Strategic Style
Welcome
Welcome to "Strategic Style". Unlike most fashion blogs. it doesn’t spotlight how great I look in the hottest seasonal trends. I occasionally use my clothes as examples, but this blog isn’t about ME - or about trends either.
It’s about YOU, and classic design principles to determine wardrobe choices that showcase the fabulous things about you. Then you'll shop strategically, dress effortlessly and feel confident about your appearance no matter your lifestyle, age, size or budget.
It is the clothes’ responsibility to make YOU look good -- not the other way around. You'll look best in clothes and accessories that have “points of connection” to you. The more characteristics in common between you and your clothes, the more fabulous you'll look. Your stuff will look classier too, based on that repetition.
Things that connect with you also connect with one another, creating more mix-and-match than you ever imagined. Shop less, spend less and feel great about how you look every day. Put wardrobe issues on the back burner and head out the door every day with confidence to play your special role in the world! Welcome aboard!
Picking prints for our wardrobes provides nearly endless opportunity to find connection points. And then the prints themselves become links to connect our solid garments into dynamite outfits. But because prints are very engaging in a retail setting, we often react to them based on emotion rather than artistic insight. The results can easily be a look that is totally disconnected from the wearer, and very little mix/match in her closet.
continue reading ...So many women tell me they have a closet full of black clothing that they now realize doesn’t especially flatter them. What to do? There are several quick update options to use while you work on transitioning your wardrobe to a neutral that is more personally flattering. Here are a few good ideas …
continue reading ...Maybe – as they say – clothes make the man. But I firmly (no pun) believe that under-clothes make the woman. Supporting “the girls” properly trims away visual years and pounds, improves posture and takes strain off your neck and spine. It makes your clothes fit better and look more expensive. But it isn’t always as easy as you might think. Because bra fit is more exacting that garment fit, even a slight weight gain, loss or shift can make a big impact. It is often said that 8 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong bra size.
continue reading ...After last week’s post about value contrast levels, a reader named Valerie emailed me a photo of her outfit and asked for input. I though the ensuing discussion might interest the rest of our group, and Valerie agreed to share it. Valerie described herself as high-contrast, with a preference for black-and-white and bright colors. The outfit in question consists of dark-wash jeans (obviously not visible in the headshot), a soft white tee and light blue long vest, popped with the bright scarf.
continue reading ...In any visual composition, attention goes first and foremost to the area of greatest light/dark or bright/dark contrast. Since the objective of an optimal outfit is putting the attention on your face, that means that you never want to wear a color combination with more light/dark contrast that you see in your personal color pattern. What is the darkest element of your personal coloring? Hair? Eyes? What is the lightest element? Skin? Hair? The step of difference between the two is the greatest degree of contrast you should wear.
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