What is it about size that confuses everyone?  Does it matter what the size says on the garment if it fits you?  Do you really care what size you wear? Now I am supposed to say that it doesn’t and that if you feel good in your own skin it doesn’t matter what size you wear.  But I don’t really believe that.  I am not saying you have to run out and starve yourself into a size 4, but size does matter.  And it makes me upset when an item that is supposed to be sized a certain way isn’t.  You know like petites that aren’t petite or plus sizes that really only fit a size 12.

Recently I have heard from some friends that they are distressed when certain stores clothes because that is the only store that had clothes to fit them.  And every woman(yes absolutely everyone) has a part of her body that she fits her clothes around, or in other word needs to find close to camouflage. Mine are my thighs, some it’s their hips, some their bums and even others it their bust.  Some women have large feet and others really small.  Everyone has something that they need to work around.  So how do you find things that really fit?

We all know clothes fit better when you are wearing the right foundations.  And since Covid has kept us in gym clothes and comfy attire, you probably haven’t tried on your bras in a while, or maybe you haven’t replaced them in a few years.  If you feel comfortable go into a store and get fitted.  I get fitted every other year when I am in Arizona at Dillards.  I think they have the best fitting staff.  Or you can go to a local lingerie boutique, like Diane’s in Vancouver.  At least go get refitted every 5 years.  Your shape does change as you mature and you may need more or less support.  Ok enough about foundation wear.  If you are really struggling reach out to me and I can help you get fitted and find somewhere to go.

What is it about certain clothes that make a fit perfect?  How do you know a certain store’s clothes will fit you, especially if you are ordering online because you want to stay home and safe.  If you aren’t going into the store and trying something on personally, read the reviews. I have had my eye on this Ripley pant from Anthropologie for a couple of days. Depending on the color I buy I can get it in Petite, Standard, Plus and Tall.  How do I know if it will fit me? I can look at the size guide on the Anthro website:

Size Guides: Apparel

Standard Sizing (Inches)

Inches

Centimeters

This is how they fit the standard sizes, there is also one for petite and plus sizes but absolutely nothing about how much longer the tall fit is, I know I searched for it.  So one way to guarantee that these pants will fit is to measure your body and buy the corresponding size.  These pants are sized 24-32 in standard and petite and 16W to 26W in Plus.  But usually there are pictures of petite and plus ladies wearing it and this time there aren’t.  Only the good old size 2 model who makes a paper bag look chic when she’s wearing it. The other way to see if something fits like it should or has good qualities is to read the reviews.  You read the reviews before seeing a movie or going to a restaurant, so why not when buying a pair of pants.

Here is another example of how you would find a fit if you are ordering pants online.

This is the Emma Cropped Wide-Leg Pant from Anthro, it comes in the same 3 size categories Standard, Petite and Plus.  This time we can actually see what it looks like when someone with a real figure is wearing it, so always look at all the pictures of all the different ways the article of clothing is shown. I always look at the bigger model wearing it, I might not be Plus size but I am nowhere near a size 4, so for me this is a more realistic way of looking at a pair of pants.  The other thing I find really helpful is the reviews, there were 52 reviews for these pants, but I only read the top 6 or 7.  So from my reading of the reviews, pear shaped women thought the pant fit great, but hourglass shaped women (very curvy) and one round woman both thought they fit terrible.  So look at who is writing the review, are they around your size and height? If they liked it , probably you will too.  If everyone who is around your size and height hated it, it’s probably not for you.

Pants are particularly difficult to fit if you don’t know the pant already.  Read the review and look at all the pictures.  It really does help.

Dresses are way easier to fit if you are buying one online.  Again, I would never buy a dress without reading the reviews and looking at all the pictures.  The one time I did, it was a Maxi dress, so I ordered a petite and it was a horrible fit.  I should have read the reviews and sized up.

This Rachel Tunic Dress also from Anthro is probably a really easy dress to buy without trying it on.  It is a good length for women, not too mini and in the Plus sizes it’s even longer.  It is supposed to come to your knee. But still you need to read the reviews.  This dress is XXS-XL in Regular and Petite and 1X-3X in Plus.  But do you know what happened when I read the reviews?  Everyone says it fits really large, so if you are like me and would normally order a Large, what does that mean.  It means size down and order a Medium.  You can learn everything you need from just reading a few reviews.  But a Tunic dress is an easy fit, let’s take a dress that is fitted and see what we can learn. This is the Farm Rio Alyse Midi dress also from Anthro.  Looks pretty fitted doesn’t it. Normally I wouldn’t try and order a dress like this without trying it on.  But since it’s Covid-19 and I really don’t want to go to try it on, let’s see what we can learn.   I comes in Regular and Petite sizing XXS-XL.  It’s Viscose and Elastin, so it has a bit of stretch.  It’s supposed to hit mid calf and the petite size is 2″ shorter.  So far so good.  Oh and by the way the model is 5’9″ so you know it will probably be closer to a maxi length on a shorter woman.  But what happened when I read the reviews?  Well all the women who wore size large or XL loved the dress.  There was a woman from NY who weighs 175 and is 5’6″ and she said it is the best dress ever.  And most of the women loved it but a few ladies in sizes small and XS said it didn’t fit well at all.  So if you are smaller maybe this dress isn’t for you.  But if you have an hourglass figure or wear a size large, everyone loved it.  And that can help you decide what size to order (most women said true to size, one said it fit small) and if it will suit your figure.

Tops are pretty easy as well.  Look for tops that you know will fit you.  As you all know I love the Banana Republic tops.  I order alot of them online.  Here is their Soft Satin Tank, it comes in 5 colors and almost all BR things tend to fit the same.  So if you are a Medium in one top chances are you are a Medium in another.  And even though I know that, it doesn’t hurt to read the reviews.  Mostly everyone loved it and found it fit true to size, but a couple of other things stood out to me.  One woman complained how much it snagged and took her time to go through the rack in store to find one without snags (good to know right!) and another found it fit shorter than last year’s satin top, also good to know.  Because now you know that you can wear it with a wider pant as well. Here is another BR top, it’s their Cropped ECOVERO Button Back Tank. Tank tops are trendy right now so this one had plenty of reviews.  Again mostly favorable but a few women complained about how short it was and that it was too short.  Well I actually have this top and it’s not too short at all, it hits right below my stomach, which is perfect on me.  But you need to look at who is writing the reveiw, the women who all found it too short were quite tall.  I don’t happen to be tall so it worked for me.

So take you time when shopping online and read the reviews and look at the pictures of it on different size models.  If you want to order from Nordstrom, they have video’s with each piece they show online of a sales person describing the fit of the piece and how to wear it.  Want more info, call your local store and talk to a style advisor.  At Anthro they have Personal styling you can do via email and I think I have told you this before at BR on the American website they have outfits with almost every piece put together by their stylists for you to get inspiration from.  Use all the resources you can before making an online purchase.  Size does matter, because if it doesn’t fit you won’t be happy!

So far we are still Covid at home, but as things loosen up a bit you can go into stores and try things on.  I know I post a lot from big chain stores, but shop your local stores as well, they will need you to shop there now more than ever.  Stay safe and keep well.  I love to hear all your style questions and please feel free to keep emailing me at Suethefashionista@gmail.com and maybe you next question will be one I can that can inspire a blog post.

Until next time…

One of the things I pride myself in is my ability to curate my wardrobe.  What I mean by curate is that over the years I have bought clothes that can be worn in a mulitude of ways and over a mulitude of seasons.

Covid-19 has certainly changed the way I shop and the way I purchase clothes. I haven’t been spending the time or money this spring on clothing, I have bought a few things but they have all been online and even a seasoned shopper like myself has a few misses.  It happens to us all.   But more times than not if I see something that speaks to me and I buy it, I pull it out a week or a month later and it magically can take my outfit to the next level.

So what are the kinds of things that can magically make your outfit? Let’s go through some of my favorites and see if they can inspire you to curate your own wardrobe.

One of the pieces that I get more wear out of than I ever thought (besides pairs of jeans) is sleeveless mock neck tops that I bought at Anthropology last spring.  Mine are a knit fabric with a small pattern in the fabric and they have 3 big wood buttons at the back of my neck.  This season Anthro has something a little more delicate but similar. The Suzy mock neck tank would work in every wardrobe . The black is a must and the yellow would be great this season, it also comes in grey and cedar.  It is a poly/nylon/viscose blend so it will wash beautifully and not stretch out of shape.  You could wear this piece all year long.  It is great under a blazer for sweater in the fall and winter and in the spring and summer it looks great on it’s own.   I actually have a few other knit mock necks and I do wear them all year long.

I own many denim jackets.  I use them almost like an accessory.  Since my work style is more creative, I can even get away with using them instead of blazers.  The denim jacket I use as a blazer is one I bought at Ann Taylor a few years ago.  It’s very dark denim and has a peplum waist.  This season Ann Taylor has a fabulous belted dark denim jacket that would be a wonderful piece in any wardobe. I think a dark denim jacket works with so many things.  Because it has a defined waist it would look great with wide leg pants and maxi skirts, it would be great over sheath dresses and look excellent with any other pant, straight or skinny too.  A jacket like this could even be worn with skinny black pants, your black mock neck above and boots in the fall.  Right now you could wear it open as a topper to a t-shirt.  Every one owns a denim jacket but getting one that is more of a sophisticated style will let you wear it for   more occasions.

Black wide leg pants have become a great staple in my wardrobe.  I have 2 pairs, one pair that is knit and I wear it casually (the pair I talked about from Loft in my last blog).I wear these constantly and they are really comfortable.  I wear them with all my shorter tops and in the winter I can wear them with cardigans or cropped sweaters and ankle boots.  The other pair I bought is from Banana Republic, I have the BR Slim Wide’Leg Cropped pant  .   They are a poly/rayon and spandex combination and they fit like a dress pant while being super stylish.  I am shorter so a cropped pant hits me around my ankle, which is perfect for great sandals or slides in the spring and summer and a chunky heeled boot in the winter.  I like them so much I bought them in Splendid Green and Red as well.  To me these pants will be the kind of pants I can wear anywhere.  They look fabulous with my denim jackets and any cropped jacket or sweater I have, they work with a lot of my shorter tops and because they are slim wide leg they even work with my mid length tops.  As long as your top and pant create the same line down your body, your top can be a bit longer, it actually makes you look slimmer and taller.

I love sleeveless tops, I wear them as layering pieces in the winter and on their own in the summer.  I try and buy them when they are on sale and in a variety of fabrics, prints and colors.  Last year I fell in love with Banana Republics V-neck satin sleeveless top. I bought it in almost every color I could get my hands on once they went on sale. I have one that is black with off-white polka dots that has become my go to with denim all the time. This season you can find Soft Satin Tank in 7 colors including black and off white (which in my opinion are staple colors), and this Hula green is a great spring trend color.  This is the kind of top you can wear with skinny, straight and moderately wide pants, they wash beautifully and will become your favorite in no time!

I don’t wear a lot of sweaters in the summer but I do wear them the rest of the year and Banana Republic also has some great cardigans. My very favorite is their Washable Merino Wool Boyfriend Cardigan.  I have it in 4 colors and I am even wearing it in the summer on cool days. It’s lightweight but no too lightweight and it’s warm but not hot. This sweater is definitely one of those pieces that is an answer whenever I need one.

One more Banana Republic piece that I live in, and if you know me you have definitely seen me in this.  It’s a sandwashed black sleeves maxi dress.  I have worn it dressy and casual and it has no waist so I can belt it or leave it straight.  I liked it so much I bought it in a grey stripe too.  This year they don’t have the same dress, you can buy the jumpsuit version . The Sandwash Modal Cropped Jumpsuit is the same fabric and style as the dress and it could work the same way.  Or if you prefer a dress you could try Utility Maxi dress, it’s polyester so it will sit great and not wrinkle.  I actually bought this in Olive green, but I probably won’t wear it as much as last year’s black sheath dress.

Lastly I want to talk about shoes.  During Covid-19 I have been wearing sneakers non stop or comfy sandals on nice days.  But those aren’t the kind of shoes that are answers to any style question I have.  The kind of summer shoe that is an answer is a flat sophisticated sandal. Over the years I have bought a few that just seem to work all the time. I have heeled ones as well, but after wearing sneakers for months of Covid it is likely I won’t jump right into heeled sandals every day.  One of my favorite pairs is Louise et Cie, I liked them so much I bought them in both black and metallic.  This year they have them in white and tan. You can find them at Nordstrom Rack and they are marked down.  I have a similar black pair as well that is more of an open toe loafer I bought years ago at Gravity Pope and they are interchangeable with the black pair above depending on the occasion.  But these pseudo gladiators work with everything.  I wear them with jeans, pants, dresses and skirts, they are fantastic with a maxi dress or skirt that grazes your ankles.  And they look super with all my wide leg cropped pants above.

So there you have it, the type of pieces you could add to your wardrobe to look inside and see the answer to whatever style question you have.  Throw a few print pieces into the mix in your tops and dresses and you could create a capsule wardrobe that you can take with you when you travel or just have as a part of your overall wardrobe.

As it looks like Vancouver is slowly recovering from Covid-19 hopefully by the Fall I will be able to do in person styling and come to your home and do wardrobing with you in your own closet.  For now I am staying Covid safe and not doing anything in person at all. However if you have styling issue we could do it on Zoom or via Messenger and of course if you email me at Suethefashionista@gmail.com I will always answer.

Please stay Covid safe and until next time…

So as many of us start to increase our “bubble” from the past 2 months of strict social distancing and staying home from Covid-19.  We all have found ourselves searching for things that are truly comfortable to wear and that make us feel good.  I am no exception.  And we have all gained a little weight, I believe they are calling it the Covid 15, and let’s hope it’s not the Covid 30.  So as we emerge from our self isolating cocoons what kind of clothing are we still going to be craving.  I have been really thinking about this, especially when writing the spring blogs because I don’t think most women right now will be running out and buying the latest trends.  So how do we stay comfortable and cute.  Here are some ideas.

