by Candice DeVille | Aug 14, 2015 | Shopping, Style Inspirations
Putting together fresh outfits for Spring is so much fun and its even better when there are super cute new things hitting the shelves.
I popped over to WildKitty, one of my new go to local stores for retro girly sweetness, to check out their new seasons range and just fell in love with their range. I’m pre-planning my outfits for this year’s Camperdown Cruise in October, as well as finding pretty pieces for date days when he sun comes out again.
There’s a lot to love with these easy to wear and easy to impress outfits!
Lip service brooch, Black and floral Lady Vintage dress, Raspberry pink vintage inspired handbag
Pastel pink cardigan with faux fur collar, Cupcake dress, Freshen up mirror and lipstick brooch, kitty shoes
Cosmetic bag brooch, Pink Polka dot 1940s style dress,gumball pink makeup bag, Woodland fax iPhone 5 case
This weekend looks set to be the perfect opportunity to clear out some space from the winter wardrobe and make room for some new pretties. It’s time to dust off the cobwebs and put some more shine into our days!
by Candice DeVille | Jun 24, 2015 | daily outfit
This is the Pin Up Girl Clothing, Mary Blair cat print skirt; and it is awesome!
I did very little actual shopping whilst in the USA, spending most of my time working away on plans for this blog and learning a whole lot of new things. A visit to Pinup Girl Clothing in L.A though, was on my ‘must visit’ list and did not disappoint. My timing was impeccable, matching up with their launch of the new range of Mary Blair prints, and oh what stunning choices!
With very limited space in my suitcase, (and my wallet) I chose a piece that would work perfectly with the colour palette I’d planned for my trip. Loads of blues and greens filled my case, so it seemed that this bright skirt would compliment my choices. Having brought only two pair of shoes on my trip, both black, the temptation to add one more pair was too great to resist. These blue heels from Bait Footwear were purchased for the princely sum of $60 and are simply the most comfortable heels I’ve ever worn! After wearing them for days on end, walking for hours and hours, there was not a hint of foot fatigue in sight.
Outfit Details
Skirt – Pinup Girl Clothing Mary Blair Cat Skirt in ‘Jenny’ style
Shoes – BAIT Footwear Hometown Stride heels
Kelly Green Cardigan – Trashy Diva
Kelly Green t-shirt – JAG
Wide Belt – Portmans
Earrings and chiffon scarf – Vintage
Red Handbag – “Sexy but Cute” (Bangkok label)
This quickly became my favourite outfit, no only because I simply adore the fullness of the ‘Jenny’ skirt, but the happy kittens are impossible to be too serious around. It’s funny how people still comment on “blue and green should never be seen“, because it seems to me that they make the perfect pairing!
by Candice DeVille | Apr 29, 2015 | GUEST posts
Today’s piece is by Imogen of Inside Out Style. An internationally certified image consultant, Imogen created both her image consulting business Bespoke Image and this blog Inside Out Style with a clear mission – to help people look amazing every day without stress and confusion.
Dressing the American Way or Why You Should Only Wear Your Yoga Pants for Doing Yoga (or Working Out)
When Candice asked me to write an American themed blog post the first thing I did was ask my American readers what they thought I should write about and what they all told me is that they are sick and tired of seeing so many badly dressed Americans out and about each day.
For example from Pamela in New Mexico commented:
Baseball caps. Sweatpants with words on the seat. People wearing lounge pants/pajama pants to the grocery. Bra straps proudly showing. These are some of the fashion misfires Americans should be ashamed of, but don’t have the sense to be.
Stephanie from California said
You do not even want to see how the women in my area dress, it is so bad, ways that nearly make me wish I could not see, yes, that bad, like tights, not leggings, but tights worn as pants with short tops that do not cover their bottoms
And Jane from Michigan said
We seem to have an issue with confusing comfort with all out sloppy, or looking like they don’t own a mirror to check the fit, tears, snags, inappropriate messages etc. Perhaps this is everywhere?
