Look Absolutely Fabulous; Wear Colours that Harmonise with You

If "a picture says a thousand words" then we only need to say a few. Wearing colours that harmonise with our own colouring makes our eyes look brighter and our skin look lovelier; in other words helps us look absolutely fabulous. Two photos of Julie, taken 5 minutes apart, same lighting, same camera, different colour clothes, different colour make-up. Julie has a cool undertone to her skin, hair and eyes, she has natural high contrast between her skin colour and that of her hair, and her dark hair colour gives her overall colouring depth even though her skin is fair. So, when she wears lipstick and clothing that have the same colour qualities i.e coolness, brightness and depth as herself, Julie looks wonderful. However, when she wears a colour like this orange which conflicts rather than harmonises, Julie looks nowhere near as lovely.

These days dressing down is more the norm than dressing up. Even though the glossy and glamorous fashion magazines are filled with high powered dressing, amazing designer clothes and stunning accessories, the reality seems to be that few of us truly embrace any of these on a regular basis. Walk down the street, watch the passing parade in a shopping mall and what you will see is a plethora of jeans, T shirts and sensible shoes. Even when going to the theatre for an evening performance many people dress no differently to the way they would for a shopping trip or an afternoon at the footy. "Comfortable" has become the mantra for how we dress today. Of course we agree that it's a genuine and worthwhile consideration when deciding what to buy or what to wear, however we can't help but feel that something has been lost in this quest for comfort. And that something would be "style". We know that how we live, as always is reflected in how we dress. As protocols, etiquette and manners have become more relaxed, as rigid and constraining attitudes and beliefs within our society have been disappearing, so have the rules and regulations regarding dress codes and standards. Not to say that any of this is a bad thing, that's for a discussion somewhere else, however, the subject of style and how to develop it, is what we are about. We believe that the words "casual" and "comfortable" are not opposites for "stylish" or "attractive". Check out any dictionary and you will see that they are not antonyms for each other. As we embrace more casual ways of dressing let's not sacrifice style and looking good. This montage is a perfect example of how to dress casually, mixing comfort and practicality with style and attractiveness. What a great outfit for a shopping trip, an afternoon at the footy, a barbecue with friends, and even a Casual Friday at the office. Who says looking casual and looking absolutely fabulous are impossible?

Comfort matters to women with an element of Natural in their style personality, however some balance that with a little bit of old fashioned 'femme fatale'. If you like to mix your comfortable blue jeans with a black leather jacket, studded bag and statement boots then perhaps you combine a Natural/ Relaxed style personality with the glamour and sensuality of an Alluring style. In this montage the natural leather jacket is semi fitted to show off the wearer's feminine curves and the heel of the boot sacrifices a little comfort for  sensual style. The eye-catching silver loop earrings while not made of synthetic materials are more alluring than natural as are the stud embellishments on the handbag. Basically, if you like to show off your 'assets' in a slightly dressed down, relaxed way then you may just be a glamorous and alluring Natural Siren.

We love talking about Style Personality because we know it is a huge influence on what we love to wear, what makes us feel good and what helps us to look 'absolutely fabulous'. We work with six to seven categories of Style Personality but very few women totally fit into one single category. Most women will combine various aspects of two, even three categories. It's the blending of different styles that makes us different from each other and

keeps life interesting. This image combines elements from both the Natural and the Dramatic styles. It will appeal to a girl who has a little touch of the Drama Queen and quite a bit of the relaxed Natural in her style make-up. The jeans, unstructured leather handbag and casual Tee are the Natural elements here but the red scarf and the very structured military jacket add the drama. The fabulous black boots make a strong statement too, but notice the heels are flat so comfort is not compromised. Does this collection appeal to you, or perhaps you know someone who would definitely do this look.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt dissatisfied with what you see, yet you’re not too sure what isn’t right? In these instances it is very likely the issue is one of balance, or more precisely, the lack thereof.  Balance is defined as the harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole. Visual balance exists everywhere in nature, so it should not be surprising that the human eye finds balance aesthetically pleasing; balance is comforting and attractive. Visual imbalance can actually make us feel unsettled, disconcerted or disturbed. Who doesn’t feel compelled to straighten a crooked picture on the wall or rearrange the cushions on a sofa to get the balance right?

Creating visual balance when we dress is an important part of looking fabulous. So, how do we achieve visual balance? Well, the answer comes in two parts.

• Firstly, we need to create the illusion of a balanced body.

 This means balancing our shoulder line with our hips and our length of leg with our length of torso. To do this we may need to minimise or maximise our bust/waist/ hips/neck. When one element of our body’s shape is disproportionately larger or smaller than the rest of us, balance is lost.

• Secondly, our clothing needs to reflect the proportions of our body. With the waist as the dividing line, the body’s proportions can be expressed as either two parts above the waist and three parts below or three parts above and five parts below. So, a garment or an outfit that can be divided into uneven or unequal parts creates better balance than one that is divided one to one or two to four. A 1:3 ratio or 2:3 ratio is more attractive than a 1:1 ratio.

“Have enough difference for interest, but not so much that it creates imbalance”. (Mathis and Connor, 1994).  In design, even halves is usually perceived as dull while uneven sections or parts is visually more interesting. This is true in fashion as well.

In dressing, even halves can appear staid, matronly or even frumpy. Uneven divisions between our top and bottom halves, gives us more chance of looking youthful, trendy or edgy.

Here are a couple of (imperfect) examples but hopefully they illustrate the point.

