Stripe Club

So what do zebras, candy canes and barber shop poles have in common? That's right. Stripes!

Everyone can wear stripes. Depending on your body shape, you can choose horizontal or vertical, thick or thin, pastel or bold. Striped boat neck shirts look fabulous with a blazer and jeans. Striped dresses and skirts can be paired with a sweater or jacket. For a funky look, wear striped socks, gloves, hats or scarves.

Famous stripers: gondola boatmen, candy stripers and mimes!

Fits Like a Glove

It's time to get your gloves and mittens out of storage. I like to wear both, depending on my mood. Cute fuzzy gloves you find for five dollars at discount stores come in assorted colors like red, orange, blue, green and purple. Or you can raise the stakes and purchase elegant leather gloves in black, brown, camel or burgundy.

As for mittens, there are two types:

Fashionable - knitted mittens in pretty colors that you can mix and match.

Functional - heavy-duty water-resistant for harsh winter weather. If you've ever tried to build a snowman with knit mittens, you know what I mean.

I suggest having all styles of gloves and mittens on hand (pun intended). Be prepared for anything and keep a pair in your pocket, purse or the glove compartment in your car. Wonder why it's not called a mitten compartment...

Color Me Orange

Not many people look good in orange. Well, maybe a baby in a pumpkin jumpsuit celebrating her first Halloween. Speaking of pumpkin, the color orange has many names and shades: tangerine, coral, poppy, persimmon,  chutney, apricot, carrot. (Hmm...this is starting to look like a fruit salad.)

Nevertheless, if you want to add color to your ensemble, orange accesories just might be the ticket: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, scarves, shoes, gloves, socks, purses, etc.

Just remember, wall-to-wall orange is not the way to go. Less is more.

Booting Up

It's time for boot shopping. For years I've had this cute pair of black, calf-high boots with a block heel that I wear in the fall and winter. They look cute with long skirts or knee length skirts, but now I'm ready to go up to the knee. And I'm definitely sticking with black because it goes with absolutely everything.

Depending on your personal style, you can choose shooties (combination shoe and boot), boots with stilletto heels, boots with buckles or trimmed with fur, boots with leather laces, slouch boots, cowboy boots or even Uggs. The possibilites are endless.

Gunn Laws

On Tim Gunn's page (Gunn Laws) of the September 2010 issue of Marie Claire, Tim talks about comfort. As always, he gets right to the point with no apologies. Something to think about. Here's the excerpt:

Some people think of dressing up or being polite as a burden. They think having to wear a tie or use the right fork or send a thank-you card is a kind of shackle. To these people I say: Getting out of bed is a shackle. If you feel that way, stay in it! Invest in a hospital gurney and wheel yourself around on it when you to go out. I get very impatient with this whole "comfort issue" with clothing. Yes, you don't feel as comfortable in clothes that fit as you do in your pajamas. That's a GOOD thing. You're navigating in a world where you need to have your wits about you. If you're in a lackadaisical comfort haze, you can't be engaged in the world the way you need to be.

To Sheath or Not to Sheath...

... That is the question.

So what exactly is a sheath dress? Well, it's typically a dress that is fitted and worn close to the body, although some versions are more voluminous. It can be belted or unbelted, and dressed up or dressed down.

The August 2010 issue of Real Simple features some tips in choosing the right sheath dress to fit your shape:

If you have a TUMMY: avoid lightweight of slinky fabrics; choose dresses with ruching (gathered fabric) that visually flattens the stomach.

If you have an HOURGLASS FIGURE: avoid stiff or heavy fabrics like tweed; wear form-fitting dresses with waist-enhancing seams.

If you have FULL HIPS & THIGHS: avoid wrist-length sleeves; choose dresses with volume.

If you have a STRAIGHT FIGURE: avoid thin waistbands; choose dresses with a fitted bodice and darts in the seaming.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to rock the Sheath dress.

Hollywood Fashion

I don't know about you, but I get a lot of my style ideas from movies. Over the years I've been inspired by Diane Keaton's vests  in "Annie Hall"; Meg Ryan's turtlenecks in "You've Got Mail"; Jennifer Aniston's scarves in "Love Happens"; and Tina Fey's shirt dress in "Baby Mama." 

Marie Claire online features amazing photos of iconic film fashion, from classic stars of the silver screen such as Vivien Leigh, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn to modern stars like Molly Ringwald, Winona Ryder and Uma Thurmond. Check it out:

http://www.marieclaire.com/fashion/trends/articles/iconic-movie-fashion