All Entries in the "What to Wear" Category
What to: Wear to a Job Interview
When I searched on Google for phrases including “What to wear”, What to wear to a Job Interview popped up with quiet a few hits. 148,000 results in fact. By the look of things, what to wear to an interview is a common concern of a lot of people. Applying for a new job is a nerve wrecking; getting a call for an interview is stressful; deciding what to wear to the interview is death defying. Fashion sceptics will argue that what your wear does not reflect on your suitability for the position, this in theory may be true but it practice it couldn’t be farther from the truth. The way you present yourself can paint a picture for the employer of the way you value yourself, your hunger for the position and you’re past experience. Below are a few tips for women on how to land that job, and make the employer believe that you’re doing them a favour by taking the job. All these hints are just from personal experience but they have been tried and tested with great success!
High Heels: “The higher the heel the better.” Carrie Bradshaw would be gleaming with pride at this
Jimmy Choo Heels assumption. I’m not talking stripper style light up heels, but if you can walk with confidence in stilettos grab a great pair to wear . When a woman wears heels well her posture improves, her head is raised slightly and her confidence soars. It can be quiet intimidating (in a good way), it can symbolise control but also balance. Wearing heels to an interview is a great choice, but make sure you can walk in them properly; tripping down stairs isn’t a great way to get a new job!
Hair pulled back: The way you wear your hair might seem a minor detail and somewhat trivial but it’s a free and easy way to possibly increase your chances on scoring that new job. When you let your tresses fall around your face (hair styled down) by having it in such close reach can create a temptation to ‘play’ with it when the nerves kick in. So many of us without even realising it will twist our hair around our fingers or pull it back behind our ear as a way to occupy our nervous hands. By having it tied by in a neat ponytail or bun the opportunity to let yourself be distracted won’t be there giving you a better chance on focusing on the interview at hand.
Clean Lines: For a job interview you want to be able to express your personality through your clothes, but not to the extent where it draws away from your capabilities as an employee. Garments with distracting frills and ruffles (literally) can switch the interviewers mind off from the task at hand. A male’s mind is easily manovered from resumes and cover letters to the sequin detailing on your bust line. (Harsh, naturally it’s true).
Head onto seek.com and apply for that golden position with confidence your interview will be a flying success!
What To: Wear To The Gym
I’m going to write what your not ment to admit… I hate exercising. I love physical activities when it’s not for the sake of weight loss, toning, strength building but once you add one of those goals in to the mix, I’m outta there. But, excerise is an enivitable part of female life, especially for chocolate addicts such as myself. Need a motivation to get those buns burning? (not that you need much more motivation besides the two small words, bikini season!) Well we’ve put together for you the hottest gym gear in town and also what to look for when buying gym wear. I consider myself somewhat an expert as I used to work as a retail assistant in a gym wear store. So browse over what to buy and set yourself a shopping to look super sporty, and therefore run faster. (proven theory)
Lorna Jane: This lifestyle and gym wear store has gone above and beyond their call of duty in the last 6
months. In my hometown the humble Gold Coast there was only 1 LJ store and now we boast four! When buying gym gear Lorna Jane is your go to guy (girl) for Yoga gear and inspirational T-shirts. As Yoga is somewhat a more relaxing sport being trapped inside tight fitting latex like gym wear might not be the most fashion option. Instead look for loose fitting long pants and cotton tee’s. You can get away with cotton when doing Yoga is chances are you won’t perspire as much as other sports.
Alexander McQueen for Puma: The fact that Alexander McQueen has graced our gym gear with his presence has just made the label even more fantastic. McQueen team up with well known athletic brand Puma to create a men’s and women’s collection for the fashion addict inside every athlete (or the other way around). The Autumn range which is available now is inspired by boxing. Visualise yourself popping on this track jacket after a big kick boxing sess. Phew, so hot!
It’s 1pm Sydney time, and I’ve got to get back to work. I am doing work experience at Shop Till You Drop and loving every minute of it! I’ll post a full report at the end of the week.
