Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Super Swimwear









Greetings to all and a very happy new year. I hope you have all had a great break and managed to stay DRY! Goodness me! Who would have thought the summer in our wonderful city of Wellington could have been quite so nasty?

But its not over yet and there are plenty of day and hopefully sunshine to go. Therefore I am going to stay positive and still post about swimwear - even if we haven't managed too much outdoor swimming.

As always a logical approach is needed when buying swimwear. You need to break your body down into two sections - upper and lower. The considerations you need to take into account are as follows:

UPPER - what is the size of your chest? if its above a cup size C, you need to have medium to large sized straps, a plunging neckline in V or round and great support. A block colour may also slim down this area as will great panelling if you are opting for a one-piece. How is your tummy looking? (loaded question I know considering so many of us have had kids!) but if its an area you want to hide, then opt for that one-piece, and try and find rouching on the side of the costume. Pattern is your FRIEND when your tummy is bigger so go for a medium sized pattern.
Those that have a smaller upper body and chest size need to go with a higher neckline or a padded bikini or suit. There seem to be a lot of them around at the moment (yay!)

LOWER - if you have larger thighs than your upper body then go for the 'boy shorts' rather than a higher cut pant. This is much more flattering. Boy shorts are also quite good at being a little higher on the tummy if you are going for a bikini. Those that don't have thighs should do the opposite and wear a higher cut bottom.

Use pattern to your advantage. For instance a smaller chested woman can wear a patterned upper 'tankini' and a block coloured pair of boy shorts if she also has some curves below. The opposite being a larger chest woman having a block top and if she is smaller below than above, then a patterned or floral pair of bottoms would be idea.

There are many great swim-wear shapes out there suited to ALL body shapes. So just step back, assess your body, break it into sections and deal with each section rather than trying to look at the whole body in despair and thinking nothing suits you. It does!

Happy swimming! Happy holidays!
Trudi www.wardrobeflair.com

Monday, December 14, 2009

Pretty Party Frocks



Great word isn't it. Frocks. And, contrary to what a lot of people think, dresses are just SO low maintenance. No matching needed. All in one. Easy peezey I say, but most of you would disagree and say it's a nightmare to find the right one.

However I am here to help you with a few rules when perusing those racks of shiny, shimmering numbers.

Here we go, pretty frocks rule 101.

If strapless, then wide straps - you can always put a bolero or tie cardigan over them so don't be afraid of buying them.
A nice fitted band under the chest. This nips your waist in, even if you don't have much of one. It does the same job of creating an hourglass figure. Out with chest, in with waist and out again with hips.
Generosity around the tummy. It might be a fold, a bit of rouching. Anything that skims the tummy is great.
Gradual A-line skirt that falls to just below the knee. Covers hips, balances out larger boobs.
If stuck on colours, silver for cool tones, gold or bronze for warmies.

Favourite shops for dresses. At the moment there are a few. I particularily like Jacqui E dresses. Well-cut, good shapes, always usually have a good amount with the above critera.

If the dress is plain, then bling it up with a great, chucky necklace - see www.wardrobeflair.com if you have problems with this. Colour shoes are also a great way of giving an outfit a boost.

Patterned dresses, keep the accessories simple.

Most of all, enjoy wearing it! Stay away from boring black. Choose colour. Accessorise. Feel comfortable but stylish in your dress.

Happy and safe festive season everyone. www.wardrobeflair.com

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Warm tones can't find clothes




Just a quick note to all those Warm tones.

Can't find any clothes? I just wanted to say, it's not you, have haven't suddenly lost your knack for scanning and finding warm tones. There just ISN'T ANY!

It is pretty dire. Take heart, the new season stuff should filter down into the shops in the next few weeks and maybe, just maybe, it will have some warm tones.

If not, its operation Savemart, Salvation Army and Trademe. When the seasons are not kind to a particular palette, it just means we have to find other ways of sourcing our clothes.

Good luck warmies! Fingers crossed we shall get some new season clothes soon. Cool tones, enjoy your moment. The shops are FLOODED with colour for you.

Always plenty of new stock jewellery for both warm and cool tones online at www.wardrobeflair.com