I spent time at Ann Taylor and the Loft last week because of their “30% off everything friends and family promotion”. These stores are running both hot and cold colour palettes at the moment. Hues are rich and saturated.

Ann Taylor makes an impeccable product that’s perfect for the modern-classic. But the modern-classic needn’t stick to the colour discipline that a store provides. Mixing and matching items to suit your own style is key. This is precisely what happened with my client when we combined a burnt orange dress with a rich raspberry cardigan, gold and burgundy accessories, brown patent sandals and a straw handbag with dark bamboo handle. The result was simply delicious.

We continued to match the raspberry cardigan with a burnt orange sleeveless silk blouse, white pants and pearls. We then paired the same burnt orange silk blouse with blue jeans, white jacket and burgundy beads. The brown patent sandals and straw handbag remained constant and the burgundy jewelry reflected a raspberry glow in a certain light. Dynamite does come in small packages as my petite client felt explosively tall in her new colour combination.

The Ann Taylor items we used to put together the outfits described above, shown with similar accessories. A metallic go-to Summer wedge would work equally well. You don’t need to go to Ann Taylor to put this colour combination together - it might be lurking in your closet.

I have friends and clients that won’t purchase shoes if they show “toe cleavage”. This happens often when you have long toes and bony feet. I have both (Greg likes to say that I have little fingers on my feet).

I for one don’t think it looks unattractive. When you have fussy feet, showing a little more of your toes in closed shoes is the least of your concerns. Would you let toe cleavage get between you and a great pair of shoes?

Most of my shoes reveal some degree of toe cleavage.

My favorite footwear styles fall into two categories: those I love to wear, and those I wish I could wear. My fussy feet prefer a flexible, cushiony, closed shoe. Preferably flat, or no higher than two inches. I have given up on anything that has a strap or is strappy.

The ones I love to wear:

• Boots. My all time favourite footwear because they’re comfortable and dramatic (I’m daring with my boot styles). I would wear boots everyday if I could. Living in Seattle gives me plenty of opportunity and I’m not complaining.
• Dressy ballet flats. They are versatile, practical and fun. They always do the distance.
• “Chuck Taylor” Converse sneakers. There is no substitute for this retro sneaker look.
• Chunky round-toed pumps. The heels are stable and the look suits my personal style. They are funkier than thin heeled, pointy-toe shoes.
• Fluffy slippers. Because our hardwood floors are hard and because Rosie likes to chew on them.

The ones I wish I could wear:

• Chunky peep-toe pumps
• Strappy wedge sandals with broad ankle straps
• Dainty thong sandals
• Shoes with exaggerated buckle detailing
• Gladiator sandals

Which footwear styles are your favourites and why? (If anyone says running shoes I’m going to faint).

Three seasons along and still going strong, wedges continue to make a huge fashion statement in America. They aren’t as popular in Europe for some reason (this has been my experience in Paris, Barcelona and London).

You’ll get away with wearing one style of wedge with most of your Spring and Summer outfits if you choose wisely. Here are key characteristics to consider if you’re looking for one wedge to woo them all:

• Heel height: Select a height that’s manageable for you.
• Shoe colour: Keep the colour metallic, cream, off-white or a shade of tan. Don’t choose black. This is heavy for warm weather and won’t look as fresh and Summery as a lighter colour.
• Heel colour: Make sure the heel is in a light colour too. A contrasting black or dark brown heel has the same “heavy-looking” effect. Wood, cork, wicker or self-fabric are good options.
• Style: Opt for a refined style as opposed to anything clumpy. That way you can wear the wedge with dresses and skirts as well.

Add a pretty pedicure and Bob’s your uncle. You’ve got a flop-proof Summer shoe that matches almost anything.

There is loads of variety when it comes to this type of wedge. Select a ped that matches your style and make it your “go to” and fall back option for warm weather dressing.

A long, floaty and printed maxi (or “patio”) day dress worn with flat gladiator sandals is the “it” look for frocks in Paris stores this season. The silhouette is less popular in US stores, but you’ll find one or two of these dresses in most dress departments.

The idea is that you wear this ensemble mix casually. I didn’t like this look in the ‘70’s and I don’t like it today. No matter how casual the fabric and style, there is something about an ankle length dress that screams “fancy evening event”. They look clumsy and inappropriate (and the excess fabric gets in the way). You need to be tall to pull off the look, and even then, a shorter hemline looks better.

I might be more partial to the look if I was a boho girl at heart. How about you? Will you be wearing the maxi dress this season?

Raise your hemline for casual occasions and reserve ankle length dresses for evening black tie events.

I need to give credit where it’s due. Jessica Simpson makes a nice product.

The avant-garde jacket that you see below caught my attention in Nordstrom last week. It’s interesting, streamlined, voluminous, tailored, and impeccably made. It has a full lining, overt top-stitching, an oversized collar, exaggerated box pleats and kimono sleeves. It also has a pair of unexpected, discreetly positioned side-entry pockets. Fabulous. The photo does not do the item justice.

A girl can’t ask for more when a mainstream piece looks “designer” for $98 at full price. Sew in a Prada or Chloe label and you’ve fooled the world. I love it.

I purchased black last week and I’ve worn this jacket almost every day. It looks great with white pants or straight leg jeans and dressy flats.

An article by Francesca Gavin in yesterday’s UK Times online had me thinking. She maintains that the voluminous fashion trend was the real culprit to her gradual weight gain because it was easy to hide extra pounds in sack dresses, bubble skirts, A-line tunics, stretch jeans and smocks.

