Stay Stylish During Fall With Sweater Knit Tops

With the weather starting to slowly transform from warm and humid Summer to cold and chilly Fall, a sweater knit top is almost a necessity that everyone should have. It doesn’t matter if you are a guy or a girl, the sweater allows you to stay warm without compromising aesthetics and fashion. Whether you want to wear it as a standalone garment or you want to use it as a base for your layering style, the knit sweater top is a very versatile piece of clothing. I wear my sweater tops in my workplace when the weather is too cold, and also on casual weekend days when I just want to stroll around and hit the streets.

As a sweater knit top can be made from a variety of materials, choosing which one suits your fancy can be a difficult task. Rayon, cotton, wool and even cashmere can be used as materials for a sweater knit top. Cotton sweaters might be the most accessible ones out of them all, so you won’t have a difficult time looking for one. I always find cotton-made sweaters in the department store, and to tell you frankly 100% cotton material sweaters don’t feel too different from those made from rayon and wool. Although, of course, the ones made from rayon and wool have a much nicer quality to them as opposed to the ones made from cotton, the cost of the sweater knit can jump absurd amounts when the material changes. An example I can give are the sweater knit tops made from the finest and purest cashmere material — these can easily cost hundreds to thousands of dollars a piece especially if you buy them during peak season.

As for wearing the sweater knit top, you have several options that you can explore to ensure that you will still look stylish while keeping yourself warm.  One of my most favorite ways to wear a sweater dress is to go the preppy route. I often go for a clean, white sweater knit top combined with a dark-colored jeans or black slim pants. When I want to go the extra mile, I also layer my sweater knit top with a complementary-colored cardigan in order to create a bulkier top that I can use along with my slim pants.

As always, choosing the right sweater knit top will depend on the materials that you prefer to wear and the style that you are comfortable with. If you want to look a bit different, check out this cropped sweater knit top from YubsShop and separate yourself from the crowd.

Wearing Torn Jeans — Yay or Nay?

So, you finally decided that you want to wear jeans and feel the beat of the streets? Well, you are not alone in that regard. I, for one, have always viewed jeans as the “spirit of the streets” in the sense that it embodies the whole aura of the cityscape where we live in. Almost everyone, at least once in their lives, have worn denim jeans along with a pair of plain white shirt to accompany it. This “lean and mean” street style is reminiscent of the pavements of New York and California where people wearing denim jeans can be seen dime a dozen. Although Levi Strauss first introduced it to the mainstream during the late 1800’s, the denim jeans is still loved up to this very day.

Wearing jeans is already enough to give you that mean and raw street culture that you might want to go for, but did you know that altering it a bit can give it that final “oomph” to go along with your outfit. What I am trying to say is that you can add a little more flare and appeal to your already nice set of denim jeans by purposely tearing it in places such as the knee and the thigh areas.

Well, if you ask me, there is nothing more authentic than wearing your jeans to the point where you would tear it naturally on its own. However, doing so will take a lot of time — months, or even years if your jeans are really tough — and you might end up buying a new pair of jeans instead (because your old one is used too much that it is already breaking down in places) To get around this, one thing that you can do is to tear your jeans on purpose by using a pair of scissors to cut it in places. With this technique, you don’t have to wear your denim jeans for years and wait for it to break down.

To do this, just simply get a scissor and create a small horizontal slit or cut in your denim jeans — along the places where it would “naturally” tear if you wear it everyday. Such places are the knee area and the mid-thigh area, where most of the creases and folds due to the pressure of walking, sitting and running in your jeans are concentrated.

Wearing torn jeans is really great especially when you are looking for that stylish yet run down and worn out look. A pair of white  or black shirt would really go along nicely with it, and it would make you feel like you have gone back to the early 90’s street fashion. I personally like to add a bit of street-style flare by wearing some nice snapback caps to finish off this style. If you are looking for a nice set of pre-torn jeans — those that are already torn and cut in places when you buy them — you can check out this nice stone washed and torn skinny jeans from the store Miamisvin.

Taking Care Of Your Suede Boots

By all means, I can say that one of the most elegant and enticing pairs of footwear that I own is my suede boots. Because boots are normally used for more than the usual and casual activities, they generally attract more attention because of their “in your face” designs. Most women like wearing boots to accentuate or bring attention to their overall outfit. Having said that, combining a foot wear with the ooomph of the boots with a material that is as fine and as attractive as suede is the perfect way to create comfortable yet still elegant foot wear.

