On the heels of fashion week

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5 inch heels, clothes hangers, dress code, fashion, New York Fashion Week, runway surfaces, style, wardrobe

Watching professional models (essentially, living clothes hangers who are paid to walk) stomp down a runway in stilettos can be interesting. However, when the professionals can’t manage the death-defying heights and/or weights of their shoes, it’s time to reconsider the term “fashionable.”

Granted, designers may feature 4- or 5-inch heels in their runway shows as a theatrical overstatement. Commercial interpretations – the shoes sold in department stores to folks like us – are far less dramatic. It’s similar to sheer clothing appearing on the runway that, ultimately, is manufactured with a nude lining for the general public to buy.
Unfortunately, many young women don’t make the distinction and attempt to wear shoes that might be described as “a podiatrist’s dream.”

Most runway surfaces are hard and white, but every now and then designers get more creative – which makes it even more challenging for the models. (Waxed wooden floors can be treacherous and Phillip Lim offered a runway made of salt crystals for fun.)

That’s why it’s nice to hear a voice of reason, like Trish Wescoat Pound, the founder and creative director of Haute Hipppie, who recently told the Wall Street Journal, “Fashion doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.”

Amen.

Teachers shop, too.

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dress code, fashion, shopping, style, Teacher, wardrobe

Students aren’t the only ones doing back-to-school shopping. Teachers also are hitting the stores, looking for choices that balance professionalism with comfort.

According to an informal poll, several factors influence teachers’ choices: their age, their students’ age and climate.

For those who teach lower grades, the Gap and Express are favorite destinations since slacks with a trendy top appears to be the uniform.

“Usually my pants are functional while my tops are more stylish,” admits second grade teacher Lois Fitzgerald of Orlando, Florida. “But I also invest in good quality shoes. Footwear is so important. If you don’t have comfortable shoes, you’re going to be miserable because you’re on your feet all day.”

Unlike student dress codes, which can inspire groans of frustration at the outlawing of the flip-flops, tank tops and miniskirts that monopolize teen departments, teacher dress codes often are aimed at setting an example for their students and gaining respect. Many schools have rules that include no spaghetti straps, no flip-flops and no overly revealing clothes for teachers.

“It depends on the school district, but when I taught in Texas, tattoos had to be hidden under clothing or a bandage,“ notes Sue Harrell who currently teaches third grade in Plant City, Florida.

Harrell learned early in her career that teaching elementary school can be hazardous to her wardrobe. A math and science teacher, Harrell spends a lot of time outdoors – doing experiments and observing nature – with her students.

“I’ve learned not to spend too much on my work wardrobe,” Harrell says. “If you care about it, it will get ruined.”

Those who teach older grade levels report that Ann Taylor and Banana Republic provide business casual looks that appear polished and professional.

“I am 28 and I look young, but I try to stand apart from my students,” says Carly Jenkins, who teaches ninth grade in Jacksonville. “It’s very important to maintain that distance. I am not their friend, I am their teacher.”

That is a distinction every parent can appreciate.

The new and beautiful will follow

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closet, Design, drawers, order, organization, Storage, wardrobe

There is some kind of natural order to cleaning closets and drawers.  You take stock of who you are and who you want to be. Something magic happens in these exchanges. The windows are cranked open and a new exchange of air is made. Things are passed on to siblings, relatives, or the community.  Something happens….a new beginning.

( So here’s the ultimate cosmic question: What happens to missing socks?)

* Cleaning drawers and closets is a bit like pruning plants: The new and beautiful will follow.

 * We connect closets with clothes. If your walk-in closet is big enough, why not put a desk inside? 

* Our wardrobes, drawers, and closets are houses for our personal things. The design, selection and construction for these little homes deserve the same attention as their larger prototype. 

* Good storage and good  design is measured in inches.

* “Our life is frittered away by detail…simplify, simplify.”    ~  Henry David Thoreau

Back to school in July?

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school, shopping, wardrobe

It’s 100 degrees in the shade, and Fourth of July fireworks haven’t even exploded. So why are darker shades of clothing and longer pants appearing in the mall?

Is it me, or are back-to-school sales pitches are starting sooner than usual?

The National Retail Federation estimated that nearly $70 billion was spent on back-to-school and college merchandise last year. That puts the July and August period ahead of all other holidays except Christmas, at $471.5 billion.

Still, the early arrival of fall merchandise irritates some shoppers (like me.)

“I came to buy a bathing suit cover-up for my vacation,” admits Cathy Earl of DeLand, Florida. Strolling through Macy’s one recent morning, Earl was surprised to see a lot of navy blue and brown items lining the aisles. “Summer has barely started and I don’t want to think about fall.”

The early push for back-to-school reflects the challenges facing many retailers in the current economy. It also gives parents more time to window shop before actually making a purchase.

Melissa Chrystal of Portage, Michigan, used to let son Will “scope out the stores’ before she accompanied him with her checkbook. And she has some advice for other parents embarking on the annual back-to-school shopping spree.

“Bide your time,” says Chrystal, the mother of three. “When school starts, kids are still wearing shorts because it’s warm outside. Sometimes stores overstock in anticipation of hordes of shoppers and the best bargains are from sales after school has started.”

