What to wear to a Christmas Party

It’s that time of year again… that stretch of weeks when we are feeling rushed, overworked, and desperately looking forward to a holiday. We can so often get caught up in deadlines, Christmas shopping, and the fluster of the looming season, that we don’t have time to think about what to wear to the many functions that crop up around this time. The last thing you want is to get to Wednesday, and think “Yikes, the Christmas function is on Friday night, and I have nothing to wear!”

As I’ve mentioned many times before, the way you present yourself sends messages about your personality, lifestyle, character, your status, and so much more. Ask yourself what message you want to send with your appearance, and make sure that your outfit and overall look supports that message.

For Men: Your work culture will often determine how casual or dressy you should be for the function. If you are in doubt, ask. That will be far less embarrassing than turning up in jeans, when everyone else looks suave and classy. Remember that often this is a chance to dress up a bit, shake off the work blues, and have some fun. So make sure you are comfortable, but always aim to be smart and stylish.

And whatever you do… make sure you leave the knitted Rudolph jumper in your closet, just don’t do it. The same goes for satin waistcoats with anything resembling a cartoon character or Christmas paraphernalia – these should be burnt!

Instead, if your function calls for casual dress… go for a nice chino or smart dark jean, with a nice long sleeve shirt. Make sure your shoes are clean and polished.

For a more formal function, stick to a suit. Choose a great shirt and tie combo that reflects your personality, but don’t go cheesy. Remember, photos will most likely be taken.

For Ladies: Again, make sure you know how dressy your work function will be. This is your chance to look fabulous, show your personality, and get complimented on your sense of style. Make sure, however, that you don’t go overboard. Choose an outfit that is appropriate for your body shape, colouring and age.

There are a few options for outfits: you can go with a trousers and a gorgeous top, you can go for a skirt and top option, or a fabulous dress.

So what are the dos & don’ts?

DON’TS

• Don’t dress like a prude
• Don’t do the ‘Mutton dressed as Lamb’ look either
• Don’t dress too sexy for the office crowd, as you may attract unwanted attention that could take months to shake off
• Don’t dress too casually
• Don’t wear the same thing you wear to work every day. Show some personality and creativity
• Don’t wear shoes that you can’t walk in without falling over
• Don’t wear lipstick on your teeth
• Don’t wear a frumpy jacket over a gorgeous outfit, it will ruin the look completely

DOS

• Do accessorize – show some personality with your accessory choices
• Do look absolutely fabulous
• Do make sure you are comfortable in what you’re wearing (nothing looks worse than a lady who continually hitches up an ill fitting strapless bra)
• Do dress appropriately for the occasion – no towering heels for a beach function
• Do bring something warm that works with your outfit
• Do get help with your makeup if you don’t do it well yourself (try a department store)
• Do put on some fake tan if you are pasty (test it well in advance)
• Do layer with opaque stockings or footless tights if you are cold
• Do check your back view in the mirror before you leave

Remember that photos will probably be taken during the function and pasted on the office wall the next week, so make sure that you are happy with how you look, stand up straight, and remember the number one accessory you can’t go without: a smile.

If you need some help shopping for a party outfit, take a Personal Shopper with you. Check out our brochure for more details.

Are you stuck in a Style Rut?

A style rut can happen at any age. It happens when you get stuck in one way of thinking and dressing, without taking notice of the changes that have happened to you and around you.

There are a few different style ruts that we tend to get stuck in:

The Comfort Rut: where you can’t be bothered to try any new looks, you just grab your easy clothes and chuck them on. Often you are a bit scared to change because you don’t know what will suit you. For instance, do you look in your wardrobe see mostly one colour (black) or mainly one or two styles of clothing?

The Busy Rut: when you are too flat out to even think about clothes, so you just wear the same thing over and over again (black pants and shirt), and you know that you don’t feel great in your clothes or that they are really ‘you’, but you don’t have time to figure it all out by yourself… where do you even start?

The Flash Back Rut: where you look like you just stepped out of a former fashion decade… “Excuse me, the 80’s called and they’d like their perm back please!” You haven’t moved on and it’s clearly visible. You are a bit oblivious to this, but also a bit scared to try something new.

