Our mothers probably have more impact on our style and dress sense than we would care to admit. Here are some aspects of my late Mother’s style that I was grateful to learn:

• Good style starts with the best bra and I cannot stress this point enough.
• Perfect polish goes a long way. Styling your hair, wearing a scent and grooming your brows are easy ways to increase your style quotient. Mum was big on polish and I had this drummed into me at an early age.
• My Mother had good posture because her Mother made her walk around with a book on her head. When I do catch myself slouching on the odd occasion I can hear my mother telling me to STAND UP STRAIGHT.
• Dress up instead of dressing down because you’ll make a good impression that way.
• Don’t overdo make-up. Hallelujah. I especially love this one. Overly made-up faces are unsightly at any age.
• Black and white is a winning combination. I wear a lot of black and white and continue to love it’s dramatic effect.

There are also aspects of my Mom’s style that I would have liked her to change:

• Not wearing real fur. Mum did it freely in a time when the awareness was very different to what it is today. I am very opposed to fur and would have definitely gotten her to see things my way.
• Embracing denim. Wearing jeans was hard for my Mum. She thought denim looked un-ladylike and overly casual. But she eventually got her head around a pair of white jeans because they’re smarter. With encouragement, she would have eventually embraced smart casual dressing because she looked superbly elegant in jeans.
• Painting the toes red. My Mum was convinced that red toenail polish made her feet look like they were dipped in blood. Hilarious. Red looked so much better than the brown, earthy tones she chose instead.
• Adding silver to the mix. Gold was Mum’s only choice of metal, because she felt that she didn’t look good in white gold and silver. This was not true and she’d have enjoyed mixing metals.

Has your Mother’s personal style influenced your own? Would you like to change anything about your Mother’s style?

And for all the Moms out there: Happy Mother’s Day!

This post is dedicated to all mothers, and in particular to my late mother, who loved fashion and was an extremely stylish lady. She died eight years ago this month and would have turned 67 in September. I am proud to say that her style is alive in me.

A very stylish German friend 10 years my senior wears an oversized white ceramic Chanel watch that I have admired the day it was gifted to her. She wears it every day instead of a wedding ring and it’s very much part of her signature style.

I never thought I could wear bulky watches, let alone white ones, because I have dainty wrists and pale skin. But then another friend of mine with equally dainty wrists got herself a funky white and titanium watch and it looked great. I was inspired and bought a more refined, less sporty version (alas, not the porcelain Chanel watch that I covet).

It’s my everyday watch and I love it. My retro silver watches are resting as I enjoy the crisp and modern elements of this new accessory. It makes my outfits feel extra Summery and matches my pearl necklaces. It’s like wearing an iPod on your wrist. Good arm candy.

I’m glad I saw past my preconceived ideas and gave the white-watch-look a chance. I thank my friends for the inspiration.

Wearing tunics and dresses over jeans or pants is my favourite look. I’m all for outfit variety, but when it comes to a uniform, this is mine. I was first inspired by the look when my late mother sported the trend in the ‘70’s. There’s something extremely elegant AND funky about this ensemble combination and I’ve been besotted with it ever since. I started incorporating this look into my wardrobe 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back.

You don’t need to be tall or tiny to wear tunics and dresses over pants with style. It’s a question of getting the components and proportions right. You’ll need to pair slim boot cuts, straight legs, skinnies, leggings or clamdiggers with the right tunic or dress. Here’s how:

• The correct length: The shorter you are, the shorter you’ll need to go on the tunic or dress. You’re looking at a length somewhere between mid-thigh and a few inches above the knee. Go shorter or longer and you’ve lost that long lean line. Regular height and taller gals can shop in petites for this item as it often brings the hemline up to the correct place.
• The correct silhouette: Pear-shaped and apple-shaped gals need structured A-line silhouettes like shift dresses and baby dolls. Hourglasses, inverted triangles and rectangles get away with straighter and more fitted styles like shirt dresses and sheaths.
• Heels or flats: The trend is especially good with some sort of heel if you’re petite or pear-shaped, but it’s not a necessity. Judge the overall look once the ensemble is complete.

Chances are high you’ll need to commit a tunic or dress to wear over jeans or pants. It’s seldom that a dress will work over pants and on its own. It’s either too short to wear as a dress, or too long to wear over pants. Sometimes dress and tunic lengths work out perfectly and you get the biggest bang for your fashion buck by wearing them both ways, but it’s no guarantee.

