Bravissimo

Posts Tagged ‘fashion’

Stylish Work Wear

Although we are sometimes envious of men for their ability to just throw on a suit, shirt and tie, maybe have a quick shave and leave the house ready for work in the space it takes us to wash our hair, we are grateful for the fact that we can be a little more creative with what we wear for work. Anyway, we can wear suits ourselves and look just as good in them, remember Kate from the last The Apprentice series? She worked the androgynous look so well we were all toying with the idea of tie wearing for work.

Now that it seems the summer has finally arrived, perspiration marks on public transport and all, it’s all the more important to make clever clothing decisions, especially for work. Being comfortable is key, but we also know that many women are more confident when they feel they look good. These great summer pieces should ensure that you keep your cool, whilst looking hot this summer…

- Linen is a great summer fabric, it is light and airy but smart enough for most offices. The luxe linen skirt in chocolate brown makes a great alternative to black. Wear with natural earthy tones for the utility look or keep it simple with a bright white top. Our tailored safari dress also comes in cool linen and will help to keep you on trend in the office this summer.

- The washed cotton dress in khaki is a fantastic basic to have in your wardrobe and can be worn smart for the office or team with funky accessories and flip-flops for the day time.

- Our pebble shift dress and co-ordinating cropped jacket make the perfect two-piece that is modern, on trend and a fabulous fit! Both pieces work well on their own and the dress can be accessorised with your own personal touch by adding your own belt, jacket or corsage. These items will definitely help you to keep your cool at work, but we also appreciate an air-conditioned office!

Tribal Accessorizing

Wood + crystal detailing = Glamazon accessories (tribal glamour) that will update your outfit for some high summer fashion. The statement piece this season is earrings; long, dangly, embellished and borderline OTT will get you noticed in the style stakes. This style of earring looks great with short or long hair in an up-do or worn loose and a little shaggy. The great thing about statement earrings is that they can be worn in the day time to add some fashion oomph to your day or work outfit or in the evening for more dressy occasions. However, if you’re not an earrings girl then there are plenty more tribal pieces for you to get your primal teeth into. Bangles have made a come back for summer and once again we are stacking them high on our wrists, just make sure the bangles you choose aren’t too heavy, we like fashionable accessories but we don’t like fashion related strains and injuries! Accessory rules have been broken this season so instead of having everything matchy-matchy we can now clash colours, prints and textures to our heart’s content. If you’re outfit is neutral add a bright but painless colour injection with bold coloured bangles, beads and rings. Necklaces are bigger than ever so make the most by investing in a statement necklace but make sure you stick to one very important accessory rule, statement necklace = no statement earrings and vice versa. This look is tribal chic not walking accessory department! Luckily the tribal trend lends itself to this look of eclectic and oversized pieces that are fun, funky and very fashionable. So even if you’re not sure about the khaki chinos and traveller prints then at least you can adopt the look in accessory form!

Every now and then a fashion trend will come along and leave us with open mouths wondering who in their right mind would wear that? Remember winkle pickers, shell suits and jelly shoes?

But fashion isn’t always about wearability, as the catwalks often prove. Fashion can be about having fun with your clothes and experimenting with different looks and styles. Wearing certain clothes can help to make you feel more confident, comfortable or sexier. It’s all about dressing appropriately for each situation.

We can sometimes however, get stuck in a bit of a fashion rut. We get to the point where we know what suits us, what shapes are flattering on our body types and which colours to buy. But why oh why stick to the same old  jeans, empire lines and black? Just because we know that these are flattering doesn’t mean that we can’t try something different every once in a while.

Although, we women have definitely got the long straw, men’s fashion isn’t any where near as fun. We have dresses, skirts, strappy tops, cute cardigans, sexy shoes and tonnes of accessories that men just don’t get to enjoy (apart from David Beckham in THAT sarong). We even have the masculine trend, proving that not only do we have our own fashion trends but that we also look great in men’s style clothing too!

So when it comes to fashion, the only real rule is to enjoy what you wear and don’t feel chained to one style or look, experimentation is key to finding a few brand new looks! And whatever you wear, wear it with confidence. We will all at some point in our lives, look back and ask ‘what was I wearing?’ but that’s half the fun of it!

Long sleeve shirts make a great base layer

… Layering

The layering trend can be a tricky one to master. However, if done properly the look can be both stylish and practical, as it makes it easy to add or remove layers to suit the ever changing weather, so that you can always keep your cool. We know you Bravissimo girls like to look great and feel confident and comfortable in what you wear so here’s our easy guide to pulling off the layered look…

Colour is important when tackling the layered look. Neutral tones (browns, creams, greys) and black often work best when layering a number of garments, introducing a multitude of colours and patterns will just make the look more difficult to pull off.

Layer both over the top and underneath a garment to create different looks. The key pieces for easy layering are long and short sleeve tee-shirts in a variety of colours, jumpers, cardigans, light weight coats and jackets and accessories. It’s just a question of how you put them together! Here are some ideas to get you started;

1. Wear a long sleeve plain tee-shirt underneath a top or dress to create an all together different look whilst keeping your arms lovely and warm!
2. Try to make sure each garment is visible, i.e. when wearing a cardigan under a jacket, wear both open so that each individual piece can be seen.
3. Try a polo neck underneath a shift dress to keep cosy at the office.
4. Use accessories to add interest to your layers. A top, cardigan and lightweight jacket (worn open) can be topped off with a waist belt, wrapped around everything including the jacket to define the waist and the bust and bring the outfit together.
5. Try long sleeve tops under your cropped jacket/coat to add a splash of colour, alternatively long gloves will give an edgier look and keep your hands warm too!