Posts Tagged ‘comfort’

 It will fit like Cinderella’s glass slipper – if it doesn’t, it will pinch and rub and cause blisters and pain – ouch!

If like The Ugly Sisters if you have to push, squeeze and hope that the fit will get better (because you just love that shoe) it won’t come to fit well no matter how much stretching and softening or insertion of inserts you are encouraged to do by the sales assistant.  The glass slipper had no give (yes, i know its a fairytale) but fitted Cinders well because the shape was the same as the shape of her foot and not that of  the feet of The Ugly Sisters.  The feeling you will feel is of no pressure, anywhere, including the seller. 

You will have to try on many shoes, or you may get lucky!  The fun is in trying on lots of shoes that you love the look of (this is play time) and then you will know when your foot meets the right fit because it will feel good right from the start.  (note – it is still a good idea to wear new shoes for only a couple of hours at a time initially to allow for minimal adjustment.)

The prinicpal is the same for wearing heels – the height of the heel has no bearing on the comfortability if the shape of the shoe ‘mirrors’ the arch of your foot, ie the shapes match.

Tip – if you have ‘fine’ shaped feet then you need to wear shoes and boots with fine details.  likewise if you feet and legs are on the heavier side then you need to wear footwear that tends to be have heavier detail to create balance.

              Put your best foot forward in a fabulous shoe -

 ‘I would much prefer that life would allow for a beautiful shoe all day long’ SJP

learning to layer

Cooler mornings that morph into warm afternoons can be the cause of wardrobe woes at this time of year.  Being ‘in-between’ seasons will have many of us dressing too warm for the afternoons’  little rays of sunshine or feeling frigid with cold in the morning while we anticipate the later thaw. 

Layering is the key!  Learning to layer is about mixing textures and color to acheive a comfortable body temperature and not look like ‘the michelin man’ – a large comfy marshmallow!    So, i am going to add layers over the coming blogs to help you transition through autumn and into your winter wardrobe wishlist.

Sign in on the front page and i will take you through the guidelines to layering – adding one item of clothing at a time.  You may have some items already in your wardrobe or you may need to shop occasionally, but once you start learning the principals you will find this skill very valuable both in terms of wearing what you have in your wardrobe more often (cost effective) but also by creating interest and discovering your own personal style.

karen

these boots are made for walking …

A winter ‘must-have’, ‘no-brainer’ is the boot.  There is a huge variety available in many colors, styles, heel-height and genre but by far the most versatile is the riding boot.  Dress them up or wear them in a variety of casual looks they are the boot that you should invest in (ie. buy the most expensive you can afford).  When you purchase a quality product and you look after them ie keep them clean and well heeled, they should last you 3 – 5 yrs.

When buying a riding boot they need to fit real snuggly and the reason is that they are going to stretch and mould to your feet and legs.  So, they need to have a zip that moves through the ankle area so that the leather here is firm fitting and not slouchy.  If you have curvy calves, and many of us do, then you want the zip to be full length (as opposed to a 1/2 zip).  Even so, when you first try your boot on they should feel pretty snug.  Obviously if you can’t do the zip up or it pinches your skin this is tooooo tight.  But firm is good.

The next important thing is the length.  Boots must come at least 3/4 of the way up your lower leg, although reaching under the knee is preferable.   If the length falls below this mark put it back on the shelf and keep looking – this is because the top of the boot falling below the 3/4 mark will cut the leg area in half and make it look chunkier and shorter than it is, and i don’t know anyone who wants that look!

To acheive this ‘perfect’ fit you will probably need to try on many boots and thats ok.  It is not because you have ‘large, fat, short, ugly blah blah blah legs’ … it is because you just haven’t found the boot that suits you best, yet.  Don’t settle for second best either!  Find the boot that loves you and will love them back and wear them comfortably walking everywhere into the happily ever after.

Over the knee boots are the big thing this winter and are generally mixed with a ‘riding’ boot bottom – just consider whether this is a look you want to wear over the next 3 years?  Also, if you want to wear your jeans in them then obviously they need to ‘give’ more so once you have them home wear them in (an hour a day around the house) so that they mould to you and fit like a second skin.

take your time, shop wisely karen

in search a bra that will lift, conquer, divide or shape, fill and flatter

Finding a bra that ‘fits’ is a major undertaking!  The word ‘fit’ means not only covering your breasts but also, supporting, uplifting, shaping, minimising, dividing, etc.  So when shopping for bras the number one rule is get fitted!  ie. have a fitting specialist run a tape measure over you and give you the two magic digits.  The numerical one being the width/size of your ribs, under your breast and the alphabetical one being your cup size (this may also contain double digits ie DD).  But that is the easy part – all you had to do was stand there!  Now, comes the hard part and that is going to the racks/shelves and collecting every bra that has that number on it and then trying it on!  Serious!  I tried on 15 last week and 3 fitted … My daughter tried on 12 and got 2.  You will know when the ‘fit’ is right cause you will look in the mirror and smile.

However, if you can’t face this, and i truly understand because it is hard work go see Kirsten at Savoir in Christchurch, NZ.  She is awesome and will do all the work for you while you just stand there.

love and laughter, karen