A Style Guide for Dummies

Much like art, clothes allow people to express themselves. Not only can clothes make you more attractive or noticeable, but your choice of clothes also gives others visual cues about who you are, how you feel and how you want to be perceived. Therefore, like it or not, the clothes you wear can be an important part of daily life.

How to get Style
If you have a perfect body and a supermodel face, you can probably make a potato sack look good. However, the rest of the general populace may need a bit of help. Contrary to popular belief, style is not just about having the {it} handbag, following the latest trends or wearing brand name clothes. Real style is an innate sense of knowing what works for you.
 

These are the basic style principles:

-Know where to glean inspiration for your outfits
-Know which cuts, colors and textures work for your body type and lifestyle
-Know how to organize your closet
-And finally, know where and how to shop.

Inspiration

The basis of any great outfit is inspiration. Fashion inspiration comes from many places.

 Media- Fashion leaders and celebrities often tell us what’s in style in magazines and other forms of media. When Madonna, Nicole Ritchie, Mila Jovich or Nicole Kidman show up the magazines looking fabulous is a certain outfit, fashion conscious people inevitably become influenced by their choices of dress.

Peer Groups- Sometimes inspiration comes from our friends and what everyone else seems to like at the moment. When skinny jeans first came out, many women said they’d never wear such a ridiculous trend, yet every woman I knew who was style-conscious succumbed to peer-pressure and ended up with a pair in their closet.

 
Era trends- Fashion inspiration also comes from different eras in time. Right now a lot of clothes are influenced by the fashions of the new wave and punk era of the late 80’s-early 90’s. Thankfully era-trends are cyclical and what may be hot now probably won’t be tomorrow. Fashion has been always been influenced by history- flapper fashion and dandies in the 20’s, the glamour of the Hollywood era in the 30’s, the demure fitted fashions of the 50’s, the flowy, carefree style of bohemian hippies in the 60’s, the sexy seventies disco era etc... Designers can even being inspired by “futuristic fashions” by featuring a lot of metallics and hi-tech material.

Global Fashion- Fashion can be inspired by the native dress of a certain country or place. In 2002, Asiana overtook the runways featuring everything from Chinese Cheongsams to Kimono-like shirts. Fashion is constantly inspired by places. It could be anything from Greek Godess, to the ethnic fashion of the hill tribes in Thailand to the heavy furs and fabrics of the Mongolian tundra to the sensual and colorful silks and saris of India, to the patterns and batiks of Indonesia… The list goes on.

Colors and Textures

Color- Color is a huge facet of fashion. Entire books have been written about it, but practically speaking, this is how you should regard color when putting together an outfit.

-Consider where you will be wearing the outfit
On holiday in Greece? Then wearing white, blue or neutrals is probably more appropriate than wearing black. Going to an urban street wear party? Then you may want to steer away from pastels.

-Does the color enhance your skin tone?
An outfit works when the colors look good with your skin tone. Look closely at what the fabric does against your skin. Does it wash you out, make you look blue, yellow or green? Or does the color brighten and complement your skin tone?

- Do the colors match?
Do the colors of your shirt, pants and accessories blend well together? Like an artist choosing the palette for his/her painting, a great outfit has colors that blend well together and flatter. Don’t fall back on the ‘just wear black’ trap either. Black may be chic, but it can be very boring and predictable as well.

Textures- Different fabrics have different properties. Some fabrics have a sheen or a shine to them and some have an organic feel or chunky texture. Take care to mix textures that complement each other. This also goes for scarves, necklaces and bracelets.

Fabrics and Cuts-

Fabric is another big subject in fashion, but all you need to know is fabric should drape and flow correctly and not look cheap. The fabric should be appropriate for the design of the clothing item. Some designs need heavier or lighter fabric. Some designs require fabric that stretches. If it stretches, does it stretch horizontally vertically or both? In some cases, you may want to consider how durable the fabric will be after a few washes and wears (especially if you’re spending a lot of money).

Cuts and Patterns- A good piece of clothing starts with the right cut or pattern. Things that are designed well don’t bag in the wrong places. They accentuate the right curves on your body, create a flattering silhouette and make you look proportionate. A few years ago, on Oxford Street in Sydney, I was surprised by the amount of full-figured women who were managing to pull off the look of low-cut jeans. I bought a pair of these Aussie-designed jeans and could not believe how great they looked. In comparing then to jeans manufactured for Asian markets, I realized that the Asian jeans were straight up and down (a flat pattern-as it is called) whereas the Aussie jeans were made with more room behind, stretched a little and were slightly tilted inwards at the rise (the waist to crotch area) to accommodate more dramatic curves.

If you really love an item and it doesn’t fit quite right, you’re in luck! Hong Kong has some of the best tailors in the world. Don’t hesitate to get something altered to make it fit properly. Something that ‘fits’ looks 100 times more chic.

Clothes that work for your Body type

A lot of people spend time agonizing over the shortcomings of their bodies. There are a few things one can do to remedy bad body image. One is to go on a diet and get to the gym. Another strategy is to accept yourself the way you are. Confidence and good body image are big factors in looking great. Yet another thing you can do is to find pieces that flatter your figure. Generally, lighter colors make an area look bigger, and darker colors, smaller. If you are bottom heavy, wear dark pants to detract from the problem area. If you’ re short, wear heels and pants that are a little longer. If you have big arms, then don’t choose sleeveless tops. Clothes shouldn’t tug, pull or bag. Your clothes should accentuate the good parts of your body and draw attention away from areas which are less than perfect. It's important to note that if a trend just doesn't look good on your body type, then no matter how many people are wearing it, don't go there. You don't have to follow trends to be stylish.

An Organized Closet

An organized closet is the key to being able to match clothes well. If you can’t see what’s in your wardrobe, then chances are you won’t be able to find the right items to go together. Here are a few tips: Generally hanging your clothes instead of folding them makes for easier viewing. Compartmentalize all your items in groups. Skirts with skirts, jeans all in one place, use different boxes for accessories. If you have time, color coding your clothes or grouping your clothes together according to different ‘looks’ can make it easier to decide what to wear. Hang your earrings on a piece of netting so you can see them right away. Keep your shoes on a rack instead of buried deep in your closet. (Check out the closet section at IKEA to get ideas on how to overhaul your closet). When the seasons change, stow away your seasonal clothes.(Using vacuum bags from Japan Home Center or Wing on dept store might help you save some space if you don't have a big closet.) Also, Hong Kong humidity can wreak havoc on fabric. Make sure you put some dehumidifier boxes in your closet, or you may just end up with a moldy wardrobe!

Before you buy, here’s a checklist of things to consider:

- Does it fit and if it doesn’t, will it be possible to alter it?
-Is it a good color for you?
-Do you have anything that matches? If not, will you easily be able to find something? Can you even think of anything that will match?
-Is it avante-garde, current or outdated? Exactly what look are you going for?
-Is it you? Do you have what it takes to pull it off?

Practical Considerations-
-Will you have an occasion to wear the item? Where will you be wearing it?
-Does the item match your lifestyle?
-Is it easy to wear and pair?
-How much mileage will you get out of this item?
-Is it worth the price you’re going to pay for it and can you afford it?
-Is it comfortable and durable?
-Is there room for it in my closet?
 

Now that you're armed with the basics- Happy Shopping!

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