TongueInChicDesign

Great Summer Outfits...

2010-06-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

Glamour Magazine and Yahoo are presenting 20 'cute summer work outfits.' This is a great idea, and about half of the outfits really are good for summer in the office. HOWEVER, the problem lies in the other half...

Only wear short skirts, low cut tops, snug or sexy outfits if you don't actually want either a promotion, or to be taken seriously. Many studies show that women whose work clothes say "sexy" more than they say "consumate professional" are less likely to be promoted or to earn as much as their more sedately dressed counterparts.
Rumpled clothes, or a top and skirt that are too casual, or don't really go together, are fine for a day out with the kids, but not good choices for the office. One of the most important things to consider is the fit of your clothes. Most people cannot just walk into a store, even a high-end one, and wear something straight off the rack with no alterations. Worse, while men expect to have their suits altered, this concept is not a part of women's shopping expectations. Add to that the fact that the vast majority of women do not even know what constitutes a proper fit..... Lots of bad looks that could have been gorgeous, if only the garments had fit!
Consider colors carefully. Remember that whole thing some years ago about 'finding your season' and wearing those colors. While the concept may be a trifle déclassé these days, it is still pretty good advice. Not every color works for every person. Bland neutrals tend to wash most people out, and downplays your good features. Look for colors that really enhance your looks. Solid black is too harsh, aging, and funereal for most people. (frum women, take note! and remember you have a halachic obligation to look attractive to your spouse, and not to cause a chilul Hashem because everyone is commenting on how frumpy you look!)

I have seen a lot of fashion Don'ts already this summer, and some very bland things, but very little that is fabulous or even worthy of comment. Boost your look, and let the compliments flow.
If you need some advice putting together cute outfits that actually work for YOU, please ask about our wardrobe consultation services. Or just come by for an explanation of what works and what doesn't from the Glamour magazine picks.

Still hot at 40....

2010-04-20T19:15:00.001-07:00

For all women who worry or even just wonder about the common idea that women get less attractive as they get older, and men are attracted to the hotter, younger, girls....

Overheard in the supermarket line, 2 guys in their late 20s, frat boy types, discussing Jennifer Anniston..

"Man, she must have a great publicist, she's always on the cover of, like, every magazine." I know, every week!" "But it's ok, 'cause she's so hot!" "She's a total fox. But she's like, old, by now, she must be what, 40?" "Yeah, but you know, I think she's way hotter now than she was when she was first on that show, what was it, Seinfield?" "Friends. Yeah, she's way more of a babe now. Plus you can tell she really knows herself and what she wants, she's got more confidence." "Yeah, chicks like that are so hot."

The vocabulary may be a trifle redundant, but at least the conversation was surprisingly deep, for guys we always assume to be so shallow.

So while you may be 'old' by 40, at least you're still hot as long as you have self-confidence and poise!

Career/Office Attire

2010-04-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

I recently spoke at a job-training seminar about appropriate clothing to wear in the workplace. To summarize for those of you not lucky enough to attend :> (Tips apply for people working in offices or going on interviews anywhere.) ....

Men are easy - good quality, well-fitting dark suits (black, navy, or grey, or tiny pin-striped versions of those colors), crisp, clean, pressed shirts (white or colors) with all buttons present, matching, and fastened, and a silk tie in complementary colors. If you aren't sure what well-fitting means, ask a tailor or... a sales clerk in a posh men's store (even if that isn't where you bought your suit).
Silk ties are a must. Polyester or rayon is NOT a substitute!
Remember, it is worth investing in a good-quality dark suit an tie. Sure it's more expensive than the cheap stuff, but it looks better, lasts longer, and can be worn on interviews, at work, to weddings or funerals, on dates, and really for just about anything. So save up if you have to, but invest in that good suit. With some careful selection, you can pick a suit that will be relatively impervious to fashion trends and will look good year after year.

Next up, women's wear!

Stop the Body Talk!

