Debunking the "Magic" of Stripes!

Stripes were always something that confused me. I’ve heard many times, as perhaps you have, that wearing horizontal stripes will make you look wider and vertical stripes are slimming. At first thought, that seems stands to reason… after all, in many cases adding lines parallel to the lines of your body tends to increase their apparent length (ergo… horizontal lines will make the hip/waist/bust lines wider). For a long while I avoided wearing the infamous horizontal stripe style, but couldn’t help being drawn to looks featuring them. Eventually, horizontal stripes found their way into the black hole that is my closet (as does pretty much everything) and much to my surprise, I loved the way I looked in them! How can this be? Is everything I know wrong? Are cats and dogs living in harmony? The truth is out there!

Like a skeptical red-headed FBI agent, I embarked upon a quest to find the truth about stripes and along the way have reinforced my belief in trusting my eye and intuition. While researching stripes, my search quickly took me out of the world of style and into the world of optical illusions! That’s right kids, horizontal stripes create an optical illusion which, when employed correctly, will make you look slimmer…. Prove it you say? Challenge Accepted!

The secret is based around the Helmhotlz Square Illusion. That sounds pretty awesome right?... Let’s take a look (yes, I’m going to geek out for a moment, bear with me). Which of the two squares below looks skinnier?

I say the one on the left appears skinnier. What do you say?

As you probably guessed, they are actually the same size, yet the horizontally lined square appears taller and skinnier. There is debate as to whether this effect is applicable beyond 2D, and if you’re interested there is a research paper discussing just this question published by the University of York. The verdict? Even when extrapolated out to real clothing on mannequins, the horizontal stripes appeared about 10% skinnier to the eye based on their findings.

Didn’t read the paper? Still Skeptical? Here is a great article with a bunch of side-by-side comparisons of real people styled in vertical and horizontal stripes (for those of you non-nerdy types, I’ve got your backs too).

This pretty conclusively debunks the fashion advice that horizontal stripes make you look fatter. Hooray! Stripes for everyone!... Not so fast. Remember that the width, spacing and placement of stripes on your body play important roles to how flattering a look you can create. Let’s jump into a couple outfits and apply what we’ve just learned.

For the first look as usual, we’ll keep things simple with a navy and white striped sweater.

Straightforward styling here simply uses stripes as a top. This v-neck sweater has thin stripes on  the arms and back paired with slightly large stripes on the front. Overall very flattering. The take home point here is that the stripes themselves are relatively thin. You’ll find that keeping the width of the stripes thinner will allow you to take advantage of stripe’s flattering effects. Wider stripes will end up starting to have that dreaded widening effect. As a good guideline to find your stripe sweet spot, you want to match the stripe size to your body size... smaller/thinner stripes for smaller thinner bodies, larger/more built bodies can tolerate wider stripes and still be flattering. Trust your eye.

Our next example is a bit more fun and pairs a navy pencil skirt with a striped tee for a more nautical/summery look. Nothing says nautical like the color navy and stripes!

The stripes here are wider than in the sweater in the first example. I seem to notice a definite decrease in that magical thinning effect as a result. I know from experience, I'm reluctant to get too much wider with the stripes as they start adding width rather than slimming my body.

Our final example, features stripes used in a layered look, keeping the actual stripes themselves still on the thinner side.

Using stripes as a layer, such as under the black blazer here, is a great way to add texture to your look and give it a little extra pizzazz. Metallic threading (like the silver thread subtly woven through the gray stripes on this top) can tie in well with accessories like the stretch bracelet shown here to bring an outfit together. Since the stripes are not fully exposed across the width of my body, I don’t really take full advantage of the effect. If you find a striped piece you like, but fear the stripes are a bit too wide to aide in slimming, a layer over the top might be just enough to even the whole look out. 

With a little sleuthing, horizontal stripes no longer have to be alien to our style choices... but ultimately in trying to debunk the magic of stripes, we simply find that they are indeed just that, magical. Do you use stripes in your wardrobe?  Have you worked creative stripe magic of your own? 

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Cheers, Kayci

Sleeve Types to Slim Your Arms and Shoulders

I’ve had this topic on the back burner since we discussed flattering necklines. As you might guess, sleeves and necklines are both important factors in how we style our shoulders and upper bodies. Broad shoulders and muscular arms are often features of our bodies we wish to diminish to create more feminine lines in our upper body. Lucky for all of you… I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve to help do just that! (Sorry, I really couldn’t help myself)

Without much more of an introduction, let’s proceed to the list of sleeve types and with each one we’ll look carefully at how it affects the lines of our bodies. The list is longer than you may expect, as you probably have noticed by now, I like to be thorough so we’ll look at everything. Since I don’t have about half of these in my wardrobe, I’m going to be pulling all the examples from the web. It’ll be both fun and educational… get excited!

