Look no further because you have excellent and affordable options. Wide Widths boasts the largest selection of wide calf boot styles on the Internet. The knee-high and calf-high boots on this site are especially good for women whose calf measurements are from 16 to 18 inches. They ship internationally, stock up to a size 13 and carry extra-wide foot sizes. They don’t offer a Zappos-like breadth of styles, but their focused choices are timeless, tasteful and current. Thank you Moviegirlerica for sharing this information. It’s nice to know that you were happy with their helpful and efficient service. I’ve popped a few of my favourite styles below.

Cube, Grant. Kiersten and Jerry - wide styles from Wide Widths.

Apart from a handful of ultra-high fashion and cutting edge styles, it’s all about 3 mainstream denim silhouettes this season:

1. Wide-legs: also known as “un-skinnies”, these jeans are dramatic and elegant. They’re good for tall pretty pears and are best worn with a heel if you don’t have height. Trouser versions of wide-legged jeans are particularly classy and versatile. They’re most flattering when they’re slim on the thigh and flared at the hem. Ultra-wide styles that are wide on the thigh tend to make you look wider. Remember that you need to keep it fitted on top if you add volume on the bottom. If you don’t, you’ll loose that long lean line.
2. Skinnies: stove pipes and straighter legs remain a favourite for tunics and longer length tops. They’re the best option when adding volume on top with sack dresses and trapeze silhouettes.
3. Bootcuts: this forever flattering denim style has become a classic. You’ll still look fab wearing a great pair of bootcuts if skinnies and wide-legs don’t tickle your fancy. Don’t believe what the magazines tell you, bootcuts aren’t out.

Pick and choose the jeans that work best for your body type and look. If you’re a denim girl at heart, you’ll enjoy the different moods that all 3 denim styles provide.

Wide-legs, skinnies and bootcuts. The perfect complement for denim girls this season.

Choosing the correct transitional accessories for your ensemble as your wardrobe moves from Summer to Autumn is a quick and inexpensive route to go. Some ideas:

• Scarf: This was the most popular bridging item that I saw people wearing when we lived in France. I was amazed at how the scarf (worn in the same manner as in the picture below) was the first “clothing item” that you’d see adorning outfits as temperatures started to cool. While I would gravitate towards a cardigan or jacket, in Paris it’s all about wearing the scarf before you wear the cardigan or jacket. Add a beautiful bulky scarf to a fairly plain ensemble and look like a Parisian.
• Hat: Headgear is particularly popular in Europe and is often worn together with a scarf before the addition of a jacket. Sporting a scarf along with the hat is not a necessity – hats can make quite a statement on their own.
• Closed shoes: Storing your sandals and adding closed shoes to your outfits (like the new Oxford) is an easy change. However, adding hose to peep-toe shoes is also a trendy look and good for Autumn.
• Hose: Whether it’s hose or leggings, add them to existing skirts and dresses and change the mood of your outfit. Ribbed, patterned, coloured, opaque or sheer, they’ll all work depending on the level of drama that you want to create. It’s very fashionable to add black opaque tights and heels to a Summery dress at the moment.
• Handbag: Switch back to your “cold weather” bag if you chose to keep your handbag selection to a complement of 3. Structured bags are a good choice for Autumn because they denote a level of seriousness that somehow works with the turning of the season. Away with whimsical wicker and onto solemn fun.

I can’t stress enough how “accessories” make the outfit. They remain one of the most effective ways to accomplish a stylish appearance.

Scarfs and hats are ideal ways of adding the Autumn touch to an existing outfit.

Adding a cardigan is one way of layering up Summer dresses, but there are more interesting options if you have the right pieces. Here’s how to create the look:

• Pop a shirt, blouse or better-end knitted T-shirt under a plain-ish dress (sheath, A-line, sack or empire). I’ve used a black sack dress to illustrate below, but you could experiment with a subtle pattern. Jersey dresses will also work if they stand away from the body from the waist down. Dresses that cling will show through the extra layer which is not ideal.
• Add the right jacket. This is a little trickier then you might expect. An ultra cropped jacket (like a bolero) or knee–length trench will work over most dress styles and won’t look frumpy. Anything else you’ll need to test buttoned and unbuttoned and judge whether it works.
• Cinch in your waist with a wide belt for an extra bit of shape and sass.
• Finish it off with leggings and you’ll have an updated look for Autumn.

