I have several favourite fashion eras but my absolute favourite is fashion from the late ‘50’s to mid ‘60’s. Think Grace Kelly in “Rear Window”, Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, Jackie O, Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick. Fashion at this time was the perfect mixture of dressy lady-like silhouettes and funky pop art inspired designs. I could have happily lived as an adult in this fashion era, although I’m sure I’d miss my straight leg jeans.

I also love the glamour and drama that prevailed during the ‘40’s and the crazy disco vibe that ruled the late ‘70’s. The roaring ‘20s had its flapper appeal, and even though the ‘80’s is regarded as ”the decade of anti-fashion”, it had it’s absurd appeal. I was an impressionable teeny bopper then. I thought I looked fabulous in my bad taste creations and teased hair, which is why I have to include the era among my favourites. (Read more ‘80’s confessions on YLF forum).

Fashion in the ‘30’s, late 60’s to early 70’s, and ‘90’s leaves me cold. The Second World War had a realistically somber impact on fashion and I’m not a hippy at heart. And the ‘90’s was a confused era of ‘80’s remnants, grunge, hip hop mania and minimalistic millennium madness. But I’ll commend the decade for bringing back the natural female hourglass silhouette and ridding us of rugby player shoulder pads.

We’re in the first decade of the 21st century and I wonder how the current fashion era will be remembered. Today’s fashion is much like a modern melting pot of 20th century fashion and that’s unique in itself. I find myself excited as each new season unfolds. Which are your favourite fashion eras? How do you feel about the era we live in right now?

I encourage my clients to create an individual stamp by throwing that “something special” into their clothing and accessory mix. Style is a celebration of individuality and no-one should look like a cookie-cutter version of someone else.

This “something special” can be one thing, or it can be a multitude of things. It can also be a decision to refrain from wearing something. For example, I intentionally never wear earrings or bracelets. I prefer to make a statement with specs and necklaces. And when it comes to necklaces, I’ll narrow down my selection to some form of funky pearl and virtually nothing else.

There are countless ways to introduce a personal stamp. Some people choose to wear a lot of one particular colour in their clothing or accessories. Others add an ethnic flavour or stick to neutrals. You might like to be adventurous with many colours, or wear lots of vintage clothing. Perhaps you’re known for dramatic hairstyle changes, wearing a scarf every day, opting for dresses instead of pants or sticking to classic, clean-cut clothing. Your personal stamp can and should evolve over time.

This is how people create a recognizable signature style. After all, personal style begins and ends with a strong sense of yourself.

I’d love to hear about your signature style in the comments, or on the forum.

When Kate Moss and Sienna Miller starting strutting their designer high-rise jeans around London at the end of last year, the writing was on the wall. This was a trend in the making. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before ultra high fashion retail chains like Zara, Mango, French Connection and H&M started dabbling in the look. What I thought was going to be another short lived ‘80’s fashion recurrence is clearly not the case. Rises are rising and we’ll need to start adapting the look. The good news is that fashion repetitions are always improved and updated. Pants with elevated rises can be fabulously flattering if you find a pair that fits (or are altered to fit).

I’ve had the best luck dressing women in these styles when I’m mindful of the following: 

• Keep the waistband above the hip bone and below the belly button. This seems most flattering across the tummy area.
• Opt for a flat, clean front. Stay away from pleats or pockets that add bulk.
• Keep the leg width flared and floor skimming for the longest leanest line.

Higher rises give us the option of tucking our tops, shirts and blouses back into our pants. It’s the perfect silhouette for waist-cinching belts and a nice change to flowy swing tops that are equally fashionable. It’s brilliant to have an abundance of choices!

High rise pants from Nanette Lepore, Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren (available at Nordstrom).

With Spring here and Summer around the corner,  contemplating “the big chop” is common. Short hair has been particularly popular amongst celebrities this season (with Michelle Williams, Elisha Cuthbert and Audrey Tautou amongst my personal favourites). Short hairstyles are certainly not for everyone, but the right cropped cut can take your face from “drowning in your layers and locks” to “all eyes, neck and cheekbones”. 

