Cheap pants make you look cheap

Style into Action loves buying cheap.
Style into Action hates buying anything that looks cheap. 

Direct? 
Absolutely - there is no other way to get this message out to the typical Australian woman.

Let's look at pants. 

The pink pants below, are cheap. They are from asos.
Quite aside from their bad fit, they unfortunately look cheap.

See the rippled seams, inside & outside of the legs?
See the uneven leg lengths?

Cheap clothing sends a messages to the world that you are happy to compromise on your look and yourself. They say: I am not worthy.

Is that the message you want to send about yourself?

On the other hand, the following pants are not cheap (around $300) but they have the beautiful advantage of looking perfect. They may the wearer's image look perfect, classy & totally respectable. 

See how the seams are flat, smooth? 
See how a centre press adds class? 

in a fine summer wool

in a cotton/elastene

I searched celebrity photos for expensive looking pants.
At a moment's notice, I found Jessica Alba in a Fendi pair.
Yes, uber expensive, but uber classy.

in Fendi

Michael Kors sweater
Fendi pants

Dont worry about the few ripples on her inner right leg - its a stance thing rather than a fit or quality thing. 

Objections:

So I know you're all going to jump on me & say "I cant afford Fendi pants!"

Great, neither can I. Even when they are on sale!

The key here is to buy the best quality you an afford.
Look for sales by all means, but dont buy driven by price - buy driven by quality. The moment you start buying on price at sales (eg: what a bargain, its sooo chap etc), you are compromising on quality.

But most Australian women are too busy buying volume rather than quality. This is especially in 2013 when fast fashion (Topshop, Zara etc) are taking over our retail landscape. So they will buy three pairs of pants over the summer rather than one pair of great quality pants. 

The problem with three pairs of average quality is that not only so they look sub standard, but they wear badly. Which makes them look even worse.

What makes it worse, is that in Australia, women are not taught to refresh & update - they tend to replace when its too late. In the mean time, their image suffers. Badly. 

What they dont realise, is that once you factor in the replacement costs, it generally costs more than if you had purchased quality in the first place. 

Cue: I am not worthy. 

You're also going to jump on me & say "I prefer volume & variety." I hear this from the younger set all the time.

Ok - terrific. Stick with it. I am not telling you to change what you are doing. I am merely telling you the impression you are giving by what you are doing. Cue: I am not worthy. 

Yellow - perfect antidote for a dreary day

Must be a fashion editor..

Stephane Rolland "paintwork"

Lanvin

Too pretty

in Dior

wowza!

another Celine bag pop!

Roberto Cavalli

Another cute one...

Oscar de la Renta SS 2013

Victoria B wearing a grown up school raincoat with lime Birkin

Dr Lisa Airan in Givenchy

Jessica Alba in Ralph Lauren

Toning it - adjacent colours on the colour wheel

 

ADORE

Cozy

Yellow lights up the basics (chambray, white jeans, striped tee)

Yellow with more basics

Very cool with silver

Shalom Harlow in US Vogue 1995

Wishing we were here!

I wear a uniform

I wear a uniform.

I am not a nurse, a bus driver, a policeman or a firefighter.

But I wear a uniform.

This is my uniform.

I cant recall where I found this photo, but make no mistake, this IS my uniform.

I vary the accessories - the shoes, the necklace, the bag, the bracelets, maybe a scarf but essentially the base is always the same....

Stark white, 

Black (or navy), 

Loose top (or tank) or sweater covering my bum,

Nothing tucked in

Sometimes the pants are slightly wider

Very little colour & usually in the accessories

Very little print & usually in the accessories

The uniform is my casual daywear. I have another uniform for work & another for going out (separate posts on those later).

If you have a uniform, the chances are that:

1. You are older (dont ask me to define this!!)

2. You have a strong sense of (fashion) self, meaning you understand your body shape & colouring & dress accordingly.

3. You've been through fads & trends in your earlier years

4. You favour ease in getting dressed, meaning you generally have whatever you need to wear, accessible in your wardrobe

5. You feel comfortable in your uniform so you can get on with your life - you arent self conscious in your clothes

6. You have many duplicated pieces & they all get worn because you know what shapes & colours work for you.
If your duplicates arent getting worn, there is a chance your "uniform" is accidental/random/not deliberate - or you may simply be in a rut - see me later on this.

I am not the only one with a uniform.
Check out the following babes...

                                                          The Queen has a uniform

The Late Princess Diana had a summer uniform

                                  & a winter uniform

& an evening uniform.

 


Sienna Miller has a (boho country) uniform (although she is deliberately
changing it in the last 12 months or so)

                          Eva Mendes has a very distinctive summer 

                                                           uniform of floral dresses

                       Jessica Alba has a very consistent uniform of jeans,

                                                                  top, jacket & scarf

                         Jennifer Aniston has a uniform of jeans, dark jacket & neutral solid tops.                                

As the weather lightens, she removes the jacket & softens the top

Or she may wear cargos or a spot of colour. 

But the uniform remains the same.

The only bad thing the uniform can be accused of is that its boring.  But no-one that has a uniform & works it well would agree with this.

The uniform saves you money - because all your pieces are interchangeable & you can get more mileage from everything (cost per wear goes down).

The uniform saves you time.

Do you have a uniform?

Is there a celebrity whose style you admire? Chances are they have a uniform. Google their clothes & see if their uniform could be your uniform.

If you cant figure out what their uniform is, just ask me!

Easy "smart casual" tips & tricks

There's alot we can learn from Jessica Alba.

Like how to look effortless in jeans when the invite says "smart casual" without actually putting in alot of effort.

Seriously - while I generally subscribe to the theory that it does take effort & planning to look well dressed, there are some tips & tricks that will help cut down time spent to look fab.

I noticed the following two photos of Jessica Alba and couldnt help highlighting certain aspects for you:

 
Bad hair day? Put your hair in a bun but add prettiness with a hair band


Bleary eyed? Dark sunglasses


Top? The easiest smart top that covers muffin & lunch belly? A white shirt.


Jeans? Easy, just make sure the cut flatters your shape, the wash slims you and they are comfy.


Shoes? Flat & unscuffed. Easy.
Jewellery - earrings, a watch, oops, no watch, just earrings.

The hero piece? The colourful scarf - there is no skill in wrapping this - just twice around your neck & tie the ends & you're ready to go.

Lets give another one a try - 

 


Bad hair day? Put your hair in a pony tail, simple!


Bleary eyed? Large designer sunglasses


Top? Easy loose (but not sloppy) that skims over the body & covers muffin & lunch belly?


Jeans? Worn in & comfy, rolled up to show off cute shoes.


Shoes? Flat & unscuffed ballet flats. Classic & easy.


Jewellery - small earrings, a watch, a few bracelets, nothing flashy required, just some necessities/classics.


Accessories - a smart leather bag. But yoou could substitute a pretty straw carry all or a fabric bag - just make sure its clean and not banged up.

The hero piece? The colourful scarf - AGAIN.  Are you getting it now? No skill required again....wrap around twice, tie the ends & you're ready to go.

Have you noticed that these two looks really ARE easy & the items that really add the flamboyance and pizazz are the scarves?

Did you also notice that none of these items say "designer"? Sure, they are good quality and looked after, but you dont need to flash labels to look good. 

In fact, you should be able to "shop your closet" for alot of these items.

If you are petite, scale down the size of the scarf & the shirt & the bag. Otherwise, the same rules apply.




Of course for a "smart casual" invitation, you can always go dressy with a dress. I'll cover that in another post.