How to...

Wear it right...

I was in the First Canadian Place last week people watching and the styles out there shocked me. Most men looked like a million dollars with their suit jackets and crisp shirts. Unfortunately, I could not say the same for the women. After I made a mental note of this, I spoke to one of my friends and she said “the women probably make less then the men.” This is where we had a bit of a debate, I’m not sure whether the women made less then the men – that is a whole other argument in itself. We saw things differently in the sense of fashion and money. She made a point of saying that if you don’t have money, it’s hard to be fashionable – this is where I disagree.

You don’t need to buy designer brand names to put together a look – you just need a sense of style. If you’re lacking in both departments, you’re at the right place. There are a few key rules to follow:

#1. Buy key pieces that are classic enough to work in and out of every season. For example, a blazer is a great piece(the ones pictured right are great from Club Monaco). It can be worn to work with dress pants, it can be dressed down with jeans or you can wear it out with a short skirt for a great ‘boyfriend’ look.

#2. Buy one great ___. Yes that’s supposed to be blank, you can fill that blank with sweater, jeans, trousers, shoes, etc. If you invest one or two items that are great, they can carry through your seasons and work with almost any look. We often purchase many items and lose track of what looks good and what doesn’t – quantity doesn’t mean quality!

#3. Less is more – not in terms of clothing but in terms of prints and colours. If you’re wearing a houndstooth jacket, don’t do a plaid pant – it’s rough on the eyes. People like one focal point and when there is too much going on, the focal point starts to blur.

#4 Vamp up your outfit with accessories. Accessories such as scarves, earrings, necklaces and hosiery are a cheap way to change up your look. Instead of buying sweaters in different colours, you can buy a key sweater and just play around with accessories – but remember Rule #3 – don’t do too many accessories or else it can become too much.

#5 Don’t follow every trend. Not every trend works for every person. Know your body and your style so that you can pick out the trends that work for you. For instance, I love wide leg trouser jeans(like the ones pictured right from Fidelity) but because I’m only 5’2 they make me seem shorter then I already am, therefore trouser jeans might be something I want to stay away from.

These are just a few guidelines to follow. Keep checking TorontoModa.com, in the next few weeks we will be featuring “Looks for Less” – an easy way to look like the big name designers without the big name prices.