Hitting the Gym

So I've not blogged since August! Since I last posted, I've been going to the gym more and I've lost a few lbs!!! So motovating!!! Keeps going 4x a week, but this week I've only gone 2x since I'm sick and a little under the weather, and I don't plan on going back until after Thanksgiving/Black Friday and just start a new week. But I've accomplished so much that I won't let myself go back to old eatting habits, but instead make new ones, and so far I have. And I've also been taking more vitamin D and its made my nails so strong. They are the longest they've been and I'm so proud of them. ;  ) That's all...for now...

August....

Well its been since June that I've last blogged here. I'm not that good at blogging as one can see. I write in my diary more often than I blog, even though its been about 10 days since I last wrote in my diary, so I need to catch up on that.

I'm working on a makeover on myself. With this makeover, I want it to be than just swiping on a new shade of lipstick and eye shadow. I wanna lose 15-20 lbs, cut my hair, get some new clothes from my favorite stores at the mall, and then swipe on new makeup. I want a change in how I do everything in my life. I want to reinvent my self into That Woman. The one that's confident, has it together, or at least more together than before. More stylish, sophisticated, chic.

So that's my goal, and I plan on doing my makeover by March, so between now and then I'm gonna be working on my makeover on myself. I've been gathering ideas and taking notes on what I want out of my makeover.

The Suit

The Suit

The suit is all about sleek sophistication. And though many men must wear one every day, woman are allowed to pick and choose when they will don the item. This makes wearing one al the more striking. The trick is either to wear a lacy camisole underneath the suit jacket, or plain white tee, or nothing at all, and then play up the jewelry, hair and makeup. And of course, pair the suit up with the perfect stilettos. These are decidedly female touches let a woman own the suit, rather than having the suit own the woman..
 

Suit Up

The cool, modern way to wear a suit is to break it up. Wear the jacket with jeans or the skirt with a tank or tee.

As always, make sure it is tailored perfectly for you. Nothing beats great tailoring.

When buying a suit for work, choose one that can work in a more fun way outside of the office. The double duty will truly be cost-effective for you in the long run.

If you must wear a traditional suit to the office, personalize it with jewelry, etc. Always, always personalize it. Own it!

The Inside Track: Where to Buy

Chanel is the timeless investment.

Dolce & Garbbana and Alexander McQueen make the sexed-up versions.

Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani are for the most classic look.The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Pencil Skirt

Pencil Skirt

A pencil skirt immediately conjures up images of femmes fatales—the best film noir has to offer. There is a power about the pencil skirt, a certain sophistication. But there is also a subversive sexuality as it manages to show off the legs without showing them at all. What an illusion! It asserts femininity, but is also asserts power, which is the best feature a skirt can have: powerful femininity. And the savvy, stylish woman is well aware of the combination. She takes deliberate steps, strides confidently by her high heels, and pretends to be oblivious to the stir her pencil skirt is causing.

Penciling It In

The hemline should fall just below or just above the knee.

It is more flattering when worn with sky-high heels.

Try a high-waisted version to elongate the line of the body.

It should always be snug but never too tight.

It should have a vent or it could be hard to walk or sit. Be mindful of such tailoring.

A little stretch in the fabric makes it immeasurably easier to wear.

The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Fishnets

Fishnets

Fishnets were originally worn only by questionable women in dark, dank bars, but in the ‘20s they were brought out into the light by intrepid flappers. Marlene Dietrich made these all the rage. They are most powerful when just a little flicker of the fishnet is shown (a few inches at the knee, a centimeter at the peep toe). Teasing with fishnets is incredibly sexy and intriguing. It makes one wonder what else is underneath. A little bit of Marlene Dietrich? A touch of Dita Von Teese? But if the entire leg of fishnets is showing with too short a skirt and too high of heel, all the intrigue is gone. We all know what kind of woman that is. And you don’t want to be her.

Going Fishin’

Fishnets are supersexy when done right, supertawdry when done wrong. To stay on the right side of the line, make sure you:
Choose a fine mesh.

Pair with sophisticated clothing.

Try it in a nude.

Don’t let too much show. A peel of fishnet at the ankle, when you are wearing tailored trousers, can go much further than showing an entire leg of fishnet with high heels and short skirt. Try a blouse with a pencil skirt or pants and a flicker of fishnets at the feet. Keep it between an eighth and a quarter of an inch. The smaller, the better.

The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Little Black Dress

Little Black Dress

 

Often, the perfect little black dress finds a girl when she is not looking. If she sets out on a "perfect little black dress mission," the thing will elude her all afternoon. But if she is on her way to a lazy Sunday brunch, it will most likely jump out at her from the storefront. No matter what the cost, she should buy it. It may be H&M or it may be Alaia. The price is immaterial, since by number of times worn equals priceless. It will be there time after time, decade after decade.

Back In Black

Choose the best material you can find (not all are created equal) and nothing too tight or too shiny.

Consider your LBD a blank canvas instead of a fallback. It demands to be accessorized and adorned.

To avoid being accused of playing it safe, make sure you have a dash of daring (a dangerous stiletto, bold jewelry, etc.), and make sure it shows off your best assets.

Remember, the reason the simple garment is so enduring is because it understands the essences of style, to step back and let the woman shine. So shine.

It is said that you need only one, but a minimum of two is a better guideline
.
Make sure you can dance in it.

The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Cashmere Sweater

Cashmere Sweater

Woman first began craving cashmere in 1937, when Lana Turner wore her tight cashmere sweater in the film They Won’t Forget. And nobody did forget that sweater. From that moment, woman began their cashmere collections.
It is advisable to have as many as possible in as many versions as possible: a cardigan, a turtle-neck, a crewneck, a V-neck, a wrap, etc. The massive appeal of cashmere is the silken, featherlight feel that will always make you feel luxe. It is also, ounce of ounce, the warmest of natural fibers, so it provides coziness without bulk.