2010-04-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

As I wrote recently, worrying about your figure may be something we are socially conditioned to do, but a terrible trap to fall in to. The important thing is being HEALTHY, not being "thin". Here is another article that agrees, but gives you some easy ways to start getting there. What are you going to do to change the toxic environment of self-hating and start loving your healthy body?
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/makeover/enough-with-the-body-hatred-1239818/;_ylt=Ah63t7GPD7EMgeh1TaGG7gtrbqU5

Don't look at others - models, celebrities, etc, because admiring how great they look is just begging your subconscious to compare them to you and find fault with you. Remember that models and others whose bodies are held up as "the ideal" have 3 things you don't: 1) Time - Maintaining that look is a full-time job for them. You have other things to do with your life and time - a different job, hobbies, a family. 2) Genetics - Only 2-5% of American women have the genetics that would allow for that kind of figure. 3) An unhealthy body and/or image. The entertainment industry is NOTORIOUS for tearing women's self-esteem down constantly. Every aspiring model is taught that the most important trait to have to succeed is a thick skin. They aren't allowed to eat, they must maintain a very unhealthy body fat percentage which can make them infertile and susceptible to a wide variety of diseases. People with such low body fat percentages also tend to die younger, and have a large amount of physical breakdown (joint and spine deterioration especially).

Talk to your doctor to find out what a healthy body fat percentage is for you, what YOUR ideal should look like - not some ridiculously unachievable goal that magazine covers urge you to covet.

Dress to feel fabulous. If you go around in sweats all the time, it says you've given up, you hate your body, and you don't care who knows it. No matter what your size, shape, and weight, you can dress well and look gorgeous. Come in for a complementary consultation and let's find the most beautiful you.

Why women worry about their looks - and what they SHOULD worry about:

2010-03-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

Women are socially conditioned from childhood to be concerned with their physical appearance. In addition to the much-publicized effects of being surrounded by relatively uniform, and very unrealistic, images of "beauty" in magazine, ads, movies, etc, women get praised or criticized by others for our looks. Comments like "You look so hot!" "Wow, your hair is gorgeous!" "You're looking so slim, have you lost weight?" feed into this as much as "Have you put on weight? You shouldn't eat that cookie, dear. Men don't like fat girls." and other negative comments do. This barrage of (often well-meaning) comments often comes from parents, partners, and friends, and therefore carries more emotional weight. Since people, and especially women, are biologically programmed to fit in, to want to be admired/appreciated/liked/loved, to please others, we are very vulnerable to all these messages. This audio soundtrack, combined with the constant visual reinforcement, and the emotional issues, make for some very heavy subconscious weapons pounding us with the ideas that there is one definition of beauty, that cellulite is disgustingly unsightly, that any tiny imperfections to face or form should be fixed immediately (and obsessed over in the meantime).

Once you are aware of where the pressure comes from, and all the components it has (including lessons from childhood about how your looks matter), it is easier to recognize it, and to try consciously to distance yourself from it. For better or worse, we are all judged - male and female - on initial impressions and appearance. But there is a difference in presenting a nice appearance - groomed, neatly and attractively dressed (which is fully and easily in your control) - and obsessing about those dimples on your thighs, the slope of your nose, whether your eyes are evenly spaced or the shape of your breasts (all of which you have very little control over).

When someone compliments you on your appearance, it is still a compliment and you don't need to slap them for it, but instead of feeling pressured to always look impossibly plastic-ly pretty, realize the compliment is saying, "I appreciate the respect you show for your self and others when you make an effort to be put-together."

Don't obsess over what you can't control, keep your focus on what is important - a healthy body and mind - and what you can do to achieve or maintain that.

Mother of the Bride/Groom

2009-09-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

The choice of what to wear as MOB - Mother of the Bride (or groom), is a hard one. The bride may have specific demands of her own as to style and color. In addition, depending on your relation to your new in-laws, you probably want to look better than the other mother (many mothers make that their one demand of me). Regardless of in-laws and formality of the wedding, you will certainly want to look elegant, stunning, and regal. Sure, the wedding day may be all about the bride, but as a mother of the happy couple, you will have plenty of time in the limelight too and want to look fabulous - preserved in photographic detail in all your glory for posterity.

Here are 3 simple guidelines of what to look for when choosing your dress:
1. Keep the bride's criteria in mind.
If the bride asks you wear blue, and you show up in magenta, you may stick out badly in the photos, and probably upset the bride - even if you aren't thrilled with your son's choice of wife, you DON'T want to anger the bride. Bad things will happen. Both karmically, and immediately (Bridezilla, anyone?). An angry bride can ensure that you are not in the wedding photos, or have you airbrushed out later. She can also exact vengence for years, alienating your son and limiting your access to your grandkiddies. Are you getting the point here? The wedding day is about the bride, NOT YOU. If she says wear green, and you think you look terrible in green, work with a stylist to find a shade of green that does work, DON'T simply wear a different color.

