bags Archives - Page 9 of 11

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Khaki

Khaki turns out to be another one of those colors that means absolutely NOTHING, in absolute terms. I saw things all over the spectrum that answered to my call for khaki jewelry, bags and shoes!This, in my mind, was what I expected when I started searching for khaki; I really quite like this with black; it's unexpected, a bit earthy, but rather sophisticated, too.

Bag – DKNY; loafers – Eileen Fisher; tee shirt – Uniqlo; crop knit pants – Helmut Lang; Khaki nail polish – Burberry; leather bracelet – Veronica Bettini; pearl spinner ring – Topshop

And then I saw this more brown-ish color, which I think looks glorious with the brown outfit. Again, it's not an expected choice of accessories, but it has a richness that ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Olive

Wow, I had no idea that olive was such a debatable color! But I guess since there are different colored olives, there are going to be different search results when you start looking for olive green...This is sort of what I expected to find when I started searching. The boots that have the black elastic inset in the side sort of subtly hold all of this together pretty well.

(if someone gave you this ring for the holidays, kiss them repeatedly...)

Bag – Michael Kors; Chelsea Boots – Topshop; tee shirt – Uniqlo; crop knit pants – Helmut Lang; Mash nail polish – NARS; bracelet – Tai Rittichai; ring – Todd Reed

This was the other sort of shade that I expected to find, while hunting down all ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Purple

I adore purple - I could easier become a really nutty "wears nothing but purple" person... There's a woman here in Chicago who wears EVERY shade of purple, and nothing BUT purple, every day. She combines the shades and nuances with reckless abandon, and carries it off with panache. I don't always like it, but I always notice it. And she seems very happy....Frankly, I'm not convinced that all of these combinations work - certainly they wouldn't work for me. But everybody gets to decide for themselves, and if you love it, go with it!

This grouping all started with the very cool purple shoes...

Bag – Jimmy Choo; trainers – Fratelli Rossetti; tee shirt – Uniqlo; crop knit pants – Helmut Lang; Night Creature nail polish ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Pink

While the right shade of pink is flattering to most women, what do you do if your favorite pink ISN'T the really flattering one? Move it away from your face, and indulge!Some commenters specifically said that really bright, intense fuschia is hard to wear, and I can agree with that! But nail polish, or a pair of snazzy flats? That could be just perfect....

Backpack – Longchamp; flats – Shoes of Prey; tee shirt – Uniqlo; crop knit pants – Helmut Lang; Love Bites nail polish – Estee Lauder; bracelet – Swarovski; ring – Urban Posh

I looked for a pink that was just a touch softer and warmer to wear with brown. And now I absolutely long for this nail polish... (the name is hysterical, as are ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Yellow

December 25, 2015

A very Happy Christmas to all of you celebrating today, and a joyous and wonderful day for everyone else! Let's all remember what's most important, and remember to share love, patience, and endless care to everyone around us. We are strong; we can do this!The more I work with "unflattering" colors, the more I find that there are some really lovely items available in the world that might, at first glance, seem difficult to wear. But I think if we keep these kinds of colors away from our faces, there's no reason in the world to avoid them, if they really speak to your heart.

Yellow and black can be REALLY difficult to wear - threats of the nickname "Bumblebee" are always present. But I think this shade is ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Green

December 23, 2015

It's a frequent question: "I really love ______, but it looks terrible on me!"

Well, first, let's answer 2 questions:

Does it REALLY look terrible on you, or were you told that once, about 40 years ago, and it's stuck with you since then? Are you sure that you want to wear this color, or is there some other way to solace your longing? Towels, thrown cushions, table wear, a cell phone cover - there are lots of ways to inject a color into your life without putting in on your person.