Caring For Suede Material

Simply put, the boots is the perfect solution to someone who wants to look good and get an extra points for her foot wear. Boots create a lot of interesting ways to be worn, and even pairing it with denim skirt or denim jeans will work really great. When used as a material for boots, the suede can really make the boots less manly and more feminine. Thus, if you are looking for something to make you look really elegant without hurting your feet to much, a pleasantly-heeled suede boots is the perfect solution to your dilemma.

Although everyone who knows me well know about my extreme love for suede as a clothing or foot wear material, the problem with suede is that it is difficult to maintain. Just a bit of exposure under the heat of the sun can really start to degrade the color of the suede, causing white spots and bleached areas and making the suede look ugly. Furthermore, suede isn’t that easy to wear during rainy or chilly months because they might get wet. Water is the number one enemy of suede, which is why you should be careful when wearing it.

To care for my suede boots, the first line of defense that I employ are suede sealants and water repellents. These are very important in making sure that my suede is in top form and will never get water or dust attached to it. Water repellents are my best friends when it comes to keeping my suede free from spills and other potentially dangerous liquids. Sealants help me keep my suede boots clean by keeping dust away, and the combination of the two is more than enough to keep my suede boots looking pristine.

For cleaning purposes, whenever dirt or water spills over to my suede boots, I use special suede cleaning solutions to get the stains away. Never ever use water as it will affect the texture, color and sometimes even the shape of the suede — don’t ruin your investment by making such clueless and uninformed mistakes!

Suede is a really nice material, but it is also very delicate and complicated to maintain. I really prefer black color when it comes to suede, and I think it really works well when paired with boots. This block heeled suede boots from Style Nanda is something that I can vouch for, as I really like the craftsmanship and quality of their products.

Add Some Vintage Vibe With Flared Jeans

One of the most intriguing yet perennial bottom wears for women is the flared pants. As part of the “bell bottom” family, the flared pants has come and gone throughout the history of women’s fashion. There are times during a decade when the flared pants is very popular, and there are also times when the flared pants seems “off” to many fashion fans. Having said that, one strong trait of flared pants is that it never seems to go completely out of style, as proven by the renaissance of the flared style that generally happens time and time again.

But, since the flared pants style often circle back into the fashion scene frequently, they can easily be found in retail store, even during those years when flares aren’t displayed or modeled in the high-fashion festivals and runways. Flared pants look really nice on most women because they give extra grace movements and calls the attention to nice hips, legs and curves.

What Is A Flared Style?

Cut in such a way that makes the ankle roomy and wide, the flared jeans is often misinterpreted as “A-Line” or palazzo pants.  Personally, I think that palazzo pants are much more “extreme” and I consider them “outliers” in the bellbottom family. Flared pants has much more room for daily and casual wear, and they can also be fitted to be worn on semi-casual occasions. Not to be confused with other types, the terms bell-bottom, palazzo, boot-cut and even wide legged pants are often used as synonyms for “flared pants,”. But in reality, these are all distinct styles only closely related to one another. If you ask me personally, I think what makes flared jeans kind of unique is where it begins to widen only at the middle calf section, rather than at the knee or hip like the other bellbottom cuts. Flared pants are often cut relatively tight in contrast, which makes them much more flattering for most women.

Just like every thing that we wear, not everyone will look equally good in the same flared pants, even if it looks good on their favorite model. Let us admit it, not every one has the thin and tall model body, which is why we have to think carefully about how we carry the flared style. The clothing items that we pair up with the flared pants also provide a great deal of effect on the final outcome of the look we are going for. Having said that, one rule that works well when I wear flared pants is to not wear a bulging, large top along with the pants. If possible, wear a nice cropped shirt to show a bit of your curves too. If you are trying to hide your belly or make it look “flatter”, wear a high rise flared pants and it will do the trick for you.

If you want to know what I mean, check out this flared slacks from Shezgood.com and see how the wearer makes the flared pants look good just bare or even layered with other clothes. You can mix and match other clothing wear using this as your inspiration, so I hope you learned something new from me today 🙂

Guide On Buying Oversized Boyfriend Shirt

Are you in the market for a plus-sized shirt? Some women, me included, like to purchase shirts that are one or two sizes bigger than what we normally wear. This craze for plus-sized shirt isn’t something just “out of the blue” though, because this trend has even evolved into having its own term called “boyfriend shirt” phenomenon. As to why a woman would wear a shirt that is a size or two bigger than what she normally wears, well there can be a lot of reasons behind this reasoning. First of all, boyfriend shirts are loose and large, making them perfect when you want to feel the air flowing comfortably around your body. Secondly, oversized shirts tend to be loose around your waist and arms, allowing for better movement without restrictions.

