October 2014

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Men’s professional image: common faux pas to avoid

Posted by imageandme in Corporate Style, Style For Men

Business dressing for men is pretty straight forward, as most believe. Its all about a formal shirt, dress pants, a belt and formal shoes. While this is basically correct, there are however certain other subtle details that can project your image as a professional who is sharp and alert or sloppy and laid back. Here are common faux pas that you can avoid: 1. Suits, shirts or ties in polyester: Usually price is the factor why one would choose polyester over wool, cotton or silk. However, its best to choose quality over quantity, if you can. Its better to buy one trouser in wool or cotton blend than 3 polyester trousers. As for polyester ties, some may look good and but the downside includes difficulty to wash out stains and smells, knots that don’t hold well and the care needed when ironing. 2. Short sleeves shirt: Wearing it with a tie does not make it any better ( actually you never should). Business wear means shirts with long sleeves. If weather is your concern, then roll up your sleeves till just below your elbow. 3. Bulging pockets: While it just might be convenient and practical to stuff all of your keys, mobile phones and wallet into the pockets,…

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How can you get the hairstylist to give you a good haircut?

Posted by imageandme in Style For Men, Style For Women

You visit a new hairstylist, strongly recommended by your best friend. You are welcomed into the salon and escorted upto the styling chair where you are met by the artist who you are hoping will be able to give you that special cut that will make you look different, feel good and always makes you look fabulous. After 2 hours of washing, cutting and blowing you walk out of the salon, feeling more or less happy. The next morning … reality strikes ! Your hair has again developed a mind of its own and is doing its own thing, which is very different from what it did yesterday. This cycle has to stop ! What can you do? Here are the guidelines: 1. Before surrendering yourself right into the stylist’s hands and hoping for the best, book a consultation, time before the hairstylist actually cuts your hair. The consultation is for the hairstylist to understand your needs better and for you to understand whether what the hairstylist is suggesting really will work for your lifestyle and personal style. 2. Share your daily routine to explain your lifestyle. Inform the stylist, whether you are a working professional, a busy mother or both. How…

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Men’s shoes: How many should you have?

Posted by imageandme in Corporate Style, shopping tips in Singapore, Style For Men

Men’s shoe styles are almost just as varied as women’s since there are different models to suit different occasions. Do you have classic oxfords for business formals, loafers for smart casual, sneakers or sandals for casual wear? The styles are varied and dress codes often need to be taken into consideration. Shoes are the foundation of your look and to convey your sense of personal style, it is important that your shoe collection is not simply limited to two pairs, one for indoors and the other for outdoors ! The basic shoe wardrobe should include the following: 1 pair of business formal oxford lace-ups 1 pair of business casual chestnut brown wing tips 1 pair of loafers, especially if you are required to take your shoes off when visiting asian homes and office ( like in taiwan). While these can be worn for business casual occasions, their level of fomality is less than formal. 1 pair of classic casual sneakers. A must have for every stylish guys wardrobe. Sneakers come in a range of colours, styles and materials and, just as a classic pair of jeans, are a personal style statement. 1 pair of sports shoes 1 pair of stylish slippers for…

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How to look sharp, smart and professional at work

Posted by imageandme in Corporate Style, Style For Men, Style For Women

Looking ‘professional’ is the desired image of every working individual. But what does it really mean and how can you look ‘professional‘? While many people are able to describe a professional appearance as the overall image that looks smart, sharp and clean, most find it hard to elaborate further on how exactly this can be achieved. In fact, by looking sharp, smart and clean you will also project the key characteristics of a professional image which are ‘confidence, appropriateness and credibility’. Below, we break it down for you on how you can enhance your image to look confident, appropriate and credible. 1. Confidence: Confidence in clothing mainly comes from knowing that what you wear is the best for your body type. Are you sure that the lengths and cuts you wear are highlighting and camouflaging in the right places ? Understanding which styles work best for your body type is not just about your body shape but also about your body proportions. Creating a balance in proportions (upper body = lower body ) will help create a balanced look. This balance then conveys the symmetry that people find attractive. So if you have ever wondered why a certain dress makes…