Pairing tunics and dresses over pants is comfortable. And the right style tunic or dress is particularly forgiving around the tummy and thigh area if those are spots you’re self conscious about. Don’t be afraid to try something new. You can be a modern-classic that pushes the fashion envelope once in a while.

Tunics of varying lengths worn over pants, jeans and clamdiggers.

These are the types of dresses that work well over pants provided they are the correct length. From left to right: Sheath, shift, shirtdress and baby doll.

It’s become increasingly clear that brown haired girls with blue, brown or green eyes look stunning in the right shade of blue. It’s possibly one of their best colours. I’m talking light blue, cobalt blue, French blue, ink blue, dusty blue, sea blue, teal blue, royal blue and turquoise. Any one or all of the above, so take your pick.

Are you a brunette and do you wear blue? If so, what shade of blue do you wear and how do you mix it up with other colours?

Brunettes in beautiful blues.

I see closets full of beautiful skirts and the tags are still attached. These skirts are often closet orphans because their owners don’t have tops to accompany them. As a result I end up doing a lot of “skirt-top-matching” when I shop with my clients.

So I am proposing a new rule: Don’t purchase a skirt unless you purchase the accompanying top at the same time, or you already have a top that will work in your closet.

Retailers are also at fault. They don’t seem to offer sufficient top options alongside their skirts. Unless they are belted and blouson’ed, tops must be shorter and more fitted to work well with skirts. Retailers often cheat on mannequins by pinning, tucking and layering the wrong type of top with skirts to create an attractive ensemble. We’re lured to the outfit, try it on, love the skirt and loath the top because it’s not a “skirt top”, but leave with the skirt and welcome another orphan into our wardrobe. Sound familiar?

Stop this from happening by following the skirt rule. Do not be tempted by gorgeous skirts unless you know how you’re going to complete the ensemble by the time you get home. If you don’t, chances are high you’ve wasted your money.

This top is available in regular and petites and has just gone on sale at Banana Republic for $29.99. It looks pretty good with skirts and is better in the flesh, so don’t judge it too harshly from these pictures. It’s very short and fitted, but not too clingy (look at how short it is on the pant-wearing model). It might be your solution for an orphan skirt.

Outfit variation is a controversial point in the fashion and style world. Some stylists feel that sticking to one ensemble formula is great, whereas others believe you don’t have style unless you wear an assortment of silhouettes. Nicole raised an interesting question on the forum:

“Should someone stick to one pant style because it’s the most flattering?”

For example, should you stick to straight leg pants because they look best, or is it better to throw in boot cuts and wide-legs once in a while? Nicole went on further to say that if you decided to stick to one pant style…

“It would be like eating chicken every single night, but using a different kind of dressing”.

I thoroughly enjoyed this analogy, but I think you can have your cake and eat it too. I’m all for uniforms and diversity. No one should feel like they’re in a clothing rut; but wearing something less flattering or less comfortable for the sake of change is not the solution. Style rule number one is that we wear clothing that flatters our body type. If you happen to look great in many silhouettes, I say go for it because variety is the spice of life. But by the same token, you can maintain a stylish appearance when you stick to few silhouettes and wear them well.

I personally feel in a rut if I stick to one ensemble formula. I like a menu change and prefer to mix it up with different denim silhouettes, pant styles, dresses, skirts and a rainbow of colours. Throw in a different heel height and handbag combination and you’ve changed the entire flavour of your ensemble.

I encourage newness and ensemble variation with my clients because I fear that people get bored wearing the same silhouettes day in day out. But people don’t seem to get as bored with their outfits as I do. Some people are happy eating chicken every night. Are you? Do you wear a uniform, or do you change your outfit combinations daily? What are your favourite outfit combinations and why?

We’ve been saturated with colourful footwear choices this season and it’s a breath of fresh air. Pink, blue, green, yellow, red, purple, orange, turquoise and lime. Name the colour and you’ll find the shoe. So how do you integrate bright shoes into an ensemble?

• Pick up a colour in a top with your shoes. This is the obvious way of wearing bright shoes and my least favourite because it’s predictable. I personally prefer to mix it up. But matching in this way continues to make a stylish statement, so don’t feel obliged to mis-match if it’s not your style.
• Match bright shoes with the same colour handbag. This rule is flop proof because a matched shoe and handbag pulls an outfit together. Some stylists feel that this type of matching is passé but I believe it works, as long as you don’t try to match anything else of the same colour in the outfit. “Matchy-matchy” ensembles are not stylish.
• Wear bright shoes with a neutral ensemble. You don’t need to match shoes with your handbag or pick up another colour in your ensemble. Bright shoes make a statement on their own. They pack extra punch if you’re wearing neutrals like black, brown, white, cream, grey, tan or navy.
• Wear several brights of the same intensity. I’d limit an outfit to 3 brights at a time. A pair of jeans worn with an emerald tunic and cobalt blue handbag works with a pair of yellow shoes, if the brights are of the same intensity. Throw in a pair of baby pink shoes and you’ve lost the harmony.

