Do you have a fashion dilemma or question?

Ask Jayne & Jen!

Style Tip of the Month:

Spring is not quite in the air, at least not in the Northeast. Fall 2008 Fashion week is over and we all are mid season: watching award shows, lusting after the looks paraded down The Red Carpet. February is a great month to: assess your undergarments. Are they doing what they are supposed to be doing for your shape, confidence and comfort? Take stock of your make up. New colors are arriving in the stores. Go out and sample some of the newest beauty offerings to get a jump start on your look for Spring! The Red Carpet face is always a dramatized version of the make up trends you'll want to use to update your look. Always reinvent in little ways. This is the hallmark of a modern and of course, fashionable woman.

Q:  I am 50, stopped wearing dresses a few years ago when the pounds started to accumulate, but need to know what to wear to my daughters engagement party on March 2 at 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon?
She wants semi-formal.  What on earth do I wear?
– Randi

A:  There are a number of ways for you to feel beautiful, appropriate and even utilize some of the current "trends" to take your outfit to a whole other level.
The first thing is to make sure all the underpinnings are supporting your assets :-). A good bra and Spanx set the stage for a smooth and confident approach to anything you wear. No lumps or bumps just you if G*d were a woman and made menopause for men!

You are 5'1" so for you, Randi, proportion is key to any wardrobe choices you make. The bottom/hem of any dress or skirt should hit your leg at its thinnest point to elongate and lengthen. Mid-calf and above knee are a no-no. The best silhouette/shape for you would be a looser, flouncier look. Nothing hugging the waist to knee. You want to keep the structure in your underpinnings and with opaque black tights that you will get will also help to elongate and give you the black canvas for your clothes.

Look for monochromatic first. Color is great and not just reserved for the summer months anymore. With any color choice, you'll want to be sure that it plays well with skin and hair color. Dark hair with highlights sound bright and happy. So, cobalt blue, purple, deep pink any color that sets your coloring off. If you opt for always safe black, your "pop"of color can be achieved through a chunkier necklace doubled at the neck. This is a trend we're seeing a lot. It has always been a trick to draw the attention upward towards the face. Forever 21, any department store (or even better-vintage) should have some chunky pieces which will add color and personal style. Patent leather shoes with a bit of a heel or a skin-snakey/python(can be fake, of course) would look great with black or color. A heel to add some height.

Empire is lovely and probably would be a great choice. I prefer not to look in stores with a preconceived idea. Better to assess what is available where you shop with an eye toward fit, comfort, proportion and longevity. With the change of a shoe or necklace you have another outfit reinvention.

If your eye goes toward print, it must be small scale. Better to add a scarf with a little or larger print at your neck as your pop of print than all over.

Finally, this is a process. Start thinking of fit and proportion as your number one goal! Anything that flows from good fit/proportion will look great. Underpinnings are the other mantra! An oversized clutch is another way to bring in a pop of color to play off of a color within a print on a dress or if you're wearing black and want to add some. It should take you through summer!

Please let us know how you do and what you find!

One more question from Randi:

Q: Thanks, Jen, so much. This information is incredible!!!  One more question please. Do I have to wear a dress? Can I take a business pant suit (which I have in grey) and make it more formal for this afternoon affair? How would I do this? Or is a dress the only appropriate attire to wear?


A: No, love, no business attire at a semi formal engagement tea. Photos, ambience - gray doesn't tell the story. The mother of affianced daughter must wear a dress. The suit is fine with a "sexier" shoe/pump for another occasion particularly if you stick with a color/small print underneath. But, let's face it, this is the easy part. Next is the mother of the bride dress!