Common Sense Style » jcrew

Make sure your clothing is comfortable

Navee — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:00:23 +0000

I went to an opening of friends second a restaurant the other night – Ben and Jacks. It had better entertainment than a movie. The restaurant was filled with older men and a lot of younger women. I think a few of the women were hired promotional talent. They were appropriately dressed as promo models if you know what I mean. They are told to wear specific outfits and you can always tell when it’s something they don’t want to wearing or if it doesn’t fit right because they are trying to fix their skirt, shirt and bra all night. There’s a reason why 2-sided tape was invented ladies!

My friends and I finally sat down to dinner. The topic of fashion and style came up. We were all wearing black, but in a completely different way. We all have our own style. It’s funny how we could all be friends but not share any of the same style interests.

What is even more interesting is that we’re all different ages 40, 32, and 26. The youngest, a designer, said that making things simple was key. She buys only A-line dresses and once in a while may throw a belt into the mix. It’s a rarity that she will put on heels unless going to a wedding. I’m always wearing a suit of some sort and stiletto heels. Our friend that is 40, owns her own business and once she finds something she buys several of the same item. Amazingly, she’s the one that wears jeans and the short skirts! She’s got legs that go a mile high. Tonight she’s in this Vince Dindl skirt (she’s had it hemmed up) with a white button up. Watch out 20-somethings!

The young designer friend came in a French Connection Mandy Minim dress and I was in a JCrew suit. No matter what age, no matter what event, know your own style and personality. If you’re not comfortable, it will show. You’ll end up becoming our entertainment for the night like the promotional models did.

How to wear boyfriend denim

Navee — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:12:40 +0000

So a few years ago when the skinny jean came into style I thought to myself, oh no. I’ve got an athletic body type and I love the look of the skinny jean but it took me a long to find a pair a pair that actually fit me. Skinny jeans are still in style, however this year’s addition is the look of the boyfriend denim. Remember in the nineties when everyone would to roll up their pants tightly on the bottom? I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I used to practice and practice folding my seams over and up trying to make it as tight as possible. My mother used to think it was silly and asked why I didn’t just wear short pants?

My mother would roll in her grave to know it’s all coming back again. To accomplish the 2009 version of rolling up the cuff, simply take a pair of jeans, roll the cuff, but make sure it’s little loose on the bottom. You don’t want to do this with matchstick denim. Have fun with the style, but don’t look like you put on your guy’s jeans. Don’t pinch the jean either. Get a loose but slimming pair of jeans.

Victoria Secret took their Low Boyfriend Jean, it’s wide leg, rolled them at the cuffs and took a beautiful picture of a model in it. But in real life, the cuffs would be too big or require a pinch in them. If you look at both pictures of the link provided, the jean is form fitting at the waist even though it’s low and so it wouldn’t look right. Now look at Joe’s Jeans Cropped Ex-Lover. This is a loose fit jean but more slim in the leg. The cuff is a little more refined making it ladylike. Another great example is J.Crew’s Vintage Slim Jean.

The boyfriend denim can be accomplished with a pair of jeans already in your closet. With the boyfriend, a loose fit is best because it’s more casual – even if you pair it with heels.

What shirts to wear this Spring

Navee — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:42:36 +0000

It’s an exciting time. Everywhere I go I see women ready to rip off their coats and sport their newest spring buys. Which has me thinking about tops. This season is a going to be a lot of fun. Shiny metallics are being found everywhere. This JCrew Metallic shirt is beautiful. Rhinestones, sequins have gone from shoes and jewelry to shirts, dresses and more. Don’t be afraid to let your personality “shine” through.

Black and whites are always classics such as French Connections Juliet Dream Top, but I’m seeing a lot of black and white tops with band lines on them. I’m also seeing a lot of stripes. Have fun with stripes, but be careful, some striped looks can make you look bigger. Try on before buying.

Graphic T’s have made a come back and they are gorgeous ladies. You can grab one from ArdenB or Forever21. These will surely go into summer as well. Stars such as Beyonce and Hayden Panettiere have been spotted with graphic T’s at the beach and at events. Go glam or go casual with them.

So I’ll leave with one last item: the jumpsuit. I’m not a big fan of these personally being a petite sized woman with short legs. But I put one on my niece who’s a gorgeous 5’8 skinny girl with long legs and it was stunning on her. It was an off the shoulder drape jump suit from ArdenB. We added a bold necklace and earrings and she was ready to go on her date. The jumpsuit was simple as were the accessories.