The first thing you need is a great pair of comfortable pants that can be worn at home and if you decide to venture out.  One of my favorite pairs of pants is from Loft.  I love the Loft Pull on Wide Leg pants so much I bought them in 2 different colors. I have both these colors and they also come in a Vivid Orange but I am not that bold. They are the most comfortable pants in my closet and look great with all my slightly shorter tops. Since I too have put on the Covid 15 I wear my shorter tops so they just hit below my stomach. I wore the Dark Caper color last night with a dark denim sleeveless top. A lighter Chambray top would work as well like this Cloth+Stone Chambray tank from Anthropologie, you just need a top that hits you at the right spot. I wear the black pair all the time too.  You can dress these pants up and down, wear them with heels or runners.  To me, they are the perfect pair of Covid-19 pants.

The other pair of pants I seem to be wearing a lot is my skinny jeans from Banana Republic. Their Mid-Rise skinny ankle jean has tons of stretch which is great right now and for some reason last year I bought a pair in a size bigger than I wear, well that worked out really well.  Banana Republic has some great jeans if you need a new pair and they are always at least 40% off. If you need a curvy cut skinny jean they have that too. You need to order curvy styles online but BR has great shipping.  I also love their High Rise Ankle length jeanbut it doesn’t have as much stretch. If you look at bananarepulic.com they even have outfit ideas put togther for each item you look at.  But if you live in Canada order at bananarepublic.ca and you won’t have to pay duty.  I actually order from BR more than I ever shop in the stores.  As long as you know your size you are good, and it’s easy returns.

The tops I seem to be gravitating to during this Covid crisis are all my knit ones.  My favorite t-shirts are from Aritzia. I live in my Foundation Crew by Babaton t-shirts.  They come in 7 colors and work under and with everything.  They are a fabulous basic t-shirt for any wardrobe and Aritzia gets them to my house within 2 days!  Another Aritzia favorite of mine is their sweatshirts.  I have never been a jeans and sweatshirt kind of girl, unless the sweatshirt has lace or some other detail on it, but for the last 2 months I live in them.

The Perfect Light Hoodie from Tna at Aritzia is the perfect spring hoodie, it comes in 4 colors and is super comfortable.  The other hoodie I live in is one from Joe Fresh, mine is solid black and I bought it a while ago, but this is the one they have online right now.  Joe Fresh actually has great ‘Lounge Wear’ and all really reasonably priced.  Another great and comfortable piece from Joe Fresh is their Soft Knit Active Jumpsuit.They have it it plus and regular and I know they also have it in store as well. They even have a pair of Stretch Culotte pants that echo the Bermuda short trend for spring , a very comfortable way to get your Bermuda on if I do say!

Tank tops are super current for Spring so you can wear all the sleeveless you like this year.  If you already have tons then you are set but if not, go for knit fabric and an easy fit style . I love the look of this Amber Asymmetrical Tank from Anthropologie and it comes in 5 colors!  I also love this Avery Muscle Tank from Anthro as well especially in this dark orange color and have had it in my basket twice online but haven’t bought it yet.  But everyone else likes it too because the black color is already sold out.  So look for tops that are also a bit thicker so they aren’t see through and buy the correct size, if you are a bit bigger right now buy a top that fits this size, lumps and bumps don’t look as good.

I am also loving the long tunic look over my skinny jeans and leggings.  A tunic top can hide a ton of sins, so make sure you have one or two in your wardrobe. The Bailee pleated tunic top from Anthro hits all the right notes.  It has soft pleating over the bust that floats over the tummy and rear, perfect for you Covid skinny bottom!

The other kind of top that works great with skinny jeans or wide pants is a loose flowy top with long or 3/4 sleeves. This Monty Babydoll top from Anthro is cotton and spandex and comes in 4 colors.  Loft also has some great long sleeve easy fit tops to wear with your easy fit pants. Try a top like this Bouquet Mixed Media top with a knit back.  And it’s a little shorter so it would look great with any wide leg bottom.  And if you want to be a little trendy while you are comfortable try a top like this from Banana Republic Their Balloon sleeve crop top comes in 6 knit colors.

Lastly most of us are staying away from heels right now. As a matter of fact I think most women are living in sneakers if they can.  So for summer pick a pair that is cotton and easy to wear like Keds Champion low top sneakers.  These are from Anthro but you can find Keds everywhere.  And a printed sneaker is in style right now and cute for summer. You can even wear these with your casual maxi dresses! Another cute pair from the Anthro site are these by Dolce Vita with the espadrille detail. Again you can find Dolce Vita at other places too.   Or try a pair of Superga in white or black, they are really comfortable. Again you can find them everywhere, even at the latestscoop.com.

We are getting into sandal season and most of us will be wearing flat more comfortable sandals as well.  One place I love in Vancouver and they also have stores in Toronto or you could order online is The Latest Scoop, great clothing, shoes and accessories at reasonable prices.  Try their online store and grab a pair of their Moxie Sandals, they look super comfortable and have lots of cushioning while being very trendy. Banana Republic also has lots of shoes online, for comfotable sandals try their Leather Buckle Slide.  And if you want just a bit of a heel to get back into wearing them they have lots of sandals with shorter stacked heels that will work with your wide leg pants, Bermuda shorts and dresses.  Try something like their Double Strp Mule Sandal.  And for the ultimate comfort try a pair of Clarks. A shoe like their Botanic slide will keep you comfy and stylish. Or try something like their Un Balsa Go Flat they are like wearing pillows on your feet.  They carry Clarks everywhere, these pictures are from Nordstrom.

Things will likely not go back to normal for a long while.  As your local stores and businesses open they need your support more than ever.  You can safely shop online if the store has a website or you can go there with a mask on and socially distance.  I wear a mask every time I leave my house. I know there are some people who don’t want to or think it’s not necessary. But my choice is to keep myself protected. Masks will be here to stay for a while and let’s not kid ourselves you need to wear one. So how do you get them?

Well believe it or not you can buy them online. Banana Republic has masks.  You can order them online but only on the US website.  Athropologie has lots too on their website like these reusable ones from Sanctuary. Or you can buy local, in Vancouver we ordered masks from Protech Face masks at  protechfacemasks.com. They have women’s, men’s and youth sizing, ear loops or around your head and completely washable.  They come in lots colors and patterns and shipping is quite quick compared to ordering from the US. What impresses me the most about Protech Face Masks is not only are they locally made but they are comfortable, washable and they come in sizing to fit your face.  They also have the best customer service.  As you know every package these days is delayed, good old Canada Post! I emailed Protech and they emailed me back right away and put together an order that I could pick up because it’s been a while and we really need them.  Customer service is pretty much dead in big box and chain stores, I was so impressed by the team at Protech Face masks that I will be wearing only their face masks until there is a vaccine. Trust me, it’s time to support local business and Protech face masks is one we can support because they have something we all need.  Order online protechfacemask.com

There are even companies in Italy that are making face mask bikini combinations but I am not suggesting you go that far.  Just buy some that are comfortable and washable because you will be wearing them for a while!

If you have comments or questions please feel free to email me at Suethefashionista@gmail.com. I would love to hear what you are doing to survive and thrive during Covid and how you are staying safe and comfortable.  I usually do a Father’s Day blog right about now, but this year I am not.  We all know in every family it is the Mother who has been the hero this very unusual spring we have had.  But if you want to get your guy a gift for Father’s day, get him something comfy to wear or even a set of his own masks, everyone needs those.

Stay safe and healthy!!

Until next time…

My Blog with Covid skincare was such a hit that I decided to write one about Hair as well. I am lucky that I know some great experts, so I interviewed the Owner and head Stylist at Pure Studio in Vancouver , Danny Barton. I have known Danny for almost 20 years and his partner, Luc Lacroix (yes the make up expert I am always talking about) for over 30.  Both of them are truly two of the best in their fields and honestly my hair has never been better since I started seeing Danny. It has been 12 weeks or about 3 months since I have been to a salon and my hair still looks amazing, as long as I blow dry it, and I don’t have easy hair.  So I felt that Danny would be the perfect person to interview for my hair blog.  And I asked him 10 questions and here are the questions and Danny’s answers:

1. What can people expect when they come back to their Salon with Covid-19?

Most Salons’ will be a lot quieter. Salons are only allowed to have 50% capacity so the hustle and bustle you are used to won’t be there.  Most Salons have sent a list of protocols that they are using to clients before they come for their first Covid-19 hair appointment. Pure Studio has sent their clients their protocols so they feel comfortable returning. Here is an example of theirs and it’s the same for most Salons: Once you arrive, stay in your car and check in by phone or text. You will be given a Covid check in interview before you enter (questions about your health and if you or anyone in your household has been travelling or is in quarantine).  You are asked to bring your own mask with year loops; they can’t do your hair if your mask goes around your head, and bring an extra mask with you.  Your mask could get wet with shampoos and colors.  You are also asked to wash your hands upon arrival. And don’t bring anything with you that doesn’t fit on your lap, that means your purse, coat or anything.  And you will be asked not to bring food or drink into the Salon as well.  Also most Salons are not taking cash, so bring your credit card or be prepared to e-transfer them after.

2. What can clients do to make sure they are being as safe as possible?

See some of the protocols above and please respect them; they are for everyone’s safety.  All appointments will be staggered, so there will be no overlapping clients.  Customers won’t be at sinks or the front desk at the same time and physical distancing will be respected in all areas.  The restrooms will be treated with a hospital grade virus disinfectant. Stylists will be disinfecting their work stations and tools after every client.  And you will be asked to wear your mask at all times in the Salon.  All your services will be guided, no getting up and walking around while processing.   If clients and stylists follow all the Salon’s protocols everyone will stay safe during their hair appointment.

3. How are you going to be handling transactions?

We are asking clients to pay us via e-transfer. Alternately we can take their Visa or Mastercard but we have to enter it manually.  So it would be like using your credit card online, the merchant only needs your number, expiry date and the 3 digit number on the back. Those are the only 2 methods; there will be no cash transactions.

4. A lot of women have not been coloring their hair during the Pandemic.  How long will their first visit back to the Salon take to get rid of all their grey?

Their appointment time shouldn’t be that different from before.  What will change is the amount of product stylist will have to use, likely they will have to use about 3 times as much as they usually use and likely they will charge more to cover the cost of more product.  Most Salons have either raised their prices or added a Covid surcharge to services, and people need to understand that if a business has survived being closed they are now operating at a deficit.  Most Salons are hoping clients will be willing to be more generous with the added things they have had to do to make the Salon safe and your hair beautiful again.   Also most stylist look at clients who have been using boxed color as a color correction.  There is no way that a boxed color can duplicate what a professional color can do for your hair, so that boxed color needs to be removed and color corrections take more time and will cost more.  Women tend to underestimate the amount of education stylists get in order to perfect your color.

5. If a client has decided to keep her transition to grey hair, what can the Salon do to ease the transition?

A good stylist will incrementally lighten your color.  For example moving from permanent color to foils, so your regrowth (which will be grey) will be more integrated into your hair and not have a linear demarcation.   If you are trying to transition blond hair to grey, your stylist can dye your hair platinum and then alternate color and your own grey seamlessly.

Don’t let a color technician talk you into bleaching your hair and then toning it with pewter toner.  The integrity of your hair needs to be maintained while transitioning to grey.  There are no quick fixes that won’t damage your hair; there is a process you will need to go through.

6. What can women do to make sure their hair is ready for color and cuts when they do return to the Salon?

If you have been isolating and your hair has had a long break from processing, most people’s hair has never been more ready!  Most people have stayed away from things like overheating and hair spray so their hair has never been in better condition.  Please don’t do anything before you come back unless you are using a root touch up spray.  If you use a root touch up spray just make sure it is all washed out because you can’t color hair on top of it.  And no need to deep condition because once the bottom inch or so of your hair is cut off it will spring back beautifully.

7. Anyone who had bangs no longer does, unless they have been cutting their bangs themselves. Can we talk about how you transition your hair out of bangs?

Bangs can be cut on an angle and blended in with other layers around your face.  People who have always had bangs and have the right face for bangs, high foreheads and longer faces, will be want to keep them. Almost everyone else gets bangs and loves them for about 2 minutes and then wants to grow them out again.  So most women have transitioned out of bangs already at least once or twice.

8. In your opinion what are the best products a women can use on her hair as she gets older?

Your hair changes as you age.  It’s a combination of receding estrogen and increasing grey hair.  Both of these can show up as dehydration and thinner brittle hair.  Lightweight smoothing creams can give hair a lightweight hydrated effect.  Danny recommends Living Proof Prime Style Extender . And Living Proof Nourishing Styling Cream .  Also if you want a great Elixir, Goldwellhas a wonderful Elixir that you can use as well.  Women want smooth hair with volume as they age.  All the above products smooth your hair, but those products should be applied mid shaft of your hair to the end, keep them off the roots for volume.  If you do wear your hair bone straight, then apply from the root down.  Danny recommends that women who are maturing wear their hair with a bit of volume around their face, so apply from mid shaft down.

One of my favorite things about Danny is that he advocates longer hair for maturing women if it suits them.  There are a couple of things about maturity and long hair everyone needs to be aware of.  Your hair should not be fuzzy and you need a bit of volume around your face.

9. Are there any styles you don’t recommend for maturing women?

As we talked about above Danny does believe mature women can wear longer hair. But he recommends that all hair as you mature needs effort.  Women need to put effort into wearing stylish hair and stylish hair makes you look younger.  As Danny says “There is never a time to get so practical that you give up on your hair.”  For shiny hair you need 3 things: good products (see the recommended products above), heat and tension .  When you give up on your hair it looks like you gave up on your hair!

10. Is there a certain age or time when women should change their color or transition into grey hair?

That is a very personal decision.  Everyone feels differently about grey hair, some women embrace it and others don’t ever want it. But there are a few things you can do as your face matures to make sure your hair suits the way you look.  Danny suggests to making your hair warmer and a bit lighter as you age. Most women have some shadow in their face as they age; dark hair makes that shadow more prominent.  If your hair is a monotone color (one color) and its dark add a bit of lighter color to soften the darkness. You can start integrating more color with foils and introducing blonds and mid brown tones into your hair. The little bit of lightness you add will decrease the amount of shadow you see in your skin.

There are a couple of other things Danny and I spoke about that I want to mention.  A good stylist teaches their clients how to manage their own hair, if yours is not and your hair only looks good when he or she does it maybe it’s time for a change.

Hair salons were not given strict instructions by the Government on what they needed to do to open again.  The Government simply gave BC salons a start date and very loose instructions.  All Salons had to do their own research on guidelines from other provinces to find out exactly what to do.  So if you haven’t been contacted about your Salon’s new protocols before your appointment it’s up to you to call them and investigate it yourself.

Something I love that Pure Studio is doing as they open back up is that they are seeing clients in stages.  The first clients they saw are those people who are undergoing some medical treatment or have very compromised immune systems, so they could be in the Salon with no one else around.  The next level of clients are those who desperately need a haircut, they go in pre shampooed and leave with no blow dry, that is something my son is doing.  And as they move forward they are making their Salon the safest possible environment they can. They are making all their clients get taken care of.  You stylist should care about your safety and your hair.

I want to finish with a quote Danny sent me because even though we are in a Pandemic our economy is slowly coming out of isolation and we need to support our small businesses.   To buy all the products we talked about you can reach Pure Studio at pstudio2355@gmail.com.  They will do a contactless payment and pick up of any products you would like to buy. By the way this is where you can buy Eye Envy  eyelash conditioner and mascara in Vancouver as well as Satin Smooth Lip Plump Treatment.  Both products when used daily make a huge difference and you can buy them from Pure Studio in Vancouver.

Thanks for reading this blog, I know it’s a little longer than normal but I feel this is information every woman needs.  Just like skin care, hair care is something we all need to think about.  I welcome your suggestions of whatever you want to hear about over the summer. Please email me at Suethefashionista@gmail.com. My next blog is about comfort wear during Covid-19.  And look for my posts about twice a month until we start to cover Fall 2020, then I will go back to once a week.

Stay safe and healthy!! Until next time…

This blog is going to be treat for all those who have been shut in ( all of us) during the last 2 months.  My friend and Skin care advisor, Jessica Berto, the West Coast Training Director for Dermapure and Project skin MD, sat down with me (not in person) and answered 10 very important skin care questions every woman over 40 should be aware of, especially while the pandemic is on.  Here are the questions I asked her and her answers below.

Everything has changed in the last 2 months, so it makes sense that your skin and skin care has as well.  Here is the best advice I could find to pass on to all of you.

1. What are the basics women should be doing to keep their skin healthy during Covi-19?

There are 2 types of women during this pandemic, both extremes.  The first is those who have stocked up on everything they could ever need for their skin (yours truly) and those who have abandoned everything they were doing.  But every woman should be doing the following:

Morning: Cleanse, Vitamin C, Moisturize and put on an SPF

Night: Cleanse and moisturize.

Those are the very basics you need to go back to if you aren’t doing anything and you want your skin to look good when this is over.

2. Most Skincare Salons are closed.  Now is the time most women switch to a summer skincare regimine.  How do women do that on their own?

First of all, quite a few places are doing virtual consultations.  Project Skin is and Jessica does about 4 per day.  Everyone’s skin has changed during Covid-19.  And it’s not just what you put on the outside that makes a difference.  What you put on the inside affects your skin as well.  Have you decreased your water intake? Most women have and that will affect the dryness of your skin.  Have you increased your alchohol intake? Almost everyone has and alchohol affects your skin as well.  Are you still taking your Vitamins and Fish oil?  Most women have drastically changed how much water and alchohol they are drinking.  Water is way down and alchohol is way up.  The inside and the outside of your body work together.  Also most of us are under more stress now than ever.  Stress increases Cortisone in your body and that affects your skin too.  If your skin has changed, then your skincare needs to change.  What happens on the inside of your body is reflected on the outside.

I am going to use one of my experiences as an example. My skin goes through periods of dryness.  Right now my intake of water is way down and I am not using my supplements daily.  It doesn’t take a skin care professional to figure out why my skin is dry.  As Jessica says, skin care starts with the inside and you need to adjust your skin care with what is happening everyday.  It changes because of everything you do daily.

3. It’s going to be a long time before people can get their eyebrows microbladed and their eyelashed put on. Are there any products they can use in the meantime to enhance those two areas?

The best thing to use is lash serums on your lashes and eyebrows.  Using a lash serum is like using a multi vitamin to boost those two areas.  There are 2 lash serums Jessica recommends: Latisse, which needs to be bought from an MD and Eye Envy (I personally use Eye Envy and it works!). Jessica says that Eye Envy gives you thicker lashes and brows and Latissse will give you length.  It takes 8 weeks to see results on your lashes and about 10 weeks to see results on your brows, and Latisse is not to be used for brows. I personally use Eye Envy and I have had to trim my eye brows because they are so thick.  My lashes are way longer and thicker as well.

4. What is the minimum SPF women should wear daily over 40 years of age? And why is it so important to wear sunscreen daily?

The absolute minimum sunscreen women should wear is SPF 50. According to Jessica it is the optimal SPF number sunscreen for maximum skin protection.  30 SPF is okay but it will still let harmful rays in, 50 SPF is the minimum number you need for protection.

Jessica absolutely recommends wearing sunscreen every day of the year, no matter the weather.  Blue light is emitted from your phone, computer screen and TV, those rays can be super damaging and are similar to the UV rays that damage skin.  Also UV rays can penetrate windows too.  It’s a good layer of all around protection.  If you invest in your skin like we all do, you should protect that investment.  If you had your car painted you would put a sealer coat on it wouldn’t you? Wearing sunscreen is the way to protect your face everyday.

5. Right now no one can get Botox or Fillers, anyone who had an appointment had it cancelled.  How do women keep their skin ready so when their skin professionals office opens again they are ready for whatever skin treatments they get?

In order to be ready for your Botox or Filler treatment keep your skin up to par. Use the correct skin care and don’t skip or skimp on products.  Your skin needs to be quenched for these procedures to get optimal results and be able better to receive the treatment.  Drink lots of water before as well, the hylauronic acid in the filler works with water and will plump up your skin even further.

6. What is the most important thing for women to be aware of with mature skin?

Everyone’s skin is aging all the time.  Mature skin is not what it used to be, some women have mature skin at age 30 and some women in their 60’s don’t have mature skin yet.  You need to adjust your skin care to your skin’s age not your actual age.  It’s very important to see a professional, even if it’s only once a year, to adjust your skin care as you get older.  And at the end of the day if you don’t feel what they are doing for you is working you need to go see someone else.  Your skin changes and you need to listen to it.

Here is a personal story of my (Sue’s) skin: I was seeing a great aesthetcian for years and everything she told me was working great and then suddenly my skin was feeling dryer and dryer.  When I asked her what to do she told me that I should just keep using the same products.  Finally I complained about my dryness so much she gave me some coconut balm to put over my moisturizer, but I couldn’t stand the smell, so I knew it was time for a change.  I asked a few people I trust and they recommended Project Skin. That is when I met Jessica.  She reassessed my skin and it was really dry.  She put me on a regime that rehydrated it and now when my skin is dryer or I have redness, she can tell me which products to switch up and use.   If you are over 40 years of age, you need to see an aesthetician that you trust.

7. No one is wearing make up right now. Are there any other products women can use to even out their skin tone? Perhaps something that is easier and more comfortable than foundation?

A tinted SPF, which is a sunscreen with a mild tint, will have some coverage and can tone down redness.  Colorscience has a few different things that you can also wear inconjuction with sunscreen to give the appearance of more coverage if you want it and don’t want to wear foundation. Sunforgettables is has a powder that is like wearing a BB cream.  It is a powder you can wear over you face everyday and it is tinted so you work with your skintone. It’s coverage with an SPF 50.  If you want different coverage or have a particular skin issue Colorscience has products that deal with that as well.  If you have redness you can use All Calmand mix it with your tinted sunscreen to get the right coverage for your skin.  They also have a Face Shield that is like a foundation and you can wear it alone or mixed with tinted sunscreen.  And a product like Even Up when used with sunscreen can cover different types of pigmentation.

All of these products can be bought at Project Skin.com

8. What is the most basic skincare routine that any woman can follow? ( I asked this question for all of you who never want to wear make up or fuss with your skin).

The most basic skincare should include a Cleanser, Vitamin C, a moisturizer and an SPF 50 sunscreen.  Most women unless they are told don’t know about Vitamin C and why it’s so important for your skin.  The research on Vitamin C started as a way to cure skin cancer and it is one of the most important things you can use for anti aging. Vitamin C also gives you one more level of filter for harmful rays when worn with SPF.  Vitamin C increases your skin’s brightness and decreases any pigmentation.  Don’t use too high a Vitamin C, high Ascorbic acid turns into exfoliation.  So you want to use an apporpriate Vitamin C for daytime.   Skinceuticals has 2 Vitamin C serums, , and. Book a virtual skin consultation to see which one is right for you.

9. Is there anything women should be avoiding doing right now to keep their skin healthy?

There are alot of retinol challenges going around virtually.  Retinol isn’t for everyone and should really only be used under supervision of a skin professional or doctor.  That being said if you are going to do something like that be very cautious.  Retinol can burn and can take a long time to heal once your skin experiences a retinol burn.  Also you need to avoid sunlight when using retinol, so this is not the time of year to experiment with it.

10. If you had to pick a favorite, what is your favorite product for aging skin?

My favorite product to advise people with aging skin to use is the AGE line from Skinceuticals.  The Interrupter cream is excellent as a night cream and the Eye Complex is the best eye cream on the market for aging skin around the eye. Both are the best things you can use on aging skin.  If I could add one more I would also highly recommend Skinceuticals HA Intensifier . It is a combination of hyaluronic acid and proxelyene which helps build the skin’s dermis and helps soften fine lines.

One more thing every woman should take daily is Collagen, Collagen is essential for your joints, nails, lashes and hair.  It is an essential supplement for everyone.

I want to thank Jessica Berto from Dermapure and Project skin.  Everything she spoke about except for Eye Envy can be bought at Project skin.com.  Eye Envy can be bought at Pure Studio in Vancouver, if you want it email me  and I can give you their contact information or I can get them to send you some.  All of the products that Jessica has spoken about she has used and I have used 90% or them and they really and truly do make a difference in your skin.  Personal skin consultations are key in aging gracefully and if you don’t want to go to Project skin there are other demal specialist in Vancouver who can help you the same way.  And remember your skin is an outside reflection of what is going on inside you body, so make sure you nourish and hydrate the inside as well as the outside.

Please stay safe and healthy!

Until next time…

This blog is kind of a mishmash of all the new things for Spring 2020 that we should try to make room for in our wardrobes.  Now I know that your wardrobe has changed dramatically in the last couple of months, but eventually we will all be wearing real clothes again at some point.  Even though by today’s standards a pair of jeans is dressing up, it won’t be that way forever.

As we endure the 2 true month of this pandemic we have all come to realize a few things. My new reality is having both my boys home and my house full again. Even though my oldest now has his master’s degree, he is safer and better off here with us. There is will no trips for quite a while and probably not at all in 2020 (I was supposed to be in Durham, NC right now), but the safest place for everyone is where they are until there is a vaccine. I have also realized that no matter how isolated I need to be, I can’t stand grey hair on myself.  Thank goodness my hair salon will be opening the end of May.  I also need to have gel on my nails.  I now have the ability to do that myself but likely I will go back to the nail salon if it opens up again.  I think we all have discovered certain truth’s about ourselves and it’s ok to be who you are, you do you and be proud of who you are!

OK back to fashion.

There are certain things that are Spring 2020, let’s go through them and if you like them try them in your wardrobe:

Trenchcoats with Embellishments

  Here is exactly what I am talking about.  You can embellish a trench many ways. RWT is one side with a red check pattern, and Seqinyy is showing 2 with different details.  If you have a basic trench you can add a scarf or a chain detail yourself, if not maybe try one of the newer trends either in a color or with a pattern. I bought a basic trench last spring so I am going to be wearing scarves and my own embellishments if I wear it this season. Banana Republic has a basic water resistant trench you can embellish yourself and right now it is 50% off, so it’s a great time to buy it if you need it.

Maxi Skirts and Skirts with Slits

Maxi skirts have been in style for a few springs.  But they are just getting stronger.  And they are perfect for women over 45 because mini skirts are no longer appropriate and the maxi is just as fashionable this spring.   And maxi skirts with slits in them are super trendy right now.

Aritzia has the Wilfred Free New Sheilds Skirt which is high waisted and comes in black and 2 softer colors including this great Sage Frost. Wilfred Free has the same style in Space Dyed blue and black searsucker for those hot days. Wilfred also has their Twirl skirt, chiffon and pleated in 12 colors.  This skirt is a wardrobe staple for some of us, it endures and always looks great. Aritzia.com is maxi skirt head quarters, they have every kind of maxi including this Wilfred basic A-line maxi you can wear everywhere.  If you need a new maxi skirt check out Aritzia online!

Clean Lines

When we talk about clothing with clean lines think of stream lined. Tops that blend seamlessly into bottoms.  Head to toe color is a big one for clean lines. You can acheive this simply by wearing a dress or jumpsuit.  One of my fave dresses for Spring is Banana Republic’s Utility Maxi dress head to toe color, very streamlined.  You can do the samething with a jumpsuit head to toe one color. This is BR’s Linen-Cotton Wide-Leg cropped jumpsuit.  Or you can purposely wear one color head to toe. We saw almost every color put head to toe in spring shows.  Pick what works for you and wear it head to toe.  I personally love black head to toe no matter what season. But this spring how I am going to wear head to toe is this cropped floral tank with back buttons from BR with my slim BR wide leg cropped pants and then either a black light cardigan or sheer poncho on top.  But I wear a lot of black.  You could try the same thing in Spring 2020 colorsin BR’s linen cotton cropped tank and high rise linen cotton pant. Don’t be afraid to wear any color head to toe.  Take a look at Banana Republic.com for ideas, they have tons of ways to wear head to toe pieces and colors.  Think Utility colors too, beige, olive etc. Great and trendy for head to toe right now.

Chunky Collar Necklaces

The heavy short necklaces are back for spring.  Nobody does the chunky collar necklace like J. Crew. They have so many great ones, I just am showing a quick sample of what they have online.  Pair a tone on tone chunky necklace with your streamlined looks! Or make the necklace your statement piece with a maxi dress or jumpsuit. If you buy a new necklace for spring make sure it is chunky, hits your collar and has some great detail.

Big Purses

At the very beginning of Spring fashion before the pandemic, purses were going big, big and bigger.  I don’t know about you but now if I have to go out I use a small cross body bag, no point wearing lipstick when all you are wearing is a mask right? So even though giant purses are in fashion in every shape and color, we may want to take it down a notch for ourselves right now.  What I am going to be carrying this spring is a toned down version of a tote. I bought this 12 hour leather tote from BR for myself, it is the smaller version of their larger one.  I am not tall and sometimes a huge purse can overwhelm me and what I am wearing.  So I chose a neutral color bag that I can wear with everything.   But you do you and if you want to do the giant purse trend take a look at Nordstrom.com, they have lots of large purses and totes like this great tote from Tory Burch that comes in 6 bright and neutral colors.   When I first started exploring spring the trend was that small bags were out and large were in. But with the pandemic a lot of women are carrying smaller bags, not the micro ones that were in for last spring, but just regular size ones.  It seems to me that right now there are no rules, so if you want to wear a giant bag by all means do and if you don’t then don’t.

Tank Tops

Tank tops are the ‘it’ top for Spring and Summer 2020.  They come in all fabrics.  You can stick with your cotton tanks like Nordstrom’s Caslon tank that is $19 and comes in tons of colors.  Or you can try some new versions. BR has a cropped version in viscose that comes in tons of colors and prints. They also have a soft draped one that comes in lots of colors too.  J. Crew has lots too like this cute linen tiered tank.   And of course Joe Fresh always has lots of inexpensive tanks for summer like this wavy tank.  Joe Fresh is available on line or at Superstore in Canada.

Interesting Shoes

Who What Where was showing chain detail on their spring show preview. As well as heeled loafers, Mary Janes, Minimalist, Bright Shades, Espadrilles, platforms and over the knee boots.  But right now all I see is women inventing new ways to wear their runners with everything.  So if that is what you need to do to survive this pandemic,wearing your sneaker with dresses, pants, bermuda shorts etc, then by all means do it.  And yes, it is a fashion trend to wear your sneakers right now.  Get a couple of interesting pairs and wear them all the time if you want to.

So thing brings us to the end of speaking about spring trends for 2020.  Originally I was going to take a break from blogging until August, mainly because I was going to be travelling a lot over the next few months, but like everything else in this pandemic that has changed. So I will continue to blog, but probably not every week. But at least once a month I will try and enlighten you with new things to try in either fashion or beauty.

I wish every mother out there a very happy mother’s day. You are the backbone of your family and have probably proved it over and over during this pandemic, you should be celebrated and reveered! Happy Mother’s day!

Please message me if there is anything specifically you would like to hear about and stay safe, stay home and stay healthy!!

Until next time…

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy.  I am sorry but the last spring blog is going to be delayed until May 13.  My other life as a wife, mother and volunteer has kept me hugely busy this week and unfortunately I haven’t had time to write my weekly blog.

This Pandemic has thrown all of us for a bit of a loop so I know you all understand. I am dealing with birthday month (everyone in my family but me has a birthday in May), a broken dishwasher and a myriad of other things that are needing my attention.

I hope you all have a safe and happy mother’s day.  This year instead of gifts my family is giving gifts of charity.  Birthday presents (other than something small) and mother’s day and father’s day this year we are donating to charities and foodbanks to help those that are not as fortunate as we are during this Pandemic.  Mother’s are the backbone of every family and no they absolutely couldn’t survive without you, but can you imagine how difficult it would be if as a mom you couldn’t put food on the table or help you struggling children.  That thought really throws me so as a family we decided to pay it forward this year instead of for ourselves.

Thank you all for understanding the delay. And the last spring blog will be up on May 13.

Until next time…

Last week we took a little break in talking about Fashion and talked about self care in beauty.  We all have to keep uo our own self care at this point.  You do what makes you feel like yourself, whether it is hair color, nails or even wearing certain clothing items that make you feel like you.   I was speaking with one of my girlfriends the other day (of course from a distance) and she had been delivering food for the foodbank, which is a wonderful thing to do.  She mentioned to me that this was the first day she had put on her jeans and not just wearing her pjs or sweats.  She said she felt so good wearing jeans again.  I think we are all falling into habits.  My habit is wearing workout wear all day.  My way of coping with this pandemic is to workout, a lot.  I am lucky that my gym, Innovative Fitness, has coaches training us online and my former trainer who moved to Toronto, the best trainer I ever had, is teaching daily classes on Zoom that I have picked up at least twice a week.  And starting on Monday I am also going to add in a Yoga class just because I am not getting any more flexible as I age.  So that has me wearing a lot of workout clothes and I tend to stay in them all day long.  Before the pandemic I would have gone to the gym or the yoga studio and come home and had a shower and gotten dressed, but since the only place I ever go is the Grocery store it seems to be easier to just keep on what I have.  Well, I put on jeans and a shirt the other day and decided I felt better too, so now the days my workouts are only in the mornings I am going to try and get on something other than gym clothes.  Everyone is has their own way of coping during this pandemic.  Please find one that helps you get through it and if it includes wearing sweats all day then by all means wear them.  Just becareful and make sure your jeans still fit too.

Spring Prints are one of the best parts of Spring 2020.  There are so many wonderful prints to chose from, you could wear a little of all of them or just choose the ones you like and make them your own.

Wallpaper Prints

Wall paper prints are heavy large prints that your mother used to decorate your home with.  They can be any print, just worn loudly. This is how Fashion week saw Wall Paper prints but we can make them more mainstream and wearable. Anthropologie has tons of Wallpaper prints that you could wear. The Farm Rio Tucanes Dress captures the feeling and the look of a Wallpaper print. So does the Elysees Tapered pant, great to wear with a white t-shirt! Or try the Oceane tiered midi skirt, this one really reminds me of wallpaper.  Big and bold prints are easy to find, these were all on the first page I clicked on the Anthro website. If you love them wear them.  Either wear them only in a dress or jumpsuit with muted accessories or wear one piece like a skirt, pant or bermuda short with a solid top.

Jungle Prints

Jungle prints are the other bold print we are seeing a lot of.  Mostly with a green background but sometimes with a beige one, these prints feature plants, flowers or things you would encounter in nature. Here is a pic from Dolce and Gabbana’s spring show, you can see all the different levels of jungle prints. It is easy to take Jungle prints mainstream.  Green is the new strong color for Spring so wearing it in a print may make it easier to wear for some women. Going back to Anthro, they really do well when it comes to prints. Corey Lynn Carter’s Delphine Tiered Maxi Dress at Anthro covers off your plant jungle print in one single dress. Or try the Giverny Blouse, great when worn with denim on the bottom.

Banana Republic (bananarepublic.com or .ca) has lots of new animal print styles so you don’t have to keep wearing leopard (unless you really want to). Try their Snakeprint utility jumpsuit. Or their Zebra print Slip dress.  Or one of my favorite BR dresses their Shirt dress in a Zebra print done with a green background.

BR also has these Sarongs that can double as scarves and shawls, either in a Palm print or Tropical floral print and you could just wear one of these with solids or denim and cover off the Jungle print look perfectly.

Polka Dots

One of the most popular spring prints and one you will see everywhere is the Polka dot trend.  You can wear polka dots almost any color way, which makes it even better!

Courtesy of Milan Fashion week, we can see Spring Polka dots in Black and white!

Loft.com has some great different looks in Polka dots for Spring.  This Polka Dot puffed sleeve top is super wearable with any bottom and very fresh looking in pastel blue. Or try their Polka Dot midi skirt, another unexpected color that could work beautifully. Banana Republic has embraced Polka dots as well their Tie Front jumpsuit is a great way to wear them head to toe. Or if the weather hasn’t warmed up where you are yet, try their cotton sweater with emboidered polka dots.

If you want to accessorize polka dots you can too. BR has scarves and socks that can cover this look for you.  Or Loft has both a card case or glasses case with the same decorative polka dot motif.

I personally love Polka dots!  I wear them a lot in the spring and summer, I am not a huge print wearer but somehow when I wear polka dots they don’t feel like I am wearing a print.

FolkLore

Modern Folklore from Fashion week can seem a bit overwhelming but it is easy to take it mainstream.

The last print group we are going to talk about in this blog is the new Folklore prints.  They all have a modern feel to them, so don’t think of prairie prints but think of modern florals instead.

One of the reasons I use Anthropologie so much on my blog is that it is so easy to find the exact thing I am looking for on their website.  They were also one of the fashion chain stores to voluntarily close to protect their staff during this pandemic, so that is another reason I am a fan. Springs new Folklore reminds us of small florals, or even slightly larger ones, but done in new colors and wearable styles like Cloth + Stone’s Classic Buttondown top. Or try this Blaise Button down top, with a Folklore print that is super modern.  I like Banana Republic because they have both a US and a Canadian website and it doesn’t take a long time to get something if you order it and you don’t have to pay duty.  So I tend to feature them as well. Try BR’s EcoVerde dress in a Romatic floral print in a yellow combination or it comes in a blue botanical print and a soft pastel blue Ikat print. Or you could try a delicate print in a balloon sleeve blouseor a darker floral in a key hold sleeveless top.  And keep your Folklore colorful for Spring 2020. Loft has some great print tops you can wear all spring and summer long. Take a look at their florals, they really have some great ones.

So that’s it for Spring Prints.  Their are a couple of others, like wearing a striped dress, this fantastic striped maxi dress is all over the J. Crew website.  Sequins for day was another trend, but times have changed and no one seems to wear sequins right now so I won’t go into detail.

Next we were going to have a Mother’s Day Jewelry blog, but unfortunately our Jewelry expert has her hands full taking her business online, so we will skip that this spring.  Instead I will cover the last Spring trend, “Things we all should Try”.  After that I was going to pause blogging until August.  But instead I will continue but with more of a lifestyle feel to the blog.  We will still talk about fashion but we can also talk about beauty and maintenance for your body and whatever else we need to while we are all going through Covid-19.  I just probably won’t be blogging weekly, more like every 2 weeks. Please keep you comments and questions coming.  They are what keeps me motivated to blog.  I have a few friends trying out other nail options besides gel, like press on, so I will let you know about that and some other things that we can discover together.

Stay safe, Stay smart and Stay healthy!

Until next time…

I have had 2 different self beauty experiments in the last week.  Yes, my nail lamp finally arrived last Monday.  So I started the huge job of removing my old gel nails.  My gel nails have only every been dremeled off but even though I have a dremel, I was too afraid to do it that way.  So soak off was the way I went.  I watched a ton of videos and got the advice of one of my friends who is an esthetician.  It was still very hard, either I didn’t leave the cotton soaked in acetone with foil around it on long enough or I didn’t seal it properly, but I found it a difficult experience and ended up using my dremel to get the last bit off.  Boy, my nails were bad.  I had the gel on for 20 years!! They were thin and papery so I put some nail strengthener and left it on over night.  The next day I took the nail strengthener off and started doing the gel.  I chose a neutral gel color, no way I was going to attempt french. I bought the and , I bought a couple of colors because I wasn’t sure what I would like.  I must have watch dozens of videos on how to do your own gel nails so with that knowledge and the equipment I began.  Putting it on was easy.  Base coat and then cure, 3 layers of color (because my sculpture gel still isn’t here and it would have made it a lot easier if it was) and cured each one at a time and then a top coat. Not terrible but not great either, never mind how dry my hands are from the constant hand washing. But like they say, things get better with practice so hopefully the next time I do them there will be less on my skin and a better result on my nails.  I think it will be better when the sculpture gel arrives and I can put that on between the base and color.  If you want to try and do your own, watch all the videos they really helped me learn the correct way to do things.

The other adventure I had was doing my own hair color.  I was able to get some hair color, premixed in biodegradeable bowls from Cabello Salons in Vancouver ( message me and I will give you her number if you want to do your own color too).  The price was reasonable and I have watched color go on my hair for years.  They have me a brush to use, so I simply layered my hair like I was about to blowdry and colored.  I have a lot of grey right in the front so I did that part first and then went to the back and worked my way forward.  The results were awesome! I feel like me again!! If you can’t live with your grey and kudos to you if you can, then I highly suggest you do your own color. It wasn’t hard or difficult.  Way easier than the gel nails that was for sure.

There are other options for both nails and hair to keep them looking good during this pandemic.  I watched a lot of videos about Press on Nails.  Those you just use with nail glue and they can last up to 2 weeks. Sally Beauty (sallybeauty.ca) has kits that you can buy. Press on could be a great option if you don’t want to order all the things you need to do your own gel.  Use a bit of nail glue with each to help them stay on, shape and cut them to fit your hands and preferred nail length. Press on nails have come a long way from when we were kids, they are actually pretty good.  Just watch a video of how to put them on so once you put them on, they stay on.

For color you can always go to London Drugs or Shoppers Drug Mart and buy a box of color.  Especially if you have an easy one color base.  Only attempt your base color, leave highlights for professionals. Pick a creme so it doesn’t run and follow the directions.

Please don’t try to cut your own hair, that really is something you need to be specially trained for.  If your style is growing out, try hair clips, bands and ponytails.  Buy nice ones online and it will look great.

Anthropologie online has some great hair accessories.  This set of Chroma Pony tail holders would work great for spring and summer with super bright colors and nice and thick to hold your growing out hair styles. If bangs are a problem and they are growing faster than you ever imagined, try and great hair band to hold them off your face. This one is also from Anthro and online they have great hair bands in tons of styles and colors. And don’t hesitate to use clips in colors to keep those flyaway pieces from annoying you.  Even your local drug store will have hair accessories for you to use .  But if you are going to use hair accessories to tame your growing mane try I suggest you use stylish ones. Banana Republic has some great pony tail holders and they have a Canadian website, as well as their US one, so it’s easy to get things delivered to your house. You could also use one of your scarves as a hair tie.  This scarf is from BR, but we all have lots in our closets. Anthro has some amazing hair scarves, specially made to work with your pony tail.

You just need to decide what is important to you.  No one will judge you.  If you are ok with your hair going grey, and this may be the excuse you need to embrace letting your color grow out, go for it.  A lot of women can rock grey hair!  Just make sure you adjust your make to your new color. You will need to put some color on your cheeks every day and use a little undereye cover because grey hair can make your complexion sallow, so pay attention to your skin during this transition.   And you can’t wear grey clothing with grey hair, keep to colors.  But if this is what you want to do, more power to you.   The same goes for your nails.  If this is your opportunity to go back to natural nails go for it! I applaud everyone for doing their own thing.  Perhaps buy a good nail strengthener like this one that is a gel nail rehab treatment from London Drugs to help things along.  You do you! Covid 19 is no time to be untrue to yourself.  I am going to do my thing so you do yours.

I know we were supposed to talk about Spring Prints this week but I got so many comments and messages about my last blog about gel nails and hair color, I decided to dedicate an entire blog to the pandemic beauty experience.  I love to hear what you are doing to make yourself feel better during this extraordinary time and any tips you want to pass along I am happy to get them and pass them on too.  That’s what made me decide to do my own color, I read something from a good friend of mine who did hers and how she did it.   So we can all help each other during this time.

Stay well and distant and next week we will be back with Spring Prints!  There are so many great spring prints there was no way I could fit both blogs into one week, you would have been reading forever.  If you are fortunate to live in Vancouver, get out and enjoy this beautiful spring weather and stay away from everyone.

Until next time…

Last week I told you I was going to do my own gel nails.  Well, like everything we are ordering online right now, some of my equipment is delayed.  So I can’t post about that this week, but I will as soon as my lamp and structure building gel arrive ( hopefully no later than April 20, according to Amazon).  The other thing I think I am going to be doing myself during this isolation period is my own hair color.  I thought perhaps I could make do with just some root touch up that washed out every shampoo, but what can I say, I can’t. I am not one of those women who can embrace the grey, kudos to those who can, but I simply can’t.  Right now as long as I don’t wear my hair in a pony tail or off my face it is passable but in another week I will have no choice.  If you are in the same boat as me then I bet if you get in touch with your hairdresser they may be willing to sell you some color and developer to do your base color. Don’t attempt highlights or lowlights, but base should be managable.  And even though hair salons are closed  you have some other options too .  Of course there is the boxed color in the drugstore, I hear L’Oreal is the best and the easiest to match to your color. You can go online to Sally Beauty or Amazon and buy professional color and developer, I have seen my color on Sally Beauty so chances are they have yours too.  And there are hair salons out there that will sell you color and developer, if you can’t use your usual salon, they are closed but some will do the color and mixing for you, all you have to do is pick it up. I can only recommend this option if you already know your hair color formula. It’s a lot to ask someone who has never done your color to pick a color for you.  But if you have your formula it’s a great option.   Hair Dynamix in Toronto is doing it and so is Cabello Salons in Vancouver.  And there are lots of Youtube channels where you can learn how to apply your own color too.  Please make sure you know what you are doing before you try this yourself.   You have to pick the option that works for you.  Like I said above, I am not one of those women who can let the grey grow so  I will let you know how my search goes in the coming weeks.  And of course I will update you on doing my own gel nails as soon as the rest of the supplies arrive.

Spring colors break down into 3 main groups: Highlighter bright colors, Pastel colors with a bit of pep, and Drab colors with style. Let’s look at how each can work in your wardrobe.

Highligher Brights

When you think of highlighter pens what do you think of?  Bright yellows, bright lime greens and really strong Fuschia pinks.  Even some sunny oranges in there as well.  This season if you love bright colors, you will be able to find them everywhere.  Loft.com has some great bright dresses that will keep you happy and cool as the weather warms. Anthropologie.com has a great Zoom meeting ready top to brighten your day.  Bright pink is a super easy bright color for most of us to wear, keep everything else including your make up neutral and you will be all set. You also may want to consider matching brighter reds and pinks together.  We will talk about prints next week, but consider keeping your prints bright too! The greens and yellows like Anthro’s Tess Cashmere sweater can be a bit harder to wear.  Women with darker skin look great in this color, also blondes can pull it off.  I love the bright top with denim! And if you are a little intimidated by bright yellow then wear it on the bottom with a neutral colored top(white or black). Bright greens can go anywhere from lime to jade to teal, you just need to find the one that works for your skin tone, limes have a more yellow tone and teals have a more blue tone. This Sacha Tiered Tunic from Anthro is the perfect bright teal green and comes in Plus sizes too. If you still need to look professional while working from home, Loft hastheir best selling Shawl collar Blazer in the a fuschia so bright they call it Razzle Dazzle and it would be great for Zoom or Skype meetings. Loft also has extended sizes like Anthro in a lot of their clothing.  So if you need a larger size they will have it for you. Banana Republic online has some great yellows.   This French terry sweatshirt is the perfect yellow to wear with denim. And if bright orange is for you, just look at Banana Republic online, these linen cotton pants are great fitting!

Pastels

When you normally think of pastels you think of pretty little tops and dresses.  Well this season pastel clothing is going to take a back seat to no one.  Every shade is being made in it’s pastel counterpart. Anthro’s Bette Babydoll blouse comes in pastel colors, like this gorgeous soft pink and some bright ones as well. Or the same Cathleen sweater in birght pink above is just as lovely in a softer neutral pink. And how many of us are living in t-shirts these days? How about Anthro’s Amber Assymentrical tank in a soft blue. Sherbert colors are everywhere and Loft has a great pair of Frayed girlfriend chinos to wear in a soft pink.  Stay away from Mauve’s and Purples but stay with Sherbert colored pinks like this fabulousUtility dress from BR online. Most people can wear a soft pastel pink.  Some prefer the truer pastel pink and lots of women look wonderful in this warmer sherbert pink. Soft yellows and golds are great too.  Check out Anthro online for lots of pretty gold and yellow shades, this Adorai Crochet blouse has the best of soft color and a great print.  When women wear yellows, different skin tones work with different color yellows.  The light pastel yellow (think a color of a duckling or chick) can work on fair hair and fair skin people well and well as dark skin people.  Golds look better on fair to medium skin tones with dark blond, auburn and brown hair.  Just please don’t wear the same color yellow as your hair color if you are blond, that for sure doesn’t work or look good.

Drab Colors

The newest color palette for spring color is the drab palette.  All the Olives, Beiges and Greens.  I am in love with this palette.  It looks fantastic with white and black and works with all sorts of metallic tones as well.  I could travel in the summer with denim, olive, black and white and I could wear that color palette for a month.  Olive or Khaki work because you can use it as a neutral or a color.  BR has their Sloan skinny pants in a great olive.  And they also have a great Balloon sleeve blouse in this color, or wear a great Utility jacket in this same color.

Br has 3 different shades of Olive and Green (well maybe the middle top nods to yellow as well) so you can pick the one that works for your skin tone.  Pants work great in Olive or drab green because they can work with any color top. I am also in love with BR’s Utility dress in their Cindered Olive Green color.

But drab colors doesn’t just mean green.  Think outside the box with the drab neutrals. Loft has their wide leg linen pants in a fabulous Tobbacco color.  They also have this fabulous Tie Back Swing dress in a Desert Taupe.And a wonderful neutral Balloon sleeve striped blouse that can tie it all together. And as you can see from Anthro’s Shimmer Midi dress drab color doesn’t have to mean drab style!!   One of my favorite things about these drab colors, olives, beiges and tobaccos is that they look fantastic head to toe.  And when you wear any one color head to toe you automatically look thinner.

Tie all the spring colors back to spring prints which we will talk about next week and back to black and white.  Black and white will never go away.  They can be the perfect color to wear with brights, pastels and drabs.

If you are feeling a bit blue from all the Covid 19 news then help yourself out and go for a little online shopping trip.  Every online site has lots of new spring clothing and you can either buy something new. Or if now is not the time for you to spend money, then go online and look at sites like Banana Republic.com and they have a style guide where their stylist put the looks together for you.  Chances are you have some basics in your closet that can work with some of their ideas.  So give it a try.

Sorry again that I couldn’t share my gel nail experience.  I think we are all finding things are taking longer to arrive to our homes these days.  I hope everyone had a good Easter and Passover and that you are all well and safe.  Remember everthing above works with a mask and gloves if you have to leave the house.  Stay safe and strong.

Until next time…

I had a lot of good feedback last week to adding a little coping advice to my weekly blog.  I hope you are all managing ok with staying home and away from everything.  This Pandemic is here for the long run, I am afraid, and we all need to find a way to live with it.

This week, aside from Spring Suiting, I thought I would talk about some of the ways you can do your own beauty to cope with not having professionals around to help you.  I don’t know about you but not being able to have my gel nails filled in or my hair colored on a regular basis is quite uncomfortable for me.  I just ordered the supplies on Amazon to do my own gel nails.  I have had a french gel manicure on my nails for the past 20 years, I don’t think I can live without it.  Mind you I don’t think I am going to do french but even a pale pink or off white would work for the time being.  I will let you know next week if I am successful. This is how they are supposed to look and believe me they don’t look like that right now. So next week I will let you know how my nail adventure goes.

This week’s tip from me is how to dye your own eyebrows.  Right now there is no way you can get into a salon to get microbladed and likely not for the next few months, and eventually, even if you are careful you may run out of eyebrow pencil or gel (hopefully Sephora and Amazon have lots!). But one thing I learned from my make up artist, Luc Lacroix, is how to dye my own eyebrows.  First of all I use the same Eye Envy serum on my eyebrows that I use on my lashes , it’s available at Pure Studio in Vancouver and Hair Dynamix on Queen St. in Toronto if you want to get some just email me and I will see if I can get it for you. Or you can try newskinbeuty.ca It absolutely works!  I have really long eyelashes and thick eyebrows.  But my eyebrow color is fading as I age.  So between once a week and every 2 weeks I dye them.  What you need is eyebrow dye, there is tons online and make sure you pick a semi permanent color and not a permanent one and you need a little bit of color developer.  A lot of the dye kits on line don’t need a color developer but the one I use does.  And make sure you buy the right color. Always try a lighter color first.  Next you need an angle brushyou can find them at Sephora. Then you mix it all together, in a little cup, on a piece of tin foil, or I use the lid of my Blinc mascara, it’s the perfect size. Then you take a little color and gently follow your eyebrow line and delicately place the color on all the hair.  I use a Q-tip to keep taking the color off my skin if I get any on, it’s easier to get it off now than later.  Let it sit on for the time it says on the package.  Depending on how dark you want your brows it’s usually between 15-30 minutes.  And if you are using a lighter color then it doesn’t matter if you leave it on a bit longer.  I use a medium brown, because I am fair, so 30 min is perfect for me.  Eyebrows that are filled in and the right color for your skin tone help you look younger and fresh.  Give it a try if you feel like your eyebrows are fading and not looking great.

Spring Suiting this season is taking us in different direction than you expect.  The biggest new thing in suits is that the bottom is a bermuda short!!! This is what Max Mara is showing in suiting for Spring. And Aritzia has lots of different short silhouettes like the Wilfred Donna short (above) or the Wilfred Limerick short here in black.  Both would pair wonderfully with their classic blazers. They even have a longer short the Babaton Serif Short that will come slighly just below your knee cap.  Pair your short with one of Babaton’s great blazers like their Power Blazer which now comes up to a size 16!! And you are set for a great and stylish suit. Personally just because I am not in my 30’s anymore, I am going to be wearing my dressy bermuda shorts a bit longer for Spring.

The other thing you will want besides a great pair of Bermuda short is a new blazer shaped like a waistcoat. A waistcoat is nipped in a bit at the waist and looks that way even when it’s worn open like this Encore blazer from Babaton. Max Mara’s Wool Twill Blazer would fit the same way.

You want to wear a waistcoat style so when you wear it open you can layer underneath. Because the other big news in Spring suiting is Vests! Maz Mara is showing this Cotton crepe gilet vest and showing it layered . Notice that the pants aren’t too fitted? The pant needs to be a little fuller, like a straight leg or trouser to work with this look. Try a look like Babaton’s Agency pant. And wear your lose pant with the Agency Blazer to get a soft flowy look.

So suiting for Spring is going to be worn a few different ways.  Either with a waistcoat blazer, vest and straight pant or bermuda short or with your boxy blazer, trouser or bermuda short.  You can also wear the vest on it’s own with either pant or bermuda short.  The last piece that is new is the knee length pleated skirt. Like this Babaton Karl Wool Cahsmere skirt. Or try the Cady skirt from Max Mara.  But really and truly pants and bermuda shorts are what they are showing more than skirts for Spring suiting.

Right now it probably doesn’t matter what you wear on the bottom, most of you meetings are online,  but hopefully we will get to see people in person again at some point this spring and summer and if you have an office or meeting to go to, you will want to have the fashionable bottoms to match the tops.

Everything I talked about today can be bought online. The Eye Envy Serum may be a little harder to find, but if you email me I will see if I can get you some from Pure Studio in Vancouver. It’s nice to shop at retailers online right now.  They are certainly suffering with everything being closed.  And if you look online at Aritzia or Max Mara you can get lots of styling ideas for yourself as well.

As you know I am not doing in person fashion consulting or wardrobing for the forseeable future but I am always happy to answer any questions you have. So just email me at Suethefashionista@gamil.com.

I will let you know how my gel nail adventure goes next week.

Until next time…

Thanks everyone for your feedback last week.  If you want to keep reading about Fashion, I will keep posting about it.  In this new reality, I will also try and add something I am doing either with my fashion or make up or home life that has helped me deal with this ever changing world that has been thrust upon us.

I find that less and less are we needing some of the things we needed in February.  I really miss things like going for a blowdry, meeting friends for coffee and hockey games. But in our new world I have found I am much better company than I thought I was.  I have learned to blowdry my own hair, almost as well as some of the hairdressers I have gone to, of course not as well as my current hairdresser but he is hair god and no one will ever do hair as well as him. I have found a new way to do my make up, so less is more.  After all, when you aren’t going out, you still need to look good.

What I have done with my make up is switch from Foundation to a mixture of sunscreen and a wonderful cream from Colorscience called All Calm. It is a redness corrector and works great on my skin. I mix it with Skinceuticals sunscreenwhich has a bit of color to it as well.  The next step I use is an undereye concealer, also from Colorsciencebut if you have a favorite undereye concealer it will work as well.  Next step is a neutral color shadow all over my eye lid pick a light color that goes with your skin tone.  If you have a lot of redness on your eyelids then go with a more yellow tone. Next I fill in any gaps in my eyebrows with my Kevin Aucoin Precision eyebrow pencil.  Then I am a huge fan of eyeliner, I find it just opens up my whole face. I like the Blinc Eyeliner pencil, I prefer the Grey and Brown but there are lots of colors to choose from.  Then I use one more layer on my eyeliner.  I have always found pencil fades during the day, so I top my eyeliner off with a Stila Stay all day Liquid waterproof liner I love the 2 new colors internse laborite and smoky quartz.  And last on my eyes is mascara.  I either use one by Eye Envy or if I want something water proof I use Blinc . Or sometimes if I want my lashes really strong I put the Blinc on top of the Eye Envy.  Then I sweep a very light bronzer over my cheekbones. I prefer something with a pinky hue like this one from Guerlaine.  And then a little gloss on my lipsmy favorite is the Sugar Lip balms, they come in lots of soft colors.  And that’s it.

I know it seems like a lot of steps, but when you have Zoom meetings and Zoom workouts with your trainer you will be glad you don’t look like you just rolled out of bed. And it is really not very much make up to put on.  Sunscreen is still important because we are in front of blue light all day, our computers, tablets and phones all emit a light that can affect your skin. So you might as well protect it, so when this is all over it won’t look like you didn’t take care of yourself.  Everything I posted above can be bought online.  Project Skin’s online store in Vancouver carries Colorscience and Skinceuticals.  Everything except for Eye Envy you can online at Sephora. And Eye Envy, which I buy locally at Pure Studio, you can also buy on Amazon.  So there are no excuses, you can get everything you need with just a credit card and couple of clicks.

Now back to fashion.

One of the biggest Spring 2020 trends is Crochet.  If it’s a knit piece for spring it will be crochet. A lot of the crochet pieces will have a Boho feel, like this Serenity Cardigan from Anthropologie in Pink or Lemon Yellow.  Or you can add a little Crochet detail to your topwith the Calista Crochet top at Anthro.  Or try the Crochet flutter top from Loft.  Both will look great with casual bottoms.  But you could do a crochet bottom as wellAnthro is showing the Scotch and Soda Crochet wide leg pants.  Crochet can be in the details, in the body and everywhere.  If you don’t want to wear crochet perhaps you would prefer to carry it. Nordstrom.ca (yes they have a Canadian website now!) has the Loewe Crochet tote, which will look great with everything.

Sheer Layers work better as it will get warmer.  Think of chiffon and light fabrics like that. You can make your own sheer layers by using a sheer wrap or scarf, both available at Nordstrom.  Or if you love this trend you can dive right into sheer clothing. Nordstrom has this great chiffon print floral gown, great for Spring weddings. You could also jump into Anthro’s Victoire Sheer Ruffled Blouse. Or go all out with a sheer jumpsuit. The Chiffon jumpsuit is by Vince Camuto and it’s at Whitehouse Blackmarket online. I also found this image online of layered sheer skirts.  Last year they had them at the Latest Scoop in Toronto and Vancouver, they now have an online website! Check them out for unique pieces you can only buy from them!

Leathers are colorful and soft and buttery for spring.  Anyone who has ever owned a light weight leather knows exactly the feel I am talking about.  Forget your Moto heavy jacket. J. Crew has this wonderful Collection Aviator jacket in Butter that would make you shine for Spring. Banana Republic has a great faux leather top, it also comes in Taupe, so skip black in favor of the lighter color for spring. BR also has a great Vegan Suede dress, A great vegan suede jumpsuit and Vegan shell that comes in some great colors like Ruby Rose and Nutmeg.

So choose your leather carefully.  The feel needs to be light and soft.

Feathers are going to be an add on for Spring 2020.  I am not a huge fan of feathers so I may not bother with it, but if you like them, look for feather detail on things. A feather tank could be great underneath anything. Or wear a Feather on your pendant or even wear your feathers on your handbag.  Anthro has the 3 above looks. And J. Crew has these Sophia kitten heels with feather detail that will work with all your wide and skinny pants.

Out of this group of trends for Spring, Crochet is probably the most important.  We all can wear a crochet cardi or top with crochet detail.  Remember you don’t have to wear every trend every season, pick one or two that work for you.  You can buy everything I am showing online at the websites of the companies they are from.

I hope everyone is surviving and staying at home.  The more we adhere to the stay at home guidelines the quicker this pandemic will all be over.  If you live in the US my heart goes out to you because I know Covid 19 is way worse in the US than in Canada.  But not matter what you hear, stay inside, practice proper social distancing ( 2 meters or 6 feet away from everyone) and wash you hands!

Next week will look at Spring Suiting featuring our new go to bottom for Spring the Bermuda short.  Stay healthy everyone!!

Until next time…

We have covered 4 of the 6 trend categories for Spring 2020.  There are two more left to cover that will cover 90% of the trends.  I will do a seperate denim blog for Spring and a Spring Occasions blog.  For Mother’s Day this year we are so lucky to have Shoshana Lewis from Shok Designs doing a jewelry blog for us!! So lot’s to look forward to!

Spring Prints

Last week we looked at how colorful spring 2020 is.  This week we are going to look at all the wonderful prints that tie into those colors.  There are so many great ones, I am sure you will find at least one to call your own this spring.

Wallpaper Prints are huge for Spring 2020.  Wallpaper prints are those prints that remind you of 1960’s are deco wallpaper, remember the wallpaper or curtains in your mother’s kitchen? That is the kind of prints we are seeing from the runway to the realway. Bazaar Magazine is featuring this Christopher Kane mini dress.  Of course we aren’t going to wear a mini dress, but I wanted to show you the idea of the print.  Nordstrom has this Wallpaper print by LaDoubleJ and this is the type of dress you will see in Wallpaper prints, something quite colorful and a little loud that you can just pop on a pair of sandals and earrings and dash out the door. If you do a great flowing silhouette in a Wallpaper print it will flatter and be very chic for Spring 2020.

Jungle Prints for Spring 2020 are kind of replacing the animal prints.  You will still see some animal prints but it is way more au courrant to wear a jungle print instead. Ports had a real mixture of color and texture when featuring it’s jungle prints in a spring show.  All the spring shows had their own variations from super colorful Tropical prints to rattan prints that remind us of nature. One of my favorite jungle print images from the Spring shows is from Valentino It’s Tropical, it’s jungle and it’s really colorful!

Do the most colorful and tropical of all jungle prints.  Think of all the colors, flowers and plants you would find in a jungle, those are the kind of prints you will see for Spring 2020. A great dress or top in a virbrant jungle print, bonus points if the print has a green tinge to it, can take you anywhere this spring.  This is the Amber Tiered Tunic from Anthropologie available in Regular, Petite and Plus sizes.

Polka Dots are probably the biggest new trend in prints for Spring 2020.  They started a bit last spring but this spring they are really coming into their own. Polka dots are for everyone and in every color, not just black and white.  We saw them in almost every runway show for Spring. The Dries Van Noten Spring 2020 Ready to Wear show featured a fabulous dot trench coat. Balenciaga took things into the blue polka dot print at their spring show. Nordstrom has a tailored 1940’s inspired silk blouse by RE/Done that will make your black suit stand out for your work look. Or for a more casual look try something like the Priscilla Dot Blazer from Anthro.  Try and make your dots pop!  A lot of black and white dots out there for Spring, but try the unexpected and do your dots in a color!

The Folklore Print is kind of an off shoot of the floral print from last spring. Think of a 1970’s vibe to your folklore and you will be set.  Folklore encompasses florals and stripes and all the other kitschy prints you will see.

I am a huge Etro fan and they really embraced the Folklore prints at their spring show. Anthropologie is a great place to find lots of Folklore prints They have this great Alessandra Maxi Dress. And prints galore in all their tops.  If you love the Folklore inspired tops try one like this Letitia Smocked Blouse.

One other thing you will see more of is long striped knit maxi dresses.  They are a mini trend for Spring 2020. A dress like this color blocked midi dress is what we are starting to see in this trend. Or you could try a Japan Exclusive Boat neck t-shirt dress also from BR. Anthro has some as well, this is the Lisanne Sweater Maxi Dress in Petite, Regular and Plus.  They were strong last spring too, so if you already have a striped maxi stick with what you own, if not it may be something worth trying.

The last print mini trend I am going to touch on is Day to Night Sequins.  We saw more of this last year, but it is still prevalent if you want to wear it. You could just touch on it by wearing a sequin cami like this Bette Sequin Cami from Anthro. Or do something like a sequin sleeve detail on your print maxi dress, also from Anthro. Or play with Sequin detail in your maxi skirt, also from Antho.  It’s a small trend, if you like it wear it, if you don’t pick one of the other print trends to make your own.

New Things That We Should All Try!

The last trend category I am going to talk about is all of the things that are important but didn’t fit with any of the other categories above. Some are going to be slightly familiar with new twists and some are brand new.

Trenchcoats with embellishment.  Last year we saw the reemergence of the trench coat.  This year we are seeing the same coat just with a new twist. Simone Rocha’s trench for spring featured ruffles. Rokh’s trench featured leather panels. JW Andersen’s trench featured open sleeves.

We can take our own trench likeBR’s, which is the same one they had last spring and add our own twist.  Replace the belt for a more colorful one, add a colorful scarf or wrap when you wear it.  Or even go bold and change the buttons or sew a piece of fabric on one side.  You can change your trench to work for this year, but if you already have one don’t run out and buy a new one.  I will likely just change the belt or add a colorful scarf on my own trench from last year.

Long skirts or maxi’s are very strong again for Spring.  If you don’t have a straight maxi skirt with a slit in it, now may be the time to try it. Slits in maxi dresses and skirts were all over the runway for Spring 2020, this dress is from Blumarine. Think of the silhouette like this one from Corey Lynn Calter at Anthro.  Wear your straight maxis with a slit and your will be super chic!

We talked a lot about prints above but head to toe clean lines are just as important for Spring 2020.  If you look back at our suiting trend, you saw one color head to toe. If you want to look long and lean this is the trend to try. Think of a head to toe look like this one from Anthro.  It’s a Citizens of Humanity cream jean with their Collins Trench coat.  Add a cream shirt and you are set. Head to toe color works.  Beige is super strong when worn head to toe for spring.  Think of the Drab colors we talked about, they all look good head to toe, as does White. Jumpsuits are continuing strong for Spring 2020.  How about using that as your head to toe look, it’s almost a no brainer.  Try and new color like this Sandwashed Modal Cropped jumpsuit in Terra Cotta Pink from BR. And remember this season everything has a slouchy feel to it.  You can make your own head to toe look like this one from Anthro.  If you shop for your head to toe look at the same store you are pretty much guaranteed it will all match, so if you buy a beige or olive pant at BR, stick with a BR top, that way you can rock the head to toe look.

Even though we are going to have a visit from our Jewelry expert in May one big jewelry trend I want to mention is the Chunky Collar Necklace.  If you only buy one necklace for Spring, make it a Gold colored Chunky collar necklace. A necklace like this Tataborello Braided necklace from Anthro would be great.  The necklace needs to be large and sit right on your collarbone.  It’s great to peak out with the wide lapels and sits perfectly on top of a round neck top. Look around and buy what’s right for you, there will be lots out there.

Small purses or last year’s trend of micro purses are all going away.  This Spring bags and are Big!  Look at the bags in all the runway pictures above, they are all big.  So stash your tiny bags for another spring and pull out your big ones. A tote bag like this Perry Leather Tote from Tory Burch, especially in green (it comes in lots of other colors too), will be your go to for Spring 2020.  We will get into more detail about bags, necklaces and shoes in their own blog later in the season.

The last trend piece I am going to talk about for Spring 2020 is the tank top.  It is replacing the t-shirt as the key piece.  You can find tanks absolutely everywhere and at every price. Joe Fresh has their essential tank in a regular fit and a relaxed fit. The Essential tank comes in 5 fresh spring colors including green.  You can find tank tops everywhere, but whey shop anywhere else for tanks when they are only $10 each at Joe Fresh, for that price you can buy one in every color! Caslon from Norstrom has knit ones too, a little pricier than Joe Fresh.  But they come in lots of colors too.

One thing about tank tops is make sure they are thick enough and not see through even in white or beige.  Go to places like Joe Fresh, Norstrom Rack and Old Navy, you don’t need to spend a lot to jump on this trend.  Wear tanks with everything, under suits, with your bermuda shorts, with maxi skirts and of course with your denim.

So there you have it, now you are up to date on exactly what we will be wearing Spring 2020. Starting next week we will go into each blog category in depth. So next week we will revisit Haven’t I Seen That Before and go though it completely. So each of these categories will take up the next 6 weeks.  That will take us to the end of April.  Then we will see an accessories blog, a jewelry blog, a spring denim blog and a Spring Occasions blog before we take a break.  I will be off blogging for all of June and July and back again in August to wrap up summer and get us ready for Fall 2020. If you want a styling appointment I am working up until the beginning of May and then not again until August.  So book soon if you want to get in. Email me at Suethefashionista@gmail.com to book an appointment.  In the meantime you can email me any fashion questions you have!

Until next time…

I am taking a pause in posting about Spring 2020 Fashion to talk about what is going on in the world right how and what you can do to help.

Everyone I speak to right now can’t be too careful about contact and a lot of my friends are suddenly bringing their almost adult children home from university.   People are staying home, away from stores and restaurants.  But in this suddenly new normal there are things you can do to support your community so that you indeed have a community to go back to once this is all over.

1) Don’t stop exercising – Gyms are small businesses and every gym I know has stepped up their cleaning standards, cut down class size and is taking extra care to keep you safe.  Maybe skip hot yoga where everyone is sweating and go to a regular yoga or pilates class.  Work out with a personal trainer if you don’t want to do the class workout. But keeping up the exercise, even if you just go for a walk every day, boosts your immune system and right now everyone’s immunity needs a little boost!

2) Support your local businesses – Every community has a grocery store that is not a big box store.  Shop there, they probably need your business even more now.  Same with drug stores, shop local! Shoppers Drug Mart can probably handle you shopping at your local pharmacy for a month or so. And your local restaurants all probably will do take out if you ask them too.  Want to make sure you have a local place to go once we are over Covid-19, do your best to keep them in business.

Go get your hair colored! Every salon I know, who isn’t going on hiatus, has upped their cleaning standards and if they are a small local shop, they really need the business.  If you are uncomfortable your stylist is probably already wearing gloves and a mask just to be safe. Maybe even just go for a blow dry to support your favorite hairdresser. Dry Bar and Blow can handle a little less business but your homegrown salon can’t, use them instead.

3) Fashion doesn’t take a holiday – Even though you may not be going out for dinner, spring weather will still come and get warm.  Instead of shopping at Nordstrom or the Bay, shop at your local clothing stores, they all have spring orders coming in and will need to pay for them.  Show them some love. In Vancouver places like Coco on West 4th, Leslie Jane in West Van and Hill’s of Kerrisdale all depend on local business.   Why not shop there when you need a new pair of jeans or sweater?  If you want them to survive they will depend on you.

4) Take time to help others – If you haven’t been affected by Covid-19, now is the time to make an extra effort to be at your best.  Deliver food for the food bank, they likely have clientele who needs to stay home right now.  Share what you can. Don’t buy all the Kleenex in the store, leave a few boxes for the next person. Same with Toilet paper, if you need more than 20 rolls for 2 weeks at home, your problems are a lot bigger than Covid-19! Your nose may run with this virus, but your bum won’t.  If you aren’t working when you are home, help your friends who are by looking after their kids for an afternoon or making them a meal.  Pay it forward! Do something nice for someone and they are more likley to do something nice for someone else.

Well that’s pretty much all I wanted to say. Remember we are not solo, whether you are in Canada or the US, we have it pretty good.  We can weather this just like we weathered everything else.  I read something on twitter today: My grandfather was asked to leave to go fight a war in Europe, we are just asked to stay at home and minimize contact with others, everything in perspective.

Back to fashion blogging on Wednesday!

Last week we looked at two groups of trends for Spring 2020, this week we are going to preview another two and then next week we will preview the final two.  After that we will spend one blog going into each trend category in depth. This will take us into the middle of April.  So sit back and read away!!

3. The New Spring Suit

The suiting trend for spring encompasses a couple of other trends as well.  One of the biggest trends for Spring 2020 is the Bermuda Short (the is way better for us than the Hot pant, another trend).  You will see Bermuda shorts everywhere and put with everything.  But one of the best new ways to wear it is as part of a suit.  All the designers had bermuda short suits in their spring shows. Here is how Tom Ford showed it.  Highlighter colors are huge (we will talk about colors later) and this is a great way to wear the new spring suit. Here is Givenchy’s version.  Remember Green not purple for Spring. And your suit doesn’t have to be a solid color, MSGM has a spring colored plaid suit.  And you don’t have to wear the Bermuda as part of a suit, it’s a fantastic piece with everything.  Babaton from Aritzia has the Serif Short which may be all your wardrobe needs to embrace this trend. Any classic longer short works here. A simple pair of gabardine short from the Frankie Shop would pair with tons in your closet. Either long and full like these from Lafayette 148 or long and slimmerlike these from Partow, the bermuda short is what you will want to wear.  I personally love this look.  The way you wear it is knee length or slightly below, so sort of like a shorter culotte. And I love the look with a blazer and matching shoes!  You will see it everywhere for Spring.

Another huge trend for Spring 2020 is the vest.  A button front vest will be another must have for Spring 2020.  The 3 piece suit with this vest is the other big way we are seeing suiting for spring.  But don’t be fooled, vests are important on their own too. Here is what Etro showed for Spring 2020. The button up vest worn with flowy pants (we will get to pants later) and a waistcoat jacket. Or take a look at Max Mara’s version of Spring suiting, the button up vest paired with Bermuda shorts. But whether you wear your suit with pants or shorts, 3 piece is what is important

The beauty of the vest is that you can take it away from the suit and wear it with seperates too. Here is how Gucci is putting the vest look together for Spring. Look for button up vests in the coming month in stores and online.  Buy it in a spring color and wear it with everything!

Now if you aren’t a shorts person, even though the soft bermuda short from this spring will work on everybody, the newest skirt to wear in suiting is the knee length pleated skirt. They aren’t as easy to find as the soft bermuda short but they will be out there. Ann Taylor or Aritzia both have them and you can pair them with your vest and blazer too.

Waistcoat blazers

The newest trend in blazers and you can see it above, is the waistcoat blazer. A waistcoat blazer is one that accentuates your waistline.  Like this one from Veronica Beard.  And it doesn’t have to be doubled breasted, although this works great with spring’s drapey pant.  It can be single breasted as well like this one from Rag and Bone. Or this one button blazer from Ann Taylor.  Even Babaton from Aritzia has a great waistcoat shape in their Encore Blazer.  Choose any style, any color, with double or single breasted that looks good on your body, then pair it with a vest or with bermuda shorts or drapey pants and you are all set.

Let’s just talk about the new drapey pant for spring suiting before we leave this section. Try a pair that fits more like a trouser, Babaton has the Agency pant for Spring that will work with all their jackets. Ann Taylor has Button trim wide leg pants that work too. Here is an image from Burberry, remember the pant needs to be soft and flowy and have the same soft flowy feel the bermuda short does with the suit.

I can’t stress enough how important the bermuda short and vest are on their own as well as in the suiting. I am one of those women who hardly ever wear suits, but I will be wearing bermuda shorts, vests, and even the soft pant, all as seperates and you can too if you are not a suit wearing woman.

Spring Colors

About the only color that you won’t be seeing for Spring 2020 is purple. Been there done that. Green is going to replace purple as the new “it” color.  And every shade of green too.

There are 3 categories Spring Colors can fall into: Highlighter brights, Soft Pastels and earth tones and Drab colors of Olives and Beiges.

The Highlighter colors are as bright and vivid as possible. And I mean bright!
Marni is all over vivid pinks and blues. Even Marni jackets have a bright edge to them. Balenciaga has vivid green!  Pay attention to how much green you will see in each of these color palettes we are going to talk about.  Spring brights are going to be fun to wear, pick the right bright for you.Even Aritzia has a smatterning of brights like this bright Fushcia Babaton Bow blouse (and it has the sheer trend in it too).

Pastels are a little different for Spring 2020.  They kind of are Pastels with Pep!

We saw some of this color trend in leather for spring.  Great colors but almost a softer edge to them unless they were brights. Ann Taylor’s Spring green is in the middle of bright and pastel. Wilfred from Aritzia has this beautiful Bria blouse that comes in wonderful soft and drab colors, notice the lace detailing at the hem. Even this Michael Kors Belted waist dress at Nordstrom walks a line on the edge of pastels and something a bit stronger.  I love the brighter pastel especially in Oranges, Reds and Greens.  They are colors that everyone can wear.

The Drap colors

Drabs for Spring 2020 include all the beige family, the olive greens and even some of the earthy rusts and other tones.

When we looked at Spring suiting above we saw a lot of beige tones. Chloe resort collection included this olive colored jumpsuit. Here is a look from Tod’s Spring show. And looks like this dominated Givenchy spring show.  So if you love the earthy beighes and olives or rusts go ahead and wear them. That great Bria Blouse from Wilfred seen above in blue also comes in a drb color (truffle) for you!

Now the last color category I want to talk about is Black and White.  White is huge for Spring 2020.  Black is not as big, but it will always be a wardrobe staple.  Black and white mixed together are strong too. And if you are only going to buy one pair of bermuda shorts for spring, this is what Bazaar magazine recommends; these are by Self Portrait.  Bazaar recommends keeping your bermuda shorts dark for work and paired with button down shirts and I agree.

We talked about sleeve detail being important so if you are going to do something in black or white make it have detail Ann Taylor’s embroidered Ruffle sleeve Tee is a great way to do that. Even if you do a simple white shirt like this one from Cloth and Stone at Anthropologie, make sure it has detail, like the drawstring hem. Or how about Antho’s puff sleeve blouse which comes in both black and white.

Don’t be afraid to wear any of these colors head to toe.  White looks fantastic head to toe for spring as does any pastel color.  A head to toe color will only make you look longer and leaner.

I know each category seems quite large to digest.  But I promise I will go into way more detail when I talk about each one of them in their own blog. Thank you so much for continuing to read week after week.  We will finish our spring preview next week so stay tuned!

Until next time!!!

Party season is upon us and if your schedule is as hectic as mine has become never fear, this guide will help you put the right outfit together for the occasion you are about to attend!

This holiday season things are ramping up with shine, lace and velvet to be the most glamourous ever.  Let’s look at different occasions and put some outfits together that you can wear to them.

The Office Party

Decorum should never be thrown out the window at your office’s holiday party or at your spouse’s.  This is not the time to bear all the skin you can, keep yourself fairly classic. A beautiful understated Scalloped Lace Yoke Shift Dress from Ann Taylor can take you to any office holiday party.  Black is always the right color to wear, it is instantly more elegant and put it with a black heel and sparkly accessories and you are ready to go.

If your office party isn’t that dressy but you still need to look fairly chic try something like these fabulous High-rise Pull-on Peyton Wide-Leg Lace pants from J. Crew, they also come in Red and Jade lace if you want something different.  But Black lace pants are something you can pull out almost all year long.  I have a pair from a few years ago and I still wear them all the time, lace is timeless like that.  Pair a black top with it to be tone on tone which is totally chic right now or try this adorable Ruffle neck top in 365 Crepe also from J. Crew.  Fabulous with the lace pants or with any black pants you already own.

And if your office is a really creative one, then go all out. Try a look like this one. All from J. Crew, it’s the Collection Bow back top in metallic leaf jacquard with the matching Collection high-rise cigarette pant in metallic leaf jacquard. Shine is where it’s at this holiday season and in an outfit like this you will be poistively glowing!

The Holiday Ball

In Vancouver we have a Christmas time tradition called the Family Ball and it is a very formal occasion, there are other formal parties this time of year as well.  And sometimes even New Year’s eve is a formal occasion.

Traditionally this meant long dresses for women, but 2019 is a lot different and there are things you can wear formally now that you may not have been able to wear before.

How about trying a great Halter Wide-Leg Jumpsuit from Banana Republic?It comes in Ultra Red (shown) or Black and both would be as formal as a long dress.  Or check out Anthropologie for Jumpsuits, they have lots. Try a jumpsuit like this Viva Pleated one, it will sway just like a long dress would. Or pull out all the stops in a Sequined Jumpsuit that will turn every head.

There are lots of dresses that can also be formal without being maxi.  Try one of the great midi length dresses instead. This is the Presely Dress from BHLDN which is another store Anthro owns.  BHLDN has great formal dresses for a reasonable price, this Alexa Dress and Emile dress would look fabulous on a woman for a formal occasion and not cost over $300 each. So you don’t have to spend a million to look like it!

The House Party

Whether it’s a New Year’s eve, a tree trimming or a Chanukkah party there are always a lot of house parties going on. And for a house party there are no rules, you can dress up your denim or dress down you formal wear.  Most people wear something festive but still comfortable.  So how do you look your chic while still staying festive and comfortable?

Try a pair of velvet pants. J. Crew has the same Peyton pull-on pants in Velvet that they have above in Lace. They come in 4 colors including black and you could wear these pants everywhere.  To a party and even to work! Keep the top casual, like the denim shirt above.  Or reverse it, wear a dressier blouse and more casual pants . Here Anthro is showing the Sydney Lace Blouse with AGOLDE Parker high-rise Straight cropped jeans.  Both looks are dramatic and comfortable. Ann Taylor has a sequin sweater skirt that would also work instead of pants and then wear it with a white blouse as shown or do the tone on tone trend with a Soft Satin Puff Sleeve top from Banana Republic that ties at the waist.

Other fun pieces that I love that you can pair with denim on the bottom are a beautiful mock neck floral lace top from J. Crew, which comes in 5 lace colors. This Metallic Smocked Sleeve Blouse from BR that would work with any color denim on the bottom or do a Velvet Mock neck top in 3 colors including black that you could wear everywhere also from BR.  Or go all out with shine this Marie Sequin Blouse from Anthro comes in 4 colors and will work to elevate any bottom you put with it.

On the bottom try, Drapey waist cargo pants from J. Crew in 3 colors or Tartan pants that are super cute also from J. Crew.  You could also do a different velvet bottom from BR, try the Sloan skinny fit Velvet pants in 3 colors including black and dark teal (shown).You could also have some fun with BR’s Sloan skinny fit pant in metallic leopard that would certainly put you as the life of the party. And if you love skirts try a skirt like this Riley Leopard midi skirt from Anthro which will be a bit of both the leopard world and has soft chiffon layers at the sides.

