Say "yes" to Pantyhose

I am not the first one to endorse wearing pantyhose, given the always-casual dress code in Santa Barbara. However, as Kate Middleton has shown us, wearing sheer, non-shiny, natural-looking nylons results in a chic, pulled-together look. I wrote about Kate's nylons in a past blog post, and am surprised she has not influenced more women to wear pantyhose. Take a look at how great my friend looks in her sheers, which her young daughter called " odd ballet tights."

To Belt or Not to Belt?

Image credit: Anthropologie

My boss is a big fan of belts. And her belt must match her shoes though she is not really a fussy dresser in general. I have lost track of how many belts she has, but I do know one thing: She always looks put together. Belts complete an outfit and make you look like you know what you are doing style-wise.

Suspenders are an entirely different matter: For one thing, they are mostly for men. For another, it takes courage and sartorial flare to pull off suspenders. What a recent Freakonomics episode brought to light is the physics of belts versus suspenders, and how belts do not do the one job they are asked to do--hold up our pants. I liked learning what turned a physics professor from a belt guy into a suspender guy:

"This [a belt] basically works the same way as a tourniquet. You know, you strap it on, pull it tight, and hope your pants don’t fall down. But the physics of a belt — it pushes in, and hopes that it creates enough friction to have your pants not fall down. Well, that didn’t make sense. Here I was talking to my students about physics, and what direction gravity was pulling and moving things, and here I was wearing a belt. And I thought about it a little bit, and I was like, well, wait a minute. I need something to pull up, if gravity is pulling down."

This episode is full of fascinating factoids about belts, as well as a brief history of pants, and I urge you to follow the link above to give it a listen or a perusal.

Inside and Out

Read my article on page 26 in this month's Coastal View News. I share an experience working with an old college friend who wanted her outward appearance to mirror her new,  upbeat attitude. We both learned a great deal from our time together.

Flattering, Schmattering

Photo credit: Buzzfeed.com

When I work with clients, I try to determine what styles will be most flattering according to their particular body shape. Since I worked in retail for years and have studied body shapes and fashion for a long time, I think I have a good grasp on what looks best. But as this article points out, what is flattering to one person (even a stylist) can be completely inappropriate to another. Moreover, the person trying all the clothes on may feel a total disconnect between the stylist's perspective and her own. It's a great read!

A New Makeover Show

Photo credit: Clintonkelly.com

Clinton Kelly's new makeover show will premier next month. I just checked out a preview clip here and have mixed feelings about it. TV programs that are supposed to seem unscripted yet appear rehearsed annoy me. And a program all about how to attract a partner seems so retro to me. Still, I like Clinton Kelly and am hoping to like his new show when I see an entire episode. He definitely knows style and how to dispense good advice.

Dress Your Best (When You Travel)

Image Credit: thegentlemansjournal.com

I came across this smart article from Slate.com about traveling in style and want to share it. The author, J. Bryan Lowder is not haughtily insisting that people to dress in fancy clothes when they get on a plane. However, he does suggest that "when traveling by public means, each of us dress 'nicely' or 'respectably' according to our means." He goes on to offer some very practical reasons for dressing well when taking public transportation, along with this sage observation: "When we dress well for travel, we are not only making ourselves look good; we’re also signaling that we are invested in making this shared experience pleasant for everyone around us."

Bravo, Mr. Lowder!

A Reluctant Share

Image credit: Fillmore & 5th

When people are unwilling to share their recipes I get annoyed. What do they think I am going to do? Steal the recipe and make a profit from it? Will their aunt or grandma or great uncle disinherit them if they share the recipe? Sheesh. It burns me up.

At the same time, I can be reluctant sometimes to share recent shopping finds, thinking selfishly that there will be less things for me if the place gets popular. But since the spirit of Wardrobe Wisdom is to be helpful, I have another tip to share.

Last weekend I discovered a FANTASTIC, A+, EXTRAORDINARY consignment store in Westlake Village. It is called Fillmore & 5th and has shops in other cities as well. The merchandise was very well organized, clean, and of the highest quality. The prices were fair,  the dressing rooms were roomy and well lit, and staff was helpful without being  pushy. I left with a dress, a skirt, and a top, all at a fraction of their original prices. I may have to go there every month!

It's the Little Things

Image Credit: Camille Cooper


In this month's Coastal View News column, I emphasize a few little things which will help you dress better with small expenditures of time, money, and effort. Go here and click on the blue button to read what I have to say on page 10.

Looking Chic

Image credit:whowhatwear.com


Whowhatwear.com just ran a piece about the rule of 3, a dressing guideline used by Nordstrom and Banana Republic employees. This rule--adding an interesting third element to your basic outfit-- is something I talk about with my Wardrobe Wisdom clients and that I think about when I get dressed.

