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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Clinton Kelly's Style Rx iPhone App/website

I've been meaning to share info about Clinton Kelly's new app for the iPhone.  There is also a web edition which I recommend highly since it's easier to navigate on your computer.  I have both versions.  I love to show it to people while I'm out. 

Clinton Kelly's Style Rx

It's $2.99 and you enter your measurements for bust, waist, and hip.  It takes an hour for the info to be processed and once it's done a video will be available for you.  The video shows Clinton explaining the top three style tips for you based on your measurements.  I love the tips.  He explained exactly what I need to wear for my pear-shaped body type.  Also included is a style guide which is about 10 pages you flip through explaining more of what you should wear and what you shouldn't wear based on your measurements.

Clinton says in my video the following three tips:
  1. Wear mid-rise pants that start at the widest part of my hip and go all the way down, in other words wide leg, straight leg and boot-cut pants.   
  2. Because my bust is so small in comparison to my hips I need to add volume to my upper half to balance out my wider hips by wearing detailed blouses that have dimension and pattern. 
  3. Wear heels to make me seem taller which will then make me appear thinner.

The guide says balance is key for my body type since my bust and waist are so small in comparison to my wider hips and butt, so adding volume to the top is really going to give me more of that much-desired hourglass shape.  It is really important for me to stay away from pants that are low rise and tapered and that have bleaching or whiskering on the hips and/or thighs.   That means no skinny jeans!  I bought some skinnies so I could tuck them into my knee high boots, but I guess it would be better if I left my knee high boots to wear with skirts and dresses.  However, my knee high rain boots MUST be worn with skinny jeans, so I will wear the skinnies from now on only with my rain boots.  My tops and jackets need to be no longer than my hip bone.  A-line dresses and skirts are best for my hips, and if I want to wear a pencil skirt it will look better if I wear a blouse with a lot of volume and detail, and bigger necklaces will also draw attention upward.  It says a boxy jacket is good for me to balance out the hips and of course have an emphasis at my waist.  The guide also mentioned I need to stay away from tops that are too tight.

Another fun thing included is the Dressing Room.  There are drawings of items of clothing that work for your body type and next to those is a drawing of a body shape that looks like yours.  The "me" is pretty right on to my body shape.  Wider hips, small bust, small waist.  Then you can click on the wardrobe pieces and drag on to "me" to make an outfit.  Then you click on each piece of clothing and it will give you a description of the piece and tell you why it works for your body!  Awesomeness!  I have learned a lot about what I should wear and also to avoid wearing and why this is so.  It is worth every penny of my $2.99.  Yay Clinton!  I love you even more now.

Another helpful part included are the videos with Clinton explaining why tailoring is so important.  Explanations are given for the gap in the back on your pants when your waist is smaller than your hips/butt; sleeve length, petites, etc.

So, after studying my guide, last week I went to Style Underdog's tailor and had him take in at the waist every single pair of my jeans.  Now they don't fall down.  They have always fallen down a bit and I guess I just got used to it.  It never seemed that bothersome or uncomfortable, but now that all my pants FIT around my waist properly, it is AMAZINGLY comfortable!!  I have noticed such a difference in the fit.  I also got my basic tees hemmed up to my hipbone.   I guess I should look for tees in the petites department.  I measured all my tees beforehand, and they were mostly 26-27" in length.  Now they are all 24".  I checked the descriptions of basic tees online in petites sizes, and they are mostly 24".  I suppose I'll be shopping for tops in petite sizes in the future.  I still can't wear petite sized pants.  They are too short for me.  I am 5'4", and that is about the tallest of petite sizes, so not everything in petites will work for me.  I suppose I am short-waisted, so that's why the petite tops will most likely work.

The thing that is a bit frustrating after all the tailoring of my pants is that now the hem lengths are coming up a bit short.  I should have expected this.  Before the tailoring my pants used to fall down lower because they were too loose around my waist, but they WERE at the correct hem length.  Now, not so much.  They aren't total high waters, but they are definitely shorter than Clinton's guidelines of being 1/4-1/2" from the floor.  I don't like this one bit.  :(  I guess I need new jeans now.  Darn.  Or maybe I can see about taking the hems down a bit?

Last week I started using the tripod.  I need more adjusting and figuring on this so bear with me please.  See how my pants are shorter now.  BLECH.  Too short.  They look like they are 2.5" or 3" from the floor!  Yikes.

ETA:  Correction:  These pants are not boot-cut but straight leg.  I think straight leg are supposed to be a little shorter than wide leg or boot-cut.  I will investigate Clinton's latest book since he has guidelines for hem lengths of the different cuts of pants.