These versatile layering options are the perfect way of adding a new dimension to your office look if you’re stuck in a pants rut. They can be interpreted in a modern-classic or trendy manner depending on your fashion persona.

A black of-the-moment sack dress and various layering options – blouses, a shirt and a knitted top.

A cardigan (cardi for short) is a piece of knitwear that buttons or ties in the front as opposed to a pullover which is “pulled over” the head. There is more to this item than the traditional V-neck button-through style that forms the outer layer of twinsets (these types of cardis can look shapeless and matronly). Cardis with hip and interesting design details are in abundance this season. They can be smart or casual, classic or funky, plain or patterned, fine or chunky and long or short.

The right shape cardi adds the perfect Autumn dimension to an existing Summer outfit…

• With dresses: Match a cropped cardi with a fit-and-flare dress, and a long A-line cardi with minis and sack dress styles.
• With blouses or shirts: Pop a cardi over a sleeveless or narrow-sleeved romantic blouse or streamlined shirt. Blouses and shirts with billowing sleeves bunch up underneath cardis with fitted sleeves and this looks unsightly. If you have a traditional cardi style in your closet, try cinching it in at the waist with a wide belt for an updated look for the office.
• With knitted tops or camisoles: Layer just about any cardi style over a knitted top or camisole, and enjoy the versatility of this extra layer.

I personally prefer finely knitted styles to chunky versions because they’re the more adaptable choice. Fine knit cardis can be dressed either up and down, or layered underneath jackets. They’re also slimming because they’re not as bulky. Choose your cardigans wisely and they shall give you great joy. My wardrobe does not function without them.

These fine knit cardigans look smarter and are therefore more office appropriate.

Cardigans with Chunkier knit stitches are more casual and super with jeans or casual dresses.

A traditional cardigan style (left) is instantly updated with a wide waist belt. Long A-line cardigan silhouettes are great with A-line dresses or pants.

Summer is “officially” over in the northern hemisphere, and with that comes cooler temperatures. Over the next set of posts I’m going to talk about Autumn bridging pieces. These are pieces that increase the ROI of items already in your closet, thereby making your transition from Summer wardrobe to Autumn wardrobe cost effective. In some instances you will have all of the pieces and it’s just a question of putting them together; in other instances you might need to purchase a piece or two.

Here are some of your options:

• Layering up an existing Summer ensemble with a cardigan, which is available in all shapes, sizes and stitch types and is far from boring or frumpy.
• Layering up a Summer dress can end up becoming the most versatile and interesting option in your wardrobe.
• Adding a vest (or “waistcoat”) is a particularly fashionable choice this season and a trendy twist on office wear.
• Re-inventing a Summer ensemble with the appropriate accessories like hose, tights, scarves, hats, handbags and closed shoes can add the perfect Autumn dimension.

We’ll discuss each of these in more detail over the next few days so that you can get the best bang for your fashion buck as temperatures begin to cool. Particularly if your fashion budget is tight, a thoughtful bridging strategy is the way to go.

Tell us about your own bridging strategies in the comments.

Stylists and image consultants often swear by the fact that you’ll lengthen your legs by wearing the same colour shoes and legwear. While I agree with this style tip, as a strict rule it can get boring, especially if your daily dress is business casual. Contrasting the colour of your footwear with your pants or jeans is striking and makes an outfit pop.

I believe that lengthening your legs has more to do with the fit and length of your pants, and the style of your shoes. If your pants are bootcut, flared or wide (not skinny), and they skim the surface of the ground when you wear heels, you’ll achieve that long lean vertical line despite the colour of your shoes. And pointy toed peds will elongate this line even further .

