fashion
Submitted by lindsay on Tue, 02/25/2014 - 12:57
Belts and necklaces are wonder accessories. Not only do they tailor, polish, accent an outfit, but they also create focal points to draw the eye. Using them skillfully can help highlight and balance your proportions.
When you are adding these finishing touches to your look, adjust a long necklace so that the point of interest meets a balance point. Not only will someone’s eye be drawn to the details, but it will also imply a vertical line on your torso and create length. On the other hand, a short necklace will keep the eye around the neckline.
Place a belt where it makes more sense for your proportions. For instance, if you have a long waist with shorter legs, you may want to create balance by wearing your belt at the balance point closest to your natural waistline. The belt creates a horizontal line dividing your body in two, and placing a belt higher on your body will elongate your bottom half to create more balance. If you have a short torso, wear your belt so that it meets a balance point further down on your hip.
By understanding your body’s proportions, you can effectively create focal points where your proportions will balance. In the end, your outfit will look more harmonious.
Read more about the Rule of Proportion and How to Wardrobe on plum.ca.
PS: Due to snow, we have extended our West 4th Warehouse Sale until Sunday, March 2nd!
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Submitted by lindsay on Tue, 12/17/2013 - 17:14
When shopping for fashion with prints, style experts say you should think of three different ways of wearing it before you make the purchase. Just like your little black dress, the printed dress provides endless outfit options and the colours in the pattern can make us look more vibrant.
Try a painterly floral for an updated romantic look. Or, for an outfit that's more striking, try a geometric printed dress. When you want to change the styling, wear your dress under a fitted blazer or a cardigan so we only see the skirt.
Because Simone dresses are designed in-house and made locally in small batches, you are more likely to stand out.
Now there’s even more reason to wear printed dresses...
Select Simone Dresses Now on Sale for $49!
10 styles marked down from their regular price of $98 to $129:
The Simone Floral Dress with Peplum (reg. $129), the Simone Floral Dress with Deep-V Front (reg. $98) the Simone Sleeveless Contrast Print Dress with A Line Skirt (reg. $120) and the Simone Dress with Contrast Leopard Front and Exposed Zipper (reg. $120). Clockwise from top.
Left, the Simone Printed V-neck Dress with Side Wrap (reg. $115) and right, the Simone Printed Drop Waist Shift Dress (reg. $115).
The Simone Printed Wrap Dress with Contrast Trim (reg. $115), the Simone Printed Dolman Sleeve Dress with Front Gathers (reg. $115) the Simone Printed Wrap Dress (reg. $110) and the Simone Printed Cross Over Front Dress with Gathers (reg $115). Clockwise from top.
Once you've picked your Simone printed dresses, find the perfect finishing touches while our jewellery promo is on!
Buy one jewellery item & get the second piece (of equal or lesser value) for 50% off!
Offer valid until December 24th! See details here.
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Submitted by lindsay on Fri, 10/11/2013 - 09:43
You might be wondering how exactly the elements of design in your body match elements of design in your clothes to create harmony. After our last post, you may have been inspired to take a good look in the mirror to see just what your elements of design might be! Not only that, but we hope you’ll take a look in your closet too and make a note of how the pieces you love reflect the elements of design that exist in your body. You might also notice that pieces that don’t work just don’t match who you are, which makes it easier to let things go!
Here are some good guidelines to help you out, keeping in mind that this is general advice and your personality and lifestyle still need to be taken into account (more on that later!):
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Scale – are you tall or short or somewhere in between? If you’re tall, that’s awesome, you get to wear long coats, jackets and cardigans, big jewellery and lots of volume in your clothes. If you’re short, that’s equally awesome – you get to wear short hemlines, narrow clothes and smaller details.
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Proportion – are you evenly divided into eight lengths along your body and do things sit where they’re supposed to? An easy way to remember this is the ‘8 Heads Rule’. The length of your head from the top to the chin is roughly 1/8 of your height. If you’ve got a neckline, waistline or hem that isn’t working, it might be too high or too low. Things sit best right at the lines of division, or exactly at the halfway point. If they sit a little bit higher or lower, they can look a little odd.