Whether short hair will suit you is beyond my expertise (I am not a hair stylist). But I sport a short style myself and have some thoughts to share about taking the plunge:

• Find a competent hair stylist. An excellent cut is crucial with short styles.
• Pay close attention to the colour of your hair. You’ll cut out a lot of your best hair colour (either dyed or naturally sun-kissed) when you chop it off. Short hair has to be the right colour in order for it to look it’s best because only then will different areas of the cut be emphasized, creating volume, interest and texture. 
• Dress your best on the day of the cut. This will give the stylist a better sense of the type of look that you’re after.
• Tweak your style and make-up if necessary. You might prefer to wear dresses, skirts, frills and darker lipstick after your haircut because you like the contrast of your boyish cut with a more flirty style. That bright green bag you thought you could never pull off suddenly works with your new sassy cut.

This is not an easy decision. If you are in the mood for an edgy cropped look, I’m torn between encouraging you to go short and advising you stay longer and more versatile. At worst, your hair will grow out. At best, you’ll have gone from drab to fab!

Michelle Williams, Elisha Cuthbert, Audrey Tautou and Selma Blair sport short cuts this season.

It’s natural to want to embrace the hippie look if you’re a bohemian ‘60’s and ‘70’s child at heart. Breezy empire cut tops, craftsy embroideries and motifs, crocheted anything, straggly denim bellbottoms, earthy leather accessories, caftans, flowing patchwork maxi dresses, long tiered skirts, batik prints, headbands and beaded necklaces. This boho trend is everywhere; but this time in direct contrast with the sleek and sci-fi futuristic styles alongside it.

Hippy chic is a fun look if it suits your persona and body type, but it’s a hard style to pull off well. It’s impossible to wear empire-cut tops with bust seams and back ties if you’re well endowed (because the seam sits on your bosom instead of underneath it). And it’s difficult not to look pregnant in a gathered baby doll silhouette. I personally prefer the hippy look when it’s matched with an element of tailoring and polish. Below are guidelines on how to achieve this:

• Sport a few pieces at a time instead of everything at once. Match hippy tops with a clean-cut pair of jeans or a printed maxi dress with a structured white cotton twill jacket.
• Select boho tops in luxurious fabrics instead of faded crinkle natural fibers. This will give you a crisper and more pulled together look.
• Add a modern element like sleek silver accessories or lucite jewelry.
• Maintain a certain level of polish by painting your toenails, wearing a scent and styling your hair.

Hippie styles become chic when they are coordinated with a degree of sophistication. This was easy for boho goddess Sienna Miller to sport once she combined her shabby tatters with designer pieces and accessories.

Hippie inspired styles from Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus and a complementary carry-all bag from Macy’s.

I get a lot of questions about fashion personas. Many women feel that they aren’t a perfect fit for one of them in particular. That’s ok! The descriptions of the personas are extreme. You don’t need to be a long-haired, bead-wearing hippie from the ’60s to be classified as Bohemian. You don’t need to stick to navy twin sets, tan pants and loafers to be a modern-classic. And you don’t need to be a platform-wearing, skinny jeans girl to be a trendy fashionista.

Instead, you could be:

• An artistic urbanite who was in heaven this season with all the black and grey fashion. But you also chose to wear a bright green patent tote while keeping your earrings and necklaces exotic.
• A classic fashionista who felt that she couldn’t wear skinnies, but embraced waist-belts, longer length tunics and bubble skirts, without giving up  button down shirts, cardigans and bootcuts.

Our personal style is often a mixture of more than one persona. Once we’ve taken into account our body type, age, personality, lifestyle and budget we can adopt an appropriate fashion persona or become a mixture of a few. Sometimes, we might love the idea of a particular persona but look so much better dressed as another. Fashion personas can also change over time. We might feel the need to adopt a trendier look after being modernly-classic or sporty for too long. Or, it might be time to become an updated classic or retro urbanite after years of being a bo-ho hippie. 

Develop an individual sense of style and make sure that you experiment with current trends all the time. Don’t be afraid to try new things. And don’t worry about having a constantly-evolving fashion persona. The only constant in life is change.

Are there any rules left for age-appropriate dressing? This is not an easy question to answer when women today are looking better than ever at ages 40 and over. However, I am still part of the old school of thought that “mutton should not be dressed up as lamb”, no matter how fabulous your body is. There is a difference between looking youthful and looking tarty.

