I am very fortunate in that I am able to wear casual shoes to work. I understand that last summer there were moves afoot (pun fully intended) to ban the wearing of certain shoes at work, such as flip-flops. Well, perhaps there was a summer last year, but as I write in early September, I can hear the rain pounding outside and it feels like anything but summer. This won’t stop me wearing my flip-flops, though. I actually find them ideal in the rain since your feet get wet, but there are no saturated socks to worry about; nor are you concerned about rain damage on the actual shoe as you can be with more substantial shoes. The rain hits mainly your foot, the sole tends to be rubber and very little damage can occur. Besides, flip-flops tend to be cheap and cheerful and easily replaceable once broken.

I do, however, have full understanding as to why these types of shoe might not be considered suitable for work and after my aunty fell and broke her ankle, (no alcohol had been embibed) wearing such footgear, I was told by a nurse that flip-flops account for a large number of falls. Along with slippers, which I would never suggest anyone wears to work, though, frankly in terms of style they’re not much worse than those dreadful slip-on mule things.

It’s in the dead of winter I struggle, though. Flip-flops are great to team with dresses, skirts, posh blouses and the like and you can still look well presented and well turned out. I manage to keep them on my feet from April to November, without looking (particularly) daft around the workplace. December to March is not an option, though. It is now that I would benefit by wearing walking or hiking shoes, but these look impossibly silly with a frock, or even with posh trousers. (Yes, I tried…) The kind of garb that suits this footwear is too casual and utilitarian to look appropriate in the lecture hall or office. If they looked ok with more formal clothes, I would certainly wear them to work because I love my hiking shoes and next to the flip-flop, they are my favourite footwear for functionality, comfort and just being plain wearable.

Normal work shoes, such as court shoes, Mary Janes, wedge heels and the like (obviously I’m referring to ladies’ options here – and doubtless male choices like brogues and Chelsea boots are adequately comfortable) just don’t do your feet any favours when worn for long periods. In fact I’ve come across more appealing instruments of torture than the average pointy toed, 5 inch heel worn by so many women at work.

Over the winter months, when denied both my flip-flops and my hiking shoes at work, my only recourse is to live in my Brasher hiking shoes at the weekends…..or perhaps I could change my job…

Jewellery is, of course, a wonderful accessory. The possibilities are limitless – from expensive ‘heirloom pieces’ that you wouldn’t dare wear without at least two extremely large armed bodyguards, to cheap and cheerful (some might say tacky) market-stall junk, and every price level in-between. There are hand-made items for something individual, or you can even try your hand at making something yourself, with a vast range of craft items available in shops or on the Internet.

It is true that the right piece of jewellery can change an outfit, or complete it. Most of us probably haven’t perfected the art of ‘capsule dressing’, as seen in those articles that advise you how to pack enough clothes for a month’s holiday in a bag the size of your mobile phone. All you need to do is add the right necklace/ earrings / tiara, and your outfit is utterly transformed, taking you from shopping trips to sightseeing to dinner with that charming man who picked you up in the museum … now, back to the real world.

With jewellery, it is important to match it to the occasion. Turning up to the school sports day looking like you expect to be snapped by the paparazzi is somewhat excessive, unless you are Victoria Beckham, in which case wearing a red-carpet outfit with jewellery worth more than the average house would be expected of you. Few women would think it worth wasting time selecting just the right pair of earrings, or wearing valuable rings if they are popping to the supermarket or doing the cleaning. Furthermore, it is guaranteed that adorning oneself with a mountain of ‘bling’ would be entirely inappropriate if you work in a bank or a funeral parlour.

However, putting on a necklace can alter the look of a top or dress, and there is no doubt that it can be a lot of fun. As well as choosing something appropriate to the occasion, it is wise to pick an item that complements the outfit you are wearing, and your personality. Someone who is shy and retiring would feel deeply uncomfortable in a bold necklace, and this would show in their demeanour. As a result, the necklace would not suit them. They would be better off opting for something more discreet. A more flamboyant character, however, would be able to wear a large necklace in bright colours, or with an original style, because their personality would allow them to carry it off.

In conclusion, jewellery needs to be chosen with a sense of occasion and a little style. If you don’t like jewellery, there is simply no point wearing it, but it can add that little something to a plain outfit. In addition, there is a difference between daytime and party items. Above all, wear something that you love, and the sparkle will be there.

