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Your Basic Wardrobe Must Haves

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What does every well-dressed woman have in her closet? Whether you are Catherine Zeta-Jones, Oprah Winfrey, or Jackie Jensen from the down the street, there are some basic items that every well-dressed woman has in her wardrobe. With these basic items you can put together a look for any occasion.

Clothing

With a few core pieces of clothing you can put together a wide variety of fashionable outfits. If you have the following basic items in your closet, you can supplement them with other items to finish out a look, or just mix and match and always be in style. Because these items are the bedrock of your wardrobe, buy quality items. This is not the place to skimp on price.

White button-down shirt
Little black dress
Black pencil skirt
Black blazer
Slim black trousers
Khaki pants
Dark wash blue jeans
White and black cardigan sweaters
Cute pajamas
Well-fitting undergarments
Beige trench coat

Shoes

What woman doesn’t love shoes? Most women have many pairs of shoes in their closet. Two pairs that every woman should have are:

Black pumps
Stylish comfortable flats

Accessories

Accessories can change the look of an outfit from casual to formal. The three classic accessories that every woman should own are:

Black leather bag
Set of pearls
Diamond or cubic zirconium studs

Keeping up-to-date is as simple has adding a new top or blazer or a cute pair of sling back shoes. The seasonal items will come and go, but the basics will stand the test of time.

Filed Under: Apparel Tagged With: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Clothing, Shoe

Working With Patterns In Fabric

If you decided to tackle the task of using a patterned material, there are many types of challenges. The process starts with deciding the type of pattern and material. In this instance it really is a matter of preference. The patterns on fabric can range from the most simplistic to very complex and elaborate designs. From the simple dot type to the more complex floral patterns, you can find the fabric that will appeal to you personally. Probably the hardest part is choosing the pattern you like best.

One of the first challenges that presents itself after the selection choice is where to make the first cut. Obviously, you will be cutting and destroying part of the pattern. The question is to cut along the lines or to make the cut in the middle of the pattern sequence. Of course, where to cut is somewhat dictated by how the material was cut at the store. But since the first cut is the most important one, it will dictate how the pattern falls upon the garment.

Another challenge comes in when trying to match seams. The pattern is often half or a partial piece of what it originally was. That is the natural outcome of creating the outfit. It can be very obvious when the pattern lines don’t match up. However, it is not a crime to leave a partial pattern at the seams. Unless, the pattern on side of the material matches exactly to the other side, it is probably not worth the extra hassle to try to force a match of the pattern.

Pattern material is difficult to work with when you take in the consideration of the pattern itself. These challenges can be overcome but they require a knowledge of working with patterned fabric. Sometimes, it will take some experimentation to achieve the intended results. Patterned material can be very beautiful if the pattern is treated with a little forethought and respect.

Filed Under: Apparel, Fashion Tagged With: Cut (clothing), Pattern, Textile

Mixing Unmatching Accessories

Accessories are the finishing touches among any outfit you put on. However, you no longer need to search through your jewelry drawer for matching pieces. The trend is now to mix and match different pieces to create a measure of interest. This trend is most often seen on the red carpet where celebrities pair earrings with bracelets or a necklace with a big ring. They might fit within the same style but those accessories are not taken out of the same.

Jewelry does not have to match to be a beautiful accent. The key is finding pieces that work together in harmony rather than clash against each other. It does help if they have some underlying theme such as having a gold or silver background. The stones themselves do not necessarily have to match in color as long as they relate in some way to the outfit.

Of course, the choice of jewelry accessories is going to depend on what you feel like wearing at the time. Some of the pieces are for obvious reasons more comfortable than others. But part of it is related on what event you are wearing the jewelry to and whether or not it will be showcased in glittering lights or catch the occasional candle flicker in a more subdued setting. Whatever, you decide, it is very important that you feel comfortable in your accessories, especially your jewelry.

Jewelry does not have to match to make a statement. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The right specially picked pieces can create a stunning effect on an outfit. With accessories, it is not about matching but about keeping things interesting enough for second or third looks. So, that not quite matching necklace will work quite well with those earrings despite the fact they don’t match.

Filed Under: Apparel, Latest Patterns Tagged With: Earring, Jewellery, Necklace

Managing Your Wardrobe

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Managing your wardrobe is a time taking process and clearing them one by one will be a grueling task for you. But no one else can do that job better than you. It’s such an awful job that you get tired and bored after managing some clothes and if the number of dresses is more then you lose your temper. So managing your wardrobe can be made easy by following some tips.

