Skirt of the Season: The Tea-Length

Once touted as "unwearable" and "unflattering", the tea-length has been spotted everywhere this spring from the runways to the streets! This flirty skirt falls between the ankle and knee, at a point most women assume will be unflattering. Fear not, with a few simple tricks you can learn how to wear the tea-length like a true fashionista!

 
First looking back, the tea-length was a popular style in the 50s-70s. Today this silhouette reminds us of a vintage, ladylike feel. The key to pulling off this long, full skirt is to balance its demure characteristics with modern pieces.

Consider height
When looking for the perfect tea-length, one of the most important things to keep in mind is your height. If you are petite you will want to avoid being overwhelmed by too much fabric and choose a tea-length that falls just below the knee. For taller ladies you can wear a skirt anywhere between your ankle and knee.

A general rule is that the most flattering place for a skirt to fall is the narrowest part of your legs. Generally this would be below the knee or a few inches above the ankle.

Create Balance:
Pleated, soft, or full, the tea-length skirt this season requires careful balance on top. Keep your top minimal and fitted, avoid baggy loose tops otherwise you will be swimming in fabric.

For shapes that are more top heavy, choose slimming necklines such as a v-neck or scoop neck. You can bring attention to your bottom half by wearing tea-length skirts that feature bold colours, patterns, or fuller silhouettes. 

Those who have bottom heavy shapes still need to choose sleek tops to avoid looking frumpy, but can choose to wear blouses with patterns or more details to create balance. To minimize your lower half, wear your tea-length skirt in a darker shade or choose a pleated or straight style.

Accessorise:
Spring's full tea-length-skirts are soft and ladylike; to avoid looking in costume it's important to wear contrasting accessories. Look to your bags, shoes, and jewellery to create this contrast in style.

Structured handbags can still look ladylike, but their clean lines look elegant against a soft tea-length. Or you can choose a handbag that is very contrasting, detailed with hardware, grommets, or metallic. Avoid bags that are slouchy and soft.

In the past the tea-length was worn with tights, the modern take on this long skirt shows off bare legs. Only a little bit of your lower leg will be shown when wearing a tea-length, so make sure that your legs are exfoliated and looking their best! Whether you choose to wear heels or flats with your tea-length, be sure to wear shoes that open up your leg – so avoid ankle straps or details that climb up the ankle.

Whenever you're faced with a style or colour dilemma, Savvy Style is here to help! Book one of our Style consultations to learn how to wear this pretty tea-length skirt this Spring. Click here to see all of our consultations!

Amp up your 9-5 style with Spring trends!

We all want to look fashionable 24 hours a day, but adding a dose of style and pizazz to our regular 9-5 wardrobe can be a challenge. After all, there are rules and boundaries in the office arena-it’s not the place to try out all the latest trends fresh off the runway! 

So how do you introduce this season’s trends into an office appropriate ensemble for your everyday work gear, without getting a call from the Human Resources Department? Read on and find out!

A printed sheath dress: Unlike a cocktail dress, a sheath dress typically falls right below the knee or on the knee. Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton are huge fans of this cut. Fitting close to the body with relatively simple adornments, this makes a perfect staple in your work or play wardrobe. Nip it in the waist with a thin or chunky belt depending on your needs. Choose one in this season’s hottest prints, whether it be florals, stripes, chequered, oriental, 60’s or graphics.

A blazer, cropped trousers and a printed Tee: Put a twist to your regular suit ensemble by wearing a printed T-shirt underneath . Give it a Spring update by wearing cropped tailored trousers as opposed to your regular long straight legged or flared ones. Instant pizazz and a modern take on the traditional blazer/trouser ensemble!

Print on print in a conservative silhouette: Prints can be worn in the workplace so long as the cut and fit are modest. Play with the print on print trend this Spring, keeping in mind not to overdo it by sticking to the same colour family. Go for an outfit that’s bold in print, but simple in colour and style. For example, wear a striped pencil skirt with a polka dot blouse in black and white.

A longer skirt: This is the ultimate ideal conservative skirt, reminiscent of the 1950’s. You can’t go wrong with this style in the office! Pair it with a slim blouse or fitted blazer to balance out the volume below. Choose feminine, floaty, floral designs this Spring.

Black and white with a statement accessory: A classic look that will never go out of style, a black and white monochromatic ensemble will always be on trend. Spice things up a little with a statement piece of jewellery such as a chunky necklace or cocktail ring, or a bright colourful handbag or pair of pumps.  Don’t forget the red lipstick!  

