Back to Basics, Part Three: How to Buy Jeans

Jeans! Oh… JEANS! But how is a girl to find the perfect fit. Someone once told me that the average woman tries on 19 pairs of jeans before she finds one that fits right.  My first and best advice with jeans is to try and try again.

Piece of advice number 2:  Don’t go too cheap on the jeans.  The $25 pair of jeans does not fit or last like the $80, $100, or $200 pair.

I suggest Buffalo, 7 for All Mankind, and Joe’s Jeans. Buffalo is the most cost effective.  I like Buffalo because their jeans come in different lengths and cuts.  7 for All Mankind are my personal favorite because I have never met a pair of 7’s I didn’t love.  Joe’s Jeans are a favorite of many people. When going on a personal shopping trip with clients, Joe’s Jeans are my go-to brand because they fit lots of different body types.

The rise and cut of the jean is very important. The “rise” is the length from the crotch to the waistband.  In-store, you probably won’t ask or be asked for an exact measurement. The label will say low-rise, mid-rise, high-rise.

(F.Y.I: low-rise jeans DO NOT look good on most women. Low-rise jeans are often the culprits that cause the dreaded muffin top. If the jean’s rise hits higher on the waist the muffin top becomes less of an issue.)

The “cut” (or the leg opening) of the jean is the next important part to consider.  The “cut” of the jean is defined by width of the leg opening, compared to the width of the jean at the knee.

For example:  Straight legged jeans have the same width at the knee and the opening. Flared jeans will have a much larger width at the leg opening versus the knee.

Here are some examples (the opening has been folded up to the knee bend):

Skinny Leg Cut Jean — The leg opening is smaller than the width of the knee.

Straight Leg Cut Jean — The leg opening is about equal to the width at the knee.

Bootcut Jean — The leg opening is slightly wider than the knee width (presumably, to fit around a calf-high boots)

Flared Jean — The leg opening is much wider than the width of the knee.

The skinny jean has become very popular in past 7-5 years. HOWEVER, If you are self-concusious about your lower belly, hips and/or thighs, skinny jeans are not the jeans for you. Skinny jeans will only serve to exaggerate the size of the hips and the thighs. The best cuts for those of you who are concerned about the lower belly, hips, and/or thighs are wide legged straight cut jeans or boot cut. Straight legged and boot cut jeans will give you a balanced look from waist to ankle.

The wash of a jean (or the color) can be important as well. Darker washes are usually more flattering on most people. Other washes can be flattering if they are “discolored” in the correct places. When looking at a wash make sure that the lightest part of the jean is on the top of the thigh (bellow the pockets and above your knees) and that the side/seems of the jean (inner and outer thighs) are darker. The slight differences in color between the top of the thigh and the sides create a slimming effect!

Notice how the wash is a bit lighter on the top of the thigh and darker on the sides

So to recap what IS important when shopping for jeans:

• The Rise
• The Cut
• The Wash

What is NOT important…. THE NUMBER! The size on the tag is not important, no body can see it but you. What others will be able to see that you have tried to squeeze a muffin top into a teenagers low-rise skinny jean or… that you have chosen a classy pair of jeans that fits you perfectly and looks great on your body! Now that you have the knowledge you need to pick the prefect jeans… heres to happy shopping!

Back to Basics- Part One: The Foundations

I am a sucker for high fashion! I love to dress up it the latest trendy skirt and heels but lately I’ve been thinking about creating fantastically stylish outfits with the simple basics. Basics are all important… YOU NEED THEM… and you need to invest in them. From Bra’s to jeans to simple long sleeves. Having proper fitting basics allow women to be comfortable and not look like complete slobs.

Let’s start with Foundations, yes I mean bras and panties.

YOU HAVE TO GO GET FITTED FOR A BRA! Believe me, you don’t know what size bra you wear. Go to Dillard’s or any other intimate apparel retailer and ask for their fit specialist. They will measure to and help you find bras that work for size and shape and what bras to stay away from. You should go every 6 months to a year to be refitted and re-buy (your bra that you bought 3 years ago isn’t doing its job anymore… it’s time to upgrade, you deserve it)! Bras’ lose the elasticity after 6 to 12 months of wear (depending on how often they are worn and how you wash them, hand washing will increase there “life expectancy”).