2. Go with the time/theme/place of the wedding.
If it is a morning beach wedding, it is probably going to be a much more casual wedding than an evening wedding at the Ritz, and you'll want to dress accordingly - or look really awkwardly out of place....
A good stylist can help here too, but remember, whether casual on the beach or in a nice hotel, you will want to dress more elegantly than you would for a casual coffee date with a friend, a tupperwear party, or the PTA meeting. I recently attended a wedding where one of the mothers was dressed in a badly fitting casual dress with a tee-shirt underneath. Since it was a more formal wedding, this did NOT look good. Everyone kept asking if she was some cousin or even the babysitter for the guests' children, since she did not look like a member of the wedding party. When in doubt, ask a stylist! Even if you aren't in doubt, if you are not known for your exquisite fashion sense, ASK A STYLIST. This is too important an occasion to just 'wing it'. Which brings me to my next point.....

3. Dress for your figure and age.
Speaking of wings, we all know that flabby bit under the arm - the tricep - that bedevils most of us. Unless your arms are tight and toned, look for a dress with sleeves or wear it with a jacket or a carefully draped shawl. Remember, while not the focus of as much attention as the bride, you will still be the cynosure of all gazes. Dress to minimize any less than ideal aspects of your figure (we all have them), and to emphasize your good points. If your figure is no longer perfectly smooth and shapely (as in, if you are older than 12 and not a health fiend), consider an outfit more loose and flowing that gently skims your curves, hinting at your graceful beauty (which you still have), rather than a tight dress or skirt that will cling unflatteringly and show any curves you don't want attention drawn to.
Keep skirt/dress hems AT LEAST JUST BELOW THE KNEE. No matter how good your figure is, women over 25 rarely look good in skirts that are above the knee in length. Even if your figure is perfect, a too-short skirt or dress looks age-inappropriate. Remember Madeleine Albright and her too-short hems? (Click here in case you've forgotten... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Madeleine_Albright_at_WEF.jpg )
She had neither the figure, nor the age, nor the career position, to make her hem lengths appropriate.

Also watch for fit - all too often women wear clothes that do not fit properly. A stylist should be able to properly fit you. Skirts should hug the waist, then fall gracefully, just brushing (NOT hugging) the curve of your rear. Shirts and jackets can fit loosely or closely, but should never be so snug that your bra straps, or any extra rolls of fat, are visible. Shirts should always be long enough to cover your belly, even if you raise your arms. Belly-baring tops are ok for teens, not for the mother of the bride. Good posture will help your clothes fit better, make you look younger and healthier, and is healthier. Back straight, shoulders back (not too far, they should make a plain across your upper back, not stick out behind you like wings), chin up, proud carriage.

Now that you are all dolled up and look smashing (and age appropriate), there is one other little point to keep in mind....

Be comfortable!
Make sure your dress is something that will be comfortable, that you can move in, that you can dance in. Try wearing it around your house for a few hours before the wedding to see if there are any spots that pinch, rub, or poke. The last thing you want is to be gorgeous, but have the effect ruined by your constant twitching, or have to leave the party early because you are so miserable. Think this is impossible when it comes to formal wear? Even if you are only used to wearing the loosest, most casual clothes, a good stylist or personal shopper can help you find something that will still be soft and comfortable to wear. Consider silks - as satins, charmeause, chiffons, or velvets; or cashmeres if you want soft fabrics that will drape gracefully and be comfortable. Silk is a very breathable fabric, which is also cool in summer, warm in winter, and amazingly easy to care for (coming in a future blog post, or contact me directly.)

For more information, or to schedule a complimentary fashion consultation for your big event, please don't hesitate to contact us at Tongue In Chic Design - 303-758-9858.
Remember, we also carry a selection of elegant, modest, clothing for Mother of the Bride or Groom.

Wedding Choices

2009-09-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Having just finished dresses for 3 weddings in the past 2 weeks, and having several more pending... I've been thinking about weddings and the choices people make for them. It is the bride's day to look and feel like a princess. Perfect strangers will all smile at brides, little girls will gasp in awe at her fairy-tale beauty and glamor. A wedding dress should be chosen carefully to reflect the bride's taste, to not clash with the theme of the wedding (if there is one), to fit her perfectly, enhancing all her attributes and downplaying any less-than-ideal aspects of her physical form.
Wedding dresses may be new, family heirlooms, or recycled from the Goodwill. They may be fussy and formal, or sleek and modern. While Westerners are most familiar with wedding dresses in every shade of white (a holdover from the Victorian-era, signalling the bride's purity and virginity), dresses in every color are available and can be considered. Most fair-skinned people look wan and sallow in white. In some cultures (including many Asian ones), white is the abscence of color and therefore symbolizes purity and emptiness - death. For them, red may be the ideal color of happiness and joy - the emotions associated with weddings.