Francesca wasn’t happy with this and in an effort to curb further weight gain, she decided that there was only one remedy:

“if fashion got me into this mess, then fashion was going to get me out of it”

Instead of opting for the comfort of looser layers, Francesca made a point of purchasing styles that fit close to the body like pencils skirts, highly tailored garments and boned dresses. The idea was that if she physically felt restricted, she’d be aware of putting on weight. Francesca’s weight began to normalize and she felt that the discomfort of ultra-fitted garments was worth it.

This is fascinating. The voluminous trend has definitely given us the liberty of wearing looser clothes with style. Have you experienced a connection between fashion trends and fluctuation in your weight?

We’ve decided to end Parisian week by indulging in a post that has nothing to do with fashion and style. The reason for our trip to France last week was a school reunion. Greg went to INSEAD, a business school in a quaint French town just outside Paris called Fontainebleau. The town is famous for the Château de Fontainebleau and beautiful forest. While there we met many old friends at school reunion events, walked in the forest, visited our former houses, and attended a grand ball at the Château, complete with fireworks and red carpet ensembles.

We spent the rest of the time with dear friends in the heart of Paris. We stayed in an area called “Le Marais”, our favourite part of Paris because it’s (a little) less touristy, more edgy, arty-farty, atmospheric and simply magical. It’s in walking distance from an island on the Seine called “Ile de la Cité” and well known French districts “Saint Germain” and “Montparnasse”.

The streets of Le Marais and Ile de la Cité are brimming with interesting nooks and crannies. There is no shortage of interesting shops, boutiques, parks, tiny art galleries, bistros, florists, markets, bakeries and restaurants. We sat outside and people-watched for hours yakking with our friends after healthy doses of cheese, salad, pastries and Nutella crepes.

We thoroughly enjoyed presenting Parisian week here at YLF and hope that you enjoyed traveling to Paris with us. Stay tuned for the next global experience.

All five of the cities below share a common characteristic: the style quotient is high amongst men and women of all ages and lifestyles. From professionals bustling to work, to SAHM’s pushing prams, and to older folk enjoying retired life. It’s very apparent that people who live in these cities enjoy style, fashion and looking great every day.

1. Hong Kong: My clear overall winner. People take immense pride in how they present themselves and the result is mind blowing. Hong Kong style is as polished, chic, creative, fashion-forward and as beautiful as it gets. You’ll see wearable couture mixed with inexpensive product effortlessly walking down the street. It’s “the” people-watching fashion city and I am left with the same impression each time we visit.
2. London: As far as Euro-style goes, Londoners do it best. There is a funky, artsy and mismatched retro element to the city’s style that’s unique. It’s edgy, urban, super trendy and tasteful. People don’t look particularly polished, but are always interesting, current, well put together and appropriate for every occasion.
3. New York: The city that never sleeps wins in America. New Yorkers are known for their high style quotient and for good reason. It’s urban American style with Euro influence at its best. I adore this city and the mixture of both continental styles makes it extra special.
4. Barcelona: Spain’s leadership in fashion retail capital permeates style throughout Barcelona. Local retailers are hip and affordable and people take advantage of this luxury.
5. Paris: The couture capital of the universe comes in third for Europe and last on this list. Not quite as chic as you might expect, but stylish and full of character nonetheless. My favourite part about Parisian style is how well women dress as they get older. Ladies in their mid 50’s and older are a cut above the rest and it is inspirational.

Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Vancouver and Stockholm didn’t quite make my top five list but they came close. I have not spent enough time in Tokyo, Milan or Munich which is why these cities don’t feature on my list. Which cities do you rate as the most stylish and why?

I grew up in Hong Kong and could be accused of a little bias. We travel back every couple of years and this picture was taken in December of 2006.

They were very disappointing. I spent hours looking at shoes but was not inspired. Styling was for the most part boring, repetitive and not foot-friendly. Few interesting design details, little flair and not enough variety. The only shoe brands that tickled my fancy were actually American. More detailed observations…

• 60% of all shoes were cream or white. I enjoyed this aspect because cream is my favourite colour for footwear. I love how they contrast against a dark pair of jeans. It’s simply delicious.
• Grey, black, metallic and red were the next hottest footwear colours. I was surprised to see huge volumes of grey patent sandals and ballet flats because they’re not popular in America. But red shoes are popular in Europe and regarded a basic. You can’t go wrong with a pair of red shoes.
• Gladiator sandals were the “it” strappy shoe. I’m talking major Roman gladiator styling that’s fairly simplistic and wraps around the ankle.
• Huge assortment of wearable heel heights. Unlike America, one to two inch heeled shoes were widely available. Soaring heel heights were there, but not the norm. Too bad the styles weren’t so fab.
• Few brightly coloured shoes. All brights were represented but they were in the minority (except for red).
• Loads of plain mary jane, round-toed, snip-toed and almond-toed ballet flats. Nauseatingly so. No bells and whistles or interesting strap and buckle treatment.
• Loads of plain, narrow heeled, pointy-toed pumps. This was the “it” heel. So ‘80’s. I personally prefer the look and stability of chunky heels and they were few and far between.
• Few wedges, few peep-toes and no espadrilles.
• Huge wall displays of Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. Each display offered a selection of at least five shades of grey.
• No animal prints other than cream and grey snakeskin. I like cream snakeskin shoes, but couldn’t find a pair for my fussy feet.
• Patent, patent and more patent. We can safely assume that this fashion trend is here to stay.

Be grateful if you live in America and love shoes, because you’re having a better footwear season. There is a greater variety for foot types, style preferences, budgets and fashion personas.

The last time I took pictures of merchandise in Paris I was chased down the street with a broomstick (occupational hazards of being a fashion buyer). So no real pictures of Parisian peds to share, but hopefully the above styles will give you an idea. Gladiators, converse sneakers, pointy-toe pumps and almond-tow flats. Nothing to write home about.