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Ideas for corporate wear from two style icons

How to look authoritative and stylish at work like these style icons

Posted by imageandme in Corporate Style, Style For Women

Claire Underwood (House of Cards) and Jessica Pearson (Suits) Two style icons with a powerful, authoritative look. The two women display very distinct clothing styles. Here we deconstruct their style to help you create your unique image at work. Claire Underwood Personal style characteristics: Powerful, Masculine inspired, Classic, Minimalist Claire’s personal style is a great example of how to do more with less. Her hair style is the key feature of her personal style statement.   Her wardrobe consists of well fitted dresses with barely any decorative detail, creating a clean silhouette. She combines classic shirts with tapered leg trousers or pencil skirts and cuts a very sharp, no fuss, professional image. Accessories: A classic handbag and black pumps complete the look with rest of the accessories kept to the minimum. Jessica Pearson Personal style characteristics: Powerful yet feminine, Accessorized, Style details Jessica’s style is different from Claire’s as she supports more feminine styles of clothing. Unlike Claire who prefers to wear boatneck and simple angular necklines, Jessica’s necklines are differentiated with a twist in the design. To add femininity to her look instead of wearing classic skirt suits, her skirts and jackets can be a combination of colours. We…

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3 hairstyles for professional women

Posted by imageandme in Corporate Style, Style For Women

As a working woman, you do not have much time in the morning to think about doing different hair styles everyday. However, if you are looking to polish up your work look, styling your hair differently can help you add variety and break the monotony of wearing the same style everyday. Here are 3 hair updos that do not require too much time. Practice them a few times and you will be ready to create a different look to suit your professional image. 1. The Gibson Tuck 2. Easier than it looks updo by thesmallthings blog. (Click the image for the tutorial).   3. French twist and pin updo like Heidi’s, by Hair Romance.   For more wonderful hair style ideas that are easy do, here is an ebook that we recommend. Our image consultant’s tip: Use bobby pins to secure any stray hair or fly aways. The correct way of using bobby pins is to face the grooved side down and the straight side up. The grooves are designed to hold hair in place. Have a great hair day everyday.

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Guide to ties

5 things to note about ties

Posted by imageandme in Corporate Style, Style For Men

Ties, the accessory that catches the eye first. Ties take your style up a notch or two and if you are out to make a style statement, make sure you include this key accessory as part of your ensemble. A tie looks great when… 1. It is the right width. What is the right width ? The one that is proportionate with your suit lapel and your body type. The right width would be one that is equal at its widest part to the widest part of your jacket lapel. Now, we know that tie and lapel widths change with fashion, hence choose a style that best suits your body type without looking outdated (we mean avoid those really wide or terribly skinny versions !). A smaller to average body frame size suits lapels in slim or medium width while someone who has large body frame will look best in widths that are between medium to slightly wider. ( Stay within the 8.4 cm width range and you’ll be fine ) 2. You tie a perfect knot. The tie knot should sit perfectly between the collar spread without being too big that it causes the collar to spread apart or too…

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Wardrobe basic

Wardrobe staple: the versatile shirt dress

Posted by imageandme in Online shopping, Style For Women

Shirt dresses first became popular in 1950s, with Dior’s post world war II New Look. The shirt dress had a defined silhouette that included full skirts and cinched-in waists, notched collars and elbow length sleeves with cuffs. Creating an impression of a lengthened shirt that can be loose or tied in at the waist with a belt, the simplistic shirt dress style constitutes a staple wardrobe basic. We look at how this versatile fashion basic can be worn in many variations. 1. Distinctive features – collars, cuffs and pockets define the shirt dress. A neutral shade dress paired with a tan belt and some accessories that add the shine to lift the combination. Wear this in the day for casual meetings or to run errands. The soft fabric creates a drape that is comfortable and easy. 2. Known as shirtwaister, the shirt dress with a separate bodice and skirt was made popular by Doris Day and still remain a popular choice for pretty and feminine looks . Seen on Eva Mendes, a feminine version with a flowing skirt and a belt to create shape. The polka dots add dimension to the pretty look. Change the mood with bolder prints, patterns and lengths….

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