Whatever the bride chooses, PLEASE, for the sake of future looks at your wedding photos, and fond memories of your wedding (not to mention the aesthetic sensibilities of your guests), pick a style that is flattering, that fits, and which looks good - not stained, not shapeless, not cheap-looking. Pick a dress that YOU look good wearing, not a dress that wears you.

Michelle Obama...

2009-09-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

Michelle Obama's fashion choices have been the subject of intense discussion and scrutiny since her husband began campaigning. For once, we have a First Lady whose proclivities run more towards the commercial stores that everyone can patronize, and small designers, instead of established high-end luxury designers.

While many small American designers are trying their own campaign of getting the First Lady to lend her patronage to even more designers than the small handful she currently favors (even I pitched to her when I was interviewed on the radio some months ago), it now transpires that she has an entire website devoted exclusively to her fashion choices. I cannot recall any First Lady since Jackie O whose wardrobe has so transfixed the fashion-watchers of the nation.

Check out her website: http://mrs-o.org/ and be sure to post comments nominating us or your other favorite small designer for her next dress.

The new ABCs of closures...

2009-09-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Closures - zippers, buttons, and even velcro - are moving from the discreet and functional to the Aesthetic, Bold, and Completely inDiscreet. Zippers are now used as accessories. I use them as trims on garments, or exposed zips as a modern take on traditional garments - although I feel that exposed zips belong on edgy/cool clothes, not on classic garments that are elegant except for some odd large zipper just slapped on to make A Statement.
Zippers are not alone in coming out of hiding, as it were. Buttons in all different sizes are being used together to adorning sweaters and shirts, and even velcro has been spotted in applications far from its traditional sporty origins.

I love these zipper accessories from Spring: http://vivremagazineonline.com/2009/01/06/spring-2009-fashions-new-trend-1zipper-chic/

Free fashion show!

2009-09-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

London's fashion week is coming up, and in move of unusual gracious generosity, there will free fashion shows open to the public (a shocking rarity) Sept. 18-19, so go!!! And take photos for the rest of us... For more information: http://www.fashiondiversity.com/

For the rest of you who are NOT going to make it, anyone who is in Denver is welcome to come by and check out our cool clothes and play all day...

Luxury Fashion Trends....

2009-09-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

It seems that the latest in luxury fashion trends is.... getting the consumer involved in the design process! Who knew?! Well, we did, actually. Tongue In Chic has been working with our clients from the very beginning, making sure their voice is an integral part of the finished product. Anya Hindmarch is the latest to jump on the 'custom' bandwagon, however, allowing buyers to 'customize' their product by selecting from a series of a handful of options is not quite the same as turning them loose in a veritable playroom of luscious, sensuous textiles and letting their play create the finished product...

Feel like playing?

http://www.tongueinchiconline.com/

Tongue In...What?

2009-08-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Many people ask about my shop name - Tongue In Chic Design (Chic is pronounced 'Sheeek' not CHICK - it's French).
I based the name on the English phrase 'Tongue in cheek' - an expression in use since the 1800s that means (according to Wikipedia): "Tongue-in-cheek is a term used to refer to humor in which a statement, or an entire fictional work, is not meant to be taken seriously, but its lack of seriousness is subtle."
Since the entire design sensibility of my shop is 'classic clothing with an off-beat sensibility' - clothes that are not tied to trends and are subtly witty in a way that Chanel is just classic with no wit, I decided to make a pun on that phrase, substituting the word Chic (which is pronounced almost the same as Cheek), which means something fashionable.

I invite you to stop in and see exactly what we mean by unserious clothes - and we don't mean funny or silly! If you want to look smashing, not classically boring, and you want something with panache and flair (panache and flair are sold separately ;> ), Tongue In Chic is the shop for you!

Men's underwear predicts economy...

2009-08-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

While we've always known to watch women's hemlines as an economic predictor, it now seems that men haven't been ignored. Men, who as we all know just *love* to shop, base their tightie-whities purchases on the economy. When things are bad, they'll keep wearing their old ones until they get too gross even for them, but when the money is rolling in, they're quick to replace old undies. Fortunately, this trend can be tracked without spot-checking men on the street, but it does still require more effort (and less joy) than watching women's skirt lines.....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/30/AR2009083002761.html