Though the word style and stylish sound like they are one in the same, in reality they are not. Every one of us has our own style, every one of us chooses and wears garments in our own way. Consciously or otherwise our style tells the world who and what we are; it is indicative of many things but above all it is a clue to how we feel about ourselves. While every individual has their own style, not every individual could be described as ‘stylish’. We can all rattle off the names of  individuals in the public domain and in our own real lives that we consider stylish. But what makes them so in our eyes? The usual response is what they wear or perhaps how they wear it but a fabulous dress on a style icon can look less than fabulous on someone else.

What does ‘stylish’ mean?  Does it require being the ideal weight, or being immaculately groomed, or being young, or being classically beautiful?  We don’t think so. But there is one very important requirement for being stylish: that is self acceptance. It’s about accepting our faces and our bodies as they are right now! Did any of you think about Maggie Tabberer when you were thinking about a stylish woman. She is certainly not a size 10. Did anyone think of Helen Mirren? She is in her 60’s.

We women are so talented and practised at focussing on the bits of our bodies that we deem less than perfect. From a very early age we lament our big boobs, our tiny breasts, our generous hips, our straight torso, our long neck, our short neck, our turned-up nose, our straight nose…..And sadly our self criticism becomes more scathing with age. Now, not only is everything the wrong size, it’s all heading south, east and west. Now we have sagging boobs, soft tummies, tuckshop arms and cellulite.

If stylish is how you would like to be, and so many of our clients say it is, then the first step in the process is to stop beating up on yourself. We bet Helen Mirren has her fair share of cellulite but she also wears a great bra and support undies!! Many of us spend too much time focussing on what we had way back when, and yet way back when we weren’t satisfied either. We read recently another image consultant’s book, and she spoke of a 78 year old client who said; “If I knew at 50 how much further south gravity was going to take my body at 70, I’d have shown off my body a lot more. And had lots more sex.”

We have a choice girls; we can keep wishing and a-hoping for what we had at 18, 28, 38 or we can just get over it and love the body we have today! When we sincerely do this, we can focus on what is still working for us, there’s always something. And if need be we can invest in some great underwear. Then we can start out on the journey of being absolutely fabulous!

Well, it’s that time of year when one season is slipping away and another is looming on the horizon. That means it’s time to reorganise our wardrobes. Rather than a swag of handy hints, what we offer this time is some food for thought in the hope that it will free up your thinking to clean out your closets and make life a little simpler. The biggest challenge most of us face, is admitting that a garment has had its day. AbFab is very good at helping others dispose of clothing but even we struggle at times to let go of once treasured items. Below are a few questions we ask ourselves because they help us detach from things taking up valuable space in our wardrobe. We hope they can help you too.

1.        Are you being just a little too emotional?

“But I bought that beautiful peasant skirt in Mexico 20 years ago when I was foot loose and fancy free.”

“But I was wearing that dress when my husband proposed”.

Girls, get a grip. Haven’t you got some photos you could keep instead? They take up a lot less space.

      2.  Are you feeling guilty?

“But, that shirt cost me so much money and I was months paying off my credit card.”

“But, it seems so wrong to give away something that was so expensive.”

If those clothes are hanging up in your wardrobe and not being worn by you, that is wasteful. Release them into the universe and let someone who needs them, can fit into them or whatever, get some use out of them

3.       Are you being realistic?

“But if I start doing weight training, I know I will be able to wear those sleeveless numbers.”

“But when I lose the extra weight I have been carrying since the twins were born, yes I know they’re 21, but still if I lose the weight…..”

So, unless you are suddenly and absolutely determined to commit to getting up two hours early every day to work out, to never let another piece of chocolate pass your lips and to never indulge in a few glasses of champagne, then it is time to get real! Those clothes that don’t fit, probably never will. Besides even if they did, they will probably look like refugees from another decade. Move on!

These can be difficult questions to ask ourselves but in the interest of sanity and practicality we need to do so.

Good Luck!

What woman doesn’t want to have a pair of great looking pins?  But what we want and what we get in life are often two different things. Some of us are born with long, shapely legs and some of us aren’t. However, there are strategies we can employ and things to avoid doing, in order to make the most of what we’ve got. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help you have the longest, shapeliest legs possible.

1. DO end your hemline on a part of the leg that tapers in. Choose the length that suits your age and circumstance. Note, for the mature woman, the universally flattering leg length is 1 ½cms below the knee; short enough to be youthful, long enough to cover a few wobbly bits.
2. DON’T end a hem at the widest point of your calf or thigh. The horizontal influence of the hem only serves to widen the area of the leg as well as draw attention there.
3. DO opt for shorter lengths if you are short to medium height or you are tall with a longer body and relatively shorter legs.
4. DON’T wear light or white stockings!!! EVER!
5. DO wear dark stockings (when the climate allows) especially if your legs are full or heavy.
6. DO wear stockings with a vertical pattern.
7. DO wear heels 2 ½ cms at least. If comfort is just too important opt for a wedge heel.
8. DON’T wear an ankle strap. I know, Jennifer Hawkins and Miranda Kerr look fantastic in them. But their legs are so, so long and slim. If you have legs like them, feel free to disregard this point.
9. DON’T wear gladiator sandals. Read the point above!
10. DO wear a low vamp pump.
11. DON’T wear a very rounded toe. Pointy toes elongate the leg. Don’t like pointy toes? Then choose an almond shaped toe instead.
12. DO wear shoes and stockings that are a similar shade and if possible also blend in with your skirt or dress.