Have you heard that vertical stripes make you look bigger or that short people should never wear vertical stripes? Not true. It all depends on how you wear it say the fashion and beauty editors at the Lunch Hour Workshop…
Lunch Hour Workshop with Woman’s Day and Revlon
With my windscreen wipers on highest speed, I drove through the rain and thunderstorm to Westfield Queensgate in Lower Hutt, outside Wellington.
I was going to a lunch hour workshop at Farmers inside Queensgate Shopping Centre, where Woman’s Day and Revlon showed off the new season’s must-haves in fashion, accessories and make-up.
Quite a big crowd of women of every size and shape – and a couple of men – had gathered at the Farmers store to listen to Woman’s Day editor Sarah Henry, fashion editor Shona McKechnie, and beauty editor Amy Houlihan. They had good advice for us all.
How many of us women love to hide our bodies in unshapely tops, bulky jeans or a big jacket? I know I am one of them. Sarah and Shona showed off some great garments for every woman. Tunics especially, and the flowy-er the better; then you can add a nice belt to emphasize your waist. I asked Sarah and Shona whether tights or tighter pants are really for overweight women. “Oh, yes”, they answered. “As long as you wear a knee or mid-thigh long tunic, shirt or cardigan over it.”
Layers are important. Tighter jeans, a flowy top, a belt and perhaps a mid waist jacket are perfect. You trick the eye of the observer, and yourself.
We have all heard that a woman should have a black dress in her wardrobe. Sarah and Shona agreed on this. They also said that a black dress could be in fashion for a long time. With small changes such as a new brooch, a nice scarf, long necklaces, a belt, jacket or differently-coloured shoes, that black dress can look different every time you wear it, and no one will realize that you’re wearing the same dress. Shona and Sarah said that as well as a black dress, a woman should have a white shirt in her wardrobe. Not a waist-length shirt, but it should be a little longer and you can wear it tucked in to a skirt, pants or wear it loose with tighter pants, tights and accessories.
After listening to Sarah’s and Shona’s fashion advice I realized I had done everything wrong on the day. I was wearing unshapely jeans, a waist-length white shirt and a waist-length cardigan on top. I did however wear a long necklace and earrings, so I was a bit fashionable.
Have you heard that vertical stripes make you look bigger or that short people should never wear vertical stripes? Not true. It all depends on how you wear it! Try to make the striped garment the secondary focal point if you are worried it will make you look bigger. Perhaps a nice striped top with a one-coloured jacket on top; or a striped singlet underneath your jacket, cardigan or otherwise. Also try black and grey stripes, cause it’s not as obvious or striking as black and white stripes.
Polkadots are also in fashion this season, and they are so fun. Mix it up a little bit with a fun polkadot jacket, just like the Woman’s Day magazine’s editor Sarah was wearing.
Another thing to remember: Cut off those straps on the inside of your clothes…they’re for the store only so that the clothes don’t fall off the hanger. Cut them off! Some labels are big and stick out from your clothes, and those straps have a tendency to crawl out and hang like to flaps on your shoulder. Not a very nice look.
One more thing about fashion… You can wear flowy pants and a tighter top, or tighter pants and a flowy top. But flowy pants and a flowy top only becomes a flowy tent. Remember; dramatic jewellery or scarves with your more basic clothes gives you a psychological boost and you look refreshed and updated. An inexpensive way of updating your wardrobe and look.
There was not just fashion that was the topic on this hour-long lunch workshop. Make-up is also important to create a whole look.
Foundation is one thing that many women forgo. Revlon has a new foundation called “Photo Ready Foundation”. It is light reflective and it works with any light you walk in to. A good-looking foundation is all about the preparation. The secret is a primer. Primers have been used by film and television for years before being available to the general public. Primer gives you a smooth finish for your foundation to glide on top of.
A lot of women tend to put on blush in the wrong place. They put it ON their cheekbones, and the dark colour of the blusher make your cheekbones recede. Instead, put blusher slightly under your cheekbones and they will stand out. Great tips!
Sarah gave a lovely tip for women who want their lips to look fuller. “Just put some clear lip gloss in the middle of your lips after you’ve put your lipstick on and that will pick up the light and make your lips look fuller.”
Beauty editor Amy Houlihan explained where a bronzer should be applied. “You need a big soft, round brush, and the idea with a bronzer is to not colour your whole face in, but to apply it where the sun would naturally hit it.” That is, your forehead, nose, and chin. You can also apply a bronzer behind your chin, which gives the illusion of your chin coming back, so that your double chin magically disappears! Another tip that I need to try out.
Eyebrows are really important and they frame your face. To go to a professional and get your eyebrows shaped is “one of the cheapest beauty treatments out there, that will make the biggest difference”, Sarah told the attending women.
Except for foundations, bronzers, eye shadows and eyebrows, there’s one thing every woman should do before leaving the house. Dress your lashes. Mascara makes such a difference and you look fresher and more awake in an instant.
And on that note, the lunch hour workshop at Farmers with Woman’s Day and Revlon, part of 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty, was over. It was a very well spent lunch hour for me and I learned a lot of things and the women opened up my eyes on what to do and not to do in the fashion and beauty world.
By Tine Woren, 17 September 2010.
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