Style Harmony

Lauren Alaina, runner-up of American Idol Season 10, is young (16!), pretty and full of curves. Having a stylist certainly helped Lauren to bring out her best assets and dress confidently. She has a full hour-glass shape; strong shoulders and curvy hips with a well-defined waist. She often highlighted her small waist with belts, shaped jackets and empire style outfits. She looked great in long dresses with an empire waistline which camouflaged her wide hips and full thighs. My favourite outfit on her was the Tony Bowls blue and white long dress with sexy cut-outs below the bustline. The deep V-neckline was flattering for a big chested girl like Lauren and the blue vertical draping drew the eyes up and down, thus creating a lengthening and slimming effect on her lower half. I believe she sang the song “Unchained Melody” in that blue dress, which was just perfect for a love song. The dress was very romantic, womanly and ethereal.

"Lauren in Tony Bowls dress"

Other times, her wide hips was accentuated by fitted and tapered outfits like the Guess jeans and white long dress with flowers at the bottom. I didn’t like the checkered romper she wore as the hemline stopped at the widest part of her thighs. The tailored jacket, knee high boots and black tights were a mismatch with the casual fun-looking romper.

"Fashion disaster"

Lauren’s outfits also projected different looks and moods to harmonise with the songs she sung. Note how we can use clothes and accessories to project the right message for any particular situation. In the finale show, she sang three songs. For the first song which had a fast tempo, her country rock get-up of metallic jacket, black leggings and studded boots suited the song well. The second song was Maybe It Was Memphis and she wore her signature ballerina meets country style. The topaz sequinned corset dress showed off her curves beautifully. Again, the style was appropriate for the song; kind of glam meets country. The final song, a tribute to moms, was obviously a very “emo” touchy-feely song and the long white soft dress with flowers reflected the lyrics of the song well. The colour white symbolises purity and innocence, just like a mother’s love.

Which of Lauren Alaina’s looks do you like best?

Finale outfits

Well, I was never a fan of country music up until now. I’ve been converted by Scotty McCreery! If you have been watching this season’s American Idol, you will know what I mean. (P.S. He’s cute!) And so I’m now inspired to add a little bit of country into my own style. Think plaid, cotton, leather, boots and daffodils. You can always mix country with other style elements to create different looks. A well cut cotton blazer will make your plaid shirt and jeans ensemble look more city chic. For a bohemian style, wear an off-shoulder dress with ethnic accessories and laced-up booties. Plaid shorts are cute and perfect for summer vacation. Add a denim jacket and bright coloured flats for a modern casual style. Team up this season’s short flare skirt with a plaid halter neck top and floral Dr Martens; very high street! Give a shout out to y’all Scotty fans!:-)

A little bit country by melissa151065 featuring cream handbags

Ikat means “to tie” in the Malay language and the process of making this print is akin to tie-dyeing. Ikat is found not just in South-Asia, but this hand-weaving style is also quite common in countries like Japan, Mexico, Argentina and Spain. You may think “ikat” is only reserved for wearing at tropical beach resorts. Well, I’m going to show you how you can incorporate the traditional tie-dye ikat print into your daily wardrobe. Rather than settle for common prints like stripes, animal and flowers, why not add some artisanal print into your wardrobe?

Ikat Prints by melissa151065 featuring lanvin handbags

1) Weekend : Choose a colourful printed tunic and wear it with a bright coloured jeans (very “In” now), lots of bangles, a slouchy bag and flats. Great with shorts and leggings too. For day looks, the more colourful and louder the print, the better. Don’t be shy to pile on the ethnic bangles and tassely necklaces.

2) Dinner: Keep to smaller and finer prints for night. Slip it over a long silk skirt, strappy heels and chandelier earrings for a classy and dressy look. Avoid loud prints and bright colours unless at a resort.

3) Work: An ikat top adds interest to an otherwise predictable black ensemble for the office. Keep your accessory designs simple and clean. If you dare, wear a printed ikat shoe with your ikat top!

