Limping Along

Several weeks ago, I injured my ankle and have been nursing it back with limited success.  The injury is severe enough that I've been wearing a gray plastic rigid brace for the past several weeks.  I decided to include that in this note because wearing a brace and presenting a pulled-together confident look can present a challenge.  Yesterday, after days of wearing one single pair of black flats built for comfort not style I couldn't take it any longer.  I substituted a more flexible black elastic brace and slid my feet into a sandal with a bit of a heel. 

I need to confess that it was a bad choice.  My ankle didn't feel good throughout the day and neither did I.  Needless to say, as a result, while I intended to be a bit more stylish and confident I achieved the opposite. I was uncomfortable in my clothes all day long.

Today, I'm back to less stylish flats and the rigid brace, and I feel better already.  Lesson learned.  Style extends to grace and confidence even when a body part it encased in rigid gray plastic!

Hot Color Combos -- Just in Time for Hot Weather Wear

Let your style savvy boil over with these hot color combos for summeR:

• Gray and red.  For a dramatic look, link dark red against gray. Go for a cheerier look by linking gray with a bright red.  Looking for other ideas?  Red also pairs with plum, navy and white.
• Tan and orange.  Citrus and khaki are made to go together for a relaxed, comfortable look. Orange can link up with olive, brown and navy, too.
• White and yellow.  Yellow adds just enough punch to take a monochromatic look for hot to sizzling. You also can pair yellow with khaki, gray and navy. 
• Navy and turquoise.  Let a bit of turquoise brighten up your navy.  Turquoise also is a great match for yellow, brown and gray. 

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

Selecting shoes is an art form unto itself.  Select the wrong shoe and if can detract from an otherwise pulled-together look. 

If you are petite, matching the tone of your shoes to your tights, hosiery or bottom layer can help elongate your legs. Beware of heels that are too high.  They tend to make you look off-balance.  If you're going for flats, look for styles that have a slight bit of heel rather than those that are dead flat.
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Wearing the highest heels you can manage, as long as they are in balance with your outfit (high, high heels and short, short skirts are out of balance).  Before you go too high, make sure you can walk in them.  Wobbling along on heels is not the way to go for safety or for presenting a confident look. Boots that come to the knees can be a good choice; mid-calf boots will tend to make you look stubby. Square-toed shoes are not your best choice, either. They make your legs look heavy and boxy.

And. last but least, look for shoes made of leather or other breathable materials -- not man-made.  They will help keep your feet healthy.

Regardless of your body shape or the shoe styles you select, make sure they fit well.  And, just like your wardrobe pieces, there are some options to alter your shoes if you love them but they need to fit a bit better. Your local shoe repair shop can stretch your leather shoes in almost any area where you need a bit more room, and some heels can be lowered.  If the soles are a bit thin, ask about having a better sole affixed.

And, don't forget. Your shoes need TLC, too.  Check them regularly for run-down heel caps and other signs of wear.  Visiting your shoe repair shop early with them can greatly extend their life.  Last tip.  It's best to not wear the same pair of shoes multiple days in a row.  Allowing them time to breath between wearings also helps extend their life.

The Mane Thing

Personal style is not limited to wardrobe and accessories.  Your hair plays an important part, too, and you want to adopt a hair style that works for you and is simple and easy to do at home. As a rule of thumb, I try not to adopt any hair routine that takes more than 15 minutes in the morning to put in "from the salon" order and one that also can go out with less than 15 minutes when I'm pressed for time.

Back to the "from the salon" look.  If you can't accomplish at home what your stylist can do in the salon, be sure to talk with him or her about what you can do to improve your techniques.  For me, I use a dryer stand to give me two hands and I have a selection of brushes and combs to work with.  If that sounds like overkill, let me share this with you.

After truly a couple of years of struggling to try to get the same movement and finish on my style that my stylist always turns out, I recently remarked to her that I can generally get the shape she accomplishes in the salon but not the finish, she pulled out the two different types of brushes she uses when she does my hair and told me which she uses for the shape and which she uses for the finish.  I had both types at home and pulled out the "finishing" brush for my next attempt.   Voila!  After lots of disappointments in my ability to finish my hair, when I used the proper tool it worked! 

For the best effort, if you don't have a hair stylist that you visit regularly, think about finding one that is both capable and willing to work with you to help you adapt your hair to the look you want and who is willing to show you how to get the best results at home.  After all, it's in the stylists best interest to have you hit the streets with a great looking "do" everyday.  You're their walking advertisement.

Head for the Alter

If having your clothing tailored or altered is not a part of your regular practices, don't overlook it as an imporant component of your style and your wardrobe activities.  As much as many of us would like to be able to pull pieces off the rack and have them fit perfectly and cling and hang in all the right places, the reality is that virtually none of us should expect that to happen.  Let's face it.  The models you see on magazine covers, runways, TV, etc., are airbrushed and pinned, taped and clipped together to get their looks of perfection.

If you don't have the skills to alter yourself, invest a bit of time to find someone who can help you make some minor and/or some major revisions to clothes in your closet that no longer fit and to new pieces that need a tweak to make them perfect additions for you.

National Velvet

Expect to see velvet on the fashion scene for next fall and winter.  It's soft drape, plush finish and overall efeeeling of elegance make it a sure bet for fashion that is trending back toward femininity.  And, don't overlook the possibility of integrating velvet into your everyday where with just a touch added to collars or cuffs or added design.

Fancy Pants Coming in June

Laid-back and glitzy are being married in June when a new line of jeans debut.  Designed by Serge Aria of Current/Elliot and Consuelo Castiglioni of Marnie, the denim jeans come in a variety of styles from relaxed-fit to the current hot "boyfriend" trend in jeans and jackets (the word is don't look for skinny here) and all are embellished with intricate and beautiful embroidery designs.

These jeans are expected to drop into the market in June with a price that will range from around $180 to $500.  Look for them at Saks Fifth Avene, Neiman Marcus and Barneys.