My Passport To Style | Exposes The Myths Behind The | Hourglass Figure

With Marilyn firmly on every one lips and some may wish on their boyish hips. I have to share a dark secret from deep within the depths of my stylists wardrobe, ok so I am being a bit over dramatic, so probably best to just spit it out.

 I recently went to offer someone style advice to a client and as a matter of course, told her that she was an hourglass, she looked totally shocked and then said 'well why do I find it so impossible to find clothes to suit me?' I sat her down over a strong cup of sweet tea and gently proceeded to tell her that an hourglass figure is not the golden gateway to a life time of effortless dressing despite the inflated myths circulating. Yes we all want a curvy hour glass figure which means in basic terms encase you're wondering, your shoulders and hips are of equal width and you have a definite waist that goes in. The truth is however that hourglasses are a hard body shape to work, they can look super boxy in a blink of the eye, particularly the short waisted variety, that's me!

Boyfriend style jackets are out, as are many casual looks, basic t-shirts cuts and sweat tops that are a staple of many of our wardrobes don't do much either, unless layered with a fitted open blazer or long line belted cardigan. So you can see the style dilemma, casual is hard to carry off for us poor curvy gals, but fine if your movie star from the 50's with great pointy breasts, skinny belts are a must, my casual look is a clean cut romper suit, worn with long line cardigans fastened low down to help lengthen my torso, a denim pencil skirt, fitted shirt dresses, that gently hug my curves most of which can be dressed down with high tops, pumps and shoe boots. The finale word? Yes I may lust after boyish hips but when it comes to full on glamour, well we are the go to girl!

Marilyn Monroe does casual dressing!




credits point six generation and M.O.D

Art Deco Brilliance At Your Fingertips With BlingBacks!

My favourite trend this Winter 2011 is the return to full on glamour and elegance, move swiftly from the 40s to the 20s by swapping your tweed pencil skirt and detachable fur stole for a pearl collar and a simple flapper dress.

I love the ultimate shoe accessory of the season, BlingBacks, this is an ingenious way to give last year's heels a vintage art deco feel, well made and very dance floor friendly, but what I love most about BlingBacks, is the the silicone cushioning on the removable BlingBacks are designed to provide extra comfort and protection for the heels of your feet when your dancing, simply hook them over the back of your shoes. If like me your unlucky enough to have a whole half size difference between your two feet, you will know that a bit of extra cushioning can mean that the shoe which is slightly bigger on the foot does not rub as much. BlingBacks come in a wide range of styles but my favourites are these slightly irregular shaped sweet bows. Visit BlingBacks to see more designs 

I was sent some BlingBacks for the purposes of this review 

credits- whitneyonthewing.blogspot.com   brooklynexposed.com

My Passport To Style | Project Red Coat



pillar box red



Hi Gals, as you know red is a big trend this season. So I was thrilled to find a wool pillar box red and black velvet short coat with a gorgeous tux neckline at my local vintage store but I need to alter the puffed sleeves, at the moment the volume in the sleeves make my athletic shoulders look too top heavy and I want to change the double breasted fastening to a single button fastening to simplify the look and play to this jackets potential for a long lean look, the back of the coat also needs taking in, so it is more fitted across my back and less boxy, which won't flatter my hourglass shape.

I confess to being a blue girl, I love lots of vibrant colours too, but navy and grey which flatters my olive skin tone best, forms the basis of most of my wardrobe neutrals rather than black. When my red coat project is finished, I will be sure to share the pictures here on My Passport To Style, but in the meantime I have been scouting for some fresh ideas on which colours to wear with my pillar box red coat. I want to wear the my restyled red coat more casually, which is harder than you might think, red is a colour we associate with full on glamour so we tend to automatically accessorise it with a red lippy and heels. To my amazement there was very little on the internet on how to wear this autumn/winter seasons 2011 red coat trend, but as luck would have it, I happened upon a post on Pink Bow from the North UK, where 10 fashion bloggers took up the challenge to style the same red coat from Next.

 Paula from Pink Bow opted for a pink red of course! The other fashion bloggers look very glamorous in the orange red version (incidentally orange red is easier to wear if you have an olive complexion and pink red looks great on very pale skin tones) but I did notice that most fashion bloggers had opted for wearing this red coat with black tights, which is something I wanted to steer away from, simply because I feel it creates a more vampy evening feel.



 However Eleanor the blogger on the top left from Pretty Much Penniless has gone for a softer feel which I love, by breaking up the red using a lemon yellow dress and a large fur collar, the sheer tights Susie has chosen give the look a more casual feel and her combination of well chosen accessories and colours mean that the red is not overpowering her look.

rust colours ground  true bright reds

midnight blue accessories work well with true reds

 Bingo! Aside for the obvious colour choices such as red on red or navy blue or grey , I have decided to take inspiration from Susie's hair colour and satchel and wear rust and conker colours with my red tux coat once its altered, perfect colours to contrast with the black velvet detailing and they will soften the pillar box red for a more casual feel, I'm thinking a large flat navy tweed cap would finish this androgynous look off perfectly and I will wear my hair in a bun at the nape of my neck. Have you dared to wear red this season?