With over one in five people in the Western world considered to be overweight, designers have been forced to start styling clothes for larger sizes (size 28). Fashionable large size clothes are becoming more available but there is still have a long way to go!

Due largely to influence lead by the media and catwalk fashion, the High Street mainly caters for sizes 10 to 16 maximum. Larger size women have hardly been considered at all. Fashion experts Trinny and Susannah, in a recent TV programme, attempted to find stylish clothing for larger size ladies. They looked at High Street stores, such as Gap, Debenhams, and Marks and Spencer’s, but found it almost impossible to find trendy, fashionable outfits for women in size 18 plus. Any clothing they found tended to be baggy, smock style tops in drab colours and frumpy styles. There was nowhere near the range of stylish, reasonably priced clothing which could be chosen by their slimmer sisters.

The main High Street store catering especially for larger sized women is Evans, who retail clothes in sizes up to 32. Their winter season range features smart, stylish trousers, skirts and tops which flatter the larger figure. They stock everything from work wear to classic, stylish outfits which would look great for the evenings. Marks and Spencer and Debenhams stock fashionable clothes in larger sizes, but don’t seem to stock enough outfits and they are soon bought from the rails.

Mail order catalogues, such as Littlewoods and Freemans also have large ranges of clothing for plus size ladies. And larger clothing can be bought online from retailers such as Fiftyplus, Marisota and Simply Be.

As people are increasing in weight larger size clothing is becoming more fashionable. More and more women are choosing to have breast augmentation to increase the size of their breasts. It’s important though to consider which type of clothing suits your particular figure. Starting with correctly fitted bra and underwear, it’s best to try on several different outfits to see which look good. Take a friend who will give honest opinions. Smartly tailored trousers with a neatly fitted shirt or top will always appear more stylish and fashionable than clinging leggings and smocky tent top.

When choosing a dress remember that horizontal stripes are more slimming than vertical, which can widen the larger figure. Never wear tightly fitting belts at the waist, a fitted shirt is much more stylish and flattering. Brighter colours can look great but it’s important to wear contrasting accessories.

Although ultra-thin models and celebrities, such as Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Keira Knightley are still dominating the pages of Vogue, Cosmopolitan and other glossy magazines, larger ladies are beginning to get a look in. Wearing the right clothes, size 28 women can be seen to be both fashionable and smart.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a lot of people wearing Petticoats recently? I know they will never go entirely out of fashion but, as I have been hopping on and off the underground, I cannot help but see that frills are very much the in thing.

Normally made of silk, satin or even synthetic fibres, the Petticoat is an undergarment worn underneath the skirt or dress.

I did some research into Petticoats and it seems that what was once a mans undershirt, somehow transformed into a ladies undergarment; the name deriving from the French ‘Petit cote’.  Becoming an underskirt, it was highly fashionable in the 1840’s, with heavy warm winter fabrics and softer linen, cotton and muslin versions for summer. It’s popularity waned in the 20th century, despite brief moments of popularity…largely thanks to both Ralph Lauren and Vivienne Westwood.

Petticoats are now normally worn for occasions such as costume parties, weddings and other formal occasions. I looked to get one of my own and found that Bridal petticoats were massively popular… as are vintage petticoats. I just love the beautiful Burlesque Petticoats too!

I have not been on the ball here for a little while and I apologize to you all for not updating. I have another fashion blog which I have been secretly working on and will reveal to you all shortly. Stay tuned for that.

Anyway, here are a few of the latest female fashion trends with some tips on how to add these into your wardrobe.

Use these tips for latest female fashion trends and create new looks with the basics mentioned above. This will surely help to keep your wardrobe updated making you look stylish for any occasion!

For us women who follow fashion trends we need to be on the minute sometimes when it comes to the very latest trends; never knowing whether a trend will stand the test of time or be shelved after an initial flurry of interest. We constantly strive to ensure that we look our very best from season to season! You know it right?

If you have a keen eye and follow the latest female fashions as much as I do then you will notice that old ideas are always revamped over and over, meaning that we can go back to the closet and pull out some real vintage and yet be right there in the latest trend.

