Tagged: style advice

How To Wear Chambray Shirts

How To Wear Chambray Shirts

Chambray first originated in Cambrai, France around 1595, hence its name. This fabric has been traditionally used to make men’s work shirts. Who knew? The phrase “blue-collar working shirt” is actually derived from the blue chambray shirts that most uniformed working class laborers wore back in the days. We are dealing with one classic item right here!

The iconic nature of a chambray shirt was then proliferated by Hollywood. Stars like Marlon Brando, James Dean and Steve McQueen manifested the masculine edge of this garment, making it a wardrobe staple for any man.

So how to wear a chambray shirt as a female then? Well, the key is to play with its relaxed, masculine look and mix it with contrasting feminine elements. These can be elegant full skirts, bright colors or delicate lace material.

You can see all three options in 3 Ways To Wear A Chambray Shirt, but of course there are many many more! It is indeed an classic essential to draw upon time and time again. Just timeless.

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xoxo, Lu

How To Wear Acai Purple

How To Wear Acai Purple

Pantone has called out acai purple to be one of the trend colors for fall 2013 (“Acai” is pronounced “Aah-Sai-EEE”, by the way).

It is a rich, deep hue of purple, exuding a royal flair as well as a sense of mystery. This color makes a statement and evokes the connection to richness and glamour. No wonder designers like Gucci, Alberta Ferretti and Elie Saab have incorporated it in their collections!

In terms of styling, acai purple lends itself beautifully to jewel-toned colors like emerald, turquoise and sapphire or other berry colours like raspberry, blueberry and strawberry. It can also be paired with neutrals like black, beige or white and can be accentuated with either silver or gold.

This color will complement ladies best, who have cool and deep colorings in their skin, eyes and hair. If you have cool colorings, but are more on the lighter side, you can still wear acai purple. Just make sure to combine with pieces in cool, light and muted colors to tone down the heavy richness.

Watch out, however, if you are warm skinned. Then, a color like acai purple can take away the natural vibrance in your face and make you look sick. Try to wear it further away from your face, on your lower body or as accents only. Also stick to warm tones in your accessoires and jewellry. As a matter of contrast, this shade of purple can look very rich and royal if combined with gold.

Here are 3 Ways To Wear An Acai Purple Dress. Due to a special request, I keep it to outfits suited for a wedding – just the right occasion for an elegant and glamorous shade like acai purple!

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xoxo, Lu

How To Wear Beach Cover Ups

How To Wear Beach Cover Ups When You Are Not On A Beach (Anymore)

So how can we make more use of a beach cover up? In fact, a nice cover up is the perfect base for your pre-beach brunch and post-beach cocktail outfit (which can also be worn in a city). The key is to buy a cover up in a light and breezy fabric, a neutral color and with no large prints on it. Believe me, anything else will become a huge styling challenge!

Then, you have different options: Going casual with flat sandals and a panama hat always works. Make sure to glam up with some statement jewelry (you are a city girl at last!).For a more refined look, throw on a colorful cardigan (from your color palette) and put some wedges on. And lastly, if you want to go really chic, create an instant polished appeal by wearing a blazer and classic heels, ideally tone in tone with your cover up.

Please note that the ideal length of the cardigan and the blazer depends on the length of your cover up underneath. The shorter the cover up, the longer the “outerwear”. Vice versa, if you opted for a cover up maxi dress, then it would be better to pair with a shorter cardigan or blazer.

Check out here 3 Ways To Wear Beach Cover Ups.

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xoxo, Lu

How To Wear Nautical Print

How To Wear Nautical Print

How To Wear Nautical Print

But, just because you are landlocked, doesn’t mean you cannot pull off a nautical print in the city or even at work. The style is characterized by horizontal stripes, rope or anchor prints (usually navy, black or red) and crisp white skirts and pants. It is not only for the casually dressed, there are just a about a millions of chic and even egdy looks you can create with these ingredients.

Since all the characteristic colors are cool, this is definitely a look more suited for ladies with cool skin, hair and eye color. Combine with silver jewelry for maximum impact.

In case your colors are warm, I would advise you to stay away from the crisp white and do ivory instead. Navy, black and true red are neutrals, so you can go for that. In fact, I do think navy can look really great combined with accessories in gold, tan or warm brown (see Look 2 of your 3 Ways To Wear Nautical Print).

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xoxo, Lu