• The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but,  of course, society demands something more than this."
    Mark Twain



    Dear Susan,
          When I enter a store, I get completely confused.  I usually just look at the mannequins and try to copy this look or I look at racks of clothing and get frustrated.   One time  I followed around a woman and saw what she picked up, another time I had a sales clerk help me and she just " yesed"  me to death and a big fat commission.  I need a few rules to help me navigate this scary world of fashion.
    Signed
    A Closet full of anxiety

    Dear Anxious Closet Case,
           Fashion should be easy and fun. That being said, I know that it is easy to get overwhelmed with tv, magazines and store images. There are three factors to every garment you purchase- cut, color and quality.
     Cut-
    The shape of your body can dictate the shape of the garment you purchase.  Great fashion accentuates the positive and detracts from the negative. No garment can make you look 30 pounds lighter, but by making your top and bottom halves proportionate to each other, you create an all over slimmed silhouette. If the garment is shaped like a box, than so will you. Seaming, Seaming and more Seaming.....
    Color -      
    “ When someone says that lime-green is the new black for this season, you just want to tell them to get a life.”
     Bruce Oldfield  (English Fashion designer}.
      Every season, we are told blah blah is the new black. Let's face it nothing is ever going to replace black as the "go to" color. That being said, new colors  and styles are brought forth each season. Most of us have a wardrobe consisting of the four basic food group colors beige, black brown, and navy. The easiest way to try an "it" color is a scarf, shoe, bag, or top.  The surest way to try a new style is in a basic color. Combining  the two can make you feels as if the clothes are wearing you or make you look like your trying too hard. Fashion is hard, style is effortless. 
    Quality -
    The fabrication of a garment, meaning it's construction and it's material, indicate the quality of a purchase.  Not only does construction refer to the seaming of a piece, but how the piece fits you. Very often people will say" But I got it for eight dollars!"; if it fits and looks cheap then all I can reply is "Yes, it looks like it". It is better to invest in the fit and quality of your basic wardrobe than buy fifty "bargains"
     So Anxious, follow your heart , know your body and dress for yourself
    SUSAN

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How to REALLY try on a pair of shoes; do you have the proper mental karma?

You may read the title of this piece and think, “Well, I’m not a moron.  I know how to put my shoes on.  I’ve been doing it for at least five years.”  But I’m not referring to the mechanics of putting the shoes on your feet; I’m talking about having the right physical and mental “Karma” for a successful footwear experience.  So here’s a list of things to remember:

 

(1)  Most women have swelling issues at one time or another. Some women are swollen at the end of the day, some women wake up swollen and some swell due to heat (both from hormones and/or weather).  When you try on shoes, remember whether or not you are swollen, and keep in mind the condition of your feet on an average day. For instance, in the early spring, people start to try on those cute strappy sandals, and the temperature outside is 46 degrees. The shoes are very snug - “But they’re leather, they’ll stretch,” you say.  Now picture the same shoes on your feet at a temperature of 86 degrees and 75% humidity- Ouch.

 

 

(2)  In the early fall, the opposite problem can present itself - we’ll call this “Summer Foot”.  Summer foot is the sensation of all shoes feeling tight after a season of wearing flip-flops etc.  You feel as if all the shoes are made too small.  Remember, you may have swelling and are not used to the sensation of leather actually surrounding your foot.

 

 (3)  When you try on a shoe, wear the same type of stocking as your will wear with the shoe.  No, you can not wear wool socks with the same shoe you wear trouser socks  - unless the shoe is too large, backless or an oversized ankle boot with ankle closure. Clomp!  Clomp!

 

(4)  Many women don’t like the look of their feet. I can’t count the number of times someone tells me how hideous they perceive their feet to be. Now in my time, I have seen EVERY kind of foot, the good, the bad and the ugly!  98.7% of women (based on unscientific biased study by me) have normal feet. So here’s the tip:  NEVER LOOK DOWN AT YOUR FEET!  I’m serious about this.  Look at your feet in a mirror.  By looking in a mirror you take “you” and your image of “you” out of the picture.  “Hey, those shoes look nice on that woman dressed (strangely enough) like me”.

 

(5)  Don’t limit yourself. Not all pointy toe shoes require the removal of your pinky toe to be comfortable and not all clogs are comfortable.  On the flip side, conservative    (not matronly) styles are not always bad and trendy styles are not always good. Be open to new ideas –you may discover you like them!

Happy shoe shopping!!

Dotty