Spaghetti Straps & Tank Tops

So spaghetti straps aren’t technically a sleeve (so no pictures for you!), but worth mentioning. As was mentioned in our necklines discussion, thin straps often serve to accentuate size and bulk through contrast rather than reduce it. Save spaghetti straps for under layers on your favorite looks. For bare arm/shoulder looks, wider tank top straps should be a preference. They will break up the width of shoulders much better than their thinner counterparts. See how compared to a spaghetti strap, my shoulders appear a bit less bulky? Tanks for noticing!

Sleeveless

Sleeveless styles feature… you guessed it, no sleeves! This style creates a vertical line right where your arm and shoulder meet. The length of this line is what the eye notices as the “size” of the top of the arm. If you have muscular/built shoulders, this will be a longer line, reinforcing the appearance of a large upper arm and shoulder. Obviously, this is not what we want… avoid sleeveless looks unless you are comfortable with this effect or are able to minimize it through other style choices such as deeper cut neckline.

Cap

Cap sleeves are the shortest of the actual sleeve types, serving to “cap” the top of the arm. The important thing for us to notice when considering cap sleeves is where the bottom line of the sleeve falls on the arm and also the angle that it creates. Cap sleeves can range from only slightly longer than sleeveless, all the way to what you would consider a “short” t-shirt length sleeve. Shorter cap sleeves will make shoulders appear wider or full size by creating a horizontal line across the full width of your shoulders where the tips of the sleeve fall (blue line above). Additionally, just like the line that “decides” the size of your arm on a sleeveless style, the location of edge of the sleeve in cap styles will dictate how large your arm appears (red line above). If this falls right across the thickest portion of your arm, your upper arm will likely look bigger. With longer cap sleeves, there are happy sweet spots on your arm. Try to find cuts that make our blue shoulder line fall lower and angle of the red arm line closer to horizontal than vertical for this style to be most flattering. It can be tricky however, I usually shy away from cap sleeve types or use them layered under other things. 

Short

Short sleeves we are all pretty familiar with as they are common on most t-shirt styles. Though the length may vary slightly, the edge of the sleeve will usually hang horizontally. Short sleeve styles are fairly neutral as far as flattering your upper body, just be sure the sleeve is not tight around your upper arm as this will certainly emphasize the upper arm.

Puff

Puff sleeves, living up to their name, puff out at the shoulders. The extra volume makes shoulders quite literally larger. Obviously, this is not a desired feature for a part of our wardrobes if shrinking shoulders is our goal. So, you may ask, are all hopes of ever wearing this style gone in a puff of smoke? If it is a style you adore (I find it quite cute on the right person myself), stick to subtler puffing and try to find styles that perhaps just puff up a little rather than out, this will minimize any widening affects. If you have smaller arms and shoulders, have fun with puffs, you’ll likely be able to rock the look!

Butterfly

The next style to flap its wings onto our list is the Butterfly sleeve. Loose fitting and flowy, butterfly sleeves tend to give a whimsical and ethereal look to a top, especially with lighter fabrics. This is a style that is truly ideal for larger arms and shoulders as bulky lines are lost in folds of the sleeve itself. Lengths can range from short (left) to usually about halfway down the arm (right).

Bell

A bell sleeve is a sleeve that flares out towards the wrist. The flare can start immediately from the shoulder or at any point along the sleeve. This creates the shape of… ding ding! You guessed it, a bell! Much like a buttery sleeve, you will benefit from losing the line of your arm as the sleeve flows down. Additionally, the extra visual “weight” of the extra fabric lower will balance out a bulkier upper body. Be careful with over doing a bell sleeve however, it’s easy to ring your way right into a 70’s throwback or renaissance faire look if you’re not careful. Keeping it contemporary, subtle, and elegant will make the bell sleeve a great look for you.

Leg of Mutton

Yep… you heard right… Leg of Mutton.  Also from my research, it is sometimes called a Juliet sleeve (which sounds much more romantic). This style, in all of its glory (left), is a puff sleeve on steroids. In much more subdued incarnations (right), it can achieve a cute romantic look, worthy of a star-crossed lover. Again, same rules apply here as the puff sleeve… if you want to take a bite of the Leg of Mutton sleeve, keep the horizontal poofing to a minimum or try to find styles with a poof lower on the arm. Lighter weight fabrics will help reduce the shear weight of the style so it doesn’t appear too visually “heavy”. 

