Classic Fashion

Archive for the ‘Classic Style Fashion’ Category

Four flattering and classic looks in women’s summer fashion are
the nautical look crisp seersucker suits and dresses country cotton red-and-white checks and tropical print fabric.
How flattering any style is depends on how it looks on you. Buy clothing that fits or spend money to have it fitted. Check the finishing for hanging threads and loose buttons. Choose fabrics that feel nice against your skin and drape well.

The nautical look can be achieved by pairing sparkling, crisp white with darker shades of blue. A horizontally-striped cotton knit T-shirt is a good start. Add earrings with a nautical motif such as an anchor, dolphins, seahorses, or a ship’s wheel. A hemp braid belt and comfortable rubber-soled deck shoes complete this fashion style.

We no longer see many blouses with the traditional large, square sailor’s collar. MIddy blouses, as they were called (for midshipman, a rank in the Navy) were popular in years past and may come into style again.

Red is a dramatic accent color. Try red shoes, bag, and belt to spark your white-and-blue nautical ensemble. Red lipstick is appropriate, if you can find a shade that complements your skin tone.

Red-and-white cotton checks are another summer fashion classic. County checks have an easy-going, cheerful look, especially in carefree cotton. Stick to a smaller check so you don’t end up looking like a picnic tablecloth.

Country red checks are ideal for a pretty blouse or a summer sun dress. Pair the blouse with bright yellow shorts or yellow accent sandals and handbag, for a combination that is fresh. Fred Perry has two styles and a handbag in red-and-white checks for summer 2009. This is an innovative way to add this classic women’s summer fashion to update clothing you already own.

A third summer fashion classic is crisp, cool seersucker suits and dresses. This timeless cotton fabric traditionally is a subtle stripe of white and an alternative color, with little puckers in the white stripes. Ironing is mostly unnecessary because of these natural wrinkles in seersucker natural cotton. Today’s stretch blends make it easier than ever to wash and air-dry seersucker suits, dresses, and blouses. Seersucker is perfect for robes and sleepwear, too.

Once upon a time, the only seersucker color was pinstripe navy blue and white. Now, stripe widths vary and occasionally we see a seersucker check. Gray and white, green and white, red and white are among the expanding range of colors for seersucker clothing.

A fourth summer fashion classic is tropical print fabric. Hawaiian print dresses, blouses, and shirts evoke umbrella drinks and white beaches.

Tropical print fabric became popular in the wake of World War II, chiefly as patterns for draperies and furniture in the warmer United States. These big, bold tropical print fabric designs have been scaled down for the colorful shirts and dresses we wear today. Florals and travel themes are among choices you will find available for women’s summer clothing.

To wrap it all up, four summer fashion wardrobe investments that will pay off for years to come are the blue-and-white nautical look, red-and-white country cotton checks, crisp seersucker, and tropical print fabric in shirts, dresses, and skirts.

A lot of fashion trends come and go but vintage classic clothing is always in style. Vintage is great because of the versatility. By using neutral colors it is hard to mismatch anything if you keep it simple and classic. We will take you through all the styles available and help you put it all together for the perfect vintage appeal.

Vintage Denim Jeans

- Jean Styles:

* Slim Boot Fit – lean through the top, flaring out at the knee. An updated look pulling the best of the 70′s jeans fashion. Looks good with vintage western shirt.

* Flap Pocket Fit – low rise, fitted through the thigh opening to a slight flare at the knee. Hand-distressed with a worn-in look plus back flap pockets for added detail. Looks great with a vintage military style shirt.

* Straight Leg Fit – sits comfortably at the hip and fits straight through the leg and thigh. A classic fit from the 50′s and 60′s goes well with a vintage graphic tee.

* Relaxed Fit – a relaxed fit through the hip and thigh featuring a boot-cut leg opening. Perfect with a classic button-down or vintage western shirt.

Vintage Shirts

- Button-Down Styles:

* Military Shirts – inspired by vintage army shirts feature tabbed sleeves, shoulder flaps and front flap pockets. Goes with slim boot fit jeans.

* Western Shirts – a vintage essential featuring pearl snap buttons, detailed yoke stitching and unique patterns. Wear with slim boot fit jeans and vintage retro boots.

* Polo Shirts – classic fit and cotton fabric made this big in the 60′s and 70′s especially in the summer. Goes great with straight leg fit jeans and white sneakers.

* Raglan Baseball Shirt – popular in the 70′s, a classic style featuring 3/4 sleeves, ringer collar and knit cotton. Looks great with straight leg or slim boot jeans and sneakers.

- Graphic Tee Shirt Styles:

* Rock Band Tee Shirts – Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles & Woodstock graphic tees go great with relaxed fit jeans. Up your style with a blazer.

* Funny Saying Tee Shirts – a worn and faded look give a thrift store vintage feel to a past funny saying. Goes great with slim boot fit jeans and flip-flops.