This is my list of all the types of bra’s a women should have in her wardrobe at all times:

1 nude t-shirt bra
1 black t-shirt bra
1 nude convertible bra (that can be strapless, racerback, or traditional)
1 black convertible bra (that can be strapless, racerback, or traditional)

With these four bra’s you should be able to have appropriate match for all your clothes.

Now for the underwear…

My first piece of advice for everyday is buy what fits and what is comfortable. In addition buy SPANX! Make the investment. With Spanx you will avoid the visible pantie line. I know some of you think you can avoid that with a tong… sadly many of you are wrong. The only thing worst that pantie lines going across some lady’s butt cheeks is seeing that nasty line across another woman’s upper hips… and you know where that line ends up… freakin’ gross right. Spanx are not the most comfortable thing in the world but the peace of mind knowing your lines have no chance of showing makes up for that. I suggest Spanx’s “Skinny Britches.” They are really thin and really useful and come is loads of colors.

Without the proper foundations you have already made a disaster of your outfit even before you slip on your dress or your t-shirt and jeans. Invest in the items you wear EVERYDAY you will feel more confident and that is the best way to pull off any outfit.

Makeup Your Mind NARS!!!

If you are a makeup lover like me you’ve probably have tried NARS makeup. It is all good. My personal favorites are the powder blushes in “Orgasm,” “Deep Throat,” (no, I’m not being dirty, those are the names of the blush colors) “Sex Appeal,” and “Angelika.” Eyeshadow duos you should run to get are “Silk Road” and “Rated R.” I LOVE the matte lip sticks and the the body illumater too… BUT… here is the ultimate guide… The manual to multiple makeup looks created by NARS founder François Nars… Here are two must haves if you love makeup! 1) Makeup Your Mind 2) Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself

Outfit of the Month- April 2011

This is no April fools joke… the following is a SURE-FIRE, kick-ass, in season, outfit!

Top:

*Marc Jacobs: spring 2011

 

Tucked into:

*J Brand: Style Martini

 

With:

*Diesel belt

 

*Michael Kors- Shoulder Bag

 

*Michael Kors- Dillon Raffia Sandal

*Garcia & Co. -New Mexico; call for pricing (505)326.7353

 

 

*Garcia & Co.- New Mexico; Call for pricing (505) 326.7353

 

 

 

*Note: Click images for more information or to purchase.

The Language of Men’s Clothes- Part Three

Part Three: the yoke of the shirt and the all important… TIE!

The Yoke- The yoke of a shirt is the piece of fabric that rest across the shoulders. The yoke allows for movement and can be altered to make the shirt fit properly.

The shirt above has a single yoke panel, or is simply called a plain yoke. The shirt bellow has a split yoke.

Now for the TIE!

Lets start with a little history first.  The tie is thought to have originated during the Thirty Years War of 1600’s. The first known publication on how to tie a tie (or a cravat has they were) appeared in September of 1818. It was called the Neckclothitania. The following is a page out of the book:

The Neckclothitania was prints as a joke, making fun of how many knots and methods had come along.

In Today’s world there still more knots and methods of tying ties than one person can count but two knots that are generally wore by most men, the full windsor knot and the half windsor knot. Bellow are videos of how to tie these knots.

For more information on the subject of ties visit The Art Manliness.

The Language of Men’s Clothes- Part Two

This post is going to be all about collars. There are loads of collar details that make choosing the right dress shirt a little more involved than one first thinks. Lets get started:

There are three things to consider when looking a a collar: 1)the collar point length    2)the collar point type    3)the collar spread.

image source; gentlemansway.com

The point length: The distance from the top of the collar fold to the bottom of the point, measured on the edge of the collar opening– The point length varies from shirt to shirt. Point length is matter of tremendous worry because the point length affects the way your face looks. Men with long, oval faces should not choose collars points longer that 3 inches because this will make their faces’ appear to be longer than they are. On-the-other-hand,  a man with a short, round face a should pick collars with a longer point length because the points will lengthen and give the appearance of a thinner face.

