Sunday, November 20, 2011

Dresses, Slacks/Pants, Jackets, Tops,

DRESSES or LONG LINE SKIRTS

A dress or long line skirt is adaptable and can be worn “dressed-up” or “dressed-down” so easily.   By adding jewellery or a belt and a stole it becomes “evening wear”, and worn with casual shoes and a tote bag becomes a “shopping outfit” or “meeting up with the girls for some coffee” garment. 

A long line dress that floats around your ankles adds to the feeling of femininity, and of course your confidence.


SHORTS, SLACKS or PANTS and of course the ubiquitous denim jeans 

Whether you prefer long pants, or calf length (depending on the seasons) or long-shorts, this is entirely up to you.  However including a couple of really well cut pants in both summer and winter weight in basic colours will provide you with a good wardrobe to add to and compliment.  They will take you from one occasion to another, without any fuss.  This item is one garment that is a must in every woman’s wardrobe.

JACKET or COAT

Combined with your choice of Slacks or Pants, co-ordinating a jacket will provide you not only with separates, but a suit or layered outfits as well.   In basic colours (even contrasts) to other pieces in your wardrobe, allows you to ring the changes, and to build upon a few pieces thus creating outfits for all-occasion wear.

TOPS, T SHIRTS, SHIRTS, TUNICS, CAMIS

Your choice of tops presents  a huge array of potential with your wardrobe. Different designs, fabrics and colours added to the basic colour scheme that you’ve chosen as your very own, allows for mixing and matching almost unlimited.   Casual wear, Day wear, and Evening wear, in summer and winter fabrics, all offer exciting possibilities.




Monday, November 14, 2011

Lingerie


BRAS   
Going to the expense of buying a “good” (fitted) bra pays for itself over and over again.   When we’re young we need the support and gentle uplift that a well-fitted bra will give us.  As our body ages and thickens and drops, the well-fitted bra will mean the difference between a good silhouette or a dumpy dowdy one.  They’ll pay you back tenfold in the long run, because the bustline is one of the most important body-lines both from frontal as well as profile silhouettes.  

BUSTIERS and TEDDIES  
This clothing is not just for the young and slim.  It’s for every woman, and the curvaceous woman will find this type of garment adds not only to her own feelings of looking good, but certainly to feeling good.  About herself, and about her size and shape.  These garments are designed to cover, and yet allow free expression of beautiful and shapely decollates.   If you want to add to your self confidence, invest in a bustier or teddy - or both!   You’ll find that poise becomes a by-product of sexy lingerie such as this.

CAMIS   
Camis are indispensable. They add colour and spice to ordinary everyday outfits, just merely by peeking out at the neckline and even the waistline, especially if they have lace around the hem. They can be worn under shirts that are worn as jackets as well as jacket/coats and provide feature interests that attract the eye. Camis can be plain or embellished with beading, sequins, embroidery, and lace inserts. They enable a plain outfit to become a source of inspiration and discussion even amongst other women! Mixing and matching with denim jeans, tailored pants, a suit and/or a long skirt adds various outfits to your wardrobe without going to the expense of buying additional items.   

TUMMY TRIMMERS   
It pays for young women to give some thought about a tummy trimmer - nothing tight enough to make you faint because of its restrictive action, but just to give a nice line over your tummy area.  As we grow older, our body shapes change in distribution and quite often it becomes impractical to even try to wear a tummy trimmer. But a nice firm pair of elasticised panties will often make us feel better about ourselves and our outline! 

SLIPS (or Petticoats) 
If you wear dresses, or skirts, no matter what length you choose, then a slip will always be a compliment to your wardrobe. A slip can prevent static electricity which causes a garment to stick to your hips or legs. It will also prevent the butt-line being exposed, which far too many women unknowingly display.  Lacy inserts around the neckline, allow this garment to be worn under a shirt jacket, giving the impression of a satiny cami. It’s amazing what you can get away with, when you have feminine and lovely lingerie.

PANTIES  
Sexy plus-size panties just don’t seem to be “out there” in the marketplace, especially when you’re looking for them. What you do find are either “practical” or down-right frumpy. If you’re able to sew (either by hand or by sewing machine) then it’s relatively easy to come up with panties in the beautiful French Knicker design. You can choose from satins and laces and all sorts of fabrics that are NEVER seen in the stores. For wearing under Slacks or Pants (ankle length; capri, pedal pushers, even long shorts) then panties in some of the elasticised fabrics will sit well, however they don’t always give comfort, especially for the woman who is prone to perspiring.  But you can be lucky.

NIGHT ATTIRE  
Why is it almost impossible to buy sexy night attire?   Obviously the manufacturers and retailers think we don’t deserve to have what every other woman takes for granted - beautiful sexy lingerie. Once again if you have a flair for sewing, then don’t waste time trying to find something in the stores, but make your own.   By choosing simple basic patterns, you can even hand-sew some beautiful garments. Let your imagination go wild, and experiment with some lovely fabrics.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

What's involved?

I’m often asked how to go about planning a wardrobe of clothes that will fit in with lifestyle, seasons and budget. Now let me say here and now, I am no expert in this field. I can however speak from my own personal experience as well as from what a lot of other curvaceous women have said to me over time. After years of planning my own wardrobe I have arrived at a time when I know that whatever the occasion,  the outfit I choose will be the right one. I will feel good wearing it and when I feel good, I know I will look “good” (if not to others then most certainly to myself.) You can do the same. Take my word for it.

The first and second criteria - to fit in with lifestyle and to fit in with seasons are reasonably easy to work on;  the third - that of budget is perhaps the hardest, because what one person will have to spend on clothing will not be the same as another person’s spending power.    

With a bit of effort, and a bit of time, and a lot of enthusiasm, it is however possible to draw up a list of clothes that will fill all the requirements of the three categories - lifestyle, seasons and budget to fulfill every need you have in a practical and workable wardrobe.

I’m not one to chase trends and fads of fashion - of course if you have plenty of money then this isn’t a problem, but I’m speaking for the “ordinary” or “typical” woman;  the student;  the young Mum (with kids);  the older woman no longer working or with budgetary constraints, and the more senior lady who wants to dress up and look good regardless of the fact that she may be on a small pension and may not have purchased any new clothing for a number of years.

There are plenty of resources on the subject of “Classic Wardrobes” or “Preferred Wardrobes” for women who can afford to buy new clothing every season and every year, so we’ll not dwell on that particular aspect, but go straight into the how when, where, what and why of fashion for the rest of us.

First of all there's Lingerie - go thru to our special Pages.