Month: December 2016

Those of us who like to plan our wardrobe purchases in advance can start budgeting for Spring 2017 shopping… what can we expect?

A quick summary suggests that the Spring ’17 colors are essentially a lighter and more ethereal version of the Autumn ’16 colors.  (Pantone credits, of course)

 Primrose Yellow    Flame

 Hazelnut                  Pale Dogwood

 Greenery                 Kale

 Pink Yarrow           Niagara

  Lapis Blue              Island Paradise

Autumns are going to have the opportunity to snag light-weight dresses in their bright colors, as well as some great greens.  (Primrose Yellow, Flame, Greenery, Kale).  Autumns don’t always have this opportunity, so if that’s your season, I’d advise putting a bit extra by for investment accessories in patterns and fabrics that evoke springtime.  (Hazelnut is also a great Autumn color, so if you’re looking for a bit of aether in your vibe, grab it in 2017).

Winters will have the opportunity to see if Pink Yarrow is strong enough to suit them, and can always rely upon white to bring a bright springtime vibe.

Summers should definitely count on Pink Yarrow, Niagara, Island Paradise, and Lapis Blue giving them a wardrobe boost.  The most unusual color there is Niagara, so if soft, greyed blues suit you – this would be a great year to see if you can’t find a silk blouse in that color (Niagara practically begs to be displayed in silk or linen).

Oddly, Springs don’t get much in the way of color for Spring 2017!  Lapis Blue is a Spring color, Island Paradise might warm up enough in the hands of some designers, and a print with Primrose Yellow, Kale or Greenery  *might* suit – but check those swatches, ladies!  Softer springs might make good use of Pale Dogwood, and if you like a lingerie inspired look, of course that’s a great bet.

Excepting the three bright colors, I see a very solid, muted palette, evoking more the heat of Summer and classic Summer prints than the bright insanity of Spring.

What color do you have your heart set on?

Ah, another picture snapped at the gym… we had a barbeque… I did some deadlifting…

This is why you rely on the camera for truth, not the mirror.  Because I look in the mirror every single day, and I hadn’t noticed how compact I’d gotten, how square I’d gotten.  How can I dress myself if I can’t see myself?

How can you dress yourself, if you don’t see what someone else sees?   Take pictures.  Look at the pictures other people take of you.  And when you stop wincing at the unflattering angles and bad lighting, look at your overall shape.

What is your shape?  What are your proportions?  Where do your best horizontal and vertical lines sit?  If you put your hemline *here*, what happens to your overall impression?  If I added or changed my accessories, would it improve things?  Am I achieving the impression that I want to achieve?

When things change radically, you need to step back and completely re-evaluate your look.

Ask some more cheery questions like, “What is awesome about how I look right now?”  “What’s interesting about me?”  “What parts of my personality are peeking out of the corners?”

Maybe your changing figure means that you need to change your look to make the “you” show up a little bit more loudly.   Be open to throwing everything you think you know about dressing yourself out the window, and starting from scratch, as if you were dressing someone new.

One of my favorite accessories to wear is a bracelet, and one of the ways I like to dial things up to 11 is to wear a stack of bracelets all at once, of several disparate types.  (My personal style runs to water/earth with a touch of fire – I have to have a natural, messy vibe or I get a bit out of sorts).

This is an easy statement to make, and it’s easy to play with because you can see what you have to work with and it’s so easy to add/subtract.   I have small wrists in proportion to the rest of my arms, so a stack of bracelets actually makes me look more proportional.

One of the nice things about mixing and matching your accessories, is of course, that you can match things with one thing one day and another thing another day.  As long as everything is *you*, it will find a home.  Anyway, bracelets don’t take up that much living space.

This is a stack of seven bracelets.  Two new red bangles for birthday gifts, one red stone wrap – a gift from a friend – and four various turquoise stretch bangles.  I love the color combo of red and turquoise.  I find it highly energizing – it takes my basic, earthy outfit and adds a good chunk of fire.

For all accessories, just pick what you really love, what represents you – and then play with it.  It’s all about the accessorizing in this year of our Lord 2016, so have some fun!