On the left is Jude Law who has a long, oval face. You can see how short his collar points are. On the Right is Elijah Wood who has a shorter, round face and is wearing a collar with long points:

The point type: The style of the the point classified by its features– the features of collars point can clue you into the use of the shirt. For example shirts with button collars are less dressy than a shirt without buttons. Here are some illustrations of a few collar point styles you might run into:

The spread: the distance between the points of the collar– Bellow are two examples of the most common spreads. Note: There are MANY MANY more including modern spread, combo spread, and curve spread. Like I said the two spreads I have chosen to show here the most common and most have the most agreed upon definitions out there. The wider the spread the dresser the shirt! The spread is probably the most important feature of the collar because of the tie (if you plan on wearing a tie with a wide knot DO NOT choose a modern of slim spread collar).

Traditional:

Wide:

The Language of Men’s Clothes- Part One

It seems to me that women’s fashion is much easier to understand than men’s fashion. In women’s fashion there are obviously noticeable difference from season to season, year to year. Men’s fashion, on-the-other-hand, has subtle differences from season to season, year to year. A scene from Ugly Betty Season 3 episode 15 (“There’s No Place Like Mode”) illustrates this perfectly:

“Wilhelmina [about Daniel’s cuffs]: Peering? My god Daniel, have some self respect
Daniel: I really need you to deal with these
Betty: Okay
Daniel: Last year the mandate was for cuffs to be peering out from jackets. At Marc Jacobs’ preview last night suddenly they’re peaking instead. Can you believe it?
Betty: Nope, I can’t
Daniel: It was humiliating. I need an eight of an inch off all of them ASAP. Please use your discretion. I’d be mortified if anyone knew they were mine.”

HERE IS A LESSON #1 in MEN’s FASHION TERMS

Believe me, this is going to take multiple post…

…but is all interesting to know.

 

THE LAPEL
Lapel refers to the collar/neckline trim of a jacket, coat, or blazer

Notched Lapel- The is the classic lapel

 

Peak Lapel- This lapel is more formal, often found on tuxedos

 

Shawl Lapel– This lapel was made popular in 19th century with the introduction of the “smoking jacket.”

 

 

JACKETS/ COATS

Sports Jacket: Jackets are textured and/or have a pattern. Sports Jackets developed out of the 1800’s as causal wear suitable for men to wear to horse races, boxing matches, tennis matches, and the like.

Blazers: Blazers are solid color. Blazers are the more formal of the two. They are made of smooth fabric and often have brass or other metal buttons.

Hugo Boss Brown Wool Sportcoat Jacket

 

 

Ben Sherman Men’s Oxbridge Blazer in Navy

 

 

CUFFS

Button Cuff: The button cuff in closed with buttons and comes in a variety of lengths and weights

 

French Cuff: The French cuff is long and heavy, meant to be folded back once and then linked together with cuff-links or silk-knots. Note: Do not wear a french cuff shirt with a sports jacket.

 

Link Cuff: The Link cuff, like the french cuff has no buttons

Long Lengths for Spring 2011

 

This is what I’m dreaming for spring to summer 2011…

… All-in-all think new 70’s glam (but without the music and the sparkles)!

Main lesson: mind your hem lines.

1. Mixed prints- The Key is to mix small and large prints together and matching color palette (like blues with other blues, and purples with other purples or dark reds).

Miu Miu Spring 2011, source; Gorunway.com/ photo by: Monica Feudi

2. Bright color- Feel free to rock the craziest color you can (note: not everyone can pull off yellow, orange, etc… be sure to experiment to find the best brights for your skin tone).

Michael Kors spring 2011, source: style.com

 

3. EXTREME hem lengths:

• Long (like covering your shoes long) wide legged pants

Akris spring 2011, source; fashionising.com

• REALLY short skirts and shorts

Marc Jacobs spring 2011, source; style.com

 

• Dresses and skirts that are pass the knee, tea length, or brushing the floor

Chanel spring 2011, source; style.com

 

D&G spring 2011, source; searchingforstyle.com

 

Jil Sander spring 2011, source; getty images

4. Funky-chunky shoes- ***I know these shoes are FANTASTIC, but remember don’t get them if you can’t walk like a lady in them… there are so many options out there…

From left to right, source; style.com- Top row; Bally spring 2011, Brian Atwood spring 2011. Bottom row; Calvin Klein spring 2011, 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Suits are to Humans as Feathers are to Birds

“Because of the wealth of information a woman’s appearance provides about her fertility and reproductive value, men were predicted to place a greater premium on physical appearance or physical attractiveness than do women in mate selection. Although physical appearance was still predicted to be important for women in their choice of a mate because of its link to health, many qualities that women desire such as resources and status are not easily evaluated by physical appearance” (The Evolution of Human Mating by David M. Buss)

_____________________________________________________________________

It would seem that most men don’t think that dressing themselves’ nicely is a priority. Science says those men are wrong.