When shopping for oversized boyfriend shirts, you can either choose printed or plain, solid-colored shirts. Plain shirts give you the ability to combine it with a lot more options for your bottom (because you don’t have to think about how you can match the prints with your bottoms anymore) which can make your life easier in the long run. In contrast, you can go for printed ones if you are looking for a much more novel experience and you want to really stand out from the crowd. The thing about printed shirts is that you have to really find the right print or design that would look good on you — prints that are either too bright or too wild can sometimes work against you.

In case you haven’t noticed it, color has a slimming effect if used correctly. For example, a black short sleeved blouse is handy to have because it will go well with almost everything — and black always give off an elegant look. On the other hand, clothes with brighter colors tend to take the attention towards it so try to shift it away from parts of your body that you want to hide. Color blocked boyfriend shirts are one way to do this, so try finding one if this is what you are going for.

When I wear boyfriend shirts, I tend to always have this rule on my mind : bulky top, slimmer bottoms. This rule has worked almost always in my favor and it can really balance things perfectly for me. Because the boyfriend shirt that I wear for my top is already loose and bulky, what I tend to do is complement it with slim fit bottoms to balance my outfit out. Denim jeans tend to give me a “grunge” look while dark slim fit pants gives me a more casual approach — both bottoms really work well when finished with some ankle boots too!

When buying boyfriend shirts, one of my most favorite designs is plaid. It works well with what I am trying to achieve, and plaid isn’t too formal so I can wear it for my casual street walks. I have this same plaid boyfriend shirt from Imvely and I can really say that the quality is top notch!

The Misconception About Horizontal Stripes – Is This A Fashion Rule You Can Break?

Are you afraid to wear horizontal lines? Have you been scared to wear horizontally striped clothing because it supposedly makes you “fat” and “thick”? If you answer yes to these questions, then I am with you on the same boat. For so many years, I have been made to believe that “horizontal lines make you fat” is a fashion rule that I should never even dare to think of breaking. Because it is often thought that horizontal lines do make things look “thicker”, which is actually partially true, there are still specific facts on this supposedly “universal fashion rule” that you can bend in order to make things work in your favor. To make things short, let me get you in on a little secret : not all horizontal lines can make you look fat and thick!

So, are you ready to learn the truth now? Yes, that is actually true — not all horizontal lines can make you look fat. As a matter of fact, horizontal lines can even move away the attention from those areas of the body that you don’t want to get noticed such as your tummy and your side flanks. As to how this can happen, it is fairly simple — choose small, thin horizontal lines instead of thick and fat horizontal lines.

Black And White Horizontal Lines Can Actually Make You Thinner

Thin horizontal lines, especially in black and white, are great for hiding the shape of your body because of the “optical illusion” that it creates. When viewed from afar, these thin black and white horizontal lines can even appear a a light shade of grey, and they only reveal their true patterns when viewed up close. Choosing the thickness of the horizontal lines on your black and white patterned clothe is something that you should take into consideration. Why? Because if you choose a black and white striped clothing with a thick striped line, you will actually make the opposite effect — you will really make the illusion of being thicker that normal, and your hidden bulges will also be much more noticeable because the thicker lines will bring out your curves.

So, how do you wear a black and white, thin-striped top? There are so many ways to wear them, but two of my most favorite are wearing it with some slim fitted pants (which is also usually in color black to create continuity) or wear it with a skirt / skater skirt that has a loud and vibrant color.

Wearing it with black pants or slacks is actually a no-brainer, as it is often the best way to truly bring out the nice, casual look of a black and white top. I often try to avoid wearing cardigans or jackets when wearing a striped top because it takes away the attention from my patterned top. In contrast, a vibrant colored skater skirt will also work well to create a separation between your top and your bottom. If you want a well-designed black and white striped top to see how it would look like when worn, check out this striped patched top from Bagazimuri.com and look how it makes the wearer look slimmer!

Bringing Back The Spirit Of The Streets With Hoodies

The cold months have already made their presence felt, and when days like these come by, one cannot just help but take out that old and trusted hoodie that was kept inside the closet for so long. I, for one, has been collecting a few hoodies back when I was still in school, and I have always loved wearing them for so many occasions. Whether I am running outdoors and breaking a sweat or I am just chilling out and having coffee with friends, the hoodie is an old and trusted friend that has accompanied me through so many phases of my life.

