Archive for May, 2011

Easy wear, easy care: tips for keeping your silk looking good with minimal effort

May 18th, 2011 by Simply Silk

As you all know, I love silk for its versatility. Silk fabric keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter (unlike polyester, that silk imposter); silk also wicks perspiration away from the body which is why it helps keep you cool and leads to its reputation as a breathable fabric (like cotton, linen and wool).  These are the wonderful properties of silk that no matter how hard the fashion manufacturers try, cannot convince me that polyester and other synthetics can match.

But there’s another reason I love silk and that’s because the wearing of it – quite simply – makes me feel good!  Silk has been a timeless classic for clothing throughout the ages for good reason. It hints of luxury and sensuality and yet is really an every-woman wardrobe staple. After all, who hasn’t had a silk shirt or at the very least a silk scarf in their wardrobe at some point in time?

With a little TLC, silk will also last a long time without the fabric picking up those ‘impossible to remove’ faint odours that synthetic clothing does over time. I have had several of my silk pieces for well over 5 years and they are still looking good after all this time, even with very regular wear.

While silk is lovely to wear and looks stylish to boot, I often get the comment “I’d love to wear silk but I just don’t have time to look after it properly”. This always surprises me because I wear a lot of silk (you can’t say I’m not a supporter of my own product) and I find it very easy to look after. Basically caring for silk comes down to 3 simple things:

  1. Hand wash with ‘wool wash’ or shampoo (but don’t use shampoo containing silicone) to save time, I do this while I shower.
  2. Dry flat in the shade on a towel or other absorbent surface. While silk is a very resilient fibre, ongoing exposure to full sun will in time, do damage (just like it does to your skin). I have also been known to peg my PJs, silk slips, and camis (by the straps) on the line but only during the shady part of the day.
  3. If you feel you need to iron it, do so on a low-medium setting. I don’t iron my silk pieces as a) I hate ironing and b) I find if I lay them out carefully to dry and then hang or store them flat in drawers they don’t crease.

1,2 3. Easy!

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Guest Post | Style Tips from an Image Professional

May 4th, 2011 by Simply Silk

This week we have a guest post on something that is in all the shops and fashion magazines right now. Emma McDermott from My Personal Stylist discusses how to wear this winter’s key trend – animal print – no matter your age, body shape or personality. Emma works with mainly with women aged 40-65, helping them rediscover their identity with an updated image.

Here’s what she has to say:

There’s a lot of animal print around for autumn/winter 2011. I’ve seen it everywhere from luxe high-end boutiques to chain store “cheap and cheerful”. Personally this is a trend I love. I am known for incorporating a little leopard into my wardrobe from time to time. However, like most fashion trends this is one that can be confusing if you’re not sure how to wear it. And its an easy one to get wrong!

To avoid looking like you’re trying too hard, this is one trend where less is most definitely more.  If you want to try it out but don’t know if it’s your kind of thing here’s a few guidelines to keep in mind:

  1. COLOUR: Go with a print that will match your colouring – eg if you have warm, toasty tones in your skin/eyes/hair colour then the browns, bronzes and earth colours of leopard and giraffe print will work for you. But if you’re a cool profile with deep hair and eyes and a high contrast between your skin tone and hair/eye colour, then a zebra or snake print or something that also has a high contrast will be better for you. Knowing your colour profile (in general) will help you find what you’re after more quickly and also avoid costly wardrobe mistakes.
  2. SCALE: If you are fine boned and petite then your frame will be overwhelmed by large amounts of print or a print with a large pattern – ie bold stripes and large ’spots’. A smaller print will work best for you.  However if you are fuller figured and/or taller then you can carry off larger areas of print and also a larger scale print.

How to wear animal prints

  • Scarf: if you really just want to ‘dip your toe in the water’ with this trend then consider a scarf tied around your handbag strap, to ease you into it (Myer, DJs, Sportscraft, Portmans, Diva, Temt).
  • Bangle: for ‘toe-dippers’ there are also several really smart leopard and other jungle print bangles around in chunky resin styles (Lovisa, Mouche and Diva) . These work well to liven up a black outfit, but also complement cream, red or earth tones very well. Or if you’re really not sure sure then perhaps an animal print handbag hook (Myer) will give you a way to express your wild side safely.
  • Sunglasses: Another good way to try it out without being overly dramatic. Leopard, giraffe, tiger stripe, or tortoiseshell acetate frames will work well on those with warm and not too light colouring.
  • Belt: Alternatively you could consider incorporating a leopard or crocodile print belt (Sportscraft, Valley Girl, Glassons, Myer, Portmans) either with jeans, or worn over a slim line shirt, jacket or cardigan with black pants or skirt. If you are going to wear a belt this way, work with your body shape and emphasise your narrowest part or use it to enlongate your torso.
  • Shoes: If you’re bold go for all out sex-appeal in high heeled leopard pumps (Nine West) or to downplay it leopard loafers (Sportscraft). Snake or crocodile print is also a good way to bring some animal print into your wardrobe without being too OTT.
  • Cardigan: I have found several very smart slim cut ‘twin-set’ style cardigans (Basque, Ezi-Buy ‘Emerge’, Wheels & Doll Baby) in leopard print …in colours from very earthy browns and black through to delicate cream, pale pinks and grey. These look great teamed with simple black, tan or cream pants or worn over a dress in these colours.
  • Trench: If you really want to amp up the drama and the ‘wow factor’ then an animal print trench may be more your speed. Bear in mind with this look that you will be noticed, so walk talk, smile and enjoy the attention.

If you have more thoughts on how the animal print trend can be adapted to suit women of all ages and sizes then please share your comments below. I’d love to hear how you wear it.

Author’s note: I have no affiliation with any of the stores mentioned here and receive no incentives or ‘kickbacks’ from them.

To find out more about how your image can influence your personal and professional goals visit My Personal Stylist

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