Bishop 

Characterized by a billowing sleeve captured usually at the wrist by a more form fitting cuff, the Bishop sleeve has similar benefits to the other looser sleeves we have looked at. The one difference is that Bishop sleeves eventually come to tighter end point… be aware of the location of this point and whenever possible this should be a thinner point on your arm. I wouldn’t make Bishop sleeves a staple of my wardrobe, however for some variety they offer a more creative and feminine look than an average sleeve.

Raglan

Raglan sleeves (sometimes called baseball sleeves) are a particular cut of a sleeve where the sleeve itself extends to the neckline of a garment. This style of cut creates seams which will create the appearance of a longer arm (elongating the arm helps to create a slimming effect), while also breaking up the shoulder line, another helpful feature to shrinking broad shoulders. 

Dolman

 A Dolman sleeve is a style of cut where the underarm portion of the sleeve connects to the rest of the garment much lower than other sleeves which connect around the armpit. Though the depth of where this seam begins can vary, it creates a more voluminous sleeve that drapes down off the arm. The dolman sleeve masks the true shape of the arm. Again, larger arms will be concealed and appear smaller in comparison to the wider opening. With this style you do however sacrifice a more defined waist, which isn’t a bad thing just something to be aware of. Loose fits like this pair well with form fitting bottoms such as skinny jeans or leggings. They also offer a great palette for accessories.

Half, Three-quarter & Long

These are really just referring to the length of any type of sleeve. Half sleeves hit at about the elbow. Three-quarter length hits about mid forearm (suspiciously about three-quarters of the way down your arm). Long sleeves are the full length of the arm to the wrist. Three quarters length sleeves are often touted as the most flattering of the lengths and at least on me, I tend to agree with that claim. The length covers the upper arm, while highlighting your wrist, the slimmest part of the arm. Long sleeves can easily be pushed up or folded over to a three quarter length as an option too.

One point worth noting when considering sleeve length is that lengths subconsciously guide the eye to that level, long or three-quarter sleeves draw subtle attention to the hips, similarly, half sleeves hone in on the waist while short sleeves on the bust. This being said, sleeves just call a bit more subliminal attention to an area but don’t really change your body’s lines.

Whew! We’re done! Hopefully now with a greater appreciation for all that sleeves offer in styling options. I’ll leave you with one final bit of advice: If you want to wear styles that we’ve discovered are less flattering (there are many gorgeous looks out there in this category), just be sure that you are doing other things like deepening a neckline or using dark color to deemphasize in addition to balance out the effects.

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I love hearing feedback so comment below or stop on by and say hello!

Cheers, Kayci

Tis the Season for Leggings!

Now, more than ever, with colder weather upon us, we find that leggings become an important part of staying not only stylish but also warm! In many areas of our bodies, we, as trans-women, find ourselves compensating for the differences in body shape that are remnants of growing up another gender. It doesn’t seem fair, but if there was ever a place for redemption, it is our legs! I’d be willing to bet that the most frequent compliment a trans-women will get from a genetic woman when dressed to impress, is how stunning her legs look… and its usually true! In this post we’ll learn how to make the most of those beautiful legs as we take a look at the finer points of leggings.

So when it comes right down to it… What is the difference between leggings, and tights or pantyhose? For the purposes of my blog (and generally accepted elsewhere), I consider any hosiery that ends at the ankle or higher to be a legging and anything footed to be considered tights or hose. Leggings are almost exclusively opaque while tights can range from totally opaque to very shear (the denier rating can be used to determine the transparency). Leggings are an important part of any contemporary chic wardrobe.

**Soapbox Alert!** 

Given its distinctly feminine nature, hosiery is understandably a favorite amongst the cross-dressing and trans communities. It also seems to be one of the least understood, and crudely executed style choices I see, despite its popularity. I challenge everyone who reads my blog to learn to wear hosiery in a classy, appropriate manner and help lessen the stigma the rest of the world finds with the association of hosiery and the trans community. (It needs to be said people!)

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Without further ado… let’s get talking about leggings. With so many options, let’s organize our considerations when creating that perfect look…

-       Leggings are not pants. Say it with me: “leggings are not pants” … good! Nothing takes classy to trashy faster than wearing leggings as pants… way too many women break this simple rule! Don’t be one of them. Think of leggings as an accessory rather than a replacement for pants. Be sure to cover up adequately.

-       Don’t wear socks with leggings. It just looks silly (unless they’re hidden inside boots then its ok).