Volunteering At Preschool Outfit

Semantiks 'Bree' black straight leg pants - Nordstrom
Sweet Pea by Staci Frati mesh top printed pink/red/gray roses - Nordstrom
Old Navy charcoal boyfriend cardigan
Style & Co. black skinny belt - macys.com
Cole Haan 'Air Carma' OT pumps black patent - Nordstrom
Macy's brand hematite ball necklace

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Awesome Deal on 3/4 Sleeve Cardis at Nordys!

Nordstrom has a smokin' deal right now on Halogen 3/4 sleeve cardis.  70% off!  They were originally $39 and now they are $9.97!!  I snagged two this morning.  :)  There are still quite a few colors and sizes left.  With this brand and style I need to go up a size from my normal top size.  It's a pretty snug cardi.

70% Off Halogen 3/4 Sleeve Cardigans at Nordstrom.com

Monday, January 24, 2011

Saturday Night: Favorite LBD w/ Red Trench

Saturday night we went out to a nice dinner with a colleague and his wife.  The restaurant was a really nice one in Newport Beach so I thought this place would give me an opportunity to wear my favorite Little Black Dress. I have two LBDs:  one can be dressed up or down, and one definitely is dressy.  This is the dressy one.  I absolutely love this dress and wish I had more opportunities to wear it.  This is only the third time I've worn it and I've had it for a year.  I find the shutter pleating creates a slimming effect and the crisscrossed bodice draws attention upward which is where I need it most!

Saturday Night LBD w/ Red Trench Outfit


I should stop turning by body this way since it shows my bad right foot that is infested with ugly-ass vericose veins.  But this photo shows the handbag better than the one above.


*Tadashi Shoji Shutter Pleat Jersey Dress black - nordstrom.com 
Kenneth Cole REACTION trench Cardinal Red - Ebay
Cole Haan 'Carma Air' OT pumps black patent - Nordstrom
Sorrelli 'Rare Jewels' black/red/hematite stones necklace - Nordstrom Rack
**Prada gold metallic handbag - second hand designer clothing store in Laguna Beach but I forgot the name of it.
* The Tadashi dress was 60% off!!  I watched this one like a HAWK.  Watching this really paid off.  This was a deal of all deals.  ETA:  Shoot, after seeing these photos you can't see the beautiful shutter pleating of this dress.  I'll have to share the stock photo so you can see.  I must wear this dress again and get better lighting so you can see the shutter pleating on me and what it does for my figure!  Stock photo:
** The Prada bag I got from my husband's friend's second-hand designer clothing store.  It was in such nice condition.  The girl told me the retail price was about $800, but I got it for $75.  Nice! It was a holiday gift from my husband last year.

Crisp White Button-Down: Let's Try Again

The flash is probably too bright in this photo but I am so much happier the way this white button-down looks untucked with a wider belt AT my waist and with a saturated colored scarf than it looks tucked in with the skinnier belt below my waist and with a neutral scarf.


No More Tucking In Shirts Outfit

Lauren Ralph Lauren white button-down shirt- macys.com
KUT From The Kloth espresso brown boot-cut cords - nordstrom.com
BP. Nordstrom plaid scarf fuchsia/light pink/black
Cole Haan 'Air Carma' OT pumps w/ Nike Air copper croc - Cole Haan Outlet

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Finally - A Feel Good Outfit!

Since the crisp white shirt and cords outfit didn't go so well, this week getting dressed has put me in a some find of a funk.  Not one single photo has turned out post-worthy until today.  Still, there is too much sun in the photo, but at least I really like what I'm wearing today.  I never knew I could love yellow so much. 

Feeling Good Outfit (location:  outside husband's office)



Clinton Kelly says the hem on jeans should be as long as possible but not so long they are dragging on the floor - he says the hem should be 1/4"-1/2" from the floor.  I think I achieve that here.  I am obsessed with having my pants the correct length.  I can't stand it when I see people walk around with bootcut or wide leg pants 3 or 4" from the floor.  That drives me completely batty.

My husband picked out this gold chunky fashion necklace all by himself and surprised me with it for my 40th birthday.  At that time I never wore big chunky jewelry but I wanted to.  I just didn't know how.  I was afraid.  I am no longer afraid.

Caslon Elbow-Sleeve Cardigan yellow - nordstrom.com
Caslon cami chocolate brown - nordstrom.com
KUT From The Kloth wide leg trouser jeans Delight wash - Nordstrom Rack
Another Line skinny patent belt chocolate brown - nordstrom.com
*Juicy Couture 'Imagine' peep-toe pumps Old Gold Metallic Lizard - nordstrom.com
Nordstrom brand crinkled leather handbag khaki 
Liz Palacios 'Zodiac' pendant necklace gold with light green and light amber stones - Nordstrom  

*I never should have said I ONLY wear Cole Haan heels because that is not true.  If the toe is not too pointy and does not squish my toes too tight and the overall quality is good and they are comfy I will wear them. 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Crisp White Shirt, Mid-Rise Cords with Skinny Belt, Scarf - Does this all really work for my body type?