4) Clubbing: The grey animal ikat printed cape-like blouse is perfect for the night spots. Wear chunky art deco necklaces and cool jeans (leather, patent or metallic) for a Studio 54 look! Of course, the higher the heels, the better!

Style tip: To avoid the resort look, choose geometric prints in darker and neutral colours (black, white, blue, gray).

Would you now wear ikat prints to work?

Whenever you are unsure about how to accessorise an outfit, always remember “Less is MORE”. Especially when your outfit already has an interesting design, structure or print. You do not want to over accessorise and make the whole look complicated. Case in point, see the three sets of images below.

1) The geometric print itself is very bold and eye-catching. The lady on the right wears it well with a thin rope belt though I would have preferred a shorter belt. The blonde haired lady with the thick waist belt and white strappy chunky paltforms made her look shorter and heavier. The belt and shoes also don’t match the style of the outfit, which is more playful and relaxed.

2) Firstly, the horizontal ruching across the chest area further enhances Kourtney’s big bust. Secondly, the bib necklace she wore is just too much and it is fighting attention with the ruching. All eyes are drawn towards Kourtney’s big chest. This kind of style is best for someone with a smaller chest.

3) This white dress has a unique and interesting structural design at the hip. The bright pink shoes takes the attention away from the dress’ unique design. White or nude coloured heels look much better with the dress as it creates a rhythm from head to toe and elongates the legs.

I think the belt is the most under-appreciated and under-used accessory in our wardrobe. If you want to update your style, the belt is an excellent choice for starters. It is versatile, flattering (depending on where you wear it on your body) and affordable. If you are high-waisted, wearing your belt lower such as at your hips will elongate your upper torso. If you have a straight and narrow body shape, wearing a belt will give the illusion of a defined waist.

Belt up for a defined waist

It can also instantly update a look – for example, the 1980′s floral romper looks chic with a belted waist. If you are well-endowed, wear a thinner belt. Wearing a thick belt when you are heavy chested like Kim Kardashian will make you look like you have no upper torso and hence, your body will look unproportionate. Invest in a great leather belt today!

Update the style with a belt

Whether you are a Sex and the City (SATC) die-hard fan or not, you have to love the fashion in the movie! Be it Carrie’s dramatic skirts, Samantha’s va-va-voom dresses, Charlotte’s romantic frocks or Miranda’s masculine yet flirty maxis, there is a little something in the styles for each of us. However, to have the exact pieces worn as worn by the starlets in the movie, be prepared to splash USD$10million – estimated wardrobe budget for the movie according to Cosmopolitan! As you know, there is always a way to look like them or close enough, for less:-) If you want to carry a little SATC style to work, try one of these pretty earrings (only SGD$15 from Bangkok) which is exotic yet subtle enough for office or adorn a neutral-coloured wrap dress with a multi-coloured fun bangle; which reminds me of Miranda’s Hermes striped maxi she wore on the desert (see picture on right)

The new military look combine with tribal design can be overtly costume-like. So to avoid looking like Rambo or Zena, the warrior princess, wear the Spring 2010 trend with something more glamorous or feminine. The idea is to mix tough warrior with feminine style. For example, wear a military inspired jacket with a soft fluid tribal print skirt. If you own a dress in that style (above pic, left), you can wear it with tribal inspired bangles in metal (bottom pic, right) or open-toed booties (bottom pic, left) to give it that edgy yet modern twist. Above all, wear it with great confidence and show off that inner fierceness in you!

House of Harlow bangle by Nicole Ritchie

Leopard print tote from Jus D'Orange

Some of us live by large bags where we can just throw in all our necessities. Rather than juggling two three bags at a time and yes, I have seen women doing just that to my dismay, why not get a tote bag? Yet, some women are intimidated by its over size. Have you ever noticed petite women toting large bags and plus size women carrying dainty purses? It should be the other way round! However, the lines, fabric and style of bag also play a part in selecting the best fit for your frame. You can still carry large bags despite your small frame if the bag is made of softer fabric and slouchy in design.