-       Make sure your footwear compliments your outfit. This is a universal consideration, but when leggings are involved it merits a bit more specific thought.

-       Be aware of the occasion for your outfit. Usually, leggings tend to make an outfit more casual. Tights/pantyhose typically have the opposite effect.

-       As always, find lengths, patterns, and colors that flatter your figure. The goal is to create the look of longer, leaner legs and clean feminine lines.

-       Pair looser fitting tops, chunkier knits, sweaters or dresses with leggings to offer a flattering contrast that will make your legs look more sensually lean.

Sounds like we have our work cut out for us! 

Let’s get started with some examples and learn by doing :)

For our first example, let’s stick to the basics. Here I have paired an olive, tunic length top with dark brown leggings and knee-high, brown suede boots. It is a very quintessentially earthy, fall look… (I’m pretty partially to those color schemes as you may have observed)

The first thing to note here is the length of my top… it is just long enough to cover my butt, maintain my modesty, and ensure that I am not breaking the “leggings are not pants” golden rule. The length here is the shortest one should ever go. I’m young, and in good shape so I can get away with it… it is also age appropriate for me (yes, I know… hate me if you like :p). If you have a different body type or are older, don’t fret… just air on the side of more conservative (longer) length tops.

Secondly, my boot color matches my legging color, which keeps the line of my leg long and unbroken. Different colors can sometimes chop your legs up, breaking up the line of the leg where the color changes. A dark color as always is flattering and will make legs appear more slimming. dark brown and black leggings should be a staple of any contemporary wardrobe. Bright colored leggings, though super fun looking, will make your legs look thicker (remember, brighter colors highlight) and can put you into a time machine back to the 80s real fast. They should be reserved for decade themed costume parties only.

Lastly, you’ll see that my boots are flat. Leggings work great with flat boots (and heeled ones too!), and flats. You typical can’t go too far off course by matching flats or knee high boots to leggings.

Also… Bonus points if you noticed how I used a belt to define the waistline in this outfit!

Again, while sticking to the basics of leggings, let’s look at a bit more of a “going out” look. Here is an outfit I wore to a bar/club a couple weeks ago:

This ensemble features a patterned top with a gorgeous bronze sequin detailing around the hem, with simple, low black heels, and black leggings. The top is a little longer than the previous example, so we’re safely covered there. The sequin detail serves to enhance the hips by drawing attention to that area (oooo shiny!). The first thing to note here is the looser fit of top. Pairing looser tops with leggings is a great trick and will be the most flattering. If everything you wear is tight, there can’t be any contrast to balance your silhouette and flatter your legs. Resist the urge to wear all form fitting pieces; it will not make you look slimmer!

Next, lets take a look at the shoes… in this outfit, my heels match stylistically with my top (a dressier look, so heels are more appropriate). When pairing heels with leggings, I find its best to stick to simple and sleek styles. I also would tend to shy away from peep toe or sandal styles as they make the line of the foot choppy, remember the goal is to elongate our lines. Brush up on the best shoe styles to flatter your feet with one of our previous posts.

For our final example will stray a bit from the basics, but just far enough so as not to get bored. Leggings may also be worn under dresses that would be considered too short to be really appropriate otherwise (yes, admit it… I know you have them in your closet, I certainly do). Dresses that hit at the mid thigh or above fall into this category and can work well with leggings… longer dresses will look frumpier if you add leggings (for lower hemlines, sheer tights would be a better match). Let’s take a look at this in action:

Here I have a metallic, textured, beige tank dress with charcoal leggings underneath and a cute little pair of suede ankle boots. In the spirit of the colder weather, I also added a fleece pea coat, scarf and hat… after all, leggings help you keep warm too!

You may notice that you can’t see the bottoms of the leggings; this is because I pulled them down slightly and tucked the bottom under my heel. Why did I do this? My intent was to avoid having a little strip of skin poking out above my boot and to keep that sleek line of my leg into the chunkier ankle boot. Ankle boots are a bit tougher when it comes to pairing with leggings and dealing with them is a matter of personal preference. As a general guideline if you are uncertain, if the ankle boots/booties are chunkier… try to avoid having a gap. If they are more form fitting (the style keeps continuity between the line of the foot and leg) then a gap will probably look fine. Also in regards to length/gap above your footwear, keep in mind that Capri or cropped length leggings can be cute (especially in the warmer seasons) if pulled off correctly, they’ll tend to make your legs look stubby since their short length cuts the line of your leg off at the calf. If you’d like to try it, avoid having the bottom of the legging hit the widest part of your calf for your best chance of success.