Stylists will differ on what age-appropriate dressing means and rules will be broken when we live in a world of botox and personal trainers. That said, here are my rules when it comes to dressing women stylishly for their age:

• 20’s and early 30’s – virtually anything goes at this age, especially if you have the body type. Have fun following fashion fads and wearing them in just about any combination. You’ll get away with it all and modesty needn’t be top of your list. Ultra short skirts, skin tight dresses, plunging necklines, accessory overload and carefree casual dressing is perfectly acceptable when you have youth on your side. Celebrities like Sienna Miller, Kate Moss and Jessica Alba can take fashion right to its edge because they are at the right age. 
• mid 30’s and 40’s – this is when a fundamental style change is in order. You are not a teenager anymore even if you have the body of one. Strive to look more pulled together, tailored and sophisticated. Opt to be smart-casual rather than casual most of the time. Become a little more serious about fashion and maintaining a high level of polish. You can still be funky and fashion forward if that’s your persona, but you’ll need to bypass trends that prevent you from looking chic. Pay closer attention to the accessories that you choose and the cosmetics that you buy.  Pay a little more for something that is better-end. Naomi Watts, Sarah Jessica Parker and Julianne Moore epitomize style for this age group.
• 50’s and 60’s – there is never a need to dress maturely, just appropriately. Wearing tailored and structured clothing of impeccable quality is imperative when you are over the age of 50. Strive to look refined, smart and uncluttered. Select clothing with clean lines and interesting cuts. Stay away from basic t-shirts and loud prints. You’ll still look fabulous in a pair of dark-wash higher rise jeans as long as you dress them up with an elegant shirt, jacket and shoes. Add drama and personality through your accessories and hairstyle whilst keeping your clothing items and make-up simple and dignified. Catherine Deneuve and Jane Fonda are effortlessly chic at this age.

For me, stylish age-appropriate dressing is about becoming smarter, more tailored and more modest as you get older. What are your views? Let us know by leaving a comment to this entry.

Sienna Miller, Julianne Moore and Jane Fonda, each stylish at a different age.

People are stylish in different ways. This is because personality, age and lifestyle are all variables in the mix. Have a look at the fashion personas below and have fun identifying your own (you might find that you’re a combination of a few):

• The modern classic – you are preppy, but with a modern edge. Other then the odd stripe, you prefer solid colours.  You are most comfortable in updated tailored items, twin sets, knee length skirts, button down shirts, dark blue jeans and plain pumps.  Your look is simple, feminine, appropriate and understated.
• The artistic eclectic – you like novelty and selectively choose fashion trends that tickle your fancy, often ignoring key looks that everyone else has latched onto. You may prefer to dress exotically if you are inspired by a particular culture. Your accessories are unconventional (often vintage), and you always find creative ways of matching them with your ensemble.
• The sporty natural – you are an outdoorsy, low maintenance type of girl, who is usually athletically inclined. There is often a tomboy element to you and you generally don’t like to shop. You live in jeans, shorts, plain t-shirts, shirts and appropriate sportswear for hiking, rock climbing, kayaking or working out.
• The bohemian hippie – you are an earthy flower child. You love empire lines, peasant blouses ethnic jewelry and flared leg pants. You’ll often have long wavy hair and enjoy the opportunity to be creative. You don’t follow trends, but certainly have a playful style all of your own.
• The trendy fashionista – you are a fashion trend tracker and usually the first to sport a new fashion statement. You are passionate about fashion and love to shop. You are fearless when it comes to mixing colours, fabrics, textures and prints. You are always well turned out and ready for a change when the new season comes along.
• The funky urbanite – you are retro and shun anything that looks polished and pristine. You like your clothing to look worn and embrace practical messenger bags and fashionable walking shoes. Your neutral colour palette is sophisticated and your style uncomplicated and efficient. You are often edgy and can even look a bit gothic at times.

Your personal style begins and ends with a strong sense of yourself.  Enjoy making your style unique, interesting and flattering for your body type.

PS. Feel free to leave a comment telling us which persona is closest to your personal style.