Hoodies as Street Icons

Simply put, the hoodie is one of those “iconic” street wear clothing that has stood the test of time. Whether you want a pull over hoodie, a cropped hoodie or a zipped up hoodie, there is always a hoodie out there to fill the niche that you need to fill. Full zipper, half zipper or no zipper — the hoodie always reminds me of the streets of New York in ways that I could not explain. Maybe it is because of those films and pictures depicting New Yorkers in their trademark black hoodies — with all those graffittis on walls and pavements — and all the cool 90’s videos of people rocking their hoodies in the streets. In some way, the hoodie brings me back to those times, with the spirit of the streets still blazing strong.

The 90’s, along with the skater culture, really made the hoodie a trend that shows the spirits of the streets. Because skaters needed something to protect them from the cold while roaming the streets in the snow, the hoodie was born out of necessity and later evolved into something fashionable. Today, there are so many different variations on the hoodie that you can really make it work for whatever kind of look that you are looking for. Alas, you can even substitute it for a cardigan, and add some raw and fierce “street” look to your outfit.

Mens’ hoodies fit a bit more open and larger because it was patterned after the original skater hoodies that proliferated the streets during the 90’s. If you want something “oversized” to go along with your slim bottoms, the oversized hoodie is definitely something that you should pick up. On the other hand, if you want a more casual, snug fitting feel, the women’s cut might be suited for your needs especially since it emphasizes the curves on a woman’s body. Whether you want to go for the oversized or the snug feel though, the bottom line is that you have to choose the one that is most comfortable. For this aspect, wool hoodies are soft but can ba heavy. Suede hoodies can be softer, but are much harder to keep and maintain.

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, these Korean Loose Shirt hoodies from Shezgood is something that you should definitely consider. not only do these hoodies fit and look like something a ninja would wear, they also feel light and comfortable on the skin!

Tips For Wearing Wide Leg Pants

The wide leg pants, also known as the palazzo, isn’t just something that you can wear out of the blue. For some people, it would be a challenge to wear the palazzo pants because it can really make you look funny if you don’t know how to wear it properly. Remember that old show called Bozo the clown? That dude was wearing wide leg, palazzo pants all over the place and you can look like someone who doesn’t take things seriously if you wear palazzo without authority. If you are going for that kind of look (I mean, you are trying to look funny, no pun intended) then the palazzo pants can get you there! No, just kidding 🙂 If you really want to rock things 70’s style, wide legged pants can really take you to that decade. However, you need to know how to wear the palazzo pants, and that is where I come in!

Why Wide Legged Pants?

Just to take you on a trip back down to memory lance, palazzo pants became a popular trend back in the 60’s and the 70’s. The story goes that during the 60’s some restaurants refused to accept women wearing trousers because they wanted to go against modern fashion trends and stick to the traditional “skirt is for women”  ideology. The problem is, 60’s was a radical time and many women opted not to go along with the tide of times. Because of this, the palazzo pants or wide legged pants which look like skirts easily became a popular trend to circumvent the ban imposed on women who didn’t want to wear skirt during that time. As seen through the fashion of big 70s celebrities and musicians such as Cher, wide legged pants can really look nice and funky if worn with the right stuff.

So what are the tips for wearing wide legged pants? First of all, you need to understand that balance is the root of everything, even in fashion. When you know how to balance things out, you can make anything look good even if they aren’t too expensive. When wearing wide legged pants, a good starting point is to make sure that you are not wearing a wide top too! When you wear a wide top, there would be no balance between your top and your bottom, and it will really make things look like one big overflowing mess. To straighten things up, wear a slim top to go along with your wide legged pants. Doing this will make your upper body looks slimmer compared to your bottom which is already wide because of your palazzo pants.

Another thing that you can do is to choose a palazzo pants that is high waist if you want to look slimmer and make your stomach look flatter. You can also top it off with a cardigan for a more layered look, while adding some accessories and necklace to complete the style.

If you are on the hunt for some palazzos, this gingnam wide leg pants from Style Nanda is something that I would definitely recommend. Wearing wide legged pants can be quite tricky, but if you heed some of my tips above I am sure that you will be able to wear them well!

