Loose threads should be snipped off as soon as they appear.  If you can see two lines of sewing on parts of garments where there should only be one, this will cheapen the appearance.
5. Colours suit you.  When the colours you wear suit you, they make you look healthier and younger, more vibrant and alive, more efficient and effective.  Understanding which colours to choose will actually make your wardrobe more versatile as your clothes will mix and match easily and you will need less clothes to create more outfits.  This will save you money and make you look great all at the same time!
6. Understanding your unique body.  The more you know about what clothing styles and shapes suit your body, the easier it is to shop and the less you waste on clothes that don’t work for you.   I bet that any clothes that you have in your wardrobe that rarely if ever get worn are clothes that don’t suit your body shape, proportions, colouring or personality.  There will be a valid reason why they hang there.  Investing in the knowledge of what works will save you money for the rest of your life as you don’t buy clothes that aren’t right for you.
7. Belts and Buttons.  These are two obvious indicators of the quality of a garment.  Cheap plastic buttons look just that, cheap.  It can be worth going to the haberdashery store and finding some good quality buttons and replacing the ones on the garment as it will give the garment a more expensive appearance.  Belts that come with a garment are rarely good quality.  Replace them with a good quality leather belt (in good condition) as it will raise the overall appearance

Now it’s time to go through your wardrobe and figure out what is making you look fabulous, and what is robbing you of your value.

Not sure what to suits you?  Maybe it’s time you booked an image consultation with me to really get your style and wardrobe sorted.

What Women Should Wear on a Date:

Don’t let it all hang out.  Too much skin isn’t sexy, in fact it can read as desperate.  You are a present – a gift – presents are beautifully wrapped.  Show only one bit of skin at a time, so if you’re doing cleavage, wear a longer skirt, if it’s your back, then don’t have a low cut top.

Show some skin, no need to cover up neck to knees completely, but be a little mysterious – sheer fabrics can hint at what is beneath without giving everything away.

Wear touchable textures – soft fabrics, and fabrics that feel good to the touch are ideal to wear on a date.

Think form fitting, not skin-tight.  I we can see your underwear lines through your clothes, they’re too tight, be a little mysterious, hint, but don’t be too overt.

Animal prints are sexy, florals are not and stripes are not.

Dress like a woman, not a man.  Yes you may spend a lot of your time in jeans and trousers, but a dress or skirt on a date reminds him that you’re a woman.

Put on some makeup, focus on either your lips or your eyes, but not both at the same time.

Wear some earrings that sparkle, they draw attention to your face.

Want to raise his pulse?  Wear some red, studies have shown that red raises your blood pressure.

What Men Should Wear on a Date:

She’s most likely put some effort into her appearance, she wants you to do the same, so put on a nice dress shirt and a pair of stylish dark denim jeans if you’re going out to a more casual venue, those mid-blue comfortable kind of baggy jeans aren’t going to impress.  Keep a blazer or jacket to throw over if it’s chilly.

Wear leather dress shoes. Women notice your shoes, sneakers just don’t cut it.

Wear a collared shirt if you’re going out somewhere nice, but not one that just says ‘work’ and ‘office’, something with a little more personality.

Be careful with the aftershave, too much can overwhelm, you want a hint, not a bucket, so that she wants to get closer to you not further away.

Everyone

For both sexes, think about wearing a shirt or top that brings out the colour of your eyes, then you’ll have your date staring deply into them all night.

Smile – that’s the best accessory you could ever wear on a date!

And of course, what you wear needs to be appropriate for the occassion, going bowling, dress down a bit, going to dinner, use it as an excuse to dress up.

What would you take?

Natural disasters seem to becoming more common, with two recent earthquakes in Christchurch New Zealand, parts of Australia are regularly destroyed by bush fires and one of my friends houses was recently flooded and 80% of her possessions destroyed.  What has this got to do with clothes you ask?  Well even if you don’t live in a natural disaster prone area it’s worth thinking about this… what would you take if you only had a few minutes to grab your clothes before having to evacuate?

Would you be able to grab your favourite garments quickly because your wardrobe is well ordered and you can lay your hands on them easily?

Would you find it difficult because you’re swamped by too much choice because you have too many clothes?

Would it be difficult because your clothes are all orphans and don’t work together and no matter what you grabbed it would be hard to put outfits together?

Would you want to leave it all behind as you’re really not happy with any of your wardrobe?

What would you take?  Would it be an easy or a hard decision?

Imagine what it would feel like having to wear someone else’s clothes if you couldn’t take your own?

Even if you never have to grab and run, consider your wardrobe – do you have the clothes to support your lifestyle?  The clothes that are appropriate for the range of situations you regularly find yourself confronting?  If you don’t, which situations do you find most difficult

The new year is a great time of reassessment (well anytime is great to reassess aspects of our lives, but we frequently focus on it during the New Year period).  It’s worth looking at your wardrobe with a critical eye, removing all the clothes that you never wear and then assessing what you have and whether or not they’re still working for you.  If your favourite garments are looking tired and old, it’s time you refreshed them and found replacements so that you look modern, in-charge and in control.

If you had to get someone else to go shopping for you who would you recommend as a style you’d wear to give them an idea of the kind of image you’d like to portray?  Thinking about this question can help you find your personal style, so that you’re not forced to wear someone elses clothes (which can feel all wrong).   Sales people have often said to me that people come into the stores and try on garments but will then say “it’s not me” but can’t actually figure out what is “me”.

