Rawwwrrrr!

Let me make this point up front....I love animal print, especially leopard...and I am not one of those women who try to dress sexy, ever.

I just love how pretty a good animal print can look and how easy it is to wear.

First are the shoes.  I have a Ralph Lauren point toe, mini heel pony skin (actually goat) leopard pair that are like bedroom slippers.

Then I have a pair of round toe heels.


As well as walking shoes...


Sling back heels....

And I even have a pair of fold up shoes for my work tote and they travel in a leopard zip bag!


The great rule is that leopard print is considered a neutral, so you now can wear it with stripes, polka dots, colors and plaids.

I do not have an animal print handbag because I haven't found "the right one" yet.

But I have a pullover top that I can wear often.


Several cardigans in leopard print...
   and a dress from Loft..

A pair of capri pants...
  and I just bought a car coat...

Oh, yeah,I almost forgot that I have two pencil skirts...


But here's the only rule....do not wear them together! You'll look like a crazy person or an escapee from the zoo. That look is acceptable on the fashion runway to present the print but not in real life.





Use your print as a base and build off that with creativity and style.





So let out your inner animal and roar away!

Until next week, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz

I See Your True Colors!

Although colors are often a seasonal choice, jewel tones are particularly exciting in the Fall season.

Every woman can wear jewel tones and combining these pigment rich colors with others is fun and exciting.





Bright yellow or gold are a great basic to start with but be sure to pick the shade that suits your complexion best.


Then add another pigment....cobalt blue, fuschia, orange, emerald green, tomato red, royal purple.




If you're not comfortable combining colors, a beautifully saturated color is still a wonderful choice; whether it is in a dress, a scarf, a coat or sweater, or bag or shoes.






You have to love the richness of the colors and the reckless abandon of mixing colors, as well as prints. Remember the new guidelines of fashion is that leopard print, tweeds and stripes are considered "neutrals" and can be worn with rich jewel tone pieces.




Fabrics can be lightweight, heavy, textured or simple blends. The thicker the fabric, the richer the pigment. Some pieces are temporary buys that you might wear for one season, and some pieces are keepsakes for forever.



Start simply and build as you get more confidence into color blends. For example, begin with a coat and black accessories. Over time, and with the many compliments you will get, you will be able to wear jewel tones with panache and style.

Until next week, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz

Caveat Emptor!

If you know me, you know that I do temp work for "pin money" or "mad money" -- two old phrases about excess cash for fun purchases. 

I keep a list of items I might buy with this extra cash and very often buy those items and write about them in this blog. Several of these possible purchases warranted some research prior to my investing. Here is why this blog posting is titled as such...Let the buyer beware.

The internet is a great research tool and I recommend you use it before you spend significant dollars on your purchase items.

For example, I was thinking of buying a very expensive face cream made out of seaweed extract and loved by so many celebrities. Until I read online reviews of it. For every positive review of this product, there were two negative ones and several of the issues are the same ones I would have had with it (too heavy, too oily, causes breakouts -- yes, even at my age!). Then I discovered there is a drugstore equivalent that is better and cheaper.  Thank you, internet!

Not long ago, I was thinking of buying a high-end serum that is supposed to correct age spots (unless I can convince everyone that they are freckles on the backs of my hands!) Again, I checked with the internet and discovered it was expensive garbage ...so said the many dissatisfied users.

And this includes clothing or shoes purchases, because the internet can provide you various places with a variety of price differences...or better, coupons to use to buy at discount.

I also subscribe to magazines, websites and e-newsletters to learn what is a good buy and what are temporary trends and what to buy and what not to buy.

So I recommend you, too, do your homework before you buy. You work (or save) too hard to throw it away on something wasteful and over hyped.

Until next week, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz