fashion

Natalie Imbruglia and a number of other stars have come out to support Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, a new campaign from the UK’s leading breast cancer charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The campaign shows Natalie, along with Twiggy, Anna Friel, and Alan Carr wearing the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer tees, with a message saying, “Whatever your reason, wear one.”

Each of the celebs shared their reasons, with some being as straightforward as, “Mum,” while others, were a bit cheekier in their answers, like Natalie, who said she wore the shirt because, “I have a thing for pastel colours.”

The singer got serious, though, saying, “As a woman, I feel it is important to support this wonderful campaign. I was shocked when I saw the latest figures — 1 in 9 women are diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime… The Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign makes so much sense. All you have to do, like me, is buy a t-shirt and wear it with pride.”

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has already raise £8.5 million to support breast cancer research as well as provide education and assistance, and you can help that number grow. Whatever your reason, you can buy one here and be proud that your newest purchase is making a difference.

Photo courtesy of targetbreastcancer.org

When I was in college I worked part-time at Nordstrom as a salesperson. It was a great job. Nordstrom’s sales team is on commission and it is possible to make quite a bit of money, especially for a college student. Every pay-period Nordstrom would list department sales by salesperson and their sales per hour. Clearly the more clothes you sold, the more money you would make. While I only worked three days a week I consistently placed as one of the top sales producers in my department. I attribute this to one, very simple thing; I refused to say that something looked good on one of my customers, if it didn’t. Over the years it was my regulars who drove up my sales numbers, not my salesmanship.

EveryBODY has assets and everyBODY can look good. It doesn’t matter if you are big or little, short or tall, you can look good and feel good.

TWO TIPS:

1. Wear the right size (not too tight).
2. Dress for your body shape.

There you have it!

I found a really great little tool on iVillage for body shapes.  Click here, to see what they say about your shape.

Just for fun, check out how body shapes and weights have changed over the years, click here.

Happiness is feeling good with the body you have right now . . .

Once upon a time, people used to arrange their days around meals, which were less about eating than they were about being social. I find that in my day, I still look forward to similar social rituals: morning coffee (which I drink alone), afternoon tea (shared with my children), and an evening cocktail (with my husband). And while I don’t usually change out of my Mom Uniform for any of these little moments of civility, I like the idea that there are actual clothes — the cocktail dress, for example — designed around these rituals.

However, I draw the line at merging the Mom Uniform and the Cocktail Dress, particularly since the merger has lead to (I shudder to type it) Cocktail Shorts.

Yes, really.

Cocktail shorts offend every fiber of my being. Shorts are not cocktail attire; shorts are what you wear to a barbecue, for example, or to any event that will involve being outdoors or tossing a football or chasing small children. Cocktails call for grown-up clothes, pieces that do not permit running or climbing. To attempt to recreate shorts as cocktail attire is an insult to the Little Black Dress and all it stands for.

Cocktail shorts are also an insult to shorts, which are, after all, the perfect casual wear. It really IS possible to dress your shorts up by pairing them with a lovely blouse and some pretty shoes, but shorts are still casual wear, and casual wear — pieces that are specifically for lounging on weekends — is an important part of any wardrobe. To merge the two, to say that making shorts out of silk or satin and pairing them with stiletto heels makes them suddenly dressy, takes all the fun out of wearing shorts.

The whole idea of cocktail shorts as a viable trend is enough to make me start dressing for dinner.  Honestly.

Photo courtesy of Instyle.com.

What’s new and fashionable on the Internet this week? Well …

StyleBakery introduces us to the Winkee — for cleavage coverage without a tank or cami. I can see how this would be useful, but I’m not sure I could actually wear it.

Manolo the Shoeblogger takes issue with Project Runway’s use of “iconic.”

But, whatever. The Manolo quibbles, as the obvious intention was to produce the piece that could be creditably sold by the Levis Company, something much more achievable than “iconic”.

No one recaps Project Runway like the Manolo — if you’re not already reading him, start today.

Carly Cais, at FashionTribes, dishes about celebrity style on a real person budget. On her must-have list: red dress with black belt, footless tights, thigh-high boots, and animal print ballet flats, all at prices you can totally afford.

Finally, the girls at Omiru: Style for All answer the age-old question “What do I wear on a date?” Useful whether you are 22 and single or 40 and married, really.

Banana Republic Monogram silk geo-print kimono-style dress, $148.00.