Guys, This Ones For You!

The fact remains that you're going to have to assist at least one of the men in your life to help them get their sartorial act together. One day when you're going to be dating a guy and he's going to ask you what looks good on him, would you be ready to help him look his best? Well, it's simple, all you have to do is remember a few tips in how something should look and fit on a guy. 

1. "A good sleeve-length guideline for the relationship between a jacket and the shirt worn under it is to always have about a half inch of shirt cuff visible beyond the jacket cuff" (203). Remember, this is only a guideline, styles change with fashion all the time. Freer gives an example of one way a nice jacket and shirt can be worn on men. This is not always the 'style' but it can look good, mostly depending on the colors you have corresponding together.  Black and white is always a must! 

2. "The ideal length jacket should fall past the waist and drape over the top curve formed by the backside, with the hem of the jacket hitting at right about the middle of a cupped hand. If a jacket is sitting on the very top of the butt, creating a small flare in the back, it's too short. If a jacket covers the backside entirely it's too long" (203-204). Through this second piece of advice, Freer says that a guys jacket should always be the perfect length. It just looks funny if it is too long or too short. But keep in mind, these 'tips' can change according to the style a guy is looking for. 

3. "The backside of a pair of trousers should hang in a smooth drape over the rear end, without pulling tight across it or draping too loosely down the thighs" (204). The key to having a good outfit for both men and women is simply having clothes that fit. 

4. "A good fit rule for the collar of a shirt is to ensure that only one finger fits comfortably between the collar and the neck. If two can fit, it's a sure sign that the collar is too big" (205). Don't be scared to try this out when a guy asks you if the suit looks good. Make sure that the suit looks perfect on him simply by checking for these small things. 

5. "Once you determine what style of suit to buy, the question of when and how to button it up still remains. The short answer is that suit jackets are meant to be buttoned when standing and unbuttoned when sitting as to keep the fabric from bunching up unflatteringly" (208). A suit with three or more buttons is not a suit. Luckily, the art of buttoning is not all that hard to pick up if you remember three words: sometimes, always, never. 

Whenever you are buying a pair of pants, remember: It is better to have them a bit too loose than at all too tight (204). Freer says that loose pants are better than tight pants, and that is true. 

Remember to skim through and look at these small tips to make the suit looks perfect on a guy! It's not that big of a task. 

How will you help a guy look good? 

Freer, Alison. How to Get Dressed. Berkely: The Speed Press, 2015. Print. 

Dressing For Success is Dead

Do you ever get tired of going out into public and feeling like your outfit is not perfect? Yea, me too! There are a few simple things you can do to make your outfit feel more complete. 

Start by ironing your clothes and hanging them up! Wrinkled clothes are a clear sign to the world that you don't really care about your look. "Taking an extra five minutes to straighten things out is well worth the time investment" (95). Freer illustrates that taking a few extra minutes out of your busy lives to iron your clothing is worth the time and will you save you time in the future. Just look at how much better a shirt looks when it is clean and ironed. 

Make sure to always focus on how revealing your clothes are, if you want to look professional, a longer skirt and good shirt will do the trick. "The wisdom goes that women looking to be taken "seriously" as "professionals" should take great care to avoid anything too low cut , sheer, or revealing" (95) Freer shows that girls can look good without having to show every part of their body. Often girls think that they have to look beautiful by showing of their bodies, which is not true! Modest is hottest!! 

Going back to my first blog about wearing fit clothes, always ask yourself a few questions, Are your clothes too big? Do your hems drag on the ground and get dirty in the process? (97). Asking yourself a few questions like this every time you put your clothes on will keep you in check and make sure you're not wearing too big or too small clothing. Finding the pieces that suit you and making them part of your go-to style helps you look your best at work or in any professional situation. 

"The truth for dressing for success is that sometimes, the trick to looking better in your clothes is simply to have fewer of them" (98). Going off of what Freer is saying, I think that if you have a good combination of well fit clothing, then you don't need all those extra shirts laying around in your closet. A little extra attention to the condition of what you're wearing elevates your look far more than a closet bursting with poorly cared-for clothes. 

How will you make sure you're dressing your best?

Freer, Alison. How to Get Dressed. Berkely: The Speed Press, 2015. Print. 

Dumb Fashion Rules 

Having a great style is all about being different, unique, and above all else, interesting. It's one way I enjoy expressing myself and showing people who I am. Dressing up in what I feel beautiful in is always a thing I look forward to. I pre-plan all my outfits and I don't follow any rules when I do it. 

Freer gives me a few different 'dumb fashion rules' that we all break. I agree with a few of the rules and would never break them, but some are like, um everyone breaks them!! 

Dumb fashion rule 1: Always fear wearing stripes

Dumb fashion rule 2: Don't wear white after labor day 

Dumb fashion rule 3: Don't wear black with brown or navy

Dumb fashion rule 4: Don't mix your metals

Dumb fashion rule 5: Don't wear leggings as pants

Dumb fashion rule 6: Don't wear boots in the summer

Dumb fashion rule 7: Short boots make your legs look stumpy

Dumb fashion rule 8: Don't mix your patterns

Dumb fashion rule 9: Don't double up your denim

I despise almost all rules. Fashion rules are usually made to trick us into looking and acting alike, which is dumb. Freer says "If you need some extra reassuring, here are my top nine really dumb fashion rules that you should definitely toss into the wind without a care- because really, who's going to stop you?"(60) She makes me realize that nobody can stop you from wearing what you enjoy wearing because fashion is about dressing up in what makes you, you. 