Okay, you really DO want to wear this color, and it really DOES make you look ghastly. Maybe it's one of those "local high school" things, or college homecoming, or.... YOU JUST LOVE THE COLOR. You don't have to ... View the Post

Choosing Accessory Colors, or Accessories in Clusters

June 4, 2015 Woo hoo!!! The absolutely wonderful ladies at Kathkath send me a scarf! (fwiw, I am NOT one of those bloggers who are constantly being sent things to review - I can now count on 2 fingers the number of gifts I've received from designers...) They sent me this beautiful wonder:

It is, in fact, more beautiful in person than it is in the photographs! The size is the same as Hermes scarves - 90cm square (just about a square yard). And the fabric is soft and light without being flimsy; for those of you who find Hermes to be too "crispy" and heavy, definitely look at these. I'm so happy... And so, of course, I'm immediately figuring out what to wear it with. Black clothes - piece ... View the Post

RED Cowboy Boots – Integrating a Wild Splurge into your Wardrobe

May 21, 2015

We've all done it. Something just CALLS OUT YOUR NAME... and the next thing you know, you get home, and you have a pair of red cowboy boots in your hands. Maybe not cowboy boots, but something that's outside of your normal wardrobe confines...

There's nothing wrong with this, if the item in question has true "whappage" - if it really strikes you, appeals to you, speaks to you on some deep level. Let's just figure out how to incorporate this newly exposed facet of your persona into your existing wardrobe.

These are the culprits in question:

And your normal wardrobe (I know, because you told me...) is grey and camel. Let's grab a couple of simple outfits with which we can work - jeans and sweaters are ... View the Post

A Dusty Pink Jacket: Integrating an Accent Color

May 20, 2015 Ahh, sometimes you receive a gift that's lovely, but... A dusty, soft pink jacket is a wonderful gift - there are few of us who can't wear this color successfully, but what if you've never before owned ANYTHING else in this color? Happily, a coat's a great thing to integrate into the rest of your wardrobe, because you can wear whatever you want under the jacket, add one well-chosen accessory, and everything will look pulled-together and thought out. Here's an example of the coat:

From here, your options are wide open! A beautiful scarf?

A beautiful bag is a great idea!

Lots of other possibilities...

And don't ... View the Post

A Red Handbag: Integrating a New Accent Color in a Capsule Wardrobe

May 11, 2015

Red seems to be a color that a lot of us want to incorporate into our lives; I've received a few emails asking specifically about what to do with either a red handbag or red footwear (check out my post on integrating red cowboy boots)! Maybe a red sweater or dress is too bold, but smaller doses of red can be beautiful with literally any neutral color. I don't know of another accent that can be used as widely, and as universally, as red.

So I found a bag I really like; while this bag is styled very much like a tote bag, it's really just a medium-sized barrel shaped handbag or shoulder bag:

And I'm going to work with a VERY modest assortment of grey clothes this time. In addition to being a great way to illustrate ... View the Post

Three Green Scarves, Three Color Schemes

May 6, 2015 My lovely friend bought the green handbag! But then she was debating about a new scarf to complement her bag; she narrowed her choice down to these three:

Each of these scarves would be beautiful with her green handbag, but what struck me was how each of these scarves could lend itself to a very different color scheme! So I was thinking that maybe, if you were choosing from among three items like this, it might be helpful to think about how having the item in your closet would manifest itself in your future shopping choices. Sometimes, the ability to see where a particular purchase might lead you can give you an indication of how suitable the purchase really will be for you moving ... View the Post

A Turquoise Handbag: Integrating a New Accent Color

May 5, 2015

Today, I'm going to try to answer two questions with one blog post. (something about birds and stones comes to mind, but I don't kill birds...)

Many of you are reluctant to buy shoes that aren't in neutral colors - maybe it's a question of having to buy very expensive shoes because of foot conditions, or a reluctance to draw attention to lower body and/or legs, or perhaps you have Audrey Hepburn feet (aka disproportionately large)... But for whatever reason, it's perfectly justifiable, as if you have to explain or defend your preferences!

And of course, we wanted to marry navy and turquoise, because it's one of the great color combinations!

So let's grab this lovely bag first:

And go back to our navy travel or ... View the Post