Fact: Leggings are the most comfortable piece of clothing ever created (at least I think so!). So why not make them part of your regular wardrobe and be all comfy and trendy at the same time!

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Good luck shopping all the Black Friday deals and sales!

Softening a Strong or Angular Jaw line: Necklaces to work with your Face Shape

I’m excited to see that more people are discovering “A Stylish Transition”. We just past 1000 views, and are just past 80 Facebook fans. Yay!...  if you’ve newly found us… Welcome! 

One of the most popular posts thus far has been our discussion of the most flattering neckline styles. I thought I’d rekindle and expand on the topic to discuss face shapes and how to best work with each one to achieve a more feminine image. We’ll look at necklaces and how to pick just the right one for whatever your favorite outfit may be. When paired with the right neckline, necklaces can do wonders to soften a strong jaw line or square, rectangular or triangular shaped face. Trans-women don’t always fall into these categories, but if you do, it may be something you’d like to soften up. I have an oval or oblong shaped face for example… its not overly angular but still benefits from a little softening (don’t we all right?). As always, there are plenty of ways we can make our jaw lines softer while making our necklines dazzling. If you are unsure of your face shape, compare it to the picture below. As you can see... rectangular, square and triangular all have “strong” more masculine jawlines. Face shapes are also very important to consider when choosing a flattering hair style, however we’ll save that for another post!

Before we get into the specifics, let’s look at the basics and learn the lingo (so we can at least sound like we know what we’re talking about!) Necklaces are classified generally by length. Below you’ll see the 6 most common necklace lengths:

I find a graphic like this to be especially helpful for reference when buying jewelry online. Sites will always give you at least the necklace length, so you can get a general idea of how it’ll fall when you wear it.

As you will remember from our discussion on flattering necklines, if we’re looking to shrink broad shoulders we’re typically looking for scoop, v-neck or perhaps even cowl neck styles, anything to break up the shoulder line. For the group of face shapes I mentioned above, we are looking to soften the hard angular lines of the face by:

1. Adding the appearance of length to the face to give the appearance of stretching out those hard angles
2. Add more curved lines around the neck to create a softer “framing” for the jaw.

We’ll start by pairing necklaces with our “go-to” necklines, but also take a look at others since you certainly shouldn’t limit yourself to only those styles. In fact, with the right necklace, some of the less flattering choices can become much more friendly.

Before we start, here are a few general necklace guidelines I always try to be conscious of:

-      Avoid lengths where the bottom of the necklace hits right at the neckline. It will simply get lost in the lines of the top and look unpolished. If this happens, you can adjust the length either with a built in clasp or by using an extender.

-      Think of your neckline as a frame for your necklace. Consider:  How does the shape of the neckline showcase the necklace?

-      Not every outfit needs a necklace! Having too many competing pieces in an ensemble detracts from everything.

Without further ado, let’s jump into some examples:

First, we have a teal, v-neck sweater with a princess length, heart pendant necklace. With pendant style necklaces, the line created by the necklace chain is typically a “V” shape. This pairs well with v-necklines and just like the neckline, helps to elongate the jaw and face vertically, softening any hard edges. Take a look:

Notice how the neckline frames the nicely centered heart. This is typical the type of look I wear most when choosing a princess length necklaces. It is very “classic” cute… and will work on most everyone. Be careful wearing really thin chains and tinier necklaces if you are especially built in the upper body as it may exaggerate things through contrast. Instead, chose something less fragile looking to avoid the necklace looking out of place.

Just as a pendant creates a “V” shape, a necklace that is a simple chain alone will create a more curved shape as it rests against your chest. For example:

This silver chain is paired with a fairly deep scoop neck top. The curved lines of the top and the necklace compliment each other and also help the eye to “expect” curves rather than sharp angular lines. This effect can help soften harder jaw line. The opposite holds true as well… typically you’ll want to avoid angular, geometrically shaped necklaces if you have a more rectangular jaw line.

Let’s explore another look:

Yes, you are seeing clearly… there is no necklace here! I wanted to make sure I re-iterated my point from earlier, not every outfit needs a necklace. Don’t feel pressured into accessorizing every possible option. This deep plunging V-neck does a fabulous job of lengthening my face and jaw line vertically; many necklace choices with this outfit would just break up that lengthening effect and create clutter. Could one wear a necklace here? Yes, but my style choice is always on the side of less is more.

