We might have suppressed her for a few seasons, but it’s time to embrace the lady within
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It’s time to embrace the lady within. Think pencil skirts, peplum waists
and modest hemlines. Picture: Pinterest |
IT’S a new year and almost a new season, so it’s time for a new you.
With the awards season in full swing and the global circus that is fashion week taking place at this time of the year, it’s also time to embrace new styles and, quite possibly, a wardrobe rethink.
Recent seasons have seen the return of a retro ladylike aesthetic, but with a more modern feel. We might have suppressed her for a few seasons, but she’s made an appearance of late. A real favourite of mine, the ladylike trend means you have no excuse not to look – and feel – good every day.
So it’s time to embrace the woman within and express her femininity. She is seductive yet demure, confident yet controlled. Think peplum waists and modest hemlines.
Coco Chanel once said that “a woman should look classy and fabulous”. I agree, but I’d like to add “at all times”. Yes … even if you’re just “popping out” to the supermarket.
However, being ladylike is so much more than just dressing like a lady. As the legendary Spanish designer Cristobel Balenciaga once said: “No woman can make herself chic if she is not chic herself”.
Yes, money will buy you lots of gorgeous things, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to
look polished and stylish. And you don’t need to go to finishing school to act like a lady. Dressing the part is half the equation, the rest is up to you.
Here’s what every woman needs to play the leading lady.
- Keep nails short
and paint them pale or with a French manicure
- Wear classic
pumps or elegant slingback kitten heels
- Wear a belt and show off your waist – skinny is good
- Shop vintage but
think the elegant and glamorous ’40s and ’50s styles
- Think ’50s icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Jackie O and modern muses such as Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson and Emma Watson
- Consider your hair – keep it manageable in a short bob, or if long, wear in a classic low
chignon or ponytail
- Wear a skirt suit, dress or gathered full skirt
- Show off real
jewellery or top-quality statement pieces
- Wear classic straight-leg jeans
- Wear higher-waisted pants; the higher the waist the longer the legs and who doesn’t want longer legs
- Spray yourself
with an ultra-feminine perfume and make it your signature fragrance. Have
another for evening
- Wear a smart
watch, preferably a classic tank or round face with Roman numerals
- Carry a structured top-handle handbag or buy the best quality leather bag you can afford
- Handwrite invitations and invest in monogrammed stationery
- We all love our smartphones, but a real lady always carries a diary or notebook and a good quality pen
- Subscribe to certain publications so you are well versed in global news and cultural events. A woman’s mind must also be attractive!
- Be polite and respectful, and learn to listen. And remember, if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all!
- Wear neon or glitter
polish
- Wear
sport-inspired shoes
- Wear oversized or ill-fitting tops
- Shop retro, grunge or bohemian
- Be a girl behaving badly. Think Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Rihanna … you know the girls I’m talking about
- Shag your hair or wear your bed hair as a badge of honour
- Wear a skirt so short it leaves nothing to the imagination
- Keep your good jewellery in the
safe
- Look like a hippie or gypsy
- Wear embellished, dip-dyed or distressed denim
- Expose your bum cleavage or muffin top!
- Smell unisex or au naturel
- Wear a gimmicky or digital watch
- Wear a backpack or bumbag or even think about carrying a small dog in your handbag!
- Send mass emails
- Carry your money, keys, phone, lipstick, bus tickets, credit cards etc in a plastic bag or in your pockets
- Be completely ignorant of news, local affairs and global events
- Be rude and obnoxious, and talk too much.
Are you also celebrating the return of the lady?
How do you think a lady should dress and behave? Like to add a few points of your own?
Would love to hear from you.
Labels: coco chanel, Cristobel Balenciaga, how to be a lady, how to dress like a lady, Ladylike trend, what every woman needs