By all means sport an alternative colour shoe to your legwear if you fancy that idea. You don’t need to have long slim gams to pull off the look if you adhere to other important leg-lengthening rules. Adding contrasting and eye-catching shoes to a classic ensemble is a perfect way to keep your look hip when current trends aren’t your cup of tea.

Having a sense of style is somehow a mixture of looking both timeless and “of-the-moment”. While choosing to remain classic is stylish, you’ll need to incorporate a certain level of “right-now” into your look to keep it current and fab. So what do you do when you don’t like, or can’t afford, the new trends?

Here’s how to keep it in vogue when you bypass trends:

• Stick to tailored items. The watershed changes in fashion silhouettes over the last year are not for everyone (or at least, not until our eyes have adapted to the changes). Ignore the voluminous look and stick to clothing that skims the contour of your body because chic tailoring is universally flattering and always fashionable.
• Integrate the new fashion colour. If you love cobalt blue, but can’t see yourself wearing trapeze jackets, sack dresses and swing tops, try it as an accessory or in a classic clothing piece instead. Camisoles, button down shirts, layering knit tops and costume jewelry are safe and inexpensive ways of packing the right amount of punch per season.
• Add the “it” style of jeans. This boils down to either skinnies, straight-leg cuts or wide-leg cuts this season. Choose what’s best for your body type and modify your look.
• Invest in a great pair of shoes. You’ll always make a stylish statement with a wonderful pair of peds. Dressing well is about getting the details right and this detail is particularly important.
• Buy the bag of the season. You won’t go wrong with patent and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. You can get a perfectly great option for $50 at places like Aldo, Gap, Macy’s and the BP department at Nordstrom.
• Try a new hairstyle. Add an edge with a new cut or spot of colour.
• Change your specs. If you wear glasses, make sure that they are the best pair that you can afford. I can’t stress enough how important this is. The eye is drawn upwards when we speak and nothing is more effective than a pair of perfectly eye-catching specs. Leave the clothes and invest in the most important accessory that you own.
• Try a new shade of lipstick. If you normally go neutral, try a brick red, magenta or bronze instead.

Actress Jennifer Aniston epitomizes the stylish modern classic. While she’s probably never stuck for cash, she’s chosen to keep her look tailored, simple, current and neutral. She’ll update seasonally with the most current pair of jeans, white shirt, black pants, black shoes, new handbag, sunglasses and a variation on the hairstyle. She usually leaves it at that and always looks fab. Sometimes you won’t like the new trend, and sometimes it won’t like you. Either way, it’s possible to look hip by choosing the correct items in a given season.

Jewel toned sapphire patent tote, teal ballet flats and dark straight-leg jeans are an inexpensive and modern classic combo from the Gap that will have you looking hip straight way. These items are also offered in neutral shades if that’s your preference.

Lounging sweats are everywhere, but it’s not easy to find ones that are flattering, fun and hold up well in the wash. I am particularly fussy with loungewear because I will not settle for anything that’s drab, ill-fitting and badly made (remember ladies that we lounge with style). While fab yoga and athletic gear will also work, they’re not my choice for superb stay-at-home comfort.  I prefer baggy, wide-legged, ultra soft, 100% cotton terry cloth as opposed to anything remotely clingy and synthetic. Satisfying my comfort criteria is a tall order when you still want to feel attractive in your sweats.

This season, Victoria’s Secret did the trick with their “loungey, lazy and fit-tastic” sweatpants and hoodie-top options. The pants are low-ish in the rise but wide, long and luxurious all the same (good for those with long legs). If long sweats are too warm for your climate, try the shorts option instead. I have those too and highly recommend them. The hoodie-tops are loose yet tailored and the perfect length. These sweats come in an assortment of colours (e.g. navy, grey and yellow), so don’t be put off by the pink if that’s not your cup of tea. Think beyond buying  a matching set of sweats and mix up the colours a little for a more edgy ensemble.

I would never have thought to look for my loungewear at Victoria’s Secret, which just goes to show that you should never rule out a retailer. I’m delighted with my new sets of sweats and wear them every day.

Fit-tastic, loungey sweats from Victoria’s Secret.