If you recall from the flattering necklines post, crew necks did not rate super favorably when compared to the other, more flattering choices. Let’s take a look at how a necklace can enhance the value of a neckline that doesn’t do much for us:

Here, this long, rope or lariat length necklace serves to create a stretched vertical line that in essence, creates a new neckline for the top. Try pairing longer necklaces with necklines that are more horizontal such as crew or boat necks to add that helpful vertically stretching line.

Just for fun, our last example is a choker length statement necklace:

Again, this necklace exhibits both curving lines and extending vertical lines for all those jaw-softening effects. Bold statement necklaces, especially those with some bulk and volume also can make a jaw line appear smaller by contrast (that whole make something look smaller by putting something big next to it effect!). Let flashier pieces of jewelry such as this be a breathtaking focal point of an ensemble… they will get noticed and work best when not competing for attention with other parts of an outfit.

Thanks for checking out this post! Be sure to Like “A Stylish Transition” on facebook and share it with all your friends.

Cheers,

Kayci

Bracelets for Larger Hands and Wrists: Advice that could come in Handy!

Being a drummer, I have built up all sorts of fabulous muscles in my hands which help me play better… however, they also prevent me from slipping any sort of solid bracelet or bangle onto my wrist without dislocating my thumb! Drummer or not, trans-women have (on average) larger hands and wrists than cis-gender women, it’s a fact of life. Larger, bulky bracelets are not only trendy, but also help make hands look smaller by comparison, something we're typically interested in doing. If they’re too tight, you may run the risk of accomplishing just the opposite or, in my case, dislocating your thumb.

I have searched high and low for anywhere that makes larger diameter bangles and have yet to track down any reliable leads… if anyone has an insider scoop, please let me know! So… short of making my own (how hard could it be, right?) and with bangles and solid bracelets so popular nowadays, what options do we have to take their place?

The answer at first glance is: Stretch, Spiral/Coil, Cuffed, Hinged, and Clasped Bracelets. They all solve the problem of getting a bracelet onto your wrist without breaking your hand… so we’re half way there! About half the time for me, just going to these styles is enough to get the look I desire.

Unfortunately, the other half of the time (usually when something is super cute or I’m totally in love with it!) these readily available styles are still too tight around my wrist bones. Ideally, I like to have a bracelet loose enough to slide on my wrist and hang onto my hand a bit if my arm is at my side… not squeezed tightly like a coiling python! … to me, that loose fit is one of those little everyday feminine details I cherish. Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve (sometimes literally haha) to modify easily available bracelets for that little bit of extra length! (These may not work with everything, but can certainly help in many cases)

• Spiral/Coil Bracelets: Spiral Bracelets are shaped like coils, or springs and despite any embellishments, almost always have a central spring-like wire that runs through the entirety of the coil. The trick here is simple, slowly and gently bend this central wire outwards to increase the diameter of the spiral. Work over the whole length of the coil, flattening out the curve and gradually it will relax, creating a larger bracelet! If you want the coil to stay perfectly even, be sure to bend gradually and slowly. Here's an example of a coiled bracelet I have "stretched" out a bit, it gives that "collection of bangles" appearance but as a single piece:

• Clasped bracelets: Clasped bracelets use a lobster claw, or other type of clasp to close around the wrist. For these, you can buy jewelry extenders (try a quick search on amazon.com) and then cut the extender to length till its just right for you. This trick also works (perhaps even better) with necklaces. Shown without an extender below, all you need to do is clasp the extender in line with the clasp already on the bracelet and you're good to go!

• Stretch Bracelets: Stretched bracelets are neat interlocking or patterned pieces repeated with a couple of hidden elastic strands threaded through everything to hold it all together. Cool concept, easy to put on, but typically a little to tight on me. This trick is the most labor intensive of the three, and works best with more inexpensive bracelets ($5-$10 range… think F21 type jewelry). First off, if you see a bracelet you want that is too tight, buy two… yes, I know, it’s twice as expensive, but work with me here, its only going to be $15 or so. You will also need to head to a craft store and buy some stretchy elastic cord that’ll fit through the thread holes in your bracelet. 

First, as shown above, you want to cut apart one of the bracelets and remove one set of the patterned pieces (or however many you think will make the proper increase in size). Next, take apart the other bracelet and remove the elastics. Lastly (the most time consuming step), re-string the bracelet back together, adding the pieces from the “donor” bracelet in as well. Tie it all off and viola! You have a new, looser fitting elastic bracelet!

Hope these tips make it easier to accessorize your wrists happily!

