La Redoute is a mainstream French catalogue that sells everything from swimwear to shoes for ladies and gents. Their goods have only recently become available in the USA with their warehouse located in Massachusetts. Their clothing and accessories are chic, different and highly affordable. I was particularly impressed with their selection of jackets, coats and boots this season. Although I do not advocate shopping online unless you know exactly what you are getting – it might be worth it if you fancy a bit of convenient and inexpensive French flair in your wardrobe. Unlike traditional European stores, their return policy is good and comparable to standard online shopping sites here in America.

Wool pea coat ($49), faux fur coat ($49) and tweed raglan blazer ($64) from La Redoute.

Women are fortunate when it comes to dressing for warm summer weddings and occasions – breezy dresses and open toe sandals without hose is perfectly acceptable attire. Gents, on the other hand are expected to swelter in shirt, tie, jacket, socks and closed shoes unless otherwise stated on the invitation. Are there cooler dressing options for men for formal occasions? This has been a frequent “Ask Angie“ over the last few weeks.

Unfortunately, if the dress code is formal, men will still have to bring a dinner jacket, and wear socks with dressy shoes. They can, however, drop the tie:

• The Prada look: An ultra trendy look of black pants, black pinstripe shirt, black jacket and no tie. Alternatively, try an iridescent navy, brown or burgundy shirt instead of a black pinstripe one. As long as the ensembles’ palette is dark and monochromatic, they’ll look formal enough. Tom Cruise often wears this look on the red carpet. It’s a super look for formal evening functions.
• The light suit and bright shirt: A tan suit with any brightly coloured shirt usually works best for this look. It’s always festive to wear a bright colour in summer which makes this ensemble especially suitable.

Dressy collared shirts will allow gents to look formal enough without ties. With a spot of luck there will be air conditioning as well.

The Prada look from Nordstrom, and Light suit with bright shirt from Macy’s, both formal, but without ties.

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) is one of Europe’s most successful fashion chain stores. This Swedish based company operates in more than 22 countries and has started successfully tapping the US market on the East Coast and California. It targets the ultra-hip consumer by offering cheap, cutting edge fashion for men, women and children. They have recently branched out their merchandise mix to include maternity and plus sizes. Germany is currently their biggest market (30% of sales), Sweden is a close second and the UK third.

Their philosophy: “to offer unbeatable value by providing fashion forward clothing at the best possible price” 

H&M markets their desirable brand to high-end fashion consumers despite their discount fashion price points. You will often find an H&M located right next to a designer brand. In 2004, H&M stores offered an exclusive collection by Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel) which sold out worldwide within one hour.  In 2005, the success was repeated by Stella McCartney (Chloe). This year, stores will offer exclusive ranges designed and marketed by Madonna. 

Most of the merchandise offered at H&M is very young, but there always seems to be a super selection of basics and classics that defy age. Unlike Zara, elegance and sophistication are not their goals. Their aim is to offer the funky urbanite limitless creative options.  Don’t expect to hold onto your H&M  purchase for years – at budget prices, their clothes are not made to last.

My wardrobe is not complete without my playful H&M pieces. If its cutting edge trends at budget prices that you are after – H&M is the shop for you.

French, Italian, British and American designers dominate the catwalk scene; but it’s the Spanish that are best at interpreting these trends and turning them into commercial fashion for retail. Let me introduce you to one of the most successful retail chains in the world – Zara. This Spanish chain store is part of the Inditex group - one of the largest fashion retail groups worldwide. Almost 86% of their staff are women with women occupying 54% of the executive, technical and managerial positions.

“Zara offers the latest trends in international fashion in an environment of thought-out design”.  You’ll find these stores in the main commercial areas of cities across Europe, America and Asia. Zara offers women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and accessories at affordable prices. Their clothing is not meant to last forever and some describe it as “throw-away fashion”, but who wants to pay the earth for a fashion fad? That said, I have classics in my closet from Zara that are at least 3 years old and going strong.

Their enormous success can be attributed to many factors. What stands out for the consumer is the exclusivity of their product. They never offer more then 10 items in the same style, which can drive you crazy if they don’t have your size, but will prevent you from looking like someone else when you walk down the street. There isn’t another retailer that offers the same level of trendy fashion with the elegance and sophistication that Zara does. Their designs and colour direction are always a cut above the rest, but without burning a hole in your wallet. If you are a regular size and passionate about fashion – you need to shop here. It’s one of my very favourite places to buy up a storm.

Zara stores are predominantly located in Europe, Asia and South America. There are Zara stores in many American cities, but for those of you in the Pacific Northwest – Vancouver, Canada is your best bet.

When packing for travel, I always plan my footwear carefully. This is especially true for trips that require a great deal of walking. My days of being uncomfortable for the sake of being on the cutting edge of fashion are over. I am now, forever more, kind to my feet. But, we need to be kind to our feet with style.

Wearing socks and athletic shoes with jeans is unsightly and it’s even worse with shorts!  Is there such a thing as a comfortable yet stylish walking shoe? Absolutely. There are many fashionable and practical alternatives to the work-out sneaker:

• For jeans and casual pants, wear a “fashion sneaker”. Don’t wear thick colourful socks with these – opt for discreet ankle socks instead. If your pants are at the correct length (see perfect pant lengths please), you shouldn’t be revealing your socks – even when you sit or cross your legs.
• For walk shorts and skirts, wear a “dainty fashion sneaker”. It’s best to keep your sneaker looking more like a ballet shoe when you expose your legs. There are some super retro options at PF Flyers; otherwise any department store will stock what you are looking for.
• Pop in an insole. I like to get air foam insoles for extra comfort. They are available at any drugstore for a couple of dollars.
• Find a comfortable thong sandal. If you can wear thong sandals, try a cushioned version for walking if you don’t require arch support. I am more comfortable in these than in walking sandals with ankle straps. Ankle straps eventually chafe – throngs somehow seem more forgiving.

