I've only just come around to purple. It's always made me think of Prince's jumpsuits, the packaging for Elizabeth Tailor fragrances and the 80's mania for all things jewel toned. But this season's purple spectrum is nothing if not sophisticated and includes shades like rich raisin, dark concord grape and deepest aubergine. Dark purple is understated. Nothing stagey about it and it provides just the right spark for tried and true colors like gray, camel, red, and navy. Black gets a real boost from purple.
If you look great in purple - meaning you are a winter in Color Me Beautiful parlance- then adding a dark purple jacket or coat to your wardrobe gives you a piece that will complete looks for day and night but I like it best as an accent color. Instead of more black or navy, consider purple for a roomy bag for day, for a combination of opaques and shoes, for gloves. Try on the glint of a purple and metal cuff and carry an exotic ( or faux) purple clutch combined with your LBD for the holiday parties ahead.
Some of this gear is pricey and so- as always- borrow good ideas from the top and interpret as you will at your price range...
1.Akris Fall 2009 runway on style.com. 2. Janis Savitt chain and colored stones necklace from saks.com. 3.Croco-embossed leather cuff KARA by Kara Ross on vivre.com. 4 Marc by Marc Jacobs bag on couturezappos.com. 5. Ruffle pump in raisin from anntaylor.com. 6. Bottega Veneta Fall 2009 runway on style.com. 7. Eggplant python clutch by Sang A. on vivre.com. 8. Kalei pumps on zappos.com.
Sometimes a girl just can not stand the idea of buying yet another black wool coat. But how to satisfy a tight budget and fuse practicality with some color? Sure, those neon colors on the runway at Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors are plenty photogenic but they are also a very disposable income fad. Unless you have a budget for lots of outerwear options, skip the 80's-inspired safety colors.
I am a big fan of the red coat. Whether in a shade of deep claret, a true scarlet, or a luscious tomato- the color red mixes effortlessly with shades of brown, camel, charcoal, aubergine, navy, and of course, black. Choose the right red coat as you would the right red lipstick. What makes your complexion glow?
The coat on the far left by Dries van Noten is a great role model for finding a simple trench-inspired coat or a single breasted style in a rich wine red (in your price range). Add a brown belt at the waist for instant chic. Whether you tap into the military trend (which never goes out of style), go for a minimalist funnel neck or a take on a redingote, you can not miss with red.
Left to right: Dries van Noten (for more Dries van Noten Fall 2009 looks log on to style.com).
Military-inspired d.b. coat by Steve by Searle bloomingdales.com. Funnel neck d.b. coat by DKNY at dkny.com.Orange-red 3/4 pea coat by Lener and double breasted redingote-style by DKNY Coats are both at bloomingdales.com.
One fundamental of fashion- a great silhouette begins at the shoulders. How a shoulder is cut defines a tailored piece of clothing like a jacket or coat. Armholes too. In dressmaking the armhole is carefully considered. Too tight and the piece will strain and crease across the shoulders ( front and back). A too tight sleeve also causes the dreaded sausage arm. An armhole that is cut too big and a sleeve that is too wide creates baggage under the armpit and instantly adds visual pounds. Another fashion fundamental- bad fit equals style implosion.
So when restyling a jacket start with something that fits you reasonably well. Recutting an armhole or refashioning a shoulder is expensive and the results can be disappointing.
Changing a jacket or coat collar from a shape like Peter Pan, for example, to a smaller point collar can transform the look from retro to modern. Remove a collar altogether for a clean, minimalist line. Narrowing a too wide lapel to a current-looking width or shortening sleeves to a 3/4 length are common requests and will not cost a lot. I recently took a black tux style jacket from 3 years ago ( at least) to my tailor for a sleeve removal. He finished the armholes beautifully and suggested that he narrow the lapels - just a tick- for balance. The result is a new jacket/vest for under $75.
Wide leg pants languishing in your closet? It is easy for a tailor to narrow the leg to an au courant stovepipe line. What about that poker straight skirt ( with the weird length)? Restyling a straight skirt to a pencil shape is easy. The success of the pencil is the subtle narrowing at the hem that gives it that essential curve.
A sack shape dress to a sheath? In general, an easy fix. An unheard of sale on designer jeans but the available sizes are too big? Go ahead. A tailor can style them to fit.
Shopping your closet can be better than bargain hunting. Hit the attic. It could be a treasure hunt. If you don't have a good tailor it is time to find one.
Camel emerged as a star color this fall for it's straight forward versatility in a bad economy. Coats, blazers, sweaters or bottoms- we all have something camel that can have another life in our wardrobe. Consider new and more inventive color combinations to keep things interesting in your closet.
Rather than limiting your look to the tried and true combos - black, brown, chocolate and red- we can all take a page or two from Dries van Noten's Fall collection which included one of the most sophisticated and unexpected palettes of the season.
Colors like mustard, shrimp and coral pink, fiery orange red, lavender and mauve combined with camel or beige look incredibly sophisticated. If a color like mustard is not especially user friendly next to your face and neck add it in to the mix as a skirt or pant worn with a camel coat or jacket for a look that is subtle and more grown-up looking than the current rehash of '80's neon brights.
For grownups a refined bootie or shoe bootie -especially in black and worn with black matte tights-always looks sleek and hip. It's good to choose a style with a little edge to nudge your clean lined pencil skirt or pants into Fall's tough chic mood. Done right, this little shoe is an instant 'Look Changer'. Open toed booties are as useful as wearing a negligee in a hailstorm. They don't work much after September anywhere but LA or Miami. Nothing your stylist hates more than the look-destroying combination of sheer or sheer patterned stockings with a bootie ( except perhaps bare legs and 'mature' knees in a too short length). Go with a no-see through opaque like Wolford's Matte Opaque 80 style. They are a whopping $52 but treat them lovingly with hand washing and line drying and they'll wear like iron. Find them at Wolford boutiques nationallly. Spanx has introduced Reversible Tight-End Tights $34 made of reversible matte yarns so that you can wear them two ways. The color range is great for tonal bootie and opaque combos. They also have an extended top to keep your various parts in place. spanx.com
Here a few bootie suggestions that are long on looks but won't cripple your bank account:
1.Colin Stuart Back Zip bootie $99 @victoriassecret.com
2.SigersonMorrison Handkerchief Tie bootie $799 (ouch- pricey yes, but soft, supple, classic with an edge and comfortable) @couturezappos.com
3.Banana Republic Drawstring Cuff bootie $198@bananarepublic.com
4.Via Spiga Elise bootie $225. These are incredibly comfortable walking boots and bridge the gap between rubber sole comfort and pulled together @zappos.com
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