Fashion

How to host a successful clothing swap

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logoThey say that you should write what you know, but this time I’m going out on a limb and writing about something I’ve never tried. Everything I suggest here is based on what others have written.

A clothing swap is a party where you and each of your guests bring an agreed upon number of garments and/or accessories to the event to trade with one another and thus breathe new life into your closets without spending a cent!

So, how does this work?

1.  Choose your guests

The first step to hosting a successful clothing swap is to decide who you’ll invite. Include friends of all sizes and shapes making sure that no one feels left out because there isn’t anyone in a similar size for her to swap with.

2.   Choose the time

The best time to host a clothing swap is toward the end of a season when people are likely tired of what they’ve been wearing and ready for a few new pieces to freshen up their wardrobes. They may be planning to clean out their closets anyway and your party will be just the incentive they need.

3.   Set some rules

Decide on a minimum and maximum number of items that each person should bring and include this information in the invitation. You want to ensure that there are plenty of items to trade but not so many that it becomes overwhelming to look through everything. It’s also best to ensure that you don’t have a situation where some people bring lots and others hardly anything at all.

Encourage your friends to bring accessories as well as clothing. Shoes, handbags, scarves and jewelry add to the fun and ensure that everyone, regardless of size, is able to find something that fits.

It should go without saying, but make sure to stipulate that everything must be clean and in good condition. It’s also a good idea to remind your guests to empty all pockets so that they don’t inadvertently give someone a cash bonus or find themselves trying to track down lost ID after the party is over!

4.   Set the scene

Presentation is important. If possible, have a hanging rack available as well as a table or two so that items can be organized and displayed attractively. No one wants to feel as if they’re digging through someone else’s laundry!

Designate one or two rooms for changing and have at least one full length mirror available. It’s also a good idea to have a belt or two on hand for your guests to use when they’re trying things on. Belting a loose-fitting dress or top might be just the thing to make it work for one of your friends.

5.   When your guests arrive

Start by going over some basic ground rules and then let the fun begin. Set a time limit for the swap so that when it’s over you can all relax and enjoy some wine and cheese or whatever you decide to serve. It is a party, after all!

Depending on the size and make up of your group, you may want to consider dividing the time into five minute segments allowing each person to choose only one item per round.

If two or more friends have their eye on the same thing, have a predetermined method of determining who gets it. Having them each model the item and letting the group vote on who wears it best can be fun, but if you’re afraid of hurt feelings, flipping a coin might be a better idea.

No one should go home with more than she brought.

6.   Serve snacks

Wait until the swap is over to bring out the goodies. This helps keep things moving along during the exchange and also helps prevent spills. Keep it simple. You might even want to ask each guest to bring something to share.

7.   When the party’s over

Choose in advance a local charity or thrift store that will appreciate the overflow from your swap. Give each guest the option of taking home anything she brought that wasn’t chosen, then pack up the leftovers to be donated.

Have you ever hosted or attended a clothing swap? Do you have any tips or suggestions?

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Stripes and other trends for spring and summer

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logoMy oldest son was born on February 21st. That was back in the day when they kept you in the hospital for a full week following a c-section. Though 37 years have come and gone, I clearly remember entering the hospital in the depths of an Alberta winter and coming out a week later into what felt like the beginnings of spring. Of course, we saw more of winter before it finally relinquished it’s icy grip, but ever since that year, as the end of February approaches, I begin to think that spring must be on its way.

What does that have to do with fashion, you ask? It will be awhile before those of us living this far north can begin switching over to our warm weather wardrobes, but it’s time to start thinking about the trends. What’s new for spring and summer 2017?

My favourite trend for the coming season is stripes! Stripes were all over the spring and summer catwalks in every form you could imagine. Horizontal, vertical and diagonal stripes; stripes of all colours and sizes; broad bands of colour and skinny hypnotic stripes. There were striped t-shirts, striped pants, striped dresses, striped swimsuits, even handbags and shoes with stripes. Stripes everywhere!

There’s nothing really new about stripes which is one of the reasons that I’m happy about the trend. I already have a couple of classic striped tees in my closet as well as my Ernest Tee from cabi and the striped swimsuit that I bought last summer. I don’t even have to go shopping to be on trend!

