Style never goes out of style…and it can be a lot easier than you think with some of these tips in your fashion arsenal.

If you’re like me, I like savvy style tips that I can implement today that won’t break my budget. Yes, we all know we should own a great LBD (little black dress), a classic cotton white t-shirt, a fitted blazer and a pointy closed-toe heel. These are all good but what about the other stuff that we come across on a daily basis like “how do I wear all white?” or “does this purse go with my outfit?”

We want simple solutions, am I right ladies? Below I’ve put together my top 10 style tips based on questions I’ve received from my clients and girlfriends.

1. Own at least one seamless nude bra and a Spanx slip in nude. These two items will solve a lot of undergarment see-through issues. Be sure to match the nude color as close to your skin tone as possible.
2. You’re handbag doesn’t have to match your shoes! Tie in your handbag or shoe colors with other accessories instead, like a belt, hat, bracelets, etc.

3. Wearing all white is a statement, try mixing different materials and textures and layering pieces when going for this monochromatic look.
4. Save a trip to the tailors for those jeans that are too long. Instead use a few strips of fashion tape and fold the amount you want inward (reverse outside cuff).
5. If you’re bustier, go for a higher neckline as oppose to a plunging or low v-neck. This will actually flatter your figure more.
6. Muffin top can be hidden by purchasing pants or jeans that hit right at your waistline instead of below it.

7. Make a blazer, jacket, sweater or button shirt feel new again by changing out the buttons with some detail.
8. Thinly shaped belts (1/2 inch to an inch wide) are classic and chic, use one to cinch a cardigan or sweater right at the waistline to give your body shape.
9. Scarves are great accessories, don’t be afraid to try one’s with bold patterns and color. It will brighten up your face without having to use bronzer.
10. Jewelry pairing is tricky, so here are my savvy rules: If you’re wearing big earrings go for a dainty necklace or go without and instead pair with a chunky ring or layered bangles. If you’re wearing a statement necklace pair with small stud earrings or no earrings.

Images: Vincent Boiteau, PacificCoastNews, Scrapbook.com

The post 10 Style Tips Every Woman Should Know Now appeared first on EcoSalon.

Carrie Bradshaw is back on the big screen this month and while it’s unlikely she’ll be sporting eco-fashion in the SATC 2 movie, the ultimate fashion-loving gal offers you, the eco-chic dresser, some great insight into creating a look you’ll love and that you won’t want to throw away.

I must be kidding, right? Surely, her piles of shoes and expensive designer flaunting symbolize all that is wrong with our society’s promiscuous shopping ways. She seems the epitome of what the conscious consumer wants to avoid”¦ I agree. At a certain point (around season 5, when she lands her book offer) her look indeed tipped into a parody of excess and shameless high fashion advertising. But, back in the early days (while a writer with a modest income), Carrie’s stylish kitschy wardrobe was created mainly from vintage and thrift store finds and punctuated with some much cherished high heeled shoes and a large dose of fearless creative spirit. Wasn’t it the way she thought and related to getting dressed that we connected to, rather than the increasingly beyond-our-means outfits she indulges in now?

I couldn’t help but wonder if the original Carrie’s fashion insights could apply to those of us seeking to change the world by reframing the way we consume fashion one recycled, organic, locally made, fair trade piece at a time.

Accessories

Carrie knew the importance of a well-placed accessory to both transform and give an existing outfit further mileage. Remember the signature huge corsage that was pinned on everything from ball gowns to t-shirts? Try her trick of using a statement-making pair of shoes to offset and modernize a simple thrift store dress.

Dress in character

Which one were you? Edgy, offbeat Carrie or the demure garden-party princess Charlotte? Either way the point of glamor is the act of becoming someone different. Carrie is an incredibly mercurial dresser, always dressing appropriately for her mood or the occasion, using fashion as a tool of self-expression. With all the negative things going on in the world, fashion is the place you can still have fun!

To thine own self be true

Carrie is a trendsetter rather than being a slave to fast-fashion’s fickle trends. The best way of maintaining a wardrobe that always feels current is to create a signature look that keeps your carefully selected pieces in constant rotation.

Follow your heart

To avoid a closet full of clothes you don’t wear, it’s important to fall in love with each piece you buy.  A lover of both heirloom and street treasures, such as the gold Carrie necklace, Carrie forms a deeply personal attachment to both her clothes and to the process of getting dressed.

Ironically, Carrie Bradshaw’s fashion message is the ultimate eco-chic statement. That is cycling back the idea of fashion as an act of fun and creativity rather than an act of consumption. Now that’s something worth sharing with your girlfriends!

Image: SATC 2

The post Fashion Lessons Learned from Carrie Bradshaw: Yes, We’re Serious appeared first on EcoSalon.