The Mutton Rut: You’ve all heard of the saying “Mutton dressed as Lamb”. It sounds harsh of course, but really it’s just when you know you looked good in a certain style and you find it hard to let go of that, even though your body and looks have likely changed. In this rut, you are often dressing in too young a look for your age. Now, I’m all for stylish looking ladies of all ages, but there are some things that are appropriate, and some that aren’t.

So, how do you know if you are stuck in a style rut?

• You are totally uninspired by what you see in your wardrobe.
• You end up buying an item when you already have several others just like it at home.
• Your wardrobe could have a past decade to describe its look.
• You hardly ever think of wearing other colours or styles. (Black!)
• You just feel that clothes and style are ‘too hard’ or not your thing.
• You can’t remember the last time you did something different with your hair, makeup or clothes.

Life is always changing around us. Fashion changes, our body shape changes, our personality or our lifestyle may change, and we need to be able to adapt to these changes, and still reflect who we really are in the way we dress.

If you feel like you are stuck in a style rut, don’t feel depressed, instead feel inspired to change. Deep down, most women want to look their best, and want to feel attractive. That’s great because when you look good, so often you feel better.

Just because style or fashion doesn’t come naturally to you, it doesn’t mean you are doomed to a life of comfort dressing and feeling blah. We can easily show you what colours and styles suit you, and how to discover your style personality. Then when you do go shopping and start to create your new look, you’ll know what will work for you, no guess work involved, and no expensive shopping mistakes!

You can get a bit of help to just tweak your look, or you can get a whole makeover and totally reinvent yourself. It’s all in your hands. You are the only one who can make the choice to change for the better.

So do away with the excuses of age, time, money and body issues. You can look great, with little time & money, and regardless of your age and body shape, you can look and feel fabulous.

It’s time to break free of your style rut. Experiment, get creative and have fun with fashion. Start to create your own sense of style. When you know you look good, your confidence soars and you feel so much better about yourself.

If you would like some help in breaking free from your style rut, visit outfitme.co.nz or contact us to see how we can help.

www.outfitme.co.nz

Mothers & Daughters

Recently I have had quite a few mothers & daughters book in for consultations together, and it has got me thinking… what a great way to do mother/daughter bonding!

I remember when I was younger, watching makeovers on Oprah with my mum, and being fascinated in the transformation of the women & men involved. That’s probably one of the things that steered me towards being a Personal Style Consultant.

Our mothers are one of the biggest influences in our lives growing up. Whether we want to admit it or not, they will have influenced our sense of style. That doesn’t mean that we all end up like little clones of our mothers, not at all, but rather, that we watch and learn, and decide what we like and what we don’t like, starting from a very young age.

When I was young, my mum used to make clothes for both herself and for me, and she showed me how to get creative and have fun with fashion. That influenced me quite dramatically growing up, as I learned to have an eye for what looked good and what didn’t and to have a love of fashion.

As us daughters grow older, the roles can sometimes reverse, and we can find our mothers looking to us for inspiration of what is current, and for new ideas in style. This has happened with my mother, as I’ve grown up, often Mum looks to me for ideas and fashion advice, and of course shopping help, which is great, as it’s always such a fun bonding time for us to go out shopping or look through each others wardrobes. We enjoy this time together, and although are tastes are not the same in all areas, we do inspire each other in different ways.

There are also however, the Mother/ Daughter relationships in which their sense of style is quite different, and they may not be able to understand each others taste, let alone pick out gifts! This can be source of tension sometimes, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. You can learn to understand what suits yourselves and each other, from colours & styles, right to your style personality.

This is where I think these Consultations together can help quite a lot. As you learn what colours suit you and each other, what styles suit your body shape, and what your own sense of style is, it takes all the guess work out. It gives you a much better understanding of your own body, and each other. Plus, it’s heaps of fun. You get made over together, and get to have a great girly bonding time, and create some new memories together.

So whether it’s with your Mum or even a best friend, check out our website outfitme.co.nz and book in soon.

www.outfitme.co.nz