closet Archives - The Elegant Lane

The Cold Season Style Hack

Crazy rains, dull days, freezing cold. This is going to be pretty much our lives for at least the next two months or so. And knowing that things aren’t changing anytime soon could be the morale we need to adapt to the situation, huh? I know this season comes with more challenges than we are willing to handle, especially when we have to worry about important stuff like getting home before the wee hours of the morning, the kids getting home safe, cars that may require a fortune to fix due to floods, and sometimes, could that be my wake-up alarm I just heard while still stuck in traffic? (Apparently, true story…) Well yes the list of worries is endless.

Still beyond all the craziness, the tiny little vanity we have left after battling with all these depressing situations will have to worry about what to wear today. Which in fact IS still a big deal considering how life goes on no matter how much of a downpour is happening outside (as long as your building does not collapse of course), you have got to go to your meetings, meet up with the client for lunch, buy groceries, sit at your desk and work, pick up the kids from school, write fashion articles like yours truly and so on. So how about we take a break from the whole craze of rainy seasons and tickle our fancy just for a minute, by exposing some easy style hacks that will leave you looking so dashing you may even brighten your dull sunless days? I won’t bore you with details of what to wear when it’s cold or rainy because it is common sense that you will need warm clothes and this is where your boots and woolen jackets and scarfs will come into play. But how about a few tips and tricks on things you can change up a little that will not only transform your fall outfit from basic dull to bright and fabulous, but also make it more practical for the weather?

Dressing for Your Body Type – Apple Vs Pear

Knowing the right clothes for your body type is an important aspect of good dressing. Not all trends will look good on all body shapes and regardless of how fashionable a garment is, if it does not flatter your figure it just makes no sense purchasing it.

So ladies please stop starving yourself to get into your closet the newest trend in town without first asking yourself the fundamental question; how will that look on me?

For those who have not yet thought about their body type, here are two main reasons why you should.

One, there is a part of your body that you love and you want to accentuate. (If not please work on your self-confidence and wearing the right clothes will help you with that). On the flip side, and this is an unfortunate fact, almost every body type has a typical characteristics that its bearers are not too crazy about and are not quite happy with clothes that exaggerate that characteristic.

For instance most African women are well endowed on the bottom half of their bodies (read bum) and may have encountered the challenge of choosing well-fitting office wear especially, to look chic and respectable at the same time. So some may opt to hide under unflattering garments in the name of decency which need not be the case.

Knowing your body proportions helps you determine how to dress all the parts to achieve a balanced silhouette – with curves in all the right places!

Women’s body shapes usually will fall under four categories that most people are familiar with; the apple, the pear, the hourglass and the banana.

Isn’t it cute how they chose to call them fruit names to make sure you aren’t in the least bit offended? Except the hour-glass of course because, well, it is the hour glass… Anyway I digress.

Basically these names were coined to illustrate the distinct characteristics of each body type. So, with the current fashion trends and your body shape in mind, let’s talk about the easiest trends to adopt and, those to, not necessarily absolutely avoid, but tread their territory with stylish care.

These tips will help you know your figure and flatter it with the trendiest and most appropriate clothing for this age, without hiding your fabulousness.

Today we will talk about the busty apple and the curvy pear. In the next issue we will discuss the evasive hourglass and the athletic banana.