Maybe retailers can wait until August to display their fall apparel, too.

Timely fashion

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dress code, fashion, wardrobe, watches

When it comes to developing your personal style, remember: It’s all in the wrist.

With a wide variety of styles and prices to choose from, watches are a good way to inject some personality into your professional wardrobe.

Ira Krieger, president of Miami-based Krieger Watches, says his diver and pilot watches are two of his most popular styles. Krieger’s Oceana Watch – which tells the tides of the ocean – retails for around $2,000 but he doubts that most men use that function.

“Men love technical pieces, whether they use the functions or not,” Krieger says.

Women also appear to have a growing affinity for mechanical watches and complicated functions. In March, Seiko introduced what it is touting as the world’s first analog solar-powered GPS watch, as well as a new partnership with one of the most recognizable faces in U.S. women’s soccer, goalie Hope Solo.

The “Astron” resets itself to the accurate time in any time zone with the push of a button. More than 100 patents were used in the creation of this watch, which starts at $2,300.

Brushed-metal finishes and brown leather bands top the popularity list for watches in the workplace. But simplicity in design, along with the use of rose gold – which gives a “softer look” than yellow gold – are equally important trends for 2012.

With many companies adhering to casual dress codes, accessories become even more important. If you want to express your identity, watches are a timely way to do it.

Photograph: Breitling Chronograph Unitime

T-shirts: Casual to corporate

Tags

dress code, fashion, T-shirt, wardrobe

Ahhhh, summer – time to search clothing stores for a new selection of white T-shirts.

V-neck or round, long-sleeve or short, a season of washing and wearing often leaves this wardrobe staple looking dingy with unsightly yellow stains under the arms.

I frequently pair a crisp white T-shirt with a black blazer because it feels comfortable yet looks polished. But I didn’t originate the idea: The T-shirt dates back to 1880, when the U.S. Navy issued sailors an elbow and hip-length undershirt. The simple shirt, laid out on a flat surface, formed a perfect “T.”

“Today it’s an important alternative to your basic blouse,” says Andrea Sider, a real estate consultant at Keller Williams Heritage Realty. “Not only can it give a suit a more casual feel, a T-shirt can be dressed up with a scarf or an elegant necklace.”

Petite women, who once avoided the one-size-fits-all size T-shirt of the past, are indulging in new styles which are not only fitted, but also are shorter.

“I found T-shirts used to be mostly oversized, which looks sloppy if you’re only 5-foot-3,” admits Joanne Sullivan, executive director at Florida Hospital Tampa Foundation. “Now I own a preponderance of fitted white T-shirts with subtle differences such as a ballet neck or three-quarter sleeves. And I’m delighted that the addition of Spandex allows them to hold their shape even after washing.”

It‘s been said that you can’t be too rich or too thin. An added piece of advice: In today’s corporate culture, you can’t own too many white T-shirts.

Just ask Cinderella

Tags

fashion, mood, Vreeland, wardrobe

Fashion legend Diana Vreeland once said the first place to put your clothing dollars is in shoes.  According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, women spent $38.5 billion on shoes in the U.S. last year.  (I fear I may have contributed slightly to that amount…)

Quality was Vreeland’s chief priority. But there’s another reason that shoes top so many seasonal shopping lists:  More than any other item, they beacon fashion changes and establish its prevailing mood.

Case in point? The wedge. Out of fashion for decades, it’s now striding onto center stage for summer in bright leathers or woven rope and raffia.

Thou shalt dress properly

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dress code, resortwear, wardrobe

The term “resortwear” was coined to describe clothing worn in the fashionable resort areas of France during the 1920s and 1930s.

“Shorts, beach pyjamas, wrap-around skirts and playsuits all fall into this category,” reads the Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Fashion. “By the latter part of the 20^th century, the word covered all kinds of lightweight garments for summer and cruise wear.”

Undoubtedly, that’s why few issues create as much confusion among passengers as what to wear to dinner. As cruises and cruisers have become more diverse, so has their dress — placing each ship’s staff in the uncomfortable position of dealing with violations from passengers who are confused or simply don’t want to comply.

Today, the Internet Web site cruisecritic.com contains a section on Cruise Line Dress Codes – which can vary widely from ship to ship.

It says, “Just about every cruise line has a dress code of some type. Except for the occasional nudist charter, they all at least agree that clothing is required! But from there on, dress codes range from those where dressing for dinner means putting on a clean T-shirt to those where any male passenger not in a tuxedo might as well be wearing nothing at all.”

Why is wardrobe so important?

“You might offend other passengers,” says Chris Baker of Cruise Connections travel agency. “Most people don’t want to sit across from someone wearing a tank top at the dinner table.”

She suggests first-time cruisers read their ship’s dress code carefully.

“If you’re on a Carnival ship – which is reasonably priced – you’ll see everything,“ Baker adds. But beware: Shorts (including gym and basketball shorts), beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and caps are never permitted in the dining room during dinner.

At the other end of the luxury spectrum is the Cunard Line, with its formal, semiformal and elegant casual dress codes. (One might expect to see plenty of Judith Leiber jewel-encrusted purses on those dinner tables.)

But don’t worry: Room service always is an option.