…That is why “pick-up artist” will often call dressing up “peacocking”…

And what is the easiest way to tell status? To give others visual clues? Answer: the way you dress of course.

Status symbols for men are things like nice cars and suits. However, they are also the simple little things like shoes, belts, and watches. These are the little visual clues that let others know if you have money, pay attention to detail, and care about how the way you look reflects in the world. Let’s be blunt here… This may all seem REALLY superficial and vain to many people out there. You may be saying to yourself right now “I could care less about how others view me and how I look.” That is fine if you really have NO motivation to get a job you enjoy, find a girlfriend, or earn the respect of your peers. Cross-cultural studies have found time and time again that when a man dresses well he earns more money, is more respected than his ill-dresses counterparts, and is more likely to attract not only a good-looking mate, but one who is loving as well.  You men might not be convinced that women take note of these things but somewhere in the back of ours head, when we see a man wearing a nice pair of shoes or a Rolex, we think… “Wow, okay… he can talk to me… IN FACT… I want him to talk to me! ” Here it is, plain and simple: most women care about how their mate or potential mate dresses.

Vain? Yes… but it is the reality of our modern situation, one which has extremely limited opportunities for men to show off their status and desirable qualities by conducting kin/tribal meeting or hunting for food.

For more info on this topic I suggest these interesting reads:

1. The Evolution Of Desire by David M. Buss
2. Rules of the Game by Neil Strauss (**WARNING… this book could be considered offensive and does contain dangerous information!)

NOW… I AM NOT SAYING that every man should go out and buy a $300 suit, a Rolex, and a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes.

I AM SAYING to invest in a nice pair of dress shoes (they don’t have to cost you an arm and a leg) they just need to look nice and like you care! A great pair is Rockport Evander Oxfords.

I AM SAYING to invest in a nice pair of jeans… ones that you can wear with a dress shirt or a t-shirt like Joe’s Jeans- Men’s Classic Fit.

I AM REALLY SAYING to invest in a few great pieces that will make you look great when you go out, when you go to work, or really just anytime you want to walk out the door.

Dressing Up For Oscar

…IN THE WORDS OF COLD STONE CREAMERY…

 

THE LIKE ITS:

Natalie Portman in Rodarte (photo by: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Natalie is really beautiful and so cute pregnant. I like this dress… I don’t love it.. it is just o.k. I wish she would have worn a dress that showed off that belly instead of “trying to hide it.”

 

 

 

Helena Bonham Carter, dress by costume designer Colleen Atwood (Photo by: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

I like this dress because in is an expression of who Ms. Helena is and what she believes the Oscar night is about: the movies. I love that she chose a costume designer to dress her. So cheers to an amazing actress… here is to being yourself!

 

 

 

 

THE LOVE ITS:

Hilary Swank in Gucci Premiere (photo by: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

It is the way to wear feathers. I’ve been diggin’ this color since fall… and I’m still in love with it!

 

 

 

Annette Bening in Naeem Khan (photo by: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

I Love this look for her because it is age appropriate and sparkly at the same time. The jewelry is simple… this is how to do a sparkly dress in your 50’s!

 

 

 

 

AND THE (BEST OF THE EVENING) GOTTA HAVE IT:

 

Cate Blachett in  Givenchy Couture (photo by: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

This was my favorite look of the night. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it… WOW!!!!

 

 

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa (photo by: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

This is a perfect dress for a 14 year old girl… Hailee is absolutely gorgeous!!!!

 

 

Anne Hathaway in Valentino (and everything else she wore too) (photo by: Jeff Vespa/WireImage)

I love Anne… I love Rachel Zoe (who apparently got paid six figures to pick out jaw dropping dresses for Anne… can I have her job PLEASE!!!!)… Together they make a fashion orgasm!

 

 

…And those who COMPLETELY MISSED THE MARK! So I not going to spend time tracking down photos of the dresses I HATED but here’s the list:

• Nicole Kidman
• Gwyneth Paltrow (I know, I know… loads of other critics loved it… it just made me say “GROSS”)
• Amy Adams
• Marisa Tomei
• Penelope Cruz