The Boomers Blog – Fashion Blog

Daniel Marcus Manson asked:


Wedding planners are well known these days, but I’ve developed a career centered on just one aspect of the event: dressing the bride. I’m the only one offering this service in Birmingham and I draw clients from smaller surrounding towns as well, so I have enough business to keep me busy. The one challenge I have working out of Birmingham instead of a bigger metropolis like New York City, is a shortage of decent women’s shoes stores. We don’t have the fancy boutiques that the really big cities do. That’s not as big a problem as it sounds, though, since I can order all my bridal shoes from shoeocean.com, an online store that carries every kind of footwear from women’s boots to sandals.

Bridal couture has always been an interest of mine and eventually I just fell into doing this professionally. After a few weddings, I decided to focus specifically on the fashion element and leave the organizational elements to others. I could care less about cake, but picking the perfect dress is a challenge I can appreciate. At first, I was in a bit of a panic over the lack of footwear choices in the area, but that website I found took care of the shortage pretty quickly. Many people were surprised that a place selling so many women’s boots would carry such a selection of bridal shoes (not to mention accessories like handbags), but once I fired up the laptop, they’d be quickly convinced. Shopping online makes my job a lot easier too. It’s so much easier to compare different pairs of shoes when you can see all the choices side by side in photos, instead of digging through boxes and lining the things up.

Of course no job is perfect and the dark side of mine is having to deal with the groom to be. No Women boot a guy out of a relationship faster than the girls whose fiancé gets in the way of buying that perfect wedding gown, so one of the more important parts of my job is to make sure the groom to be is kept far away during this entire process; baseball tickets, passes to the drag races, a case of beer, or whatever is needed. He can see his bride and admire her dress at the wedding, but he doesn’t need to know a thing about it before then.

You’ve never seen women’s boots wear down faster than on a determined bride who marches store to store on a mission to find the perfect wedding dress and I’m happy to be part of it.

Shirley Borrelli asked:


 

 Fall Fashion Trends 2009     

This season there are over a hundred trends from the catwalk fashion shows. This fall you will see a return to classic tailoring with suiting for every occasion not just the office and boardrooms. Remember Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? Boyfriend blazers, suiting and a return to classy dressing with 80’s inspired silhouettes is returning. As I have always taught, if you were around for the trend the first time, it’s not for you the second time. That said, just don’t wear 80’s from head to toe. Pick one or two trends with classic pieces to keep it age appropriate. You will see loads of fur and leather as the cooler weather begs for cozy layering.  To bring all of the trends to a concise list of usable street wear, I’ve organized the trends into two categories: 40’s inspired ladylike and rockstar! There’s sure to be something for everyone regardless of your age.

White is very chic in the fall and wintertime when paired with other tones of white like light beige, taupe or cream. Accessorize with metallics for a classy chic style like silver, gold or gunmetal. If there’s one must have piece for the fall/winter, buy a sleeveless menswear inspired vest. Wear it overtop t-shirts, tops, ruffled blouses, button up collared shirts or long sleeve sweaters. Leave it open or buttoned-up. Try belting it to accentuate your waist for a curvy feminine silhouette. Tres chic!                                                                                          

 40’s inspired ladylike

During these tough economic times everything is more basic with less embellishment. Style and glamour is achieved by the fit, silhouette and coordination of your clothing into wearable outfits. This trend is a departure from casual dressing and returning to a sophisticated, feminine glamour. Your wardrobe will be built on neutral tones such as black, navy, charcoal, brown or bordeaux to give maximum mix ‘n match possibilities. This is a new era of elegance. This trend is for the woman who is tired of always being casually dressed and wants to look and feel more pulled together, classy and elegant regardless of her height or size. How will you achieve this coordination of separates when getting ready in the morning is already a chore and time consuming? Take out the guesswork by using The Perfect Wardrobe Builder© which provides a fool proof formula to build 30 outfits from 11 strategic pieces of clothing. $20, www.lookingyourbestinc.com. A new wardrobe isn’t just what you buy; it’s how you see what you already own. Consider hiring an image consultant to come to your closet to remix and rematch new outfits from what you already own. Looking Your Best Inc. specializes in creating amazing outfits from your own closet. Call 780.451.0661 for more information.                                      