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Line – so you have curvy or straight lines, but what does that mean in your clothes? If you have curvy lines, you will likely feel more comfortable in things that have wrapping, ruching, princess (curved) seams, curved lapels and things with softness. If you’ve got straighter lines, you might like things that are more tailored, with pointed collars, straight lines in patterns or sharply creased pants.
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Shape – the shape of you determines the shape of your clothing too! If you are a bit of a rectangular shape (like me, my bust and hips and waist are all roughly the same size), then you’ll do well in clothes that are more rectangular, like shift dresses (which I wore all summer), tunics, flat front pants and jackets that fit close to your body but don’t nip in at the waist. If you’re smaller at the waist, then you might like things that have detail at the waist. If your face shape is oval, you’ll likely feel more comfortable in oval shaped earrings and necklaces rather than square or rectangle shapes.
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Texture – you can find texture either in the construction of the fabric, such as tweed or corduroy, or in the visual, with a pattern. If you’re more textured (remember, curly or wavy hair, freckles or lovely lines), look for things that have a bit of texture. If you’re smoother (straight sleek hair, more angular shape), then look for smooth fabrics such as tightly woven wool/silk or some synthetics in solid colours.
We hope these few tidbits will help you let go of some of the things you haven’t been wearing and make room for choices that are more purposeful. If you need more information, we’re learning rapidly (actually, we knew a lot already and we’re rapidly integrating the new information) and are here to help!
 
Did you miss part one? Catch up on your reading here! ... read the full post and reader comments
Submitted by lindsay on Thu, 10/03/2013 - 09:41
In Plum's Colour Series, we discussed how colour is still relevant and important for your day to day wardrobing – primarily so it matches you, but also so that things in your wardrobe go with other things! In this post and our next, we’ll be talking about how your body is relevant too, and for more than just fit.
When we’re working with our private clients at ICU, we notice that they tell us a lot about how they feel about their bodies. In our surveys to you at Plum, you shared with us that there are still certain areas that you are concerned about showing or not showing, and changes you might like to see in your own bodies.
Here’s the deal: at Plum and at ICU, we believe it’s never you, it’s always the clothes. What we mean by that is we believe your body is the perfect body to do whatever it is you’re meant to do here on the planet and the sooner you make friends with your body, the easier it is to dress with purpose. No longer are you yearning to look like someone else, no longer will you be frustrated by trying to put clothes on your body that just don’t work.
It’s our responsibility as designers to make sure there are things in our store that work with many different kinds of bodies, and that our staff really understand how to find the right fit for your unique loveliness. We’re learning about different kinds of bodies and learning how to see everyone with a beautiful perspective.
Each body is made up of different elements of design; these elements are present in any good design, from architecture to clothing. We are making sure that what we have available covers a lot of different bases so we can help you find something that works.
Here are the top five elements we look for in you and in our clothing so we can find the perfect match:
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Scale – no, not the weight one. We look at your height and operate from the principle of congruity. That is to say, matching the scale of your body to the scale of things you put on, from the length of hemlines to the size of pockets and cuffs.
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Proportion – we look at how your body is divided up between your upper and lower halves and see where different garments need to sit on your body to make them work well.
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Line – bodies have a lot of great lines, just ask any artist! We love to see if your lines are curvy or straight or somewhere in between and bring you clothing that suits you.
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Shape – let’s face it, women are not fruit. We use a geometric approach, along with line, to see what general shapes exist in your body and what kinds of shapes in the garments we bring to you will work on your unique shape.
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Texture – we want you to feel comfortable in the clothing you choose and texture is a part of that. If you’ve got gorgeous curly hair and lovely freckles, you’ve got texture, and vice versa. If you’re wearing fabric that matches your visual texture, you’ll create harmony!
We want you to see yourself the way we see you! A unique blend of beautiful elements of design that deserves to dress with purpose.
Read part 2 here. ... read the full post and reader comments
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