There might be a few dresses which you don’t wear but you might keep it just because you cannot part them from you. So in that case it becomes a pretty mess where all the clothes get mixed and it becomes difficult for you to select. In such situations you can manage your clothes by separating them on the basis of color or on the material type. When the clothes are organized in the basis of color it becomes easy for you to select which color of dress you want to wear. If managing clothes is based on the material type, then you can select which type of dress you can wear for summer season or what dress is the best for rainy season and so on. Likewise the seasonal clothes such as cotton stuff, woolen clothes, jute material also can be separated so that your selection of clothes does not become a mess. Even the clothes can be managed according to the style, like gowns as one section; jeans on the other section, jackets in one row, etc. These make your choice better and easier. Wardrobe can also be managed into three piles, one pile consist of clothes which you do not wear at alone pile consist of clothes which you wear very frequently and the third pile consists of clothes which you were infrequently. This helps working people to manage their clothes with ease without wasting time sorting them out during busy mornings.

Filed Under: Apparel, Latest Patterns Tagged With: Clothing, Dress, Wardrobe

What’s Your Best Accessory?

Choosing the right accessory for the occasion is a key to being fashionable. You would not want to wear a pair of diamond earrings while volunteering at a soup kitchen. You do not want to wear your new pearl necklace with your favorite work t-shirt. And of course you really do not want to wear Tacori engagement rings while volunteering to pick up trash on the side of the road on Earth Day. So how do you decide on what to wear when? How can you decide on what accessories are appropriate for work? Where can you find information on what kind of necklace goes with what kind of dress? We can offer you a few tips right here that might help you with these questions and concerns.

Let’s start with earrings. Earrings and hairstyles go well together when you follow a few rules. If your hair is up, you should wear a pair of studded earrings. If your hair is curly or let down, then you should wear a pair of dangling earrings. If you are choosing earrings for work, go with something subdued and less flashy. If you are going to a wedding, then put on your best pair of diamonds or pearls. Next, let us take a quick look at necklaces. Think about the style of dress you are wearing when choosing a necklace to accessorize. For a straight neckline, you would do best with a shorter necklace that is tighter to the neck. With a v-neck, wear a longer or multi-stranded necklace. Once again think of the situation when choosing also. Keep the flashy stuff at home when you are going to work. Go a bit flashier when going out for dinner. Then pull out all the stops for a wedding or formal occasion.

Filed Under: Apparel, Fashion Tagged With: Earring, Necklace, Tacori, Wear

Hand Bags: The Charm of Every Closet

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Hand bags are the most important accessory for a woman. Without a handbag, a woman is incomplete. Women have no pockets where they can keep valuable things. They will require handbags to carry important stuff around with them. Hence, investing in hand bags that are both useful as well as stylish in of the utmost importance for a woman who has to go out. Fashionistas are very particular about the hand bag’s style and the important fact that it matches the dress. It is a part of the ensemble; hence importance needs to be given while choosing one.

While choosing a hand bag, you need to remember that a hand bag can make you fat and thin. Just like choosing a dress, a hand bag too has to be carefully chosen. Although it is not as tough as choosing a dress and does not have that many things to keep in mind about, nonetheless it is a challenge. Fashion designers spend days choosing the right hand bag that goes with the shoes. The proportion of the bag too needs to be carefully chosen. A bad that complements the shape of the body is not advised. Instead a bad that is opposite to the shape of the body is well suited. For short and fat people, hand bags that are sleek and tall are perfect. If you are thing and tall, you will need to find a purse that is fat and voluptuous. Know about the names associated with the shape of the purse. A tote is an open top bag with handles and straps. A hobo bag is a moon shaped bag with shoulder handles. A duffle is a shoulder bag with full opening on top. A sathel is a large bad which could keep half of your holiday luggage. A pouch is as the name defines it, hand held and soft. Clutch is a small bag which can be tucked under the shoulder.

Filed Under: Apparel, Fashion, Shopping Tagged With: Accessories, Handbag, Shopping

Recycling Clothes

Image by dogsbylori via Flickr

Some clothes have a sentimental value attached to them and it is difficult to part with them. Some times you like its color or the print and design or the material. It becomes your favorite outfit and even if you don’t use it you are not ready to donate either. In such cases the idea of recycling the clothes can be put into effect. The recycling of clothes depends on your own ideas, how you want to recycle and in what way they should be reused again.

The ideas can range from turn your necktie in to a belt for your jeans which adds a new style of clothing and fashion to tuning your t-shirts to a skirt just by little cutting and fitting. If you have cloth pieces which are the remnants of your old dress you can use it effectively by placing it in your t-shirt or skirt in different forms and the trend can be varied. When an article of clothing becomes out of style or fashion, just recycle and reuse it again so that you can create your own way of style and trend. Even the old clothes can be recycled and used again by giving a different texture and color. A pair of old jeans can be used to make a booty purse by cutting and re-stitching. Even the jeans can be used as shorts as well as mini skirts. Socks can be recycled into a wrist band. Socks get holes after using much and the part which has holes can be just circled out and flower beads can be used to give it a trendy look and your wrist band will be ready. Likewise the sleeves of your t-shirts are good enough to make a hair band by cutting it in a bow shape. Almost all clothing can be recycled and reused again which costs very less as well as you don’t lose your favorite clothing too.

Filed Under: Apparel, Latest Patterns Tagged With: Clothing, Jeans, Recycling, Sock