Multi-coloured bright shoes complicate matters so stick to a single toned bright shoe. Red shoes are a particularly good choice because they’re bright, but operate like a neutral. And I’m beginning to have the same opinion about yellow.

The first example is matching the shoes with the bag, which pulls together an outfit with multiple brights. The other examples show a purposeful mismatch, where the brights make a statement of their own. This topic originated as a question on the forum. Go there for more discussion on integrating brights.

Nothing shouts Spring and Summer quite like the perfect pair of white jeans. It’s an absolute must in your wardrobe if you enjoy wearing denim. White jeans are the perfect bridging piece because they instantly make black and brown tops look Summery. Ensembles look fresh and contemporary when you add a white pair of bottoms and it’s one of my favourite warm weather looks. Buy white jeans and you’ve increased the ROI of your wardrobe.

You don’t need to be ultra slim to wear white jeans or pants. This is a fallacy. A flattering pair of pants or jeans is not about the colour, it’s about the fit and fabric. Denim is an especially good choice of fabric for white pants because it’s thick, 100% cotton, easy to launder and doesn’t require lining. Standard 5-pocket denim detailing is also easier to wear than side-entry pocket detailing because they don’t add bulk. I’ve popped loads of plus sized ladies and pretty pear shaped gals into white jeans and they look incredible.

White jeans are everywhere right now. Brands like Elie Tahari, the Loft, NYDJ’s, Joes, Hudson, Old Navy, Diesel, Gap, Seven for all Mankind Levis, David Kahn, Esprit and Mango are to name but a few. White does get dirty quickly, but that’s what washing machines are for. It’s worth it.

An assortment of white jeans in different cuts. Wide-legged white jeans are fun, but dramatic and eye-catching. Be prepared to stand out. I have two pairs of white jeans: bootcuts and skinnies. I wear them all Summer long and they feel magical each time I put them on.

A forum thread on extreme budget shopping made me think that I should clarify YLF’s focus on mainstream fashion and style.

We have chosen this mainstream approach because it caters to the widest audience. The idea is that you can apply the information, regardless of your budget for clothes, footwear and accessories. We do sometimes talk about maximizing your budget in the Frugal Style category, but there are other bloggers that focus more on this topic. Two examples are the well known Budget Fashionista and the Budget Babe (one of our regulars on YLF), who will help you to stretch $100 further than you imagine.

We never post pictures of designer wear or budget wear because they’re not mainstream. We post pictures that illustrate the point in the best possible way. Pictures from mainstream department stores appear frequently because the details of the clothing are clearly visible, which is helpful to our readers. The intention is not that you purchase your entire wardrobe from Nordstrom!

I believe that having great dress sense and style can be learned and our job at YLF is to help you make informed wardrobe choices. Once I’ve planted the seed, it’s up to you to find the item that suits your pocket. Whether it’s Saks, Ann Taylor, Target, Ebay or Consignment is of little consequence. It’s important that you make savvy wardrobe decisions no matter what your budget or where you shop because that’s how effective and stylish wardrobes are built.

Tops over pants look best when they’re worn a little longer. One to three inches above your crotch point (somewhere between where the inseam of your pants start and the zip fly of your pants end) is the perfect length. Hip-bone length is perfect for skirts, but not long enough when you’re wearing pants.

You need to find the specific length that works best for you. Generally, the curvier the thighs, the longer you’ll need to wear your tops. It makes a huge difference when a pretty pear shape wears her tops a little longer. But don’t wear them too long. Tops slightly over crotch point create a horizontal line over the widest part of your body, which is unflattering for pear shapes (but ok for inverted triangles). Fortunately, a top that’s too long can be ruched or “scrunched” to its correct length if you’re short-waisted.

If you haven’t bought tops over the last two years, your cupboard is probably full of shorter lengths. Fashion has moved on and I’m thrilled with the flattering update. Demote shorter tops to wear with skirts and sport a longer length for pants.

Models sporting longer length tops a few inches above crotch point. Longer length also creates a wonderful visual layering effect as the top peeps out. It’s a win.

Models sporting shorter, less flattering tops with pants.