I personally love wearing white because it has its own good look to it. On most days I wear black but I've realized that white is nice too. 

Wear anything as long as it's appropriate for the season because it's really nobody's business what you do to please yourself. (61) Freer goes into a deeper explanation throughout this chapter talking about how you should wear what makes you happy. If you want to wear dresses throughout the winter then you go for it and don't let anyone stop you! She gives me more of an idea of how to wear what I love rather than wearing what people want to see. 

I'm the type of person to follow my own rules, especially about fashion. There are a few rules to making anything work. Well, almost anything! Just because there are a few dumb fashion rules, does not mean that they are all dumb.

Wear what suits you and makes you happy! 

How will you use these 'dumb fashion' rules? 

Freer, Alison. How to Get Dressed. Berkely: The Speed Press, 2015. Print. 

Be Your Own Costume Designer

Finding your signature style only sounds like something that takes a lifetime to accomplish. It's actually pretty easy and fun! Showing off to the world through your style is entertaining and it says a lot about you. You already know that good clothes really do open all doors. Taking the time to figure out your own signature style is something most people have never considered doing, but there is way more to having a signature style than just the clothes you wear. Your style is your signature.

Freer says that, "Clothes are instant visual cues to who a person is, where they came from, and where they may be going"(50) This taught me that people can automatically tell where you're headed just by looking at your visual appearance, your outfit. People may not know the specific location but they know whether someone's ready to go to bed, messy bun + a sweater, or off on a dinner date, cute dress + red lipstick.

Finding out your own signature style is not as hard as it may seem. You want to get to the heart of who you are, what interests you, and what you really want to present to the world before you allow yourself to go forth and shop.

                                                                           
Whatever that style of yours is, it can definitely change and grow, you can even have two at once. (52) Freer says that peoples style changes over time and people have more than one style and that's okay. Everyone has two sides: their cute, fancy side and their sporty, scrub side. Your style can be as simple or as fantastical as you want it to be. Explore new things and figure out what you love. Don't be afraid to ask women on the streets whose style you admire where they got something. Having your own style means to constantly be on the lookout for what's new that actually suits you. 

Freer taught me to express myself to the world and explore new and different styles to find my signature style. 

When you are your own costume designer, you'll find that you are suddenly the very best version of yourself you've ever been. Because real style is all about enhancing who you really are, not attempting to change yourself into someone else. 

What will you do to find your signature style?

Freer, Alison. How to Get Dressed. Berkely: The Speed Press, 2015. Print.

Fit: The True Enemy of Style

The reason you think people have such great style is simply because they always wear clothes that fit them. Finding the right pair of jeans or the right skirt is never an easy task. Going to the store, trying on hundreds of pairs of jeans and not being able to find the right pair, now that is the worst! Do you ever just look at someone and wonder how they can get their clothes to look just right on them? Dressing up isn't just about wearing the clothes that are in style, it is about finding the clothes that make you who you are. 

Don't just dress to impress others, do it to impress yourself too! 

Dressing up isn't just about looking "cute" or "hot," it is about expressing yourself to the world without having to use words. Freer says that even the perfect looking garments can look bad if they fit poorly(24). This teaches me that no matter how perfect a piece of clothing can be, if it doesn't fit, it doesn't look good. Period. 

Freer claims that your properly fit clothing should always do what you want it to do. You should be able to move your arms and legs without getting creases everywhere (13). This taught me one big thing in fashion, and that is to get clothes that look just right on you. Alison Freer says, "It is a total lie that you need a certain body type to be truly stylish" (12). For most of my life, I loved and enjoyed every part of fashion, yet most of the time, I spent my time worrying on how I might look in a certain outfit; fat, weird, not for me type of outfit and does this even go...? Freer taught me that I don't need to be the skinniest girl or the girl with the perfect body and face to dress stylish. She taught me that I can be who I want to be with just the right fit of clothes. 

Once you start looking for clothes that fit and stop fooling yourself into buying clothes just because they are in "style," you will be in awe of how much better you look and feel in your clothes. Try on something you normally wouldn't and see how much you love it. 

"Getting the proper fit in a pair of pants is a true house of cards."(17) Freer emphasizes that jeans play a big role in fashion. If the jeans don't sit right in one area, they won't sit right in any other area. Trying to find the perfect pair of jeans is a battle. Alison helps me figure out how to find myself the ideal jeans. From explaining where they should fit on the waist, to explaining the way they should look on me. 

Buying a good pair of jeans always pleases me! I love wearing clothes that express what I like and who I am. Life is too short to wear boring clothes.

How will you start showing off the real you? 

Freer, Alison. How to Get Dressed. Berkely: The Speed Press, 2015. Print.