Flats For Fashionable Feet

Some women think that fashionable feet should always come with a price — wearing tall and high heeled shoes. Although it can’t be disputed that high heeled shoes really does make you look classy and sophisticated, a woman who knows a thing or two about fashion can also look good wearing flats. You remember Audrey Hepburn? Audrey is one of the biggest Hollywood icons during her time, and she always managed to look good wearing only flats and some nicely chosen clothes. Although many women are under the impression that it is very difficult to become fashionable or classy without high heels, in reality this is far from the truth.

Why Wear Flats?

Simple put, an outfit can drastically change with the addition of foot wear — this is something that holds true for most occasions. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to suffer long hours wearing only high heels. Flats offer a unique and comfortable way to make your foot wear interesting, which is why you should consider getting them for your casual and even dressy walks.

Although women’s flats aren’t as striking or dramatically attention-grabbing as a nice set of high heels, there are numerous ways to make them really pop out. For example, canvas flats are very easy to silkscreenm, paint or print on. Because of this, canvas flats are very good candidates for wearing brightly printed floral flats that can really give you that Summer or spring look that you are looking for. On the contrary, patent leather flats are very thick, attention grabbing and shiny. Patent leather flats are your best bet when it comes to getting “dressy” without having to wear high heeled pumps.

Although suede is generally a soft material, and is favorably worn around summer or spring, it is also something that can be worn even during the Fall season. Suede looks really nice and soft on the feet, and the texture of the small hair strands on suede shoes can really change how it looks, keeping and storing suede is not the easiest thing to do. Avoid wearing suede flats when you are unsure of the weather — especially if it is dark and rain is foreboding. When storing it, make sure that you avoid keeping it in a place where direct sunlight can hit it because it might suffer from bleaching or color fading.

Pointed toe flats are best worn for classy and evening night outs because of the shape of the shoes that are slim and sexy. Square toe flats might not be too common, but they are also worn for business and looks really good when paired with slacks. Ballet flats are great all around shoes and would go really well with casual walks even in jeans or slim pants.

At the end of the day, what is important is that you are wearing something that is not only fashionable but comfortable as well. With this in mind, I highly recommend that you check out this tasseled flats from Lemite and see if that style is something that you would fancy!

What Are The Different Variations Of Blouses For Your Fashion Needs?

As a quintessential part of a woman’s wardrobe, I’ve always found out that a woman can never really call her closet “complete” without at least  a couple of blouses ready to be worn when the need arises. Since evolving from its origin of being a “peasant top” commonly worn by workers during the early days, the classic look and comfort provided by the blouse is something that resembles the ingenuity of denim jeans — no matter what the generation or decade it is, blouses and jeans never lose their sense of style and fashion. In a way, they can be considered perennial in the truest sense of the word!

The blouse is a loose-fitting garment, which when tucked or fastened seems to “blouse out” or loose out hanging over the wearers body. Since evolving from its origins as a top normally worn by peasants, workers and artists in the past, the blouse is now normally considered as a casual or working woman’s clothes. Most of the time, the buttons on a woman’s blouse is reversed compared to men’s clothing. According to some, this is due to the fact that women were generally dressed by their maids while men dressed themselves. Because of this, the buttons were reversed so as to make it easier for the maid to fasten them.

So what are the different kinds of blouses that women can wear? Here are some examples listed below:

Dirndle Blouse

These blouses are typically made from silk, cotton, satin or polyester and are usually offering the most elaborate design or construction. Because of the way that these blouses are constructed, frills and embroideries are the staple of these dirndle blouses. The textile used for these are usually thin and soft — sometimes, a see through effect is also very noticeable.

Polo Shirt Blouse

The polo shirt blouse is something that most women in the office or working women would wear. Offering the same casual look as polo shirt, but with a much more comfortable and loose feel, the polo shirt blouse is perfect for those women who don’t want something too tight fitting but wants to have a button up top. Also, the polo shirt blouse is perfect for slim fit pants because of it will look “bigger” compared to the normal polo shirt due to its hanging hems.

Choli Blouse

The choli blouse is typically bare are the mid section and is worn as a complement to the sari. Among countries with a strong hindu influence such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the choli blouse is something that is commonly seen by women of all ages.

Simply put, these are just some of the typical blouse variations that have evolved from the classic working woman’s blouse. If you are in search for a much more refined and classy kind of blouse, this high neck laced blouse from Korean store Dark Victory is something that might tickle your fancy. I have bought a few items from this shop and I definitely recommend their products, especially to fans of Asian fashion.