Fabulous feet deserve to fashionable and comfortable. Have a look at the dainty fashion sneaker options below – perfect for when you need to be light and quick on your feet.

PF Flyers has the nice dainty Lo Fi (and an online store).

Fashion sneakers from Nordstrom.

Most of us know when clothing and accessories match each other, and when they don’t. It’s less clear to us when clothing and accessories don’t match, but they do “work”. Mismatching stylishly is at the heart of retro European style. Designers and stylists do it frequently (albeit a bit over the top at times). Done correctly, mismatching will increase your style quotient. Done distastefully, it can be disastrous.

Here are a few tangible ways to mismatch with style:

• Don’t match your shoes with your bag – throw in a bright green bag with your silver shoes, jeans and layered tops.
• Don’t match your shoes with your outfit – instead of wearing a perfectly matching pair of black sling backs with your white slacks, black top and gold bag, throw in a pair of bright yellow or purple heels instead. Don’t worry about repeating that colour anywhere else – it works.
• Mix patterns – different printed items of clothing work well together if the fabrics and colours are similar. Next time you think of putting a plain white top with your multi colored skirt, try making a subtle floral blouse in the same colours work instead.
• Mismatch your last layer – whether it’s a jacket, cardigan or extra t-shirt, try adding an extra colour into the mix of your outfit with the last layer that you put on (e.g. light brown bottoms worn with a darker brown and cream knit top would welcome a red jacket, bronze shoes and green bag).
• Colours that clash can work – wear red shoes with your pink dress, pop a purple top over an emerald green one, mix burgundy with orange and chartreuse – beautiful!

Think out of the box about how to mix and match the clothes in your wardrobe, but make sure that you don’t mismatch too many items at once. There will always have to be something pulling your look together – sometimes it can be the colour of your hair, or a single accessory.

Having a go at “mismatching” items that work prevents me from getting bored with the clothing in my wardrobe!

This is a subject where I have no formal training or experience, but I do have strong feelings about it nonetheless. The correct amount of make up can certainly enhance our features and therefore improve the way we look. The incorrect amount will make us look like an opera star. I cannot stress enough that “less is more”. Very few people can get away with wearing absolutely nothing on their faces, but chances are high that they are actually wearing more than you think – it just looks as though they aren’t. This is the trick!  With a little bit of attention to the right detail, you can look polished in an effortless and natural way.

• Skin – spend money on treatment rather than colour. Your skin is the most important part of your face. There is nothing more appealing than skin that is well taken care of (and remember to wear sunscreen every day).
• Make up – if you feel that you need to wear foundation, spend time finding the correct one for your skin type and tone. Most importantly, you’ll need to look like you aren’t wearing any.  
• Eyebrows – take special care grooming the second most important part of your face. A person’s face is framed by their brows. Eyes can be opened up and the face completely realigned by giving eyebrows the attention that they deserve. Have them shaped professionally if you can’t manage yourself. If they are light, dye them. If they are thin, pencil in the cracks. Make sure that the colour that you use matches your eyebrow colour perfectly. And apply the pencil in shadow form – harshly applied eyebrow pencil is unsightly.
• Eyelashes – if you were blessed with thick dark lashes then good for you. If not, use dark brown mascara instead of black unless you are very dark. It will always give you a softer and more natural look. Apply just enough to keep you clog free.
• Lips – gloss will look just as nice as colour. Keep your daytime colours extremely natural and go darker at night if you need to. The interest on your lips will always make you look more polished.
• Cheeks – if you don’t have naturally rosy cheeks, apply a bit of the correct colour blush to your cheekbones. This is especially true in winter when we tend to look a bit more pale. It will give the impression that you look healthy and well despite the fact that you feel you are on the verge of collapse.

Eye shadow, eye liner and lip liner are best left for Oscar night. At the very least, take care of your pretty skin, groom and colour those brows and pop a bit of colour on your lips. In my opinion, you in your “almost natural” form is most stylish!

Despite the fact that roomy totes, slouchy hobos and chic clutches are the bag trend at the moment, a carefully chosen retro or fashion forward “messenger bag” or “postman” is always going to be stylish and ultra hip. A messenger bag has a strap that is long enough to go over your head so that the “bag – part” lies somewhere on your side between your waist and hip. Ladies and gents - consider this alternative form of bag fashion because:

• It leaves your hands free! This is especially good for Mums and Dads who need both hands all the time
• It allows you to stride with your arms when you walk
• It’s safe – little chance of being pick-pocketed with a messenger!
• It’s practical for people who commute to work or school by foot or public transport. You’ll see more messengers during the day than any other type of bag in cities like Hong Kong, New York, London and Amsterdam
• It’s perfect for traveling precisely because of the above reasons
• It’s a lot trendier than a run of the mill black canvas laptop bag, or back pack
• It looks best over heavy semi casual winter coats
• The diagonal line of the strap cutting across your body is slimming and flattering somehow
• It seems to make a statement with any outfit

Word of warning though – it’s easy to overfill a messenger bag because it can hold the kitchen sink. Refrain from doing so! I am speaking from experience when I say that your back will hurt and your side will bruise if gets too heavy and the strap is too narrow. Whether it’s a red retro plastic 1980’s Duran Duran messenger, a dainty metallic version or a good old weathered leather postman – there is a messenger bag out there for you and you will never look back!