Now I know this is not just an American problem as today I spent an hour talking with a corporate client about why they need me to come and speak to all their staff about why presenting themselves well is an important part of the business brand. They mentioned poor grooming, sloppy clothing, bad fit and wearing to work fabrics and styles designed for the beach or a BBQ not the boardroom.
What stuns me, as I travel to the USA most years and do some serious shopping (as I like to help the American economy get back on its feet) is that there is no reason to be badly dressed in America, as it’s so easy to find really stylish, well made clothes at bargain prices if you take the time to look. From fabulous consignment and thrift stores, to the likes of Marshalls and TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack and all those other outlet stores, amazing consignments stores, as well as the sales that go on at every shop in the mall. There are plenty of places to shop on a budget, but then it’s also a matter of putting it together. These days you don’t even have to leave your house, you can shop on the internet and have it sent to your door to try on. The options are abundant and you don’t have to look far at all!
So how can you look stylish while still being comfortable but not sloppy? This seems to be the biggest issue.
Firstly, in the words of the great American Writer Fran Lebowitz
“All these clothes that you see people wearing, the yoga clothes—even men wear them!—it’s just another way of being in pajamas. You need more natural beauty to get away with things like that. What’s so great thing about clothes is that they’re artificial—you can lie, you can choose the way you look, which is not true of natural beauty. So if you’re naturally beautiful, wear what you want, but that’s .01% of people. Most people just aren’t good looking enough to wear what they have on. They should change. They should get some slacks and a nice overcoat”
What Fran Lebowitch is saying as far as style goes, is that adding a little structure to your outfit and choosing a better quality fabric will help to smarten your whole outfit up. But structure doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, there are so many great comfortable clothes these days as elastane has been added to many fabrics to allow them to stretch and move with your body, from trousers to shirts and jackets, stretch is available in more garments than just track pants and ill-fitting t-shirts!
Not as many of us need to wear corporate styles to work anymore, as more casual dress codes abounded with the dot.com boom (and bust). We no longer have to put a hat on to leave the house, that went back in the early 60s! Sure it’s a more comfortable existence, but there is no need to take comfort to the level of pajama. You may be die-hard vintage fans, and love to wear vintage clothes and corsets daily, but sadly many don’t bother to take the time or make any effort at all.
The normcore trend is one that suits the very young and beautiful, the rest of us just look dull and sloppy in it sadly.
Secondly, it does take a few more minutes than just pulling on your yoga pants, but I can tell you from my experiences from participants of my Evolve Your Style challenge, it’s well worth it! The boost in self-esteem and confidence when you plan an outfit and then receive a compliment or two is well worth the small amount of time it takes to smarten up your outfits.
To look and feel great your clothes need to:
• Express who you are in an authentic manner as an expression of your personality traits, this makes you feel more confident as the clothes are “you”
• Suit your body shape, proportions and unique variations
• Flatter your colouring
• Fit your amazing body, sometimes this means you need to get an alteration or two!
Plus the last, but not least point of looking stylish is good grooming. Grooming is the first thing that goes when we are sick or tired, we just can’t be bothered. So not taking a few minutes a day for a basic grooming routine will make people think that you aren’t feeling well, don’t care, are sloppy or just plain lazy. Not sure if that’s something you’re keen on expressing to all you meet?
Take a few moments to surf the web and look at all the amazing options for styling outfits if you need some inspiration. I know that you love Candice’s style, which is why you come here. I love that there are so many over 30, over 40, and over 50 bloggers who share their daily style so you are no longer just fed young model images as what to wear from fashion magazines. There are women of all shapes, sizes, colours and ages who put together great outfits that you can discover and use as inspiration for your own wardrobe with a simple google search or two.
If you have fallen into the yoga pant habit, why not challenge yourself to wear something different every day for a week from your wardrobe. Maybe take some inspiration from those amazing style bloggers you find. Try some new combinations as you shop your wardrobe and even rediscover some old favourites. Make sure you accessorise too as a necklace, scarf, bracelet or funky shoe can be the icing on your sartorial cake, and who wants cake without icing?
