Sunday 20 January 2013

Power Colour

Too much of a good thing can be even greater.

When it comes to that colour that makes your feel fab in all meanings of the word- go for it! Wear it every chance you get! Revel in the compliments about your glow.

Your power colour is one that makes you feel confident and bright. It suits your natural colouring in terms of temperature and tone (cool/dark and deep/medium/light). It can have a story, as many colours are associated with different sentiments, for instance, Blue is a colour inspiring calm and trust. Orange is a colour of lust, while white is one of purity and  Purple is one of royalty. You can of course give your own meaning to your power colour by making it your own. I love yellow. It is a colour that can be associated with being aloof, but when I wear yellow I want it to mean that I am bold and confident. I am a risk taker and I don't care about the haters.

A great way to maximise you power colour is to incorporate it into a monochromatic look. This is where you assemble garments of similar hues but differing tones into one outfit, head to toe. Bonus You may appear taller and leaner. It's different from being matchy- matchy because you will be using bold pieces. We're not talking about pairing a pink plastic belt with pink rubber flip flops and a pink woogie. I'm talking about pairing a mauve tailored blazer with a fuchia silk tunic, a pair of bright burgundy peg legged trousers and some rosy blush suede pumps. See the difference? I'm including some pictures of great monochromatic looks.
SS2013 Runways

Fall 2011

www.girlsguideto.com

www.six2eleven.net
www.theavenue.blogspot.com




Thursday 3 January 2013

Are you Hiding in your clothes?

It happens to us all- we put on a little bit of weight, our muffin tops peep out and we dive into immediate panic! For a lot of women, our mid-section gives us the most anxiety! Throw in some flabby arms and thunder thighs and we just want to crawl into a cave! So we do- into a cave of fabric!

Jessica Simpson can't hide!
This jumbo sweater makes her
even more conspicuous!
That's our second mistake- oversized clothes that swallow us whole. The first mistake is that we zoned into the negatives and blew up this idea in our heads that we have lost all control and we are FAT! Yes, I said it- Fat. I'm not going to tell you you're not fat- because I am that woman- I am the woman who whines about my weight and despite my friends' encouraging words and compliments- I still call myself the F-word. Shame on me. If you call yourself a name, that's how you are going to see yourself. Instead of "fat" and "mampie" (my fave), try "Fab" or "Radiant"! You will start to look past the obstacle of a couple pounds, and recognize the dazzling smile that your weight cannot affect, or the Pantene-Ad hair! You will start to notice that all along you have had creamy skin that people must envy! Or round perky breasts like no other!

Camouflage Art by Emma Hack



So if you have all this beauty to show off, why are you hiding in XXL tents? A common misconception is that flowy fabric can conceal all. WRONG! Think about the silhouette you are creating with these pieces. What you want to do rather than hide, is camouflage. The idea you want to achieve when styling yourself, is that your strong points are highlighted and the parts that you aren't too excited about, are thoughtfully camouflaged. It's all about drawing the onlooker's eyes to where you want them.


So if your tummy is ever-expanding but you have great legs and a flawless decolletage, stick with shorter skirts (the hem must hit you at the slimmest part of your leg. This is usually a couple inches above the knee) and open necklines. Dress up your face with eye-catching earrings and va-va-voom hair. Camouflage your midsection by wearing sturdier fabrics that don't pull or squeeze around your belly. Every line and crease is a flag saying "look over here!" Consider Peplum tops that accentuate a defined waist and cover the pooch. Go for monchromatic looks, where there is no break up of colour that highlights any area on your torso.

Wrap dresses that tie at the smallest part of you are wonderful
when camouflaging and emphasizing

There are countless tips and tricks to camouflage what you don't love about yourself (yet). What you need to do firstly, is pin- point every damn detail that makes you uniquely gorgeous, and show it off!