The Hourglass Body Shape (taliamarkham.blogspot.com/2012)

Here is another body shape guide for the Hourglass women out there. If you have an Hourglass body shape you generally go in at the middle and have a full bust with a smaller, defined waist as well as full, shapely, legs. The hips and bust are about the same size. When it comes to dressing this body shape, its all about emphasis with clothes that hug you just right.

Curves may seem hard to dress, but they really aren’t with the right style and material. With an Hourglass shape you can wear any color you desire, with soft, fitted fabrics, as long as you avoid bows, ruffles, and anything similar that would add bulk rather than accentuate your shape.

Belts with your tops and wrap tops are great because they highlight

the waistline. Be sure to wear crew necks and v necks as they look great with your bust. High necklines draw attention away from your beautiful waistline.

For pants, the flared, skinny, and wide leg style work just fine. If your legs are more on the slender side try slim or straight-leg.  Wear pants with back pockets if you want to slenderize your bottom at

Pants for hourglass shape

all. We now know what is good for your legs and bottom when it comes to pants, so for the waist, be sure to have the high-waist bottoms, in both denim or dressy.Here is a boot-cut, wide-leg, and straight-leg styled pants.

Shown in the image below, these pants are all  great for Hourglass figured ladies who normally have wider legs. The boot-cut makes the bottom half of the body

Swimsuits for hourglass shape (paperblog.com)

proportionate with the top. Straight-leg is great, as well as slim leg if your legs are on the slimmer side.

When it comes to swimsuits, tops and bottoms for two pieces should match in color. Strapless and bandeau tops are great for your bust. If wearing a one-piece, wear a good balance of material and embellishments to avoid bulkiness that would hide your figure.

This summer there are plenty of clothing trends to have fun with but what about shoes to complete the outfit? Well here is some shoe talk for summer shoe trends from the office to a night out on the town!

The first shoe to mention can actually be worn for both, Ankle Strap Pumps. They are the typical pair of heels, but with a little spice added in. The strap makes it easy to transition from work to play as they look sophisticated yet fun enough to go with your night on the town outfits too.

Ankle Strap/shoerazzi.com/casadei-ankle-strap-pump-spring-2013

The Mule, pumps with no backing, is easy for going from the office to casual just as well as the Ankle Strap pumps. The no-back look makes them easy to slip on and off for those busy days and nights. They were popular in past years and have thankfully come back to add sophistication to any look.

Mule/brcla.com/image/mules_shoes/44

A very new and exciting trend is see-through or mesh shoes. Imagine a nice breeze going through your shoes to your feet on a hot summer day. A little skin showing is always a beautiful thing. And something not so new, the Sneaker is a great thing to wear this summer, with a little modification on some styles. Some sneakers have straps with open toes, as well as wedges and platforms.

Mesh Shoes/Hollyinheels.blogspot.com

Jewelry on shoes has been a trending look this summer as well. Beads and studs add pizzazz and personality to any shoe, including heels, sandals, and flats. Gold jewelry is especially nice with heals and sandals.

Beads/yoursolem8.com/product-category/wedges

Keep in mind the variety of shoes for each style, as there are many to choose from depending on material and color. Let’s hope these shoe trends help complete your outfits this summer season.

This summer is full of unique colors to help fill your wardrobe with movement and radiance. Here is a little guide to 5 amazing colors that will not only make you look radiant but feel it too!

Cayenne, the first to mention is an extreme orange with a bit of fire and spice mixed in. This color is good for accessories and wearing with neutrals such as khaki and sand. Its brightness adds intensity and looks great with white and bright blues.

Cayenne (communityfurniture.com)

A bright blue color this season, used by many designers, is called Dazzling Blue, great for shorts and shoes. Though blue is typical in many summer seasons, Dazzling Blue is a bold statement being one shade brighter than navy blue and mixing well with any bright color you wear.

Dazzling Blue (vanityfair.com)

Sand, a variation of beige, adds a certain calming effect to any bright shade. Beige shoes are especially good to wear, allowing you to wear any color you want as your top, bottom, or dress!

Sand colored shorts (www.thisnotthat.net)

Paloma, another soft neutral, is great to wear with any color you want. It’s a variation of grey and can be worn to express confidence and structure. Many designers have used these two colors to allow room for a variety of brights to come together, acting a background or base, in shirts, bottoms, and shoes.