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4 Ways to Spice up a T-shirt and Jeans Look

Before we dive into our topic, I’d like to make a bit of a personal announcement… I am happy to announce that this past Thursday, National Coming Out Day for those of you who may not know, I sent a letter out to all of my close friends announcing that I am transgender and plan to within the next year start living my life the way I have always hoped, as a woman. The responses were overwhelmingly heartwarming and truly solidified my belief that my friends are amazingly accepting and loving people. I love them all to pieces! This meaningful step forward got me thinking more about how I plan to present myself to others as I slowly advance towards finally living full-time.

One of the difficult things (it seems at this stage of my life that all things are difficult) I have found in preparing for this leap of faith into living full time (or even presenting part-time) as a woman is developing a look and wardrobe that will not only be stylish, but also be something practical that I will feel confident in wearing as all those important people in my life start to shape their new views of me. Despite the numerous beautifully feminine frocks hanging in my closet, I’m not always comfortable or confident with being overtly feminine and find myself looking for an androgynous step of fashion along the way to transitioning to full time. At a time when insecurities mount, and nothing seems to look right in the mirror, what is a girl to do? We’ve all been in that situation... frustrated, mildly panicked, insecure… it’s an overwhelmingly vulnerable feeling. So, what can we do?

I’ve found that the simplicity of a casual style is the most effective way to restore my confidence and offer that reassurance that can be so important when I look in the mirror. What could be simpler than the common T-shirt and jeans? Let’s explore a few ways we can make this tried and true look fashionable and stylish, while still maintaining its comforting, simple appeal. After all… there isn’t much more comfy than a t-shirt and jeans.

As you can imagine, this all starts with a fabulous pair of jeans. Investing money in a quality pair of jeans that fit well and look great is the most important investment you can make in a wardrobe. Spend plenty of time trying on jeans and finding the perfect pair, you’ll be rewarded from the effort every time you wear them. Opt for mid to high rise jeans (higher up on your waist), darker washes (darker color), and skinny or straight leg cuts for the most flattering and versatile options. Spending $50-$100 on a nice pair of jeans is a solid investment in your style future.

The next ingredient after the jeans is a simple, but nice, typically solid color, T-shirt or top. Almost all stores sell many flavors of t-shirt styles usually in a rainbow of colors. Keeping what we learned about flattering necklines in mind as you choose, sticking to scoop or v-necks for the most flattering look. Stores such as Forever 21, or American Apparel (and many, many others!) offer wide arrays of tops in their “basics” sections that will let you select any style or color your heart desires.

With our two key ingredients in hand, its time to take a look at 4 ways we can make tasteful yet notable style choices for this simple look.

1. Layering

            You’ve heard me mention layering several times before, and will probably hear it again and again and again… and then some more most likely! Layering is a great way to create visual interest in an outfit as well as accomplish many other more specific goals. We’ll discuss now how a layer can add just that little extra touch to take a T-shirt and jeans to another level.

What can you layer? The answer is just about anything, but for now, let’s stick to pieces that open in the front such as blazers, jackets, or cardigan sweaters. Why is this you may ask? The point is to add another layer of interest so something that completely covers the layer below it wont really help you (unless you’re goal is to be warmer!). Pieces with open front allow the middle section of a Tee or top to show through while add their own new color or texture to frame it. If you have items that don’t open in the front, don’t fret… experiment with the lower layer peaking through the neckline. Let’s take a look at an example of simple layering in action:

Here we have a simple v-neck, white tee with a three-quarter sleeve, evergreen blazer over the top (by Casual Couture). We’ve added another color (actually two in this particular case) and new lines to enhance the interest of the whole outfit. Exciting, yes, I know!

When picking out the perfect blazer you’ll have a ton of options from which to chose, ranging from casual to more formal business-y styles. Any style can work, either dressing the outfit up or down, but I recommend sticking to something more casual to start, especially if you’re still unsure about the whole idea. Avoid blazers with shoulder pads to minimize the size of your shoulders, finding one without padding may be a little tricky, but they are certainly out there. Since it is likely a nice blazer will be a bit more of a pricey piece, try to get the most mileage out of it by purchasing it in a versatile color that can be paired with most of your wardrobe (ie. neutrals, darker colors)

Here are a couple more quick examples of layers:

These two examples show more ideas for layer with either a cardigan sweater or a vest… the possibilities are endless and as easy as simply putting on another layer. One question you may have is whether or not to tuck in that bottom t-shirt layer… my preference is resoundingly not to tuck in and I’ll tell you why… I believe it looks more casual and is no hassle to maintain during the day (a tucked shirt may have you constantly fighting bunches or bulges). The times when you do want to tuck shirts in are when you’re trying to create a smooth layer underneath say a pull over sweater, or in more formal situations. Having a stripe of contrast where a Tee pokes out at the bottom under a sweater can be cute as well.