Sloppy is a habit, and a lazy one at that. If you don’t want people perceiving you as lazy it’s time to get out of that rut. Keep the yoga pants for doing yoga or working out. Dress to impress yourself. Dress to express your creativity (and we are all creative). Dress to let the world know you matter and that you care about yourself. You will be making the world a more beautiful place to be!
by Candice DeVille | Apr 14, 2015 | daily outfit, Shopping
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I’ve been in Philadelphia for just over two weeks now, and today I head off to Las Vegas for NMX.
It seems that an early spring day in Philly is much like a Melbourne winter, cold enough that the wind gives me an ice cream headache! When the clouds lifted this morning and the sun came streaming through, warming us for the first time in weeks, the sensation was divine. The overcoat stayed in the closet and the sunnies came out.
It’s going to be interesting taking lots of outfit photos for you while I’m on this journey, as I packed only one case for the ten weeks and only a couple of pairs of shoes. My mix and matching abilities, as well as the way I aim to stick to a colour palette, mean that I actually have a lot more combination possibilities than I first realised when packing. Let’s see how this all works out.
Today’s outfit is made up of a few of my tried and true pieces that have earnt their cost per wear time and time again. While not all of the originals are still available in stores, I’ve put together a bit of a “Shop The Look” for you as these basics are total lifesavers for me.
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I’ve finally been able to find an online supplier for the foundation I use, and have included it here in the feature. It is a BB cream by Missha and is by far, my favourite foundation. It is the ideal shade for my porcelain skin, gives great coverage, doesn’t melt or disappear.
My Red Velvet Lime Crime lipstick is another favourite as it wears well and doesn’t transfer onto cups or cheeks! The red chiffon scarf is a vintage one and sadly these are a bit tricky to come by. They are a certain texture that gives them good grip in the hair and I use them to all kinds of different effects. Your best bet is to just keep and eye out in thrift stores for these, that’s how I keep adding to the collection.
And yes, I did treat myself to a little something from Shopbop this week. Joomi Lim creates beautiful and edgy jewellery that you won’t see in every high street store. The skull, spike and pearl bracelet has a matching choker (I’ve yet to debut that one), which has a delicate femininity while also being seriously sharp!
I’d love to know what you think of these little in post features helping you find pieces of the look. It’s something new for me and I like the way everything can be seen at a glance rather than having to go off and click a bunch of links to get the info you want.
Shop the Look:
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by Candice DeVille | Jan 27, 2015 | Style Inspirations, Travel
I discovered many things during my holiday in Dubai, but none more amazing and thrilling to me than what I learnt about their culture through the language of fashion.
Generally speaking, the West has a very uninformed view of Middle Eastern fashion, what it is and all the hidden secrets. My education began in a most unexpected way.
One afternoon while wandering The Dubai Mall alone, I took myself on a mission to capture the beautiful fabrics and finishes of the pieces I’d seen in the windows of the Souk. Incredible colours, fine embroidery and jewelled hems all called my name. I had very much wanted to purchase an Abaya on my trip, but after seeing these jewels, I was a little afraid to look at the price tags. So I stayed at arms length, appreciating from outside the glass.
As I wandered along, a well-dressed young man smiled at me from the doorway of one of the more opulent stores, “Please come in, have a look around.” I almost shook my head but tentatively stepped inside, a bright and gleaming countertop catching my eye. This was no ordinary store. Like being dropped into a museum gallery, I realised at once that what I could see was something extraordinary. True artisan works of the highest quality, showcased like a medieval tapestry.
Eager to demonstrate their wares, he began to remove the fabric piece by piece, placing it softly on the countertop. He could see I was hesitant to touch the pieces and immediately started to drape them over my shoulders with, “please, see the quality of this stitching. Each piece is unique and takes over two years to complete.”
Stunning, utterly stunning. The weight of the fine silk, the hand rolled hem, the carefully selected colour variations giving depth and life to the motifs. I began to exclaim at their beauty and compare fabric weights, asking questions as I went along. We looked at each other and realised that the other had a true appreciation for the skill in these pieces; he offered to dress me in the full ensemble.