My Passport To Style | Tights Please Review And Limited Edition House Of Holland Giveaway!

When tightsplease recently invited me to try some of their designer tights on for size, I decided to use the opportunity to not only check out the quality and the fit, but to also create some new looks to share here, using my existing wardrobe. As well as checking out my latest style inspiration using tights from tightsplease in this post, you can win the pair of limited edition Henry Holland tights featured. Just leave a comment or tweet about the competition and let me know here, be sure to leave your email address too, the winner will be announced here on Monday evening and contacted.Good luck! 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO UK AND OVERSEAS READERS

Win These Today!

Ask For The Moon At Tights Please And They Probably Stock It! 

I'm a big of British designer Henry Holland and his quirky designs, so I had to choose a pair of House of Holland crochet print tights, I also chose a pair of Ingie tights by Red or Dead in red, which to me is more a lovely raspberry pink, I love the naive Scandinavian style print. My third, very grow up choice was the Cette Oslo tights in grey, these are grey on the front with teeny tiny black polka dots and black on the back with grey polka dots, creating a two tone effect along the length of the outer and inner leg, which is sliming to the calf and thigh. Both the Cette Oslo and the Ingie tights come in an opaque finish and are very comfy to wear. They do cost a little more than some tights on the high street, but personally I would rather have one pair of tights that fit my style DNA perfectly and don't ladder within

ten minuite of wear, than five pairs of bland tights.

Four Fresh Looks I Created For My Winter Wardrobe Using Tights From Tights Please



Red Ingie Tights worn with maroon, gold & lilac tones



Mixing berry tones is a look I love right now, so for look 1 I teamed my maroon sweater with my biscuit A-line skirt, the raspberry ingie tights and a lilac flat bobble cap, I think the gold tone looks really pretty with pink.

red Ingie tights worn with blackcurrant and gold tones

 For look 2 I switched my 1940's inspired blackcurrant boiled wool short jacket with my maroon sweater and teamed it with my biscuit short A-line and ingie tights. The key to both looks is using natural fibres which reflect  the homespun look of these tights to create a luxe palette.

House Of Holland Crochet Tights Worn With Egg Yolk Yellow & Blackcurrant tones

 Look 3 is really casual and the House of Holland crochet pattern tights I chose, worked beautifully with my egg yolk yellow 60's tunic and the deep blackcurrant of my boiled wool jacket, the orange and grey tones in the tights work well with yellow and I love playing with the lines from a mix of eras, why not mix 40s and 60s together.

Cette Oslo Grey Polka Dot Tight,Worn With Emerald Green, Ivory & Black Texturing

 Look 4 was a Biba inspired Christmas party look and utilised my latest thrift shop gem, a George wrap dress with bold emerald green swirls on a black background worn with a Ivory and gold necklace from Top Shop, black suede Clarks wedges, a small angular black clutch bag from Coast and of course the grey Cette Oslo tights, I could have gone for black, but grey is softer and more interesting. I love all the strong deco lines in this look and the fun mix of smaller patterns and angular shapes created using these accessories , like the grosgrain ribbons spouting from my Coast clutch, the square perforations in my black suede shoes and of course the tiny polka dots on the Cette Oslo tights. Visit tightsplease to check out the other colours in this range or more designs.

 

Biba Inspired Christmas Party Look

*please note I was compensated for this review with tights from Tightsplease

My Passport To Style | Alphabet Chic

 T is for........ Trunk the kind you want with you when your on a Steamship, half of dressing well, is knowing where to find your things, get that right and you feel invincible! 

  credits - theconranshop.co.uk

My Passport To Style | Which Of Your Summer Bags Should Hang Around For A/W 2011?

wovenpurses.com 

 Hi Gals, before you look at this elegant raffia tote and remember that you have a similar bag languishing at the back of your wardrobe/closet that won't be seeing the light of day now till next summer 2012. Here is quick style tip to brighten your Monday, this bags shape and fabric  is perfect for wearing with this winter 2011 seasons mod inspired looks that featured heavily on the catwalks; vintage inspired mod looks can be in danger of looking a little brassy when teamed with traditional PVC accessorise, the raffia weave adds an element of sophistication. This bag would also work well to add warmth and anchor more futuristic winter whites if your more inclined in that direction this A/W 2011.

Vanessa Bruno

My Passport to Style | Shares What It's Like To Contract Patchwork Fever!



New York Fashion week Oscar -De- La- Renata

Hi Gals, I was recently very ill with patchwork fever, the symptoms ( brought on by many hours of staring at vibrant 7o's inspired folk photo shoots in my favourite glossyy mags) are pretty, although rather nasty! It starts with your vision blurring the boundaries between print, texture and plain blocks of colours, till you become extremely dizzy with visions of hotch potch design. The next stage found me obsessing over how to transform a perfectly lovely patchwork quilt into a coat, I don't think the world is not quite ready for me looking Joseph like, at least not till pantomime seasons starts properly! The finale stage saw me feverishly cutting up every scrap of fabric in the house ready to patchwork into a creation and cloaked in the fall out of loose threads. 



