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

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

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

Green - great or gross?

I know these seems like a bizarre post. About a colour? But over the many years of looking through people's wardrobes and hearing reactions to certain colours and shapes, what stands out is that SO MANY people have a real dislike/hatred/phobia towards the colour green.

I can almost guarantee you that at some stage this week, I shall drape a green cloth over someone and they will say 'oh yuck green, I never wear green, I just really don't like that colour."

Why is this? If I ever went back to school to study, I would do a thesis on why people dislike the colour green. What most people don't realise about colour is that there is a warm and cool counterpart. If you drape a cool tone in a warm khaki green they stick their tongue out and pull a face. They should! It looks awful. HOWEVER if we drape them in a bright, clear green, it looks amazing.

Here are 2 of my rather silly theories about why people don't wear green.
1. Too many of us had green uniforms for school. It put us off. We had to wear it for so many years we had a lifetimes worth of green.
2. NZ is a very green country. Maybe we don't want to blend into the bushes? (I know this is getting silly... but there has GOT to be a reason!)

If anyone else has any other theories as to why people dislike green, send them to me. I am strangely interested in the weirdness of this! I almost feel like I have to get to the bottom of it. The people who say they don't like green often can't tell me why. But then they see the RIGHT green on and can SEE it look great, but they still struggle with it. Its like its ingrained in them that they can't wear it? Strange but true.

Me, I LOVE green. The reason is that I have hazel/green eyes. When I wear green it makes them look greener. I also LOVE green on people with blue eyes. I believe it even looks better than blue on blue-eyed people. Its the contrast of the blue eyes on green near the face. Looks sensational.

So people of NZ. Wear more green!!! there is the right green for you out there. You won't blend into the forest - unless you are in camouflage gear and NEED to blend in.
www.wardrobeflair.com

Banish those bingo wings

Have you ever been waving friends off from the driveway and while you stop waving, your upper arms continue on? Hmmmm. Many of us have. It was never a surprise to me after nearly five years of talking to people about their body shape, that one of the most disliked part of the body is the upper arms.

So many women would not even look at a sleeveless top. To them, its just not an option. That saddened me as there are so many lovely sleeveless tops and dresses out there. Step forth the humble tie cardigan.

In particular a nice little three-quarter sleeve version, with the right length - please do not pull your tie cardigan tight up under your chest..... it ends up cupping your boobs and becoming too much of a focus. The tie needs to knot at the middle of your tummy, and not have TOO much material. Get it right and the tie actually distracts the eye over any fuller tummies. Get it wrong and it adds the dreaded bulk we talk so much about not added to areas that don't need it.

Around this time of year there are a few options around in the shops. But do be aware of the above rules. Some will fall down in these areas. If you are unable to find a great tie cardigan (everyone needs at LEAST one in their wardrobe) then check out my site www.wardrobeflair.com I searched long and hard to find these tie cardigans.

Firstly they are one size fits all. I have size 6 clients and size 20 clients easily fit them. They have three-quarter sleeves and come down to a good length, without too much material. One of the reasons I love these so much - yes my darling husband I DO need 5 in my wardrobe - is because they are fitted at the waist. They just cling in the right places. Always giving you that all important indentation.

If you were buying one in the shops, go for that easy base colour that will go with all your other colours. Grey or dark blue for cool tones and brown or khaki for the warmies. If you need more than one, then a base colour plus a vibrant colour would be ideal.

My bum looks brilliant in this

Karen Nimmo's psychology for weight loss is very much in synch with what my psychology would be on how people dress themselves - if I was a psychologist! I do not profess to being one, but I do get to see the inner workings of many people's minds in relation to their perception of their body image.

Written in a logical and somewhat light-hearted way, Karen challenges you to look at the big picture, or "the whole package". I completely agree and often find myself telling people the same thing regarding their body shape and colouring.

Part of my business is about giving people the tools to understand their shape and balance out different parts of their body. Ideally people's eyes glide over someone and see a great outfit that fits their body shape and excellent colour making them sparkle with confidence.

The reality is the people you meet are not stopping for a whole 10 minutes to stare at your bum/hips/stomach. They give you a staggering 3-5 seconds during which time they have scanned 'the whole package' and have an impression of you.

Karen's message is clear that if you focus your energy on your full potential of being a happy, fun, interesting person, the weight loss can become an added bonus. We all need to try to be the best we can be, and use tools to look the best we can look. Both will give you confidence that in my experience - as in Karen's - has a wonderful snowball effect on the rest of your life.

Great book Karen!
www.wardrobeflair.com

FIN Clothing moving

Just a little update about FIN Clothing - a great NZ company whose trousers and skirts have excellent cuts.

"Hi Trudi, went into FIN in Lower Hutt on Saturday (on your recommendation) and bought a great skirt - I'm not sure if you knew they are moving to Newtown. Just thought I'd let you know in case you weren't aware."


FIN also have a store on Cuba Mall as well. Its great to support NZ fashion. I have a FIN denim skirt and pair of trousers that I love.

Thanks to my client who sent me the update. I am always wanting to hear about clothing stores or items that you have found or like.

www.wardrobeflair.com