Fortunately I can help you find out which garments suit your personality and make you feel like the best version of you.  The clothes that make you look and feel fabulous – so if you find it all too hard to figure out – feel free to give me a call!

1.  Not shopping with a list – do you shop in the supermarket without a list?  Sometimes, but mostly not.  There is no point in buying more of what you already have and forgetting that ingredient that really makes the dish work.  Same principle applies to your wardrobe, you need to figure out what your holes are and then write a list and fill them.

2. Buying because it’s a bargain.  A bargain is not a bargain if it’s not you, doesn’t fit properly, you don’t love it, or it doesn’t fill a wardrobe hole.  Spending money on a $20 top that you either never wear or wear once is a complete waste of that $20.  Only buy a bargain when it’s something that is on you list (see point 1).

3. Not checking the care label before you buy.  If it’s a fabric that needs special care, yet you’re a wash and wear kind of person, then you won’t wear it, knowing that it means a trip to the dry cleaners or having to do some hand washing.  It will sit in your wardrobe because you know that garment takes too much effort for you.

4. Buying fabrics that crush if you hate ironing.  Linen is a gorgeous fabric, but if you hate looking crushed, or hate ironing, steer well clear of it as it won’t make you look or feel great.

5. Being talked into the garment by the sales person.  Their job is to sell, they have to make targets, they want you to spend some money today in their shop.  They are likely to tell you it looks great when it look atrocious and is not a garment that’s made for your body, colouring or personality style.    If you’re unsure, take it off and walk away.  If you can’t stop thinking about the garment after a couple of days, then go back and purchase it.

6. Buying multiples of the same garment.   You may think it’s practical – and it can occasionally work, for things like t-shirts in a great style in a few flattering colours, but for most garments 1 is enough.  If you’re bored with your wardrobe, and you have lots of multiples of the same garment – this is why – you’ve got no choice. Usually too, one of the colours will be way more flattering and you’ll only wear one of them, you don’t need it in every colour.

7. Going shopping when you’re feeling down.  Looking for a pick-me-up or a shopping high is a sure way to credit card debt and financial woes (which won’t make you happier).   Buying for the sake of buying is not a good move.  If you’re feeling low call up a friends and have a chat, go for a long walk in the fresh air, hit the gym, curl up on the couch with a movie or a book, but stay away from the stores!

8. Coyping a someone elses style.  We often look at friends and think – wow – they look great.  Then, we go and copy their clothing style, only to discover that it doesn’t work on us.  The reason it looks so great on our friend is that it suits their personality, body shape, and colouring, not ours.  Spend some times discovering your unique style before you hit the shops.  Then you’ll know what really is you and what is not.

9.  Buying different, for the sake of different.  Quite often we get stuck in a style rut.  So we hit the shops and to shake off that rut we buy something that is completely different from anything else we own.  And then we get it home and it sits in our wardrobe, we try it on occassionally, but take it off because it’s just not right.   What we’ve done is buy someone elses style, often the opposite of ours, but it doesn’t work because it makes us feel uncomfortable.

10.  Shopping with a friend.  What?  How can that be a shopping mistake?   Unless your friend is trained as an image consultant (or has a really fabulous eye for style and understanding what does and doesn’t work) when they tell us what works on us they are only telling us what they personally like, or if they had our body, what they’d dress it in, not necessarily what is really a true and genuine reflection of who we are.  The only time I suggest friends shop together, is whey they’ve done a style and colour consultation together and they truely understand what does and doesn’t work for each other and then can be a great advisor.  Until then, shop alone or with an image consultant.

BONUS Tip. Wearing the wrong clothes when you go shopping. You want to be comfortable and have an easy time getting dressed and undressed when shopping.  Any clothes and shoes you have to struggle to get into and out of will mean that you try on less, and are less likely to find the right garment, instead settling for almost rather than perfect.

And remember If you don’t love it, leave it on the rack!

Not sure what to shop for?  Maybe it’s time you booked a wardrobe and shopping session with me to really get your style and wardrobe sorted.

How do you differentiate between the two?  Well follow my 3 simple rules to make sure you buy wisely this sales season.

1. Does it make you look fabulous and show off your body in a way that makes you happy?  It’s a keeper.    If it’s something that’s right – on trend – but doesn’t work for you, then it’s a one night stand.  If you have to have it – buy cheap!

2. Does the pattern or print speak of an era?  Yes, florals are always in, but they change over time.  The current Navajo trend, fun this season, but will be gone the next – one night stand territory.   Classic stripes or animal print?  It will be around for seasons to come – it’s a keeper.

3. Is the shape of the garment right now?  Is it the latest ‘new black’?  These are the one-night stands of fashion.  Particularly if the colours don’t really flatter your complexion.    Is it a great neutral that will last for years or a colour that makes you look alive, vibrant and radiant?  Then it’s a keeper.

So before you grab that bargain, consciously think about whether you will be wearing this garment in years to come or if it’s just because you want a bit of new,  and then decide accordingly whether or not it will earn its valuable spot in your wardrobe.

Not sure what to shop for?  Maybe it’s time you booked a wardrobe and shopping session with me to really get your style and wardrobe sorted.