Well, when I looked at myself in this outfit in the mirror today I absolutely loved it.  However, I look at the photo and I don't like it at all.  I have this button-down crisp white shirt that I pretty much only wear with SU's gray skirt I hunted down because I just don't know how else to wear these types of shirts.  I really wanted to wear this shirt today with something different, so I tried tucking it in my mid-rise espresso brown boot-cut cords.   It looked hideous without a belt, so I wore my only belt that I guess sort of worked - my chocolate brown skinny patent belt.  Belting these pants places the emphasis a little below my waist, so I'm pretty sure this look does not look flattering at all.  I think the scarf probably needed to be more of a saturated color to stand out against the white.  The way it hangs down so long and flat makes my bust look totally and completely non-existent.  Also, am I supposed to put the scarf UNDER my collar?  I didn't even try since it seemed the scarf would have been too thick for that.

Am I being too hard on myself?  Maybe the photos are just too bright.  I don't know, I got so many stares today when I picked up my son from school from other moms in sweatpants and frumpy clothes galore.  I even got a double stare and a smile from the principal.  I'm sure the moms in sweatpants were scratching their heads as to why I was wearing a crisp white shirt, a scarf, and coppery metallic pumps as they wear sweatpants every single day to pick up their kids at school.  I am the only one who gets dressed I swear I stick out like a sore thumb amongst the sweatpants crowd.  Oh well, I will still wear metallic copper pumps to pick up my son from school.  Why should these fabulous pumps sit in my closet and have to wait for a babysitter?  Damn right I'm going to wear them whenever I feel like it.


Lauren Ralph Lauren white button-down shirt- macys.com
KUT From The Kloth espresso brown boot-cut cords - nordstrom.com
Ann Taylor neutrals abstract scarf - purchased with mom in Scottsdale
Cole Haan 'Air Carma' OT pumps w/ Nike Air copper croc - Cole Haan Outlet
Nine West 'Dixon' croc handbag pepper - Macy's
a little bit longer gold hoops earrings - Nordstrom

Monday, January 10, 2011

A Few Things Remixed

All of these pieces I've posted before but I've never worn them all together like this.  I'm tired of wearing this peach embellished tee with my brown bootcut cords so today I'm pairing this tee with my denim skirt, black long open-front cardi, cognac boots and chocolate brown tights.  I really hope the brown tights are working here.  My guess is that black tights would place a tiny patch of black amongst the denim and brown, so I decided the brown tights would contribute to creating a longer line.  I hope I am right.  Wouldn't it be great if I could call Clinton Kelly and ask him these things?!!  I need a personal stylist who will be honest with me at all times.  I'm pretty much wearing the heck out of my denim skirt as it's the only pencil skirt I own.  What I really need is a black pencil skirt.  I have so many tops I could pair with that and it will change the look so much.  I'm so bored of my jeans.



Caslon 3/4 sleeve embellished tee peach - Nordstrom
Bobeau open-front cardigan black - Nordstrom
Halogen denim skirt - Nordstrom
Cole Haan 'Justine' 2.25" heel boots Woodbury - colehaan.com
small dangle gold hoops Clinton Kelly would despise - Macy's
wood cuff bracelet purchased on special trip to Scottsdale with mom - Macy's

Monday, January 3, 2011

Sparkle Tank - Take 2 for New Year's Eve

A few days before Christmas I wore the silver sparkle tank to a holiday party but I paired it with black dress pants and black pumps.  For a New Year's Eve party I wore the sparkle tank again with the same open-front cardigan but paired with a denim skirt, black tights, and black boots.  The red jeweled necklace is from the same line as the earrings I wore with this tank before.



I turned a little so you can see the plain back of the tank.


New Year's Eve Outfit

MICHAEL Michael Kors silver/black/charcoal sparkle tank - ruelala.com
Bobeau open-front cardigan black - Nordstrom
Halogen denim skirt - Nordstrom
Cole Haan 'Markesa' boots black - colehaan.com
Cole Haan opaque tights black - colehaan.com (these are the BEST tights I've ever worn.  I will never buy another brand of tights again.  I'll just have to wait to buy them on Cyber Monday with 40% off!!)
Sorrelli 'Rare Jewels' necklace red/black/hematite - Nordstrom Rack
Kenneth Cole NY 'High Polish' clutch black patent - Nordstrom