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

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

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)

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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.

Face It

FACE IT… IT IS TIME TO TAKE CARE OF THAT MUG THE RIGHT WAY… RIGHT NOW!

So here’s the deal… Your face is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT player in your image. It contains the windows to your soul (your eyes), it expresses how you are feeling… Let’s face it (no pun intended) your face is our first impression, so you might as well take care of it the best you can: you only get one chance (this is assuming you don’t get plastic surgery, and I suggest you skip it)!

HERE ARE THE “MUST DO”s:

1.) SUNSCREEN… people people people… SUNSCREEN… How many times does a doctor, dermatologist, beauty expert, …ME! have to tell you JUST WEAR IT!!!! It is so easy. For the ladies: so many make-up products contain sunscreen… buy one and then wear it. My Favorite is Jane Iredale! This make-up is the best make-up I have ever put on my face. It covers everything and doesn’t come off till you wash it off. The best part is, it’s recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation.  For the men: Get a light lotion with an SPF. A fav of the men in my life is Clinique Age Defense Hydrator SPF 15.

2.) Wash Up… So your face doesn’t need to be washed twice-a-day… really it just needs to be washed at night. I know that other experts will tell you to wash your face twice-a-day but I find that washing your face more that once-a-day doesn’t really do anything but make your face more sensitive and more prone to break outs. Don’t wash your face like you are trying to scrub off your skin… You literally need to wet your face, lightly scrub with a gentle facial wash for a count of 10, rinse off the soap, and pat dry. That is it… washing it longer and scrubbing harder won’t make your skin cleaner or clearer… it will just dry it out (and if you have acne it will just make it worse)!

3.) MOISTURIZE!!! Your skin (especially if you live in a dry climate) is BEGGING you for MOISTURE! I Don’t think many people realize that their skin is breaking out because it is too dry… If you skip the moisturizer then you are most likely making your skin over-compensate and produce more oil (Don’t believe me CLICK HERE to read more about acne and how to cure it the nice way). The BESTEST BEST moisturizer is, without doubt The Youth As We Know It, by Bliss! It is expensive, but remember you only get one face… treat it right!

4.) Exfoliate- You (women and men) should exfoliate at least once a week (twice at the most)! This will keep the dead skin off, and keep your pores free of the yuckiness! My two favorite products for this are Clarisonic Mia(TM) Sonic Skin Cleansing System and Bliss Pore Perfecting Facial Polish! The Bliss Face Polish is gentle enough to use everyday (I like to use it in the mornings).

 **WARNING** if you have acne DO NOT EXFOLIATE!!! This will make your face really really really mad and it WILL BREAK OUT MORE! It is ok to exfoliate GENTLY once every two weeks… but more than that will just annoy your skin and possibly make it break-out more!

Image and Your Pay Check

This is an article I found about image in the workplace. This short article highlights the need to be well groomed everyday in your workplace.

READ IT HERE: Ways Your Appearance Affects You Paycheck By Alyson Shontell