If stripes aren’t your thing, what are some of the other trends for spring and summer that you might find more to your liking? Apparently pink is the colour this season, especially shocking pink and shades of fuchsia, but bubblegum pink is also trending. Sadly, there’s only one pink item hanging in my closet right now, a t-shirt that’s past its best and only good for wearing around the house or to exercise in. Come to think of it, there’s also a bright pink sleeveless golf shirt and cap waiting for the snow on the golf course to melt, but perhaps another basic t-shirt like this one would be a good addition to my wardrobe. After all, it would kill two fashion birds with one stone.

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Apparently shoulder grazing statement earrings are also going to be big this spring and summer. Though I don’t have any that are quite that dramatic, I might have to go through my earring collection and pull out a few dangly pairs that I haven’t worn in quite awhile.

Speaking of shoulders, apparently shoulder pads are also coming back this season. Romantic ruffles will also be popular and so will t-shirts bearing slogans, particularly of the feminist variety.

Do any of these trends appeal to you? Which ones will you be adding to your shopping list?

What’s your best sleeve length?

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logoSleeve length can enhance or detract from a woman’s appearance by drawing the observer’s eye toward or away from specific parts of her body. Though we’re probably not conscious of it, our eye is automatically attracted to the part of the body where the sleeve ends thus emphasizing that spot.

Let’s take a look:

img_1955Even if they aren’t perfectly toned, your arms will usually look longer and leaner in a sleeveless garment as it has the advantage of the unbroken line. In my younger years, I was self-conscious about showing off my arms feeling that they were too skinny. It wasn’t until I was almost 40 and started to work out with weights that I felt comfortable going sleeveless. Now it’s my favourite look for summer. I especially like the freedom of movement that it allows when I’m golfing and it also ensures that I don’t end up with a “farmer’s tan”.

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img_1799-version-3If you are truly uncomfortable going sleeveless or you work in a corporate environment where it isn’t considered appropriate, you might prefer a cap sleeve. Depending on your body shape, you might also appreciate cap sleeves for their shoulder-widening and therefore hip-balancing effect.

 

Short sleeves tend to fall parallel to the bust. This is great if you want to emphasize that part of your body, but not so great if you’d rather not.

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3/4 sleeves, considered by many to be the most flattering length, are my all time favourites for several reasons. I have long arms, so finding long sleeves that fit properly can be difficult. 3/4 sleeves eliminate that challenge. They’re also cooler than long sleeves when the weather is warm, but they usually provide adequate coverage when it’s cooler. Unlike longer sleeves, they don’t get in the way and, as a cancer patient who often has to deal with blood tests and IVs, they make it easy for me to expose the crook of my arm. They do tend to end close to the waist, however, so if that’s a part of your body that you’d rather the eye was drawn away from, they might not work for you.

Long sleeves draw the eye down providing a good option for anyone who would like to distract attention from their midsection, but they do place more focus on the hips. On me, long sleeves often end up as 3/4 length!

Do you have a favourite sleeve length?

Fitted or baggy? What’s your style?

/ edebock / 12 Comments

logoIt’s kind of spooky how the spirits of the cyber world seem to know exactly what our interests are and how accurately they tailor the ads we see to those areas. Ever since I introduced Fashion Friday to my blog last March, the majority of ads that I see on Facebook and on the news pages that I read regularly have been related to fashion.

Lately, whenever I go to Facebook, this is what I see in the margin.

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I seldom wear dresses, but apparently the internet thinks I should and feels that I should be shopping for some new ones! It doesn’t seem to know my style though, so it’s offering me two strikingly different options.

The dresses on the Fashion Mia site are mostly what I would call fitted. When I do wear a dress, it’s usually for a special occasion and I want to look both feminine and sophisticated. Here’s a closer look at one from that site that I could see myself wearing. It’s definitely my style.

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The dresses on the Buykud site, however, are baggy and, in many cases, shapeless. Here are a few examples.

There’s nothing actually wrong with them. They’re certainly modest and they look comfy, but they’re not my style. In fact, I’d probably look and feel like a bag lady in any one of them and I suspect that my husband, who is rather fond of my shape, would be horrified! They’re simply not flattering; one of my essential fashion F words.

If I had been looking for a new dress this winter, I would definitely have considered this one that kept appearing on a Bay banner across the top of my favourite news site throughout the Christmas season.

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The Ivanka Trump lace-detailed sheath dress, available here, caught my eye every time it appeared. It’s definitely my style.