Lastly, you can play with layering t-shirts themselves, short sleeve over long sleeve, longline, different colors, different necklines… you name it! This is a useful trick many times when a t-shirt is just a little too shear which tends to be common with light colors. Play around with it and see if you come up with anything you like… here is one idea I came up with a burnt orange short sleeve layered over a white long sleeved tee:

2. Accessorize your neck!

            Long necklaces and scarves are great ways to spice up your top, adding another dimension to that plain solid colored T-shirt. We mentioned these ideas specifically when we looked at ways to enhance the bustline, but let’s explore those options a bit further.

Scarves are great for fall, and winter but can even be worn through the summer months as well. In warmer weather you typically want to stick to scarves that are lighter weight materials such as silk, whereas in the winter you can quite happily bundle up in wool or thicker knits.  Here are two scarf ideas:

Don’t be afraid to try patterns, the added texture will create even more interest and help showcase your personal style. Animal prints are great here! The other thing I absolutely love about scarves is that there are a million (and counting) ways to tie them!  Check out this great article on “15 Chic and Creative Ways to Tie a Scarf” or search the Internet to find tons more ideas.

In addition to scarves, you can obviously also add your own touch of personal style with all types of necklaces. There are several examples scattered throughout this post of necklaces I added. Try out longer necklaces to create elongated vertical lines that will look  more slimming and cover more of your torso with your t-shirt as a backdrop. This can be a great opportunity to showcase your favorite jewelry without risking it getting lost in the rest of an outfit.

3. Color Block with Colored Jeans

What is Color Blocking you may ask? You’ve already mostly answered your own question in the name itself! Color blocking is a fashion trend which started in 2011 and came back strong in 2012 (we’ll see if it carries over to 2013!) which combines large blocks of solid colors to create a very colorful, always eye catching look. This style is pretty flashy, especially if you start mixing in neon colors but can look quite trendy if done right. Typically you find color blocking is more of a spring/summer trend but with the right colors (think more understated) it can work for any season. Not entirely my cup of tea, but maybe it is a style you love, so I’m going to give it a go!

A good baby step towards this trend is to simply experiment with colored denim jeans where you would normal wear dark wash regular jeans. After all, this is all about dressing up that plain T-shirt and Jeans.  Colored denim is very much in style currently and can be a great way to spice up your look making it more fashionably adventurous while still staying within that comfort zone.

Here is my best attempt at the bold world of color blocking… I’ve combined a red pair of skinny jeans (the only colored denim I own currently) with a purple top and sprinkled on a bright teal beaded necklace and a solid orange bangle to accessorize. Bold, solid color accessories can add just enough extra pop to color blocking to bring everything together. Not exactly worthy of fashion week, but this was the closest I could get with what I have… maybe next spring I’ll try it out this trend in earnest if it is still alive and well.

For a whole lot more tips, here is a great article on how to pull off the color blocking trend. You can take it way beyond simply a T-shirt and jeans if you like the style and work it into many other outfits. If color blocking works well for you, I’d love to hear any tips and secrets you may have!

4. Add Footwear that Pops

Another idea I like to see to kick the t-shirt and jeans look up a notch is to pair it with footwear that really pops with color. Here I've added those cute red, suede flats you may remember from my post on flattering your feet with a white long sleeved top and black skinny jeans, adding a splash of color to an otherwise monochromatic outfit. You can also try to bring that color in elsewhere too, such as a bright red lipstick perhaps in this case, if you want to coordinate even further.

A t-shirt and jeans offer a simple, comfy canvas that is perfect for adding your personal flare and showcasing statement pieces like jewelry or footwear, since the rest of the outfit tend to be more understated and not compete for attention. 

To summarize 4 ways we discussed at taking that T-shirt and Jeans look to the next level:

             

1. Add Layers! Throw on a blazer, cardigan, vest, or jacket on over the plain t-shirt to get that extra bit of style and interest.
2. Accessorize your Neck. Play with scarves, and longer necklaces in particular
3. Try rocking colored denim, and if you're adventurous, try Color blocking styles with Solid hues, bright accessories.
4. Add shoes that pop
5. As always, experiment with textures & patterns to create visual interest.
6. Combine any of the tips and ideas here together to create your own favorite looks

Hope you enjoyed learning how to spice up your t-shirt and jeans! Be sure to check out “A Stylish Transition” on Facebook and show your support with a “Like” or a “Share”