Latest Female Fashion Trend Ideas

Jodhpurs: In any shade of beige, or better still black….jodhpurs are always appealing. You know I love Jordan (Katie Price) and as a horse lover she is often seen sporting a pair. Now thats not to say you have to love animals to wear them, but due to the shape of jodhpurs I would recommend that you steer clear if you have wider hips.

Knee Length Skirts: or actually voluminous skirts to be precise. August is a great time to show some leg and experiment with your layers, tiers and gathers. I like nothing better than to put on one of my favorite voluminous knee length skirts and head out for coffee, pretending like I am in Paris or something. This look is hot right now!

Ruffles: I love the way that ruffles create such a nice look…offering that little ‘Je ne sais quoi!’ Just for frills I would wear soft ruffled necks for a nice romantic dinner and with the right shimmer in the fabric you will always get a compliment! Will they ever go out of fashion?

What are your top three things right now?

With the numerous fast food restaurant that are scattered across the country, people are getting bigger, and it is perhaps not difficult to see why when you look at the fat content in some of the meals!

Due to this people are now requiring plus size clothing. Now, when you looked at the state of this sort of market a decade ago then the choice would be non-existent. However, in recent years there has been a certain boom in this area of the market as clothing companies have seen that there are huge profits to be made. At the current moment of time, there are numerous different clothing stores that offer plus size clothing and the choice available is rapidly increasing.

If you were to undertake an internet search for ’size 28′ then you will find many different online clothing stores offering such size clothing. I believe that there has been a certain stigma regarding plus size clothing in recent times, many people tend to believe that the large sized clothing is not fashionable at all. Furthermore, there has been a trend to associate old styled clothing aimed at the older generations with plus size clothing but this is far from the truth. From my experience, larger size clothing is aimed at the younger generations of curvier women.

I would like to use an online clothing store that goes by the name of ‘Curvety’ as a prime example. This is an online clothing store that stocks plus size clothing in sizes 28-36 and is aimed at curvy women. The range that this store stocks is incredible and is most definitely fashionable in every way and the size 28 clothing here looks just as fashionable as all of the clothing that could be found in your normal high street shops, such as Topshop. Not only this but there is also a variety of different priced clothing in this store, you can still choose the value items or alternatively the items for special occasions, such as evening dresses.

I think that the major advantage of having such a boom in this area of the market is great for curvy women everywhere. This is because that there are now many stores that are solely dedicated to providing size 28 clothing and above and therefore are very knowledgeable about the different shapes of women. Therefore, the size 28 clothing will not look like a big table cloth; it will be cut so that it shapes your figure in all of the right places.

I really do hope that women do not get put off by wearing plus size clothing because of the belief that it is not fashionable and you can easily tell that that it has been designed for ‘bigger women’. This is as far from the truth as possible as you cannot tell the different between plus size clothing and your average high street clothing. The quality is excellent, the clothing is based around modern and cutting-edge fashion and it has been manufactured by designers who know how to design clothing to suite the curvier figure. Now if that is not fashionable then I will never know!

If you are willing to look through the numerous stores then you will find some excellently fashionable clothing that looks even more fashionable than your standard high street clothing. You can find any fashionable item from diamond encrusted evening dresses to some gorgeous silky jeans, the choice is incredible! It is great that this market has evolved rapidly recently because curvier women can now wear their size 28 clothing and not only looks fashionable, but sexy too!

1. Trousers: loose fitting, think boyfriend cut

2. Dark: This fall has a bit of a Gothic edge to it. Chanel’s clothes pull it off beautifully. Have you seen their new fall ads?

3. Florals: MichaelKors

4.  Masculine suits and tailoring

5.  Jewel Tones: colors such as a deep read, purple, blue, copper.

Tommy Hilfiger

6. Clash: They are saying that it is ok to clash your colors. Oddly enough this was also a trend for this past spring/summer and it surprisingly looked good.

7. Sleeveless Jackets: I have one of these, it is grey and from five years ago!

Calvin Klein

8.  Bohemian floral: also another trend from last season just darker colors.

9. Plaid: Think Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren

10. Gradients of color: such as below from Costello Tagliapietra

At Stella McCartney’s Fall 2004 collection. I think this picture is great, it was taken by Just Loomis for Vogue.

Scares Me!

Kate Moss looking tres chic and very French in the new Longchamp advertisements