The pear shape is the most represented female body type, so it’s no surprise that “The pretty pear” is still one of the most popular posts on youlookfab. Originally posted more than a year ago, however, the guidelines are due for an update. The key is still balancing the difference between the top and bottom part of your body. We can achieve this by drawing attention upward, de-emphasizing the bottom part of your body and elongating your legs.

Drawing attention upwards:

• Wear the best possible bra. Giving your bust line the shape and support it needs will define your waist and create curves in all the right places.
• Strive to create an “A-line” silhouette with your clothing. You look exceptional in dresses and should take advantage of this ultra-feminine look all year round.
• Always wear slim fitting tops, sweaters, cardigans and button down shirts. Choose styles that define your waist and show off your torso. Boxy trapeze jackets continue to be all the rage and you can absolutely wear them (despite the fact that this goes against the rules) if you keep them cropped, fitted snugly at the shoulders and matched with a longer and slim layer underneath.
• Wear V-neck tops and create V-neck shapes with your layers. V-shapes elongate your neck and draw attention to your slim midsection giving definition where you want it.
• Keep your shoulder line strong and refrain from wearing items with “a sloppy shoulder line”. It’s imperative that your clothing fits you properly on your shoulders because the eye is drawn to definition.
• Select tops, knitwear, jackets and coats with interest. Tops with wide cuffs, bell sleeves, ruffles, embellishment, rushing, vertical seaming detail, large collar/lapels, wraps and princess lines are good choices. These design features naturally deflect the eye upwards. The voluminous sleeve trend was made for you.
• The length of your tops should either catch you just below your hipbone or around the knee. Avoid lengths that finish straight over your bottom or straight across your thighs. You can sport the leggings look with the right A-line dress because this look is about the dress and not the leggings.
• Layer your garments. Pop longer length camisoles underneath your knitted tops and shirts. They should finish just above your crotch point. Pop a fitted shorter jacket or sweater as a third layer over these layers for the most flattering effect. The layers automatically create a visual balance between the top and bottom half of your body.
• Accessorize the top part of your body well, with necklaces, specs, earrings, hair clips (but not all together). Sport one statement accessory at a time.
• Consider wearing a waist belt over your tops for extra definition. Wear your belt a little lower if you’re short-waisted.

“De-emphasizing” the bottom and elongating your legs:

• Keep your bottom choices simple and structured, thereby saving all the visual interest for your tops. No cargo pockets, waistband details, side entry pockets, pleats, drawstrings, elastication or hip embellishments. Curvy women can wear skinnies, if you match them with A-line tunics, dresses and heels. Trust me, it’s a fab look!
• Keep the front part of your pants free of detail and your rise mid in length (not too high or low). Make sure that there is enough ease through the hip and thigh. Fabrics with stretch are your best bet.
• Keep the hems of your pants wide (boot cut or flared) if you’re not sporting “the skinnies and tunics” silhouette. Pants that skim along the contour of your thighs always work best.
• Keep walk shorts straight from the thigh down and knee-length (like a cullotte) and avoid lengths shorter than this.
• Don’t force yourself to wear pants and jeans if you look and feel fabulous in skirts and dresses. Knee length A-line skirts with vertical panel seaming are best. Stay clear of bias-cut skirts and pencil skirts. Ankle length A-line styles work particularly well for tall pear-shaped gals.
• Wear pointy-toed shoes (if you can) with pants that are wide at the hem to elongate the leg.
• Wearing some sort of heel (even if it’s just an inch) whenever you can will give you the height that automatically slims down curves. Simple rule: the curvier your bottom, the longer and wider you’ll need to wear your pants and the higher you’ll need to wear your heel to balance out your silhouette. This is especially effective if you sport the correct pants length (hems should skim the surface of the ground).
• Be mindful of shoes with ankle straps. They might break the long vertical line that you are trying to create.
• Wearing heeled knee high boots that are slim at the ankle with skirts or dresses in cooler weather is a great leg-flattering look.

There’s lots of glorious fashion ahead of us for Autumn and I’m looking forward to talking about how you can adopt each new look for your body type.