Paloma (myperfectcolor.com/Color-Matches-By-Brand/3344.htm/page/68)

A beautiful, glowing yellow color, Freesia is always great to wear on the beach or for a night out. Wear it with neutrals and other bright colors for a brilliant effect in the summer sun.

Freesia (hyatts.com/pantone/pantone)

I am going to post a blog for every body type and the first one is Apple! Keep reading to find out what is considered an Apple-shape body type and tips on how to dress if that is you. Anyone who is Apple-shaped has a medium to large bust, a flat bottom, no defined waist, a wide torso, and most of their weight is in the middle (belly), with thinner arms, legs, and hips.

Apple Shape

This is one of the most difficult shapes to dress but there are plenty of tricks to create the illusion of a waist using ruching (bunching up of material), bright colors, designs, and embroidery in shirts along the belly area. Jackets, as long as they can close and fit your shoulders, shirts, and sweaters with v-shaped necks help define your waistline. Also stick with plunging neck-lines, scoop necks, and strapless tops to elongate the top half of your body. Avoid high necklines as they will draw attention your chest.

Pants, flared or boot cut, should be high rise and not too tight, to create a nice silhouette. No clothing an Apple-shaped woman wears should be too tight or have thick material either. Zippers on the side are good to have so that you aren’t creating any bumps on the tummy. Avoid leggings and skinny jeans because they will make your legs appear shorter. For dresses, make sure the waistline in the material starts right below the bust. This will help expand your waist.

Any pleating on skirts should start right below the belly to avoid creating more volume in that area. For shoes, avoid anything big and tall, such as boots, this will make your legs look smaller, drawing more attention to your upper half. Wear strappy sandals, flats, platforms with a pair of shorts that have a high waist line, to avoid muffin tops and shorter looking legs. If the Apple-shaped body type sounds like you, these basic guidelines should help you in feeling beautiful, no matter what.

Sources:
Wikihow.com/Dress-an-Apple-Shape-Body
40plusstyle.com/how-to-dress-the-apple-body-shape

These days, being on the go, go, go, may leave no chance to dress as trendy you’d like. It takes time, time, and more time to put yourself completely together before the warm weather events you are dragged into. Am I right or am I right? This Summer season, there are ways to make things a little easier and fun, whether it’s after work or on the weekend, fast and trendy outfits are the best way to go. Here are a few specific trend options for you to simply slip on or carry around with you to help keep your busy life simple and stylish at the same time.

First to mention is anything with a floral print from skirts to shirts, dresses and purses. Floral will add a bright and happy pattern to every outfit no matter what other colors you are wearing. A touch of floral puts you right in the spotlight of the season and is best paired with solid brights, darks, denim, or cotton.

Another simple, trendy pattern is paisley. There is no limit as to what or how many colors you can have in a paisley item. Use a paisley patterned bag for travel, a day out shopping, or going to the beach, and you’ll be walking in style. Another great option is a paisley shirt paired with your denim bottoms. This look is simple but stylish with the unique paisley spicing up a simple denim item.

A unique touch to outfits is something see-through. Mesh tops with a skirt, leggings or skinny jeans make a stylish yet simple outfit. These tops can be paired with a tee shirt, tank top, or bandeau underneath, which is a spandex based top that just covers your bra. Be sure to look for a bright/neon bandeau to go with a white or black mesh top to add a splash of color.

Hopefully you are inspired to try these ideas as they bring variety, yet are able to keep up with you!

Here is a quick & easy guide for those petite ladies out there. As you may already know, petite clothing, for the petite (shorter) woman, is shorter in length and more tapered in from the sides.
First things first: never wear anything cropped, meaning shorter than they should be, including shirts, pants, and jackets, this makes you look shorter. The patterns on your clothing benefit you as well; vertical lines are a great choice to help you appear tall, if that’s what you want. Not only do the designs on your clothes help you appear taller, but so does your hair. Wear it in high buns and pony tails.

What if you find those perfect tops or comfy work pants that are aren’t petite? The answer: A tailor is a great investment to help you get your clothes the length you want them to be. It’s hard to resist when you know a couple inches is the only thing getting the way of you looking cute! Sometimes with pants, however, just add a pair of heels so the bottoms of your pants are no longer touching the floor.

While trying on long sleeve shirts, lift your arms up, things may fit too short sometimes. Going the next size up can solve that problem. One important thing to keep in mind is that not all designers have the same fit for your size. Hopefully these guidelines will steer you petite ladies in the right direction to feeling taller and happier with the length of your outfits. Happy shopping!