In the words of fashion icon, Iris Apfel, “I think the biggest fashion faux pas these days is looking into the mirror and seeing somebody else. It doesn’t work. You’ve got to know who you are.” You need to know your style which may be entirely different from mine.

What’s your style? Do you prefer fitted or baggy?

How often do you wash your bras?

/ edebock / 3 Comments

logoAccording to a survey published in the most recent issue of Chatelaine magazine, 90% of the 1029 Canadian women questioned had washed their bras in the past week. That definitely left me wondering about the other 10%! It also prompted me to wonder how often we ought to wash our bras and whether I wash mine more often than I need to.

This is not a topic that I ever thought I’d find myself writing about, but I did a little digging and here’s what I discovered.

Lexie Sachs, a product analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s textiles lab pointed out that how often you ought to wash your bra really depends on how active you are. “Every few wears should be sufficient, but it does depend on your activity level,” she explained. “For instance, if you’re outside on a humid day and end up sweating a lot, you’ll want to wash your bra sooner.” That seems like a no brainer to me.

Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a New York based dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital, says that while there are no steadfast rules, you should ideally be washing your bra after every two or three wears. If you go a week or longer, he says, “you’ll really have an accumulation of dirt, oil, sweat, and bacteria.”

According to Mary Begovic Johnson, a senior scientific communications manager at Procter & Gamble, three wears is the limit. She says that a general rule of thumb is that the closer something is to your body the more frequently you should wash it. “Since bras are in intimate contact with your body we recommend washing them after three wears at the most, more often if you perspire heavily.”

Phew! Apparently I’m right in line with the experts as I almost always wash a bra after wearing it three times.

Perhaps just as important as how often we wash our bras, however, is how we wash them. I admit that during my younger years, especially when I was busy raising children and teaching school, I threw mine in the washer along with everything else. I did hang them to dry, however, as the heat of the dryer will wear out the elastic in no time. It wasn’t until I moved to Japan for a year that I started caring for my bras more tenderly. Compared to most Japanese women, I’m an Amazon. I knew that the likelihood of me finding bras to fit in that country was slight, so mine had to last the year. Consequently, I washed them by hand. Once I saw how well they lasted, I never went back to throwing them in the machine again. If you wear an underwire bra, hand washing also prevents the wire from escaping and getting caught in the drum which could lead to a costly repair bill.

bra-bagIf time is an issue, however, or you simply hate hand washing, most most modern washers have a gentle cycle or even a hand washables cycle. Just pick up a mesh bra bag, like this one from Woolite, to cushion the bra and stop it from twisting and losing its shape, as well as from snagging other laundry items. Also, don’t forget to reshape your bras before you hang them or lie them flat to dry.

So, how often do you wash your bras or is that too personal a question? Do you hand wash them or put them in the machine? Inquiring minds want to know!

Shopping the January sales

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logoI haven’t been to the city to check out the January sales yet and when I do go this year, I’ll be looking for bathroom fixtures and accessories because we’re planning to have both our bathrooms renovated soon. Hopefully I’ll also have a chance to sneak into a few of my favourite clothing shops to see what’s on sale.

I’m no stranger to shopping sales. In fact, I seldom pay full price for anything I wear, but just because something is on sale doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily a bargain. I’ve written about the F words that I use as my shopping guide before, but perhaps this is a good time for a quick review.

Fit

Do the shoulder seams lie in the right place? Are the armholes sufficiently high without cutting into your armpits? Does the garment pull across your shoulder blades? Is the length appropriate? Is there puckering or wrinkling anywhere? If you’re unsure about the fit, try on another size for comparison and if you’re seriously considering buying an item, don’t forget to check a three-way mirror! Don’t buy anything without first checking the fit from behind!

Flattering

Does the garment suit your body type? Does it accentuate your good features and disguise the less desirable ones? Does the colour suit you?

Feel

Regardless of how well the garment fits and whether the colour suits you, if you don’t find it comfortable or you don’t like the texture of the fabric, you probably won’t wear it.

Functional

Does it fit your lifestyle? Where will you wear it? Can be worn with other items that are already in your closet? If you have to buy a whole new outfit to go with it, it really isn’t a bargain at all.