Layering neutrals: This is a big trend right now, you just need to figure out the shades or tones which suit your complexion best. Instead of just wearing your regular suit, layer on a variety of neutral knits, or mix and match various types of neutral coloured fabrics.

Peplum: A great, feminine option to have at any time. Goes well with pencil skirts or straight legged trousers. Choose a more subtle peplum flair to avoid looking too high fashion for the office. 

Need help co-ordinating your Spring wardrobe for work? Savvy Style is here to help! Simply give us a call at 2522 2524 or email us at image@savvystyle.com to set up your very own personal Image Consultation!  

First you need to find the colours and styles that look best on you. Then we can go through what you already have existing in your wardrobe, take you out shopping and teach you how to combine old and new for your own fantastic new Spring collection!

Take a look at our list of personal styling/shopping services here. 

How to wear prints this season

Graphics-The 60’s have had a strong influence in this season’s collections, hence the multitude of colourful graphic prints everywhere! Bold and striking, these prints are not for the faint hearted. Wear it as a cardigan over a shift dress for work, or as a blouse. Too loud for your taste? Try the print in your purse or clutch! 

Black and whites-whether it be stripes, chequered squares, psychedelic prints or florals, it is all about the back and white ensemble this spring! You can easily wear this print in a blouse, a nice 60’s shift dress which is red hot right now, or as a pair of slim cut pin straight pants. Add mod accessories to pull it all together.

Florals –the perfect summery print. Feminine and flirty, you can incorporate florals into almost everything and anything this season! 

Floral pants are still stylish as ever-just keep in mind that if you are slightly heavier on your bottom half, larger print patterns will disguise the extra weight, whereas smaller floral prints would enlarge your curves. 

Mix up your regular top with a sheer floral one, or add a small floral print accessory if you find this print too loud, such as a scarf or a floral purse. 

 

Oriental inspired prints- we saw a glimpse of Orientalism infiltrating the fashions of last
season, and now they’re here stronger than ever before in the Spring Summer 2013 collections! From phoenix’s to dragons to cherry blossoms, designers have introduced an Asian flair to dresses, jackets and blouses. Try this exotic print out! 

Tropical animal prints – this is the ultimate summer print of all. Birds of paradise, zebras, tigers and leopards, wear this summery print in your sheer blouses or as a bathing suit for the ensuing summer months to come! 

New season, new ideas! Not sure how to put it all together? Don’t worry! 

Simply give us a call at 2522 2592 or email us. Come in and we'll help you to figure out what to wear so you can get dressed easily to keep you looking and feeling great!

Click here to see a list of consultations and services Savvy Style provides. 

It's Spring with Brights and Pastels!

Spring is here! Say bye to those grey winter blues and say hello to sunny skies and the cool breeze. It's a brand new season with exciting new spring toned hues and shades! 

We’ll break all the colours trends down for you to make shopping and getting ready for work in the morning a piece of cake. 

Colour Trends

Bright hues-Express yourself in an array of rainbow candy colours this Spring. With so much to choose from, you just have to find out the shades that suit your hair, skin and eyes the best! From emerald greens, nectarines, cobalt blues, canary yellows to hot pinks, this season is all about colour! Wear them as a blouse or a skirt for work, toning it down with neutrals. Or, if your workplace does not allow for too much pizzazz in your office wear, carry a bright pop coloured bag. 

Sweet and pretty macaroon pastels-Fresh and feminine define the look of Spring 2013 and we can’t help but love the soft shades of pistachio green, fondant blue, candy floss pink and lemon yellow. You can easily wear this colour as a blouse or blazer for work, shifting into pastel coloured denim on weekends, which is a red hot trend for this season. Pair pastels with crisp whites and you’re right on trend. 

Neutrals-Go minimalistic this Spring with neutral shades of white, cream, beige, grey and black and white combos. Try layering a number of neutrals together to get the look.

Metallics- this isn’t just for the party season. You can add a punch of metallics to your Spring wardrobe with some cool accessories such as shiny gold or silver flats and sandals. For dinners and nights out, go a little more daring with a shimmery silver skirt or top. 

Need some help with getting your colours sorted this Spring? Come on in and see us for your very own Colour Analysis where we’ll help you select the hues which flatter you best! Click here to find out more. 

Makeup Trends

You can find pastels all over this Spring as well! Wear your eyeshadows in creamy mints, lilacs and pinks. They're light enough for the office so you can wear them on a daily basis as long as you keep it natural looking. 

Eyeliners are not just in black anymore but rather in colourful brights this season! Experiment with bright turquoises or aquas-spring's it colours.