* Graphic Art Tee Shirts – cool art designs give a subtle detail with jeans or with layers. Perfect with any type of jeans.

Accessories

- Sunglasses: add detail with vintage inspired aviators, thick-frame square glasses and polarized sunglasses.
- Socks: bold vintage argyle patterns can add some color to your outfit.
- Hats: fedoras, drivers and trucker caps can also help pull an outfit together.

Basic wardrobe planning may be more cohesive if you figure out your fashion style type. Some types of fashion, offered with the over-50 woman in mind, are:
arty or bohemian sophisticated sporty suburban professional simply elegant (or elegant simplicity) trendy or trend-setter. romantic or sexy.

I call these fashion styles fashion archetypes, because they embody deeper needs and behaviors of our personalities. Expressing one of the types of fashion is a way of becoming the star of our own lives.

As we age, we may have to reassess our fashion style: The suburban mom takes a job and needs a professional wardrobe; the lawyer retires from her professional career and takes up her dream of landscape painting. The suits have to go.

Here are three advantages of basic wardrobe planning around a type of fashion that suits your personality and lifestyle:
Efficiency shopping and pulling an outfit together, even on the fly. If you decide your fashion style is sporty, you’re less likely to splurge on that emerald green, ruffled jabot blouse that you will only wear once a year. After all, it hardly goes with the khaki and charcoal cotton slacks that are the core of your comfortable daily uniform. Spending limited wardrobe budgets on what will give us the most use. Basic wardrobe planning involves figuring out what types of fashion we most need. It makes sense to add a black skirt to our professional wardrobe when we understand we’ve got 18 tops and three jackets to team with it. Shopping for an item we might have spurned as too ordinary becomes a fashion triumph. Feeling well-dressed and comfortable on every occasion. The best fashion advice for women is to decide what feels good and looks good on you. Your personal fashion style emerges from that. What looks and feels good changes over time. Periodic reassessment is essential.

Here’s a summary of eight fashion archetypes.

ARTY/BOHEMIAN

The arty look is colorful, quirky, sometimes ethnic, and always fearless. Natural fabrics are preferred. A snowy white poet’s shirt, an embroidered jacket that goes from work to art gallery reception, and a luxurious handbag are suggestions for the bohemian wardrobe.

SOPHISTICATED

The corporate executive wife and the charity fund-raiser are some typical lifestyle choices of women who express their inner creativity with sophisticated fashions. Wardrobe suggestions are a Chanel suit, a silk dress, gold cloche earrings and a diamond pendant necklace.

SPORTY

This fashion style is tailored. A blazer jacket is a must. It can be worn with a variety of durable, washable cotton pants, such as khaki, a good choice for the active, outdoorsy woman. Sweaters and sweater sets work well. A silk T-shirt adds sophistication. Avoid fussy prints and ruffles.

SUBURBAN

Suburban fashion goes from town to country with ease. She visits a corporate office in tailored slacks, a fuchsia shirt, an elegantly tailored long jacket, and pumps appropriate for lunch at a chic restaurant. Then she’s off to a soccer game. The pumps are replaced by rubber-soled loafers, the jacket with a sweater. Pick garments for their versatility.

PROFESSIONAL

The professional fashion archetype loves suits – pantsuits for every day, skirt suits for court, a tuxedo suit for formal occasions, and a tailored dress when a skirt is a must. Choose suits and tops so you can mix-and-match for maximum versatility. Add an embroidered vest for pizzazz.

SIMPLY ELEGANT

If you’ve asked yourself What Would Jackie [Kennedy Onassis] Do?(book by Shelley Branch and Sue Callaway) Or What Would Audrey [Hepburn] Do? (by Pamela Keough), this is your fashion archetype. Stock your closet with solid colors and garments with simple lines such as the A-line, princess, and cheongsam dresses. Shop at designer consignment shops to achieve this look on a budget.

TRENDY/TREND-SETTER

The older woman who adopts the latest fashion trends may end up looking as if she is desperately clinging to her passing youth. For best effect, add fashion trends to classic costumes. For example, an outrageous jacket, with lots of bling and some feather accents, might be worn with simple black or white beneath. Experiment. Every fashion mistake can be changed tomorrow.

ROMANTIC

Flirty grows up after 50 or risks appearing as if life has passed her by. Ruffles, but not frills; clinging fabrics that hug curves without being skintight; and decollete that knows when to quit are hallmarks of the romantic fashion archetype. Strive for glamor and sensuality using texture and a bit of bling.

Take this fashion archetype quiz to learn more.

In summary, knowing and expressing your fashion archetype starts with identifying the fashion styles that fit your lifestyle and personality. Buy clothes that look and feel just right. Basic wardrobe planning is a snap when we build our clothes collection with our personal type of fashion in mind.