Fashion Faux-Pas

A look back at what once was popular and it's now a fashion faux-pas. (Faux-pas is French, literally meaning "false step", aka: a fashion blunder). Try to avoid the following:

Tie-dye

Try to get shirts with 1-3 colors. 

Fanny packs

Fanny packs add volume around your tummy-- something we want to avoid. Use a purse to carry your necessities around. 

Overalls

Little girls look super cute in these, but I would probably skip them as an adult. Also, that second color blue makes the jeans look like one flat color-- we want a tiny bit of variety in a jean color-- refer to Wardrobe Staples to see good jean examples. 

Velour jogging suits 

Activewear should be looser fitting to allow for movement and that doesn't look like velvet. The above outfit will quickly show sweat in a lot of places, embarrassing! Also, activewear should be worn only if you are exercising. 

Something like this is just fine. I like to wear white t-shirts (they are cooler temperature wise). 

Big-patterned shirts/ Shirts with too many colors

See how our eyes go right past the face of the models and straight to the shirts? These are busy and often make the person look bigger. We want people looking at you, not a busy shirt. It should compliment your beautiful face and draw eyes there. Try something like this:

See how our eyes are drawn towards her face? 

Tucked-in shirts 

Try not to tuck in shirts. (You will see pant models tucking in their shirt, but that's just to sell the pants). Longer shirts will generally elongate your torso and make you look taller and thinner. Something like this:

Big back pocket jeans

These make your tush flat and wide. Take a look below for a good example:

Pockets should be smaller and just on your tushy. See how it makes things shapely here? 

Tapered pants 

They taper down to your ankle and end there.  Pants should go past the ankle-- almost skimming the floor. Those will flatter you much more. 

Sandals and socks

If it's cold, wear shoes.

Whiskered jeans

Whiskers belong on cats, not your pants. ;)

Light jeans and black shoes or vice-versa 

Also, white socks with black pants or vice-versa should be avoided. See how it cuts her outfit into sections? We want outfits to flow. 

White washed jeans

We want natural looking jean colors. Again, take a look at Wardrobe Staples for good jean color examples. 

Ugg boots

Try to get more neutral colored boots that are more sophisticated. If you like boots, go for something like these:

 Leather is a great choice! 

What is a "fashionista"?

fash⋅ion⋅is⋅ta

  [fash-uh-nee-stuh]

–noun

a person working in or deeply involved with the high-fashion industry; a devotee to clothing fashion 

(Webster's New Millennium dictionary)

Wardrobe staples

• Pair of black heels
• Pair of brown heels 

Heels-- pointy is great! If you can do stilletos, go ahead. If you're more of a simple girl and want a thicker heel, that's ok too! Below are great examples. SHOES SHOULD BE LEATHER. Man-made ones don't last as long and don't look as good. 

• Black knee-length skirt. This should not be stretchy. It should be tailored. Like this--

Notice her cute heels! 

• Button-down blouses of several different colors. If you are curvy and have heard that black is your only choice, don't believe it! Color brings out colors in your eyes, your skin, and your fun personality! We'll soon go over what colors look good one with different skin & hair types.

• Undershirts for layering & to make things modest. These should be long and have short sleeves.  At least have a black, a white, and a brown. 

• Pair of khaki pants

See-- they go past the ankles. They almost skim the floor. This is what we want. Absolutely NO tappering pants. We'll go over that soon. 

• Pair of black dress pants

These are great for work, a nice party, a night out on the town, going to a nice restaurant, seeing a play or musical, etc. Lots of possibilities! They will go great with your button-down blouses of almost any color, a cute tailored jacket, or fun dressy shirt. 

• At least 2 pair of good jeans, one a little lighter than the other. You want one that's more casual, one more dressy. Jeans should ALWAYS go past the ankles. 

No skinny jeans. No tappered jeans. No white-washed jeans. No cut-offs. No holes or torn knees. No jeans that go almost up to your ribcage. No hip-huggers. Those don't flatter ANYONE. Girls have curves, whether small or big, and hip-huggers show those curves in the wrong way, an unflattering way. 

Here are some good examples of YES jeans:

<--More casual

Nice sneakers. No white Keds from the 90's. Ones that are good to run errands in or go to a football game, going to lunch, things like that. Places where heels would look out of place. 

 

BAD    These are wrong for various reasons: no arch support. They aren't versatile. They get dirty quickly. No traction (if there's water on the floor, you'll be slip sliding away). And they aren't in style. They haven't been for years. 

 

GOOD   They are versatile. And see- they have a little bit of a heel. And it has arch support. They are black and brown: that means they match with more things! They have some traction. And they look great. I would wear these with jeans. AGAIN, SHOES SHOULD BE LEATHER. No canvas. No man-made. Those fall apart and wear easily. Invest in leather shoes. You will not regret it. 

• A black purse and a brown purse. These should be, you guessed it, LEATHER. Avoid a lot of pockets on the outside. And lots of ornament things-- like 5 buckles. Cute little details are good. Once you have these two, you can branch out to others-- like red, lime green, purple, etc. 

• At least one basic cardigan (a lighter sweater that buttons down the front) 

• Pair of capris for summer-- keep it simple. Simple goes with more things! Make sure it DOES NOT cuff at the bottom (look like it's rolled up). It should be tailored. Again, not stretchy. 

• Bermuda shorts. Thank heavens knee-length shorts are in style! Hurray for modesty :)

• One feel-good dress (aka "little black dress"). It doesn't have to be black of course, but black is a good choice-- you can pair it with a bright purse, a colorful necklace or bracelet, colored heels (once you have the essentail shoes, feel free to branch out! Red is a great choice!).  This dress should make you feel great about your body and you feel confident in it. Try to get one that's not floor-length. Knee length or a little lower is more versatile. It should not be stretchy. Stretchy usually means clingy. Clingy means showing all the little bumps and curves you have. In an unflattering way. 

  

These ones are from Mikarose (a Utah-based company that does modest clothing)

 

These are from www.sweetinnocencedresses.com

If you are outside of Utah, you can always dress up & modify a sleeveless dress with a sweater, a tailored short jacket, a bolero, a shrug, etc. 

Rules

1. Show off your assets! Every woman has a right to look and feel good in her body. Dressing to your potential boosts self-esteem and builds confidence in your body. We'll go over each shape and how best to dress it.

2. Invest in quality pieces that will last. Get pieces with good fabric. Yes, this means skipping the paper-thin shirts at Abercrombe and Fitch. We'll go over wardrobe staples soon. 

3. Avoid fads for the most part. If you really want something that's the new "in" thing, buy one or two articles of clothing/ an accessory that will pair with your staples that you've invested in.

Fanny packs. A fad. My point proven.

There are more rules to come and we'll go over it all in-depth soon! Any questions, feel free to email. :)

Shape

Basics 101

Which shape are you?

 

The Pear

 

You are a Pear if you have:

Curvy hips and wide thighs

A small bust

Narrow shoulders

And you're wider below the waist than above it

The Apple

You're an apple if you have:

A large bust

Broad shoulders

Narrow hips

A less defined waist

The Hourglass

You're an hourglass if you have:

A large bust

Narrow waist 

Full thighs

Wide hips

Straight Figure

You have a straight figure if you have:

A slim waist

Narrow hips

Small bust

Long, slim legs