While we’re on that topic, let’s talk about what to do before you go shopping. Take a good look at your closet and decide what you’re going to look for and what you’re not. Are there any gaps in your work wardrobe or your casual wear? Are there items that are wearing out and need to be replaced? Is there a colour that seems to be missing? Shopping the January sales can be pretty overwhelming if you have no idea what you’re looking for and you don’t really want to come home with more jeans and sweaters if what you really needed was a new winter coat or a nice suit for the office.

Fun

Lastly, when you’re considering making a purchase, ask yourself if you’re going to enjoy wearing it. Will it boost your confidence and make you feel great? Also, don’t forget to be adventurous and have some fun while you’re shopping. The January sales can be a great time to try on styles and colours that you haven’t worn before.

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Day or night? Home or away?

/ edebock / 5 Comments

logoLots of cute pyjamas were worn around our house over the past few days when all of our kids and grandkids were home for Christmas. Other than the children in one family who like to wear them for the long car rides to Gram and Grandpa’s house and back, none of us wore them out in public though.

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When we lived in China, it wasn’t unusual to see grown men and women on the street in flannel pyjamas. What we didn’t know until later when one of my Chinese students came to stay with us for a few weeks was that it’s commonplace for the Chinese to wear pyjamas whenever they’re at home, getting dressed only to go out or when they’re expecting company. If they’re just stepping out to pick something up at the street market or a nearby shop, it’s not unusual for them to wear their pjs rather than bothering to get dressed.

In Europe and North America, the fashion industry seems to want us to follow suit.  While they’re not suggesting that we should go to work or stroll the mall in our fleece onesies or our flannel pjs, designers are definitely urging us to turn fancy pajamas into glamorous streetwear.

While I could entertain the possibility of wearing a satiny pyjama shirt with jeans for a very casual look, this is not a trend I’m about to adopt. What about you? Would you go out dressed like any of these gals?

photo credit
photo credit

Leggings are not pants!

/ edebock / 9 Comments

logoAt a recent gathering of women, I was delighted to hear a stylish young lady proclaim that “Leggings are not pants!” I couldn’t agree more. Leggings are one of the most comfortable things you can wear, but there are ways to wear this go-to wardrobe staple well and ways that they ought not to be worn.

In most cases, I’m not a proponent of fashion rules of any kind, but I do believe in dressing modestly and when it comes to leggings it shouldn’t even have to be said, but please cover your butt and cover your crotch! Even if they are completely opaque, unless you’re wearing them strictly as exercise wear, don’t wear leggings with a short top. Longer tops, tunics and oversized cardigans are the perfect choice. Secondly, for a more flattering look, choose a loose fitting top to offset the narrowness of the legs. A clingy, tight all over look really isn’t becoming.

Personally, I’m not particularly fond of brightly patterned leggings, but if you do like wearing snowflakes, reindeer or other colourful prints on your legs, just go for something simple up top. Here, I’ve paired my only patterned leggings, Safari from cabi, with a top that I bought in Japan several years ago to create a comfy, evening at home look.

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The skirt over pants trend is big this season. Growing up in the “olden days” when girls had to wear skirts to school, I remember wearing pants under my dresses on cold winter mornings and taking them off when I got to school. Perhaps that’s why I’ve had trouble adopting this look, but I do like the less bulky alternative of skirt over leggings.

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Here, in a photo clearly taken before winter arrived in Alberta, I’ve paired a lightweight pair of leggings with a simple pencil skirt that I’ve had for years and the thrifted black lace top that I first mentioned here.

Wondering what kind of footwear to wear with your leggings? There are plenty of options. For a casual, sporty look try wearing them with a cute pair of sneakers. For a dressier look pair good quality black leggings with something more formal, such as a blazer, and wear them with a dressy pair of sandals, flats or pumps. Leggings worn with an oversized cardigan and knee-high boots is a classic look for fall and winter. A pair of knitted or crocheted boot cuffs, all the rage at the moment, add a bit of polish to the look.

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The cardigan I’m wearing here was another thrift store purchase. The t-shirt, from Reitmans, was a gift from a friend, the leggings are from Jockey, and the slouchy black Brash boots are from Payless. I’ve had all these items for at least two or three years, but worn together they create a look that’s right on trend.

It’s a good idea to consider the length of your legs when deciding whether to wear heels or flats with your leggings. If you are short your legs will appear longer if you wear wedges, stilettos or high-heeled boots, but if you’re tall, like I am, flats will also look fine.

