The time has come to talk, not necessarily about trends themselves, but how to wear them. And how to wear them well! Done shabbily or without intention, trends do not and will never read as refined or even stylish. I was originally concerned about having the title “Trend” in my column for Feet First, mostly because I abhor the connotation of the word “trendy”. When you hear the word “trendy”, a certain breed of mall-rat roadkill dressing comes to mind. Just like no one wants to be the girl who has on the same dress as the girl next to her at the dinner party, no girl wants to be the one wearing all the trends at the cost of looking like she really Tried Too Hard. No one wants the outfit to wear
her. And no one wants to look like she just threw on whatever was marketed to her without any thought. These deviances from fashion refinement are oft the result of someone ignoring the little details of a look and leaving loose ends untied. The result is a sloppy mishmash of statements that overpower the wearer, instead of illuminating her beauty and – hopefully - expressing a little of who she is as a person. A wise fashion editor once said that style is about intention; I might amend that by claiming that style is a learned balance of intention and effortlessness.
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| The ultimate balance of intention and effortlessness: Jackie O. Photo via lovesthat.wordpress.com |
The On-Trend Girl is modern and never “trendy”. The way to be the former and not the latter? Intention.
The correct and most premeditated foundation for any look is beyond essential. I always speak to women – whether they want to hear it or not! – that the absolute first step to dressing well is to get a proper bra fitting. You can’t have a waist if you’re hiding it! Second, tailoring is absolutely everything. The world’s best dressers did not buy their clothes that way, I can assure you. Third, you should know the perfect tips and tricks for getting your look picture-perfect: no visible panty lines, unintentionally visible bras, undone hems, stains, wrinkles, gaps, or accidental peep shows should ever be allowed!
I recently read an article about esteemed pre-Zoe celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch and got an (editorial) peek into his styling kit. It’s anything but glamorous! A veritable toolbox of pads, girdles, pins, string, and sticky things, it looks more like an assortment of tackle than something resulting in the famously elegant head-to-toe look that Bloch turns out every time. Fashion aids are not the most fun to buy when you buy them, but the result is so flawless that, once you start using them, you’ll never, ever go back.
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| Phillip Bloch and Joy Bryant, photo via fashionbombdaily.com |
One of the most common ways that my aspirations as a stylist and my day-to-day at Feet First intersect is not exactly in the way you would expect it. At this point, clearly I should be able to make a shoe-ensemble pairing in my sleep (sometimes, I actually do). What many gals in NOLA don’t quite realize, however, is that while Feet First might have gorgeous shoes at the forefront of the business, it’s actually one of the best places in the city to amass the best and most tried-and-true assortment of fashion aids available to the general public. Here’s my list of the top ten to make your On-Trend dressing never, ever deviate into the realm of the “trendy” and to keep your look flawless, stylish, and –yes- 100% intentional.
- Comfortable Thongs!
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Hanky Panky Thongs! Available in a plethora of colors and in low rise as well, 18.99 each at Feet First.
5 pack at feetfirststores.com |
Visible Panty Lines are never cute. Another thing that is never cute? A wedgie! Behold the savior of saviors, the Hanky Panky thong. This is the thong for women who don’t wear thongs. Available in an assortment of delicious colors, the thong comes in low-rise and regular. If you’re wearing a little something that’s a little more clingy, Commando thongs do the trick every time.
- A Bra Fitting
Go to high-end Bra Boutique. Request a professional bra fitting. Go with the professional’s suggestion. Never, ever, blindly buy a bra again. It’s impossible to have a waist when the “girls” are just – frankly – lower than they should be. A few tips that it may not fit: if the girls come out the bottom when you raise your hands (even if it’s just a little bit!), or if the band in between does not rest directly on your chest, or if the largest part of the girls comes any lower than the midpoint between your shoulder and elbow.
- A pair of Spanx (or two, or three)
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| Spanx Super Higher Power, 38.99 at Feet First Stores, in stores only |
If starlets wear them, you can, too: maybe not for every day, but at the very least for special occasions. Nothing nips, tucks, and smooths like a pair of spanx. Can’t do without it. A side note: Spanx makes the best tights I've ever worn in my life. And if you don't want the "control" every day, just go up a size!
- Nu Bra (for under a C Cup) or a backless corset (again, professionally fitted, for over a C Cup).
Unless it perfectly compliments the outfit, the bra stays hidden: end of story. When in doubt, hide the bra. See #6 for additional help with this.
- Foot Petals
Hobbling around in sexy stilettos that are about an hour past the time of expiration does not read for an overall effortless look. Pad those suckers up with these to avoid in-shoe slippage and to provide extra padding to greatly extend your in-heel time. Which, clearly, you should, since that extra height just makes everyone look awesome. And when all else fails, pull out a pair of leather “foldie flats” (AKA Ballasox) from Corso Como.
- Fashion Tape
I have no words for the brilliance of fashion tape. I buy it in bulk! Undone hems, gapping blouses, wiggly strapless dresses, unflattering draping, visible zippers, unintentional peep shows: this stuff fixes it all.
- Miss Oops! Sponge and Hollywood Stain Remover
Rips, holes, and shredding = appropriate punk. But even the most hardcore hipster should not be caught dead with a stain on their outfit.
- A Good Tailor
One of the easiest ways to wreck a silhouette is by not tailoring your clothes properly. Find one, get one, put one on speed dial. No one’s going to notice how tiny your waist looks if the length is awkward!
- A Garment Steamer
No. Wrinkles. Ever. Nothing is more distracting! Irons can crease the intended lines of, say, a gathered waist, but a good steamer will relax and press your clothes to ready-to-wear perfection.
- A Drying Rack: 99% of your clothes should never see the inside of your dryer. This includes jeans, t-shirts, any and everything labeled dry clean only (obvi!), dresses, cotton, silk, everything. Extreme heat distorts the fit of a garment, sometimes permanently, and the harsh texture of a dryer will damage the fabric. Protect your investments! When you can’t dry clean, wash in cold, hang to dry. And never, ever wash anything with a label that says you shouldn’t.
So there’s a little styling 101, gratis from yours truly. Next week, we’ll go back into full-on Trend mode with mixing prints (yes!) with taste. Now that you know how to wear your look with refinement, I can’t wait to show you how to add in a little quirk!
“Getting it all together” is yet another sign of absolute confidence, which is always not only your best accessory, but your very best asset as well.
Love and fashion,
Keke