Fit, Proportion, Appropriateness

Photo Credit: TVguide

Sometimes I am stumped, thinking about how to write about fashion and style in a refreshing way. And sometimes I just want to convey some basic ideas and decide to quote or simply re-post what others have expressed perfectly. The latter is the case in today's Wardrobe Wisdom post, taken straight from Clinton Kelly's blog. He lets you know how and why clothes are important and what to look for when you are trying on clothing here.  Clinton gets it just right!

Making an Effort

Reading pastry chef David Lebovitz' blog brings me great pleasure. He lives in Paris and writes with humor and affection about this dazzling, puzzling, beautiful, food-loving city. In his book, The Sweet Life in Paris, he describes how he came to live in France and what life was like for him as a newcomer. I love what he says about the time he knew he had become a Parisian:

"I was spending a lazy Sunday in my apartment lounging around in faded sweatpants and a loose, tattered sweatshirt, my ideal outfit for doing nothing in particular. By late afternoon, I'd finally mustered the energy to take the elevator downstairs to the inner courtyard of my apartment building to empty the garbage.
With the elevator door exactly three steps from my front door and the garbage room just five steps from the elevator landing at the bottom, the trip involves basically four movements. . .
The whole process should take maybe forty-five seconds.
So I extracted myself from the sofa, shaved, changed into a pair of real pants, tucked in a clean wrinkle-free shirt, and slipped on a pair of shoes and socks before heading toward the door with my little plastic sac for the poubelle.
God forbid I should run into someone from my building while wearing my Sunday worst."

To me, making an effort to dress presentably means you respect yourself and those around you. 

Two Fun Nights

I am teaming up with the terrific stores Purrmission Lingerie and Renaissance Fine Consignment in order to raise funds for San Marcos High School's students and programs. Please go here, click on silent auction, and then click on the purchase now items to learn about the two great evenings of shopping and Wardrobe Wisdom that we have planned. I hope to see you at one or both of these events!

Perplexing Pants

Go to page 26 in Carpinteria's Coastal View News to read my column. I cover the topic of pants for men and hope the guys heed my advice.

A Snappy Dresser

John Legend knows how to wear clothes. He always looks handsome and comfortable.

PhD in Dressing

Image Credit: goodreads.com

On May 30,  the public radio program, Here and Now, featured one of my all-time favorite stories, "A Look at the Dress Doctors." Go here to listen to the show or to read highlights and see photos. 

Here is a nice tidbit from the book discussed on Here and Now, called  The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish, by Linda Przybyszewski:

"Dress Doctors—taught American women how to stretch each yard of fabric and dress well on a budget. Knowledge not money, they insisted, is the key to timeless fashion."

I cannot wait to read this book, in which Przybyszewski writes: "As a glance down any street in America quickly reveals, American women have forgotten how to dress. We chase fads, choose inappropriate materials and unattractive cuts, and waste energy tottering in heels when we could be moving gracefully. Quite simply, we lack the fashion know-how we need to dress professionally and flatteringly."

From Esquire Magazine

                                                           Will Ferrell in his "tight pants"


This week I will be posting some "New Laws of Fashion," courtesy of Esquire magazine, which can apply to men and women. I urge you to read these rules, learn from the ones that can apply to you, and then shop and dress your best.

"You wear the clothes, not the other way around."

Nifty Tips from Ablitt's

Photo Credit: justjared.com


This month I received a newsletter from Ablitt's Fine Cleaners and Launderers in Santa Barbara. It included useful guidelines on how a suit should fit. Go here to read the newsletter. (I think Ryan Reynolds looks smashing in his suit.)

Career Dressing

The other day I was talking to a UCSB student about an upcoming campus career fair. She wondered if she needed to wear nice pants or a skirt instead of jeans to the fair. She also wanted to know if sneakers would be okay. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and slip into my lecture mode. Instead, I suggested she treat the day as an excellent opportunity to don some career-appropriate clothing. I have heard from more than one student that dressing professionally at the fair helped them secure a job or internship.

To read more of my advice along these lines, go here. This link will lead you to an article written about my "Dress for Success" talk at UCSB.

Catching Up

A book I turn to with some frequency is Kendall Farr's Style Evolution; How to Create Ageless Personal Style in Your 40s and Beyond. Farr doles out excellent advice on ways to remain chic and confident as our lifestyles and bodies change: "There comes a time when a woman's style needs to catch up with the rest of her life."

This book makes a good birthday gift for a friend and a splendid gift for yourself.

Stitch Fix

Image Credit: Stitch Fix

I call myself a wardrobe consultant not a personal stylist though styling clients in great outfits is a fun aspect of my job! An alert reader of my blog just told me about Stitch Fix, a personal styling service that sends clothing and jewelry right to your door. Have any of you used Stitch Fix? What do you think? I am intrigued.