So why not just give way and throw on a plethora of patch work layering as in the image above? The answer is clear in my case, at 5,6 I simply don't have the height to carry of such a large scale mish mash of colour and design, I would end up shrunk to Rumpelstiltskin like proportions, as well as considerably extending my girth, while vastly reducing my fashionable years.

So onto the recovery phase, how did I cure myself, easy, a quick trip to Etsy and the store While There Sleeping, where I found the these beautiful patchwork animals to coo over and reminded me that this trend works best on stuffed animals, beds and models on the runway.So next time you spy a patchwork master piece and start salivating think about what it took me to come back from the brink! 

footnote - fashionable years - like dog years only better!
 
images coutesy of broadwayworld.com, While They Are Sleeping and Oscar De La Renata

My Passport to Styles | Guide To Working The Timeless Monochrome Look

Hi Gals, heres a quick style note for you to bookmark, the monchrome tend is really easy peasy wearing, if you handle with care, soften the look by wearing silver, powder pink or off white tights and gloves rather than just black or white with skirts, dresses and coats. Wear make up natural and keep hair slicked back from your face either short, in a pony or top knot. Avoid hard starchy lines unless your blessed with Mad Men esque curves, blocks of black and white look divinely decadent when varying the texture of fabric used, mohair knits, feathers, faux fur, beading, boiled wool, leather and of silk.Here's a few of my favourite black and white picks. All Oasis, Far Fetched and Chelsea Doll.

black and gold ball frame earrings- Chelsea Doll

black and crystal swirl ring - Chelsea Doll

ivory and black lace shift- Oasis

black and white zip zag and check coat, slouchy style - Oasis



sweet sharp, dalmation spot cardigan- Far Fetched



 my felix the cat pumps

silk scarf V&A

   

My Passport to Style | Got Cindy Lou Fever Find Out Why .....

Hi Gals, if your looking for a perfectly wicked reason to splurge on yourself in the run up to my favourite time of the year that is Christmas, then please take note at what I'm about to say, but don't say you heard it here first, got it! Unless of course it's to let your closet gal pal in on our cunning plot! Got it?! Great!

 Every year I indulge in a new look for the Christmas party season, usually a dress, do I ever wear it again?  I'm ashamed to say in previous years the answer has been no! The solution is to invest in slightly quirky but still chic separates rather than that expensive price tag dress, separates that you can wear from now through to the November, then configure (loving that word) differently for Christmas season 2011. So in the spirit of 'configuring' buy it now pieces into a sparkling Christmas look, I'm thinking this Aztec vest with kitch Christmas chic running right through it, is the perfect place to start guilt free pre Christmas shopping. I could wear it with my grey wool A-line skirt, bright yellow tights, fitted black leather jacket and these buy it now gorgeous gunmental cuban ankle boots for a fun edgy look.

 By updating my old black skirt to this lovely swishy number from Style Passport I can tap into this seasons monchrome look now, then come Christmas day leave even the Grinch with a warm glow at my Christmas Party look, as I glide down the stairwell of the hottest ticket in town wearing said black swishy skirt, Aztec vest, sheer black tights, gun mental leather cubans, knock out earrings, a neat silver clutch and a partridge in a pear tree! Sorry I could not resist, capsule wardrobe planning always makes me slightly giddy!

 all items Style Passport

Shoe Sale Shopping | Don't You Love It When A Plan Comes Together?!

neon brogues - The Pessimiss

Hi Gals, I am planning my A/W 2011 wardrobe revolution at the moment and was happy as a girl in a champagne bath when I happened upon sale shoes from Clarks limited boutique collection, that are so comfy sales shopping will never be a chore and better still they fit with the monchrome and 60's looks that are set to be hot this A/W season, these buttery soft brogues (Brisk Walk) with studs will add a contempory edge to my gold tweed trousers and a simple black or cream polo.

Clarks delivered a double helping of shoe paradise when I chanced upon another pair of shoes from their Limited Boutique collection, Ski Lift in black, that will add sharpen up this black and white poka dot dress also from the Jaeger sale.They say third time lucky, well I have to say I felt extreemly lucky when I discovered these classic chelsea boots at Hobbs outlet sale, great with a simple shift dress and thick opaque tights, although I might choose yellow I can't decide.   

Clarkes Sale - Brisk Walk

Clarkes Sale - Ski Lift

Jaeger Sale- Polka ruffle tier dress

Chelsea boots- Hobbs Outlet Sale

60's inspired Shift- Jaeger Sale

The one that got away ?

I was nearly made it to 4th time lucky when I came across the most darling pink patent Mary Janes

 (Madeline Punch) also in the Hobbs Sale, but fate intervened and my computer crashed! My 5.5 are now winging there way to some pink, patent loving lady...