How To: Pick The Perfect Christmas Party Frock
Oh my goodness gracious me! 2009 has flown past, did anyone else miss it? I cannot believe we are only a month out of Christmas, and the festivities have started to arrive in every shape and form. Thank you to Bakers’ Delight for providing fruit mince tarts and thank you to Westfield for bringing back Santa’s grotto for the holidays.
With such fun festivities around the corner, Christmas parties are starting to make their yearly return. Office friends, too many champagnes, canapés and a reasonable excuse to do the ‘water sprinkler’ to ‘Let’s Get Physical’ with Drew from accounting. To jump into the party season with both feet strapped in Louboutin’s a girl must have a Christmas Party Dress ready and raring to go. I can guarantee your going to be whisked away to more then one Christmas occasion this year (E.g., work part, hubby’s work party, family Christmas party, girlfriend’s work party (as her plus one) etc) and it’s best to be prepared fashion wise. An Australian Wintour has picked out a few favourite Christmas Party Dresses to help you get started on finding the perfect frock for your party season.
(From left to right)
Budget finds for a budget time of year (spending designer dollars on all your loved ones!)
Picture 1 & 4: Big W
This gorgeous dress would hopefully remind you of a certain cult TV program featuring fab fashion and teenage socialites. Kai Ayuib has released a range of clothing into Big W stores nation wide that is based on the US smash hit series, Gossip Girl. Wear a little bit of Serena or Blair to your Christmas parties. The best thing is these pieces are so bright and fun, you’ll make the festive season come to life when you step into the room. At very low price points, you can afford to buy more then one dress in case two Christmas parties might include repeat offenders or Christmas party hoppers.
Picture 2: Topshop
Here at An Australian Wintour we generally stick with Australian designers (hence the blog name), but with Topshop now stocked in Incu in Sydney it’s appropriate to bend the rules a little. This beautiful brooding model sports what Topshop describes as the Jubilee look for Christmas 2009. The tartan coat is an excellent compliment to the racy leather dress. Save this outfit for Christmas parties wear you can afford to let loose a little. (Aka, not the party your companies CEO’s will be attending). Try a similar style to this for Christmas cocktails with the girls.
Picture 3: Minkpink
Who can go past the on trend, hot off the runway Minkpink? What’s most appealing of course is the competitive prices. I just love this look from their current Spring/Summer 0910 collection. The white skirt with the light white bomber screams ‘family Christmas gathering in the park’. With the oversized shades and the fringed top underneath you’re ready for Uncle Bob’s worst jokes and looking after your 32 nieces and nephews. (Remember to wear flats)
Time to head to the shops to dig for those perfect frocks before the Christmas rush starts… hope your not too late Let me know how you go! Megan Aney x
How To: Find a Melbourne Cup Dress
Yes ladies, get excited it is that time of year again. The Spring races are just around the corner. Who can resist a sunny day filled with champagne (well we are in Australia so ‘Sparkling Wine’), canapés, fine fillies, men in suits and buying a race day outfit. I live no where near Melbourne but I am still planning on trotting myself down to my local turf club and pretending to care about the race. As the big day is mere days away now (Melbourne Cup Race Day for those of you living under winter rocks), it’s time to crack down and start a serious supberb dress, fascinator, shoes and bag hunt. Before you lace up your shopping sneakers, take a look at a few dress buying tips I have collated to make sure you get the most out of your dress and make the look last you from track side to the after parties.
Ellery SS 09/10
Colour: The cardinal rule when shopping for a race day dress is to avoid black. Not because of the way the colour looks (who doesn’t love black’s slimming effects), but for sun safety reasons. It gets dreadfully hot out on the greens at the turf club, when the sun is shining it is attracted to black fabrics and the sun will be absorbed into your dress. Side effects may include perspiration or heat stroke. Instead enjoy the bright colours that are filling the stores for Spring/Summer 09/10 not only will you stay cool, you will spark attention all day. Lovely!