Holiday parties require a lot of standing, so always remember to wear heels you can stand in. Decorated slides like Embellished slides from Anthro are perfect with cropped pants and longer skirts. Or if you need to wear a heel, try something with a block heel that isn’t too high but still looks fancy like these Olivia Bow Heels from Anthro.  And a great pair of Booties like these Ruffled Kitten heel ankle booties look good with dresses, pants and skirts.

Check out the different stores we talked about online, everyone of them has a party shop that can give you great outfit ideas for all your occasions.

I want to let you all know about something happening in Vancouver this week.  Our Jewelry expert Shoshana Lewis and some of her collegues are having a fabulous pop up shop that is not to be missed! It’s November 27 10 am to 9pm and Nov 28 10 am to 6pm at 4386 Main St. in Vancouver.   Check this pop up shop for great jewelry, clothing and even art.  It is not to be missed! 

There is only 2 more weeks of blogs left until we break for the holidays.  Next week our Jewelry expert Shoshana Lewis will give us tips and trends on glittery holiday gems and then the last blog will be a holiday gift guide of my favorite things.

I have no more styling appointments left until the new year.  I will start working again on January 15 so book early if you want a January or February appointment.  Email me at Suethefashionista@gmail.com to book an appointment.

until next time…

I could make an entire wardrobe out of neutrals. When you are planning a travel wardrobe what do you stick to: neutrals.  What is a typical French woman’s wardrobe based on: neutrals. And the best thing about neutrals is that absolutely every woman, no matter what age or what size, looks fabulous in neutrals.

What are the New Neutrals of spring 2019? Well they are more than Khaki, Beige and Black, although they do contain that.  This season add Red, Navy, Pink and even Yellow.  Neutrals is every color for Spring 2019 that can be worn head to toe or mixed with the classic neutrals of Black, Khaki, Beige and Denim.  This really opens up a lot of possibilities if you like to stick to a fairly conservative wardrobe.  And if you are like me and prefer solid color clothing to prints, then this trend is one you can wear for the entire season.  And if you get brave you can take a print from one of the other trends and add it back in too.  That is the beauty of the New Neutrals!

One of the key features of the New Neutrals is how you put your outfit together. One of the best places to buy a neutral wardrobe is Banana Republic or Aritzia, both have so many solids in so many color options.

The key to a great neutral wardrobe is what your final top piece is, both BR and Aritzia have great options.  One of the key pieces for spring is a classic trench coat. Why not try one is a little bit of an unexpected color? These two coats are from BR. If we follow our New Neutral guide both of these colors look great head to toe, and work perfectly with Black, Khaki, Beige and Denim.  As the weather gets warmer they both look great with White too. Aritzia has softer trenches that can be worn inside as well as outside like Wilfred Pelat Trench that comes in Moroccan Spice and Soft Birch. Or go for an even softer trench look in Vancouver’s Spring Uniform coat, Babaton’s Lawson Trench coat, it’s available in 6 colors and you can wear it everywhere.

The last outerwear/indoor wear piece I want to talk about in a Neutral wardrobe is the denim jacket.  A great classic denim jacket can take you everywhere. Anthropolgie has Levi’s Ex-Boyfriend Denim Trucker Jacket, which is about as classic as you can get and I wear my denim jacket (mine is from BR) all the time.  If you already have a classic denim jacket perhaps this is the year you buy a white denim jacket, they are everywhere and will work with a neutral wardrobe as well.

Another great piece in a good neutral wardrobe is a great neutral jumpsuit you can wear anywhere.  Stick to jumpsuits that are a solid color and fit you like they were made just for you. BR has some great jumpsuits, this season wide legs are making a strong statement, especially cropped wide legs (in the right proportion everyone can wear them), so why not try BR’s Sandwash Modal Cropped Wide-Leg Jumpsuit.  It comes in 3 neutral colors and is easy care and easy wear. Or try an Anthro jumpsuit in a new neutral color of Red. Red, in the Cathy Structured Jumpsuit,  is one of my favorite new colors for spring and the key to jumpsuits for women over 40 is to make sure you can wear a bra with it. So both of these work perfectly.  One other Anthro jumpsuit I want to show is the Colleen Stitched Jumpsuit.  It’s classic enough to wear everywhere and it has a great ponte fabric that keeps its shape!

Pants and skirts in this trend are color based and trend based, so in other words it is the styles that are in fashion this Spring but done in New Neutral coloring.

One of the key pieces for new spring pants is the wide leg pant, cropped or long. Aritzia has you covered with Wilfred’s Faun Pantit comes in 7 great Neutral colors including Tuscan Sun. Or try a full length pant from Aritzia this is the Wilfred Cezanne Pant and it comes in 3 soft neutral colors.  For spring pants keep your waist a little higher, that goes for your denim too.  And if you are short-waisted like me, you can wear a high waist pant just with no belt detail, keep the waist elastic or simple.

The other new style is the tapered leg (hello 1990’s), this is the great new classic pant style and it looks great with a long jacket to the office.  Aritzia has the perfect one, Babaton’s Conen Pant Terado is a style we all know and love, and for Spring it comes in 12 mix and match neutral shades.

Dresses in this trend follow the same rules as jumpsuits, KISS, keep it simple sweetie.  Shift or Column dresses work great and so do belted shirt style dresses.  Think of your classic dress styles and use details like self belts and horned buttons. J. Crew has the perfect  Tie-Waist Shirtdress in Cotton poplin.  This dress is fab for work or play and will go with anything. If you want a casual dress think Utility, the Oona Utility dress at Anthro is perfect for warm days and vacations too. It also comes in a heathered black if you prefer that.

BR is the king of the Column dress in lots of different fabrics and colors, if you want column this is where you find it.  Or stick to a Sheath dress but one that fits this trend perfectly. This Double-breasted sleeveless Sheath dress from J. Crew comes in 4 great neutral colors and has both the horned button detail and a tie waist.

So we have talked a lot about the pieces that make up the New Neutral trend but how are we going to put it all together? Try a maxi skirt with a tank and tie waist jacket with a block heel for work and for casual switch out the tie waist jacket for denim and add flats. One of my favorite ways to wear the New Neutrals is head to toe, the new red is perfect for every business meeting you have.  Keep the accessories simple and then you can pull the suit apart and mix with other neutrals for a change. The above combination outfits are from Nordstrom.com.

Here is the way the Conan Pant Terado from Aritzia can be work to work. This look follows the keep it simple rule and you will look fabulous.  Wear it with pumps for a more serious look.  As I said above a classic trench style coat can work a lot of ways, how about dressy?Here is the Babaton Lawson trench doing double duty and being an evening coat over a dress. Or try some of the ways Instyle Magazine is showing Runway Cargo Chic, just tone it down a bit.  So easy to wear beige of khaki head to toe, try your wrap jacket or trench with a softer print pant and wear your high-waisted neutral pant with a crisp white shirt.

I could go on and on about Neutrals, they really are the base of my personal wardrobe and work so well for everyone.  Check out all the neutrals in new styles online and then hit the stores and add a couple of pieces.

Need help decoding the new spring fashions? Keep reading my blogs for more info or email me at SuetheFashionista@gmail.com with your questions. I don’t have anymore spring appointment openings until maybe June and then again not until fall, so if you need an appointment please use the above email and get a hold of me right away.

Next week we will look at the Sweet and Girlie trend for Spring, I absolutely adore the accessories in that trend so stay tuned!

Until next time…

Let’s face it, no matter what any groundhog or rodent says we are likely to have winter weather until at least the end of February.  And even thought the stores are being flooded with Spring attire, it’s really not an option to wear it unless you live in the South. So for the rest of us, we have to figure out how we are going to muddle through the next month or so in our winter clothes without feeling like they are stale.

My motto is when in doubt wear black.  Black is a color that pairs with everything, denim on the weekends to neutrals for the work week and even out for the evening.  But as you get older you need to either change how you wear black or change how you wear your make up with black, especially if you want to wear black head to toe.

Black combinations in your 40’s:

In your 40’s it’s time to add a bit of sophistication to your wardrobe.  My best advice is to keep your black Casual and Refined.  Maybe now is the time to get out of your puffy coat and into a more refined style.Aritzia’s Babaton Steadman Coat is less than $300 and you will look elegant whenever you put it on.  You can wear this coat to the office with a suit, out for dinner with a dress and even on the weekend with your favorite jeans.This picture is from an email I got from Shoptiques.com, one of the best sites for inspiration on putting outfits together.  Jen is really looking so refined and classy the way she has put her black coat, scarf and boots together with denim.  Take a hint from her and maybe try to add a heel to your everyday boot. You don’t have to do as high a heel as Jen, but you do want some heel.  Banana Republic’s Cowboy Ankle Boot has a 2 inch heel and is only $110 on-line right now!  Want a knee-high boot to wear with denim Nordstrom has tons of their boots on sale right now, online is better than in store, less picked over.  This boot is from Sam Edelman and would look fantastic with skinny jeans tucked in. And the heel is a block 2 inch heel so you can walk all day!

Right now you will find lots of black layering pieces everywhere.  Wear black sweaters and vests to add a bit more warmth to your coat.  Banana Republic is one of my go to’s for sweaters.  I live in my washable merino wool Br Sweatersand remember BR always has a sale on.

Wearing Black in your 50’s:

I am in my 50’s and I wear a lot of black.  I particularly love days when I get to wear black head to toe.  A great streamlined jacket, black knit pants and a black soft blouse, paired with boots or loafers is a great look! A my favorite possession of mine is my Hugo Boss Stretch Wool Suit Jacket.  Yes it was pricey, but I bought it 3 years ago and it still looks brand new!It’s ok to invest in a piece like this because by the time you are in your 50’s you are likely not to jump on every trend, every season, and a great tailored jacket looks great with everything.

For pants I usually go back to Banana Republic, you can’t beat the price for the quality. These Logan Trouser-Fit Lightweight Wool pant is perfect to wear with your head to toe black look, or wear it more casually like shown in the above picture.

For your black blouse, choose a blouse from a company that fits you well.  I have been wearing Ann Taylor blouses for the last year.  Not super expensive and I find the fit is great. The Ann Taylor Essential shirt comes in lots of colors and it’s polyester so no wrinkling.

You can pair your low heeled boot with this look or try a lighter shoe going forward ( yes, in Canada we carry our shoes and wear our boots everywhere).  Why not try a pair of block heel slingbacks with a closed toe These are from Vanelli and at Nordstrom.com.  Slingback will take you right into spring and beyond, it’s a nice change from pumps.

When you put it all together you can rock the look our friend Julia Roberts is wearing. It’s a great refined and elegant look while still having a bit of edge to your outfit!

Wearing Black in your 60’s:

In your 60’s chances are your skin is a bit lighter, as you should be shunning the sun and maybe you are even transitioning to a bit of grey in your hair.  Wearing black can be for you too, just punctuate it with Gold, Metallics or even pearls. You can still rock your black coat just maybe wear a metallic scarf with it. Try one of Nordstrom’s shimmer wraps worn as a scarfthis is the dusty pink color and it also comes in a gold tone . Both of these shimmery colors will give your face the glow it needs while wearing an all black outfit.

You can also add a great necklace to break up your head to toe black.  Over a black dress try adding a necklace in a gold or metallic that will help you shine. This Something Navy 2 in 1 disc necklace works over crew neck dresses and high collars like turtlenecks too.  Do you love pearls?? Make your pearls the star of the show!This Chan Luu mixed Stone Dagger Pendant necklace will garner everyone’s attention with your head to toe black outfit.

Stick to refined styling, and simples lines like clean black pants and it doesn’t get any cleaner lines than BR’s Avery Washable wool pants.  Stick to a beautiful blouse like Ann Taylor’s Flare Sleeve top and top it all with a coat that makes you smile every time you put it on. I love Artizia’s Wilfred Cocoon coat, on sale right now and will look great for years.  Pair you metallic scarf with it and off you go!

Meryl Streep’s amazing head to toe black with a metallic scarf can be everyone’s inspiration!

Wearing Black in your 70’s, 80’s and Beyond:

If 50 is the new 30 then 70 must be the new 50.  Women are aging better than in any other time in history and that means that they look great at any age and can keep being fashionable throughout their lives.  My grandmother reverted to pull on pants and loose blouses and flat shoes by the time she was 60, no way that happens today.  So many of my friends mothers look better and better the older they get.  Of course it has a lot to do with body maintenance.  They go to the gym, get their hair colored and in general have a great time.  You can’t tell if they are 55 or 75.  So for these women they deserve to have the best.

To wear black over 70 you can luxuriate in ladylike details or up the contrast by adding stand out colors and graphic prints. Spend your money and your time in luxurious dresses like this one from Lafayette 148 New Yorkthis is their Emory Finesse Crepe dress and you can wear this everywhere! Invest in a stunning pair of Theory Straight leg stretch trousers.They will look as good as they feel.

Save the detail for your tops and accessories then pair it with an elegant back coat. This Veronica Beard stretch Silk Top will give you just the pop of color you need while having the high neck so you don’t need a scarf.And if you prefer solids, this See By Chloe Ruffled neck blouse would be perfect with black. And you are never too old for sophisticated animal print!  This great Dolce and Gabbana Leopard print top will look great with black and you can even wear it back to your denim! And why not invest in a coat with some detail on the black? This fabulous Burbury Horberie Quilted Trench will love you right back, day or evening.

I am in love with this beautiful coat, bag and boots on Helen Mirren.  Don’t be afraid to treat yourselves!

And absolutely no one rocks 80 better than Jane Fonda.

Like I said at the beginning my inspiration for this blog comes from a Website called Shoptiques.  They feature one of a kind boutiques all over the world online. Check it out a find your inspiration to rock whatever age you are at!

There will be a Valentine’s blog next week and then no blog on Feb 20.  The last week of Feb we will talk about what to keep and what to sell or toss for spring and in March we will go right into spring.  I am travelling a bit more than I used to so I will try to get everything in before I leave again in May.

Oh and by the way, my blogs haven’t been sharing on Facebook and Twitter, I am trying to correct that but Facebook is a bit of a pain.  If anyone asks why they can’t find it please direct them to my website Suethefashionista.com.

Until next time…