Keep your cheeks and lips nude, peach or pastel pink depending on your colouring.

Not sure of what makeup colours suit your face? Well then book an appointment with Savvy Style and get a Spring Makeup Makeover! We'll teach you how to select the most flattering shades for your face and prescribe you cosmetics.

Red Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day to all our readers!  In celebration of this day of love (and red, the colour of love), we bring you some inspiring ladies in some wonderfully red outfits.  Red is undoubtedly the colour du jour so be inspired by these stylish women below and don your best crimson outfit this evening!

All Images: Alexi Lubomirski for Harper's Bazaar

Image: Splash News

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Fancy Collar

At Jason Wu's F/W '11 show, he showed joyously cheeky collars embellished with fanciful prints,  decorated with sequins or covered in beading.  What's so great about this trend?  It eliminates the need to worry about neck jewelry, and it immediately livens up any plain white work shirt.

  

Images: Jason Wu @ Style.com

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Briefcases

I remember, not so long ago, when you would rarely see a man without a briefcase; nowadays it's a rarity to see a man holding anything in his hands.  It's a shame, because briefcases really add an extra flair of sophistication to an outfit and, of course, they keep you extra-organised!

Tommy Ton for GQ.com

The Sartorialist

Trust me, briefcases will be big this year!  

Already, they're popping everywhere on the street, at the high-street shops and in Lane Crawford, at many different price-points, in a variety of colours, and in several reincarnations of material.  The best-bet for the season is to find a briefcase from a young, new designer such as Ljung; this Scandinavian label has great classic shapes done in modern colours at great prices.

Ljung via StockholmStreetStyle

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Brights for Men!

Men, don't think you've been left out of the trend for bright colours this coming SS '11 season!  Michael Kors, Raf Simons at Jil Sander and Alber Ebaz at Lanvin all showed pops of colour at their shows.

Images (Clockwise, from Top Left): SS11 Michael Kors, SS11 Lanvin, SS11 Jil Sander

All Style.com

The easiest way to look on-trend this summer is to invest in a bright T-shirt or casual shorts.  H&M has some great bright offerings already in stores now.

Images: H&M


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Brights

For the coming Spring, bright colours such as cerulean, fuschia, tangerine and canary yellow are the hottest hues for the season.  With so many different shades on offer, you're bound to find at least one to match your colouring.  Take inspiration from the beautiful Rankin photograph below and dress head-to-toe in one hue, or let style-icon Olivia Palermo inspire you by breaking up a pop of tangerine with neutral separates.

 

(Image: Rankin)

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Pieces are already available now at lower-priced stores such as H&M, who made this gorgeous bright printed dress below for only $199.  The greatest thing about it?  All materials used in their Sustainable Style collection are made with, you guessed it, sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, Tencel or recycled wool.

(Image: H&M)

(Image: Zara)

Come on, go bright for Spring '11!


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Year of the Rabbit

Happy Chinese New Year and welcome to the year of the Rabbit.

Economically, the past few years have been good to China, and it seems like 2011 is poised to be a good year for Chinese fashion. Marc Jacobs showed Chinese-inspired gowns, cheongsams, jackets and accessories for his SS '11 Louis Vuitton show. Done in vivid purples, turquoises and reds, Marc sent out a gang of joyously over-the-top glamazons for his show in Paris.

Images: Style.com

Styled as Marc did for the LV show, it's hard to see how to actually translate this trend into a look that works for an everyday outfit, but it's really very easy to achieve. Head to Shanghai Tang to find classic Chinese pieces updated with modern cuts and textured fabrics, or head down to the Central street markets at Li Yuen Street East & West for budget finds. The freshest way to incorporate this trend into your wardrobe is to find a Chinese-style embroidered jacket and pair it with a plain dress or jeans and simple tee. The key is to make sure there isn't too much else going on to distract from your statement piece.

Images: Shanghai Tang

Men, this trend works for you, too! Next time you're searching for a piece of new outerwear, try a jacket with a Mao collar, instead of the traditional English lapel. This look is clean, sophisticated an oozing with unique style.

Image: Shanghai Tang

If you dare, by all means, go all-out! Wear an elegant Qipao instead of an LBD to your next dinner party, and you're sure to stand out from the crowd. Nicole Kidman always carries her Qipaos with enviable poise and grace. The key is to maintain your confidence and not let the dress wear you.

Images: Left, Chen Ma for Vogue China / Right, Australia

However you choose to interpret the trend, we wish you a fantastic Chinese New Year. Look forward to more posts from Savvy Style in the coming year. Kung Hei Fat Choi!


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