Nicola Finetti SS 09/10
Length: It sounds quiet trivial but in reality the length of your dress is an extremely important point to consider when choosing a dress. If your dress length is bottom cheek skimming your going to have a hard time pinning it down when a gust of wind blows your way (as it will when your outside). On the flip side if your dress is too long (maxi dresses), to avoid getting grass stains on your brand new race day dress your going to have to hold it up in one hand the majority of the day; while also holding your champagne, your canapé collection and your clutch, result – clumsy not chic. To prevent the above disastrous mishaps look for a dress that sits just above the knee, this length gives you’re the longest leg line and will be knickers flashing free!
Material: The material is the last point to this tricky Melbourne Cup Race Day Dress buying equation. If your fabric is a ‘sticky-tape style’ clinger the material is going to sit on your hot little body out in the sun and possibly cause perspiration, but even worse, cause sweat marks! Look for a loose breezy fabric a jersey or cotton to keep your body cool from day to night. If the fabric is a bit heavier make sure you wear a slip to soak up any unsightly perspiration marks.
As it smart to always buy your dress before your fascinator, go out find a perfect dress and I will continue this Melbourne Cup special in a couple of days with perfect fascinator finds!
What To: Wear to A Summer Wedding
It is finally Spring, rejoice! It’s time for a palette of pastel colours, floaty fabrics and feminine prints. It’s time for the flowers to bloom, the sun to shine and for love to fill the air. With the romantic undertones of Spring and early Summer it has become traditionally the favourite time of the year for weddings. It’s not too hot and not to cold, and you can almost guarantee on the sun to sparkle. Weddings are beautiful and exciting, a day out I really enjoy. There is one dilemma, a big one, what do you wear to a summer wedding? Weddings come in all shapes and sizes so they require different attire for each of these situations, so unfortunately you can’t wear the same dress to several. (plus people may assume you don’t practice hygiene). Another problem I find alot of women deal with is making sure they are not mistaken for the following; the bride, the bridesmaids, the mother of the bride or the caters. Here a few scenarios below with suggestions to make sure you are the finest looking guest at this season’s weddings (without outshining the bride of course)
What to: Wear to a Garden Wedding, in the afternoon.
The problem with a gorgeous day time garden wedding is it may be a bit hot outside you so defiantly want to wear something loose and flowing to prevent ghastly perspiration. So a gorgeous above the knee dress in a light fabric is a great idea. The thing to remember is if the ceremony is in the afternoon (2,3,4pm) the reception will be spilling over into the late night, beware of after dark Spring chills. The solution a tuxedo style jacket over a printed dress. Stay away from flower printed dresses as this is quiet cliche for a garden wedding. Instead go for a geometric print in bold hues with a black or cream jacket to complement the bright colours. Look to Portmans new Spring/Summer 09/10 for inspiration. This whole look would be a. comfortable b. appropriate c. smashing!
What to: Wear to an “Optional Black Tie” Wedding
I really have never understood this dress code, please dress in black tie… you if you want? The scariest thought is being the only one to turn up in a floor length dress and dripping with jewels. To save your worries stay within a happy medium for this dress code (and recommend your friends your going with to do the same). An over the knee black dress with simple accessories will be an understated glamorous look. Hair swept up and a red lipstick will complete the look. Look to Jayson Brunson, Alex Perry and Wayne Cooper Spring/Summer for some beautiful ideas. The easiest thing to remember is and up do and a red lipstick that suits your complexion will always be black tie appropriate. (below Alex Perry)
What to: Wear to a Casual Attire Wedding
The casual attire wedding gives you the most freedom with dress choice. Skirt, Top, Dress, Shorts, Jumpsuit all fine. The only two items to steer clear of is boardshorts and a formal dress (and surrounding items!). The best option to steer clear of looking like a party of the bridal party is to mix and match colours. If thats a bit too run of the mill, go for one colour in two different shades. This look below by Dion Lee is perfect for the casual wedding, separates are a favourite for casual attire and this two toned blue will defiantly be a winner.
Frock up ladies, grab your tissues and single ladies get ready to catch the bouquet, even if you miss luckily you’ll be looking stunning to catch the eye of the available groomsmen anyway 