Just remember, though, whatever you wear them with, leggings are not pants!

A very different look

/ edebock / 4 Comments

logoMeghan Markle, star of the hit television show Suits, perhaps better known these days for her romance with British Prince Harry, recommends sticking to simple, classic looks rather than over-the-top ensembles featuring glitter and glitz for holiday parties.

“You don’t want to be the girl in a head-to-toe sequin look, where you look like you should be an ornament on the tree,” says Markle. “Be the girl who looks chic and classy and plays it really simple.”

Last Friday, I showed you a classic Christmas outfit that I put together by searching my closet and combining pieces that I’ve had for several years. Today I’m featuring an entirely different look that I wore to two events last weekend. Since the events were held in two different locations, some 350 km apart, and didn’t involve any of the same people, wearing the same outfit for both wasn’t a problem. The first, last Friday, was a Christmas banquet followed by an entertaining evening with popular speaker, author, and radio host, Phil Callaway. The second, on Sunday afternoon, was a ladies Christmas luncheon at my daughter’s church and this time I was the speaker! I was asked to talk about my cancer journey and how God has been present in it. That’s a pretty heavy topic for a Christmas event, but I didn’t want my look to be sombre. I wanted it to say that I might have cancer, but I’m still enjoying life. Here’s what I wore:

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With the exception of the poinsettia corsage, this is an outfit that I could wear anytime, not only at Christmas. The top is my brand new Monaco Cami, one of my favourite pieces from cabi‘s fall collection.  Although it looks like a lace overlay, it’s actually a print. It’s so realistic looking that when I first saw it, I actually had to touch the fabric to convince myself that it wasn’t lace!

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I’m wearing it with my skinny black pants from Dynamite and the charcoal jacket from Bianca Nygard that I bought at our local thrift store last spring. The silver threads running through it and its big sparkly buttons give it a dressy look.

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And then there are the shoes! Those definitely attest to my frugal fashionista tendencies. I’ve probably had them for close to 20 years! The comfortable Dr. Scholl’s were actually only kept all this time because they worked well with various period costumes that I and others have worn in local community theatre productions, but  now they fit right into this year’s boy meets girl fashion trend! I brought them out of storage, gave them a good polish and they look almost brand new.

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So which look do you prefer?

This week’s or last?

Shopping my closet for festive attire

/ edebock / 6 Comments

logoAs usual, we have a number of festive occasions to attend this Christmas season; some dressy and others more casual. I had considered buying a new dress to wear to a couple of these events, but I wear dresses so seldom that it would spend most of its life languishing in my closet. I also discovered that the dresses I liked best in the stores were very similar to one I already own that I wrote about here. The stores seem to be full of lovely lace overlay dresses, but I definitely didn’t need a second one. Instead, I decided to shop my own closet this season and see what I could come up with.

I wore the lace overlay to the first event, a dine and dance that was also a charity fundraiser. Since the dress is sleeveless and the event was held in our local community hall, an old building that can be quite chilly, I took a lovely scarf along to cover my shoulders.

The second event, last Saturday evening, was also a dance. I knew that the crowd would be largely made up of seniors and that dress would, for the most part, be conservative. I wanted to go for a classic look. After trying on a variety of items in different combinations, here’s what I came up with.

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I started with a black lace panelled skirt that I bought when we lived in Japan and added a red/black sparkly top that was purchased several Christmases ago. The skirt, though fully lined, is lightweight and drapes nicely; excellent for dancing the old time polkas, waltzes and fox trots that we so enjoy. I very seldom tuck anything in at the waist, but the top is fairly short and rather than risk a midriff baring wardrobe malfunction on the dance floor, I chose to tuck.

Again, sleeveless isn’t the best idea in wintery Alberta, so this time I added a lightweight loose-fitting jacket with a sparkly pinstripe that was also purchased for a Christmas season some years back. It did come off for a little while when the venue got warm, but I wore it most of the evening.

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With sparkle in both the top and the jacket, I chose to go with simple accessories and since black isn’t my best colour, a bright lipstick finished off the look.

To see what another Canadian blogger found on a similar foray into her closet, why not visit Sue at High Heels in the Wilderness?

And to see what I’m wearing to a couple of other Christmas events, please come back next Friday!