Diva Dressing Tricks of the Trade ~ from Sally Inkster Sally wants to take away the idea that clothes and fashion are frivolous, to encourage the idea that clothes and our attitude to them and our body has an awful lot to do with our mental health. And that having an organised wardrobe gives us space in our lives to live as we should. "Clothes are a major part of our life 7 days a week and for some of us 24 hours a day as well if you wear pyjamas/nightie so it's no wonder we spend a lot of money and time trying to get it right. We have so much to take into account - what's available, the climate and the suitability of attire to allow us to do what we need, and also allows us to ‘fit in‘ with what everyone else is wearing. " "Our family upbringing and home life, our religion and even what sports we play all contribute to our style of clothing and on top of all that we have a personality that we want to show through our clothes." "I want to make sure that we all dress to our best and dress with confidence, regardless of all of the factors we have to take into account!" ACCESSORIES AND HOW TO WEAR THEM! OK, accessories, - that word can put the fear of god into some people - How much? Where? What colour? How big? - Confused? - lots of people are, and so they don't wear any, or play it very very safe. Hopefully this article will make everything a bit clearer for you! First of all what is meant by ‘Accessories‘ - it's not just bags and jewelry; you have to include the following: Print Texture Boobs Jewellery. including belt buckles So what I want you to do is imagine old fashion weighing scales - the type your grandmother had with the separate weights that if you drop them on your toes it really hurt. Ok, so you've got that picture in your head? Now on one side I want you to put in weights for how tall you are : 1 = petite 3 = Average 5 = Tall Next put weights in for how big your bone structure is: 1 = Fine 3 = Medium 5 = Grand You can check your sizing through the Article Number 1 ~ The Psychology of Clothes (see below this article) Now some of you will have scales that are crashing on the floor - others of you will have less of an impact. Whatever you have, you need to take all of it into consideration just because you've only got 2 weights in your scales that doesn't mean you have to have little earrings, little necklace etc, but you can cope with a medium sized something - bangle or necklace or pattern on the shirt or a thick texture of a cardie what you can't do is put them all on together as that will be overkill. Most of you are going to be somewhere in the middle so instead of wearing a pattern and a thicker cardie and a little pendant keep everything simple and plain and put on a big long, bulky statement necklace, or have a shirt in this seasons fashionable geometric prints. Those of you who are tall and well built with lots of weights in your scales can be a bit more impressive, but again don't do pattern/texture /jewelry together as this just confuses the eye. Saying that, in fashion this season are abstract prints that are all worn together and the more the merrier really, but do keep the texture of the material thin. Now ladies with larger boobs - you have to remember that they are an accessory by themselves, you don't need anything else going on in that area, no ruffles , no patterns no necklaces that land on them, necklaces should stop before the boobs especially if you have a lot of space between there and your neck. The other way to wear necklaces is to have them very long so that they go over 'the hump' and land at about your belly button or a bit above. TIP: Very long necklaces can be expensive so cheat - put a cheap chain or leather necklace on the hooks of your statement item, this will lengthen it enough and still looks good (you can buy these special extenders in some magazines!) So now you have some idea of how much to wear here is a few necessities you need to know about Unfortunately there is no short cut to learning! Wearing the right accessories comes down to your bone size and your shape not your weight! Accessories reflect your personality and should always be in tune with what you're wearing. Remember that less is sometimes more, but be daring they really can make a boring outfit look fantastic. Bags You only need 7 bags (show this to your partner) Day bag - brown - can be worn with all colours except black. Day bag - black - wear with black, white, grey or taupe. Funky bag - playtime, dinner or lunch lots of colours, sequins or buttons Evening bag - match it with your jewelry gold or silver Travel bag - the right size to fit into an overhead locker on a plane and doubling as a weekend bag Beach bag - lined so any spills can be wiped No bag bag - for when only credit card, key and phone needed Hats High forehead - beanies or anything goes. But be careful if you have eye bags to avoid low brims Low foreheads - always need to have high crowned hats Scarves If you are short and want to wear a long scarf, opt for a lightweight material or woven silk. Scarves can look great worn as belts, especially with jeans Short necks must wear scarves wrapped round the neck, but choose lightweight material Long necks can wear them looped and tied in most textures Belts Small boned - keep buckle small (even if carry extra weight) Large boned - have large buckle (not thin belts) If wearing one colour - keep belt in tone Long backs - wear belts low to stop behind looking too big. Large boobs or short waists should be careful with belts as too much in this area causes confusion, in a small space. Necklaces If you have a short neck, big boobs or a squat face then necklaces should be one of the lesser items in your accessory collection - stick to delicate pieces that don't take up too much space. Long necks can take much bigger pieces. Chokers look good in crew necks and wear big chunky necklaces at collarbone level. Big boobs and long and dangling necklaces all get confused - so avoid. But if you can make a V down to your waist this can look great see tip above! Flat chests can wear wonderful necklaces that can reach as low as your waist. Don't wear and over-the-top necklace and wild earrings together unless they are part of a set. Earrings Long faces look good in chandelier earrings as well as studs. Round faces and double chins should stay away from studs, but look good in round and dangly earrings. Short necks should avoid long dangly earrings, but look good with discreet sleepers rather than studs. Medium sized hoops suit everyone. Well I hope this article has helped you!! If any of you have any questions please direct them to the3rdi and they will pass them on to me!   IF YOU HAVEN'T SUBSCRIBED YET ...... THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE MISSED FROM SALLY! No. 1 - The Psychology of Clothes Clothes are a major part of our life 7 days a week and for some of us 24 hours a day as well if you wear pyjamas/nightie so it's no wonder we spend a lot of money and time trying to get it right. Know, first, who you are, then adorn yourself accordingly. No. 2 - Correcting Your Imbalances Finding clothes that tick all the boxes for your imbalances is quite hard and you may feel it's not worth trying, but you don't have to cure them all, really, you only have to concentrate on the main one or two issues. No. 3 - Tricks of the Trade - Triangles and Pears! It often surprises people who are this shape, because they have spent their lives trying to disguise their hips and tummies - well there is no need, once we take into account the broadness of their shoulders, their hips and tummies will disappear into perfect proportions - hurray!! No. 4 - Tricks of the Trade - Straights and Apples This month we are going to look at three different body shapes; Straight, Softened and Apple straight. I will also include tips on; Large boobs, No boobs, Big tummies and How to deal with having no waist!   SO IF YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DRESS LIKE A DIVA ...... SUBSCRIBE NOW! © CORTEX MEDIA 2009