Here is a quick reference list to follow this trend:

 long and lean silhouettes  draw attention to the waist with details at the waist like pockets or belted styles  wear a belt over tops, jackets to draw attention to the waist for a feminine hourglass shape wear pencil skirts and slim pants use flowers as a feminine inspiration on purses, brooches on hats or necklaces, bracelets, and scarves wear pretty blouses, try ruffles, lace, sheer material on sleeves wear hose with your skirts, try black fishnets for a glamorous edge  a cardigan is your fall must have garment, think Michelle Obama. Wear a medium width belt overtop  mix up fabrics: shiny with matte, jeans with a beaded jacket, a skirt with a t-shirt and sleeveless vest belted short capes are the coat of choice multiple strands for necklaces, mix up pearls with edgier metals and gold links a return to 80’s inspired cowl necklines day dresses can be a comfortable option to pants; choose jersey or knitwear evening dresses with adorable heels and a clutch purse consider purple for a muted feminine colour

 

Rockstar

During these tough times, the tough get tougher. Their clothes have a harder edgier look anchored by a dark palette of black on black.  80’s strong shoulder lines give a tough proportion reflecting that we are carrying tough burdens but our shoulders can handle it. No, do not wear your original 80’s clothes. The modern shape does not look like football uniforms! You may try one bare shoulder on tops and dresses to have a strong emphasis on the shoulders. Revealing shoulders can be a very **** alternative to cleavage. A bare shoulder is not appropriate office attire. To pull off this rockstar trend, consider the following:                                                                                                                                             Think rock ‘n roll: leather, studs, heavier eye liner, smoky eyes, high heels everything leather this fall from gloves, jackets, boots, skirts and even dresses. Do not wear big hair and loads of eyeliner if you are older than 25! Instead wear one element of this rockstar          inspiration to keep your look age appropriate. Wear classic pieces with your leather jacket. Add a bit more liner with a deeper lip colour. For more fall makeup trends, email info@lookingyourbestinc.com for your free copy. Leather in exotic skins like python, crocodile and lizard for purses, belts, bracelets black on black rules from matte to shiny fabrics; from opaque to sheer. Wear them unexpectedly together boyfriend jackets that hit lower on the hips with room to move; look for jackets with some shape not just oversized long boxy jackets from the 80s. Wear them like a cardigan: over a camisole, top, dress or blouse. Team them with slim bottoms like a pencil skirt or slim leather pants and amazing heels shine and sparkle for both day and night, mix with fur, ruffles and leather for a modern look Huge chunky rings continue to be popular Wear opaque dark hose like chocolate brown, charcoal gray or fall colours like deep teal or bordeaux wine. Avoid neon tights. Black sequin with matte fabrics Edgier hairstyles, sleek and clean, definite parts Oversized accessories Elasticized plaid scarves are hot this season to keep your neck cozy when out and about Hats; fedora, newsboy and page. Wear slightly tilted to show off your best side Ankle booties; if your legs are slim, wear them with skirts, dresses or ankle pants. These are an easy way to where a trend while keeping it age appropriate. Don’t overdo this trend by looking like you are part of a bike group or going to the bar. Keep it classy and modern by introducing leather with classics, wearing one or two trends with classic pieces

 Avoid these trends

Avoid Double denim; the slim and the young are wearing head to toe denim. If you insist on wearer denim on denim, make the two denims a different colour; one dark and one lighter. Avoid acid wash denim unless you are younger than 25 Avoid high fashion puffy coats. Is it really flattering on you? Maybe if you live in an urban center and wear size 4 or smaller Avoid mini dresses or skirts if you are older than 25. If you are one of the lucky few more mature ladies with beautiful legs, it is still too much leg to show. Calm it down by wearing ankle leggings and booties. Avoid thigh high boots.

 September 2009 © Looking Your Best Inc. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted only when credit is given to the author as above along with her contact information:  www.lookingyourbestinc.com; 780.451.0661