Shopping for Cashmere

The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Let yourself spend a little. You can find cashmere at any price point, but if you want quality that will last, be prepared to spend at least $200..
For summer-weight cashmere, look for cashmere blend with silk.
The higher the ply, the warmer the sweater (it will also be more expensive). If you live in Vermont go for a higher ply, and if you live in Florida go for a lower one.

Blazer

Blazer

 

The jacket that woman blatantly stole from the boys and then wore it better, as is so the case. Woman wear it with sleek white pants or on top of little black dresses: we wear it with skinny black jeans or khakis (Google Balenciaga Fall 2007). Girls most often wear it with heels instead of the standard prep-school penny loafers. The beauty of the blazer is that it does a tango between the masculine and the feminine, the formal and the casual, and the preppy and the trendy, the smart and the sexy. You can’t quite pin it down, and therein lies its charm. A chic untraditional way to buy a blazer is to buy it unconstructed or oversized (Google Ann Demeulemeester) or shrunken (Brooks Brothers boys’ department) for a dramatic and fashionable look.

 

The key to the blazer is making sure each element is tailored just for you:

The Buttons:

The Sleeves:

The Shoulders:

The Front:

The Length:

It is all a matter of preference. The classic blazer will fall at your hip, but it can be longer or cropped, depending on your personal style. Should lie smooth when buttoned. Even if you never button your blazer, make sure you can button it at the tailor so you can make sure there are no bumps and bulges.(In fact, check for bumps and bulges everywhere, too.) Should be straight and crisp. The seam where the arm and body meet should be at the outer edge of your shoulder. Should fall at the heel of your hand for a traditional and timeless look. If you want to take it in a trendier direction , you can go about an inch longer than the traditional sleeve length, or choose a three-quarter length.Make sure they re working buttons with real buttonholes. It is a sign of a quality blazer.

Final Test:

While you are still at the tailor, life your hands above your head, reach out in front, etc. The blazer should move with you, never pulling or bunching.
The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Tailor Made

Cape

Cape

It is a garment often associated with eccentrics and superheroes, but the cape can be very elegant and practical/ The cape is bold, mysterious, and powerful. There is a reason Superman and Dracula are such big fans. It is the perfect way to add drama, hides a multitude of flaws, and is a great option to pair with an evening dress. It can be knit, wool, velvet, cashmere, or fur. As global warming progresses and makes the weather as unpredictable as can be, capes will come out of the closet a lot more. Thankfully. Living in a world without capes would be a dull world indeed.

Cape Fear

Keep everything else tight to the body. A cape looks best when the layer underneath is tailored. Baggy layers underneath the cape take away the cosmopolitan cachet you are going for.
For more formal evening options, use a capelet to top off your dress.The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Evening Gown

Evening Gown

 

When famous woman on the red carpet wear their evening gowns has became a sort of sport. We all sit there and comment, judge, and praise or deify.. But when the situation is turned on us, when we are the ones who have to go somewhere that requires an evening gown, we often enter into a state of terror. This is why you should buy an evening gown when you don’t need it. Typically, we search for an evening gown only to when we have somewhere to go. Then we are in the torturous situation of the under-pressure-evening-gown-hunt. A few hours into the search, we will usually throw our hands up in defeat and spend too much on a dress we are not even that crazy about.

The smarter girl never passes a sale rack without looking at the evening gowns. If she sees one she loves, she buys it. It does not matter that she has no black-tie events in her future. She knows that the invite will come-and when it does, it’s best to have an evening gown waiting in the wings. If your chest and arms are your best feature. For the tall and thin. For the curvy, feminine body For everyone.
THE CLASSIC OPTIONS FOR EACH BODY TYPE
STRAPLESS:
COLUMN:
BIAS-CUT:
GODDESS:THE GREAT GOWN SEARCH
Opt for a year-around fabric: chiffon, lightweight crepe, or lightweight silk or satin.
Avoid any details that will make the dress go out of style.
Too much beading, ruffles, too many colors prints.
Choose a dark or neutral color that can be worn over and over again (just change you accessories each time).
The most figure-flattering option: a bias-cut gown in chiffon or satin (bias is a cut that follows the line of the body and is easier to wear than a straight-cut dress).The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Stilettos

Stilettos

This shoe is capable of invoking euphoria, admiration, panic, and justifiable credit card debt. You can never have too many stilettos, and you’ll never feel as though you have enough. Ask the notorious Imelda Marcos. In 1986, when she fled the Philippines with three thousand pairs of shoes in her closet. (She later said she left behind only 1,060, but who’s counting?) Much of the world balked-but I’ve gotta say, I wanted to meet the woman, I think she lived out a shoe fantasy most woman would kill for. More accurately, I wanted to see her stiletto collection. A woman’s entire being can be understood by the heels she turns on.

What’s more is that the stiletto helps to define the curvature of a woman’s leg, and offers height, confidence, and sass. A woman wearing the right stiletto is a true force to be reckoned with.
 

INVEST, INVEST, INVEST

The names you hear time and again-Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin-you hear them for a reason. They know what they are doing. They know how to create a classic, timeless shoe and make four-inch heels that are actually comfortable to walk in. Geniuses, all of them. But genius does not come cheap. I know some people think it is ridiculous to spend so much money on a pair of shoes. I’ll tell you why it is not:
Quality, expensive shoes will last longer and wear better.
They will not leave you hobbling down the streets.
You will feel incredible every time you slip them on.

HOW TO WALK IN STILETTOS

Practice.
Practice.
Practice.The One Hundred a Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia