Today’s Outfit Idea: It’s All in the Dramatic, Draping Detail

All right, all you ladies who push your style aside because you’re too dang busy just trying to get your kids or your partner or yourself out the door in the morning – the Fastionista is here to ease your style fear.

I’ve always been one who loves a lot of fabric. I went through a time years ago when I constantly wore long, flowing skirts (we’re talking days of Camelot lady-in-waiting length), I’m a fan of shawls and capes and pashminas I can drape over my shoulders…the train on Lady Di’s wedding dress was a little too short, in my opinion. Of course, I can’t go to work with a host of suitors to carry all my extra fabric around, so *sigh* I suppose I’ll have to find a more subtle way to express my love of excess. So here’s what’s in my closet today:

· Pencil Skirt with Ruffle Embellishment: My brown skirt that’s detailed with a pleated panel in front is the perfect start for my ensemble. As much as I’ve got some visual interest already started with the loose ruffle, we’re still dealing with a neutral here on which I can build just about any color palette.

· Light Purple Sweater: This sweater sports a drape neckline and a loose fit: both features complement the style of the extra material in my skirt’s ruffled panel. A vertical-striped pattern elongates my torso, and incorporates some white against the light purple.

· Red Trench Coat: My sweater is on the lighter side, so to keep warm, and to add an extra element of interest to my outfit, I’m wearing my red trench coat as a completer piece. I’ll cuff the sleeves, and leave the buttons undone so I don’t hide my sweater or skirt. But I will fasten the belt, so that the coat cinches in and highlights the narrowest part of my midsection.

· Accessories: Gold goes so well with browns and reds because the warmth of the hues complement each other perfectly, so I’m going to start with a simple, delicate gold pendant that sits just above the drape neck of my sweater. It has to be a simple necklace so that it doesn’t compete with the draped material on my neckline. I’ll also wear my silver and purple flower bracelet, which will sit just beneath my cuffed jacket sleeve, and I’ll finish with a silver and gold twist fashion ring.

· Purse: Continuing the flow of purple through my outfit, I’ll carry my purple shopper. It’s a deeper shade than the pattern in my sweater, but since my bracelet ties in both the lighter and darker shades, all of these pieces come together in my ensemble.

· SHOES!: I’ll wear a brown pump that matches the dark brown of my skirt, and the toe of my shoe sports a folded detailing, which gives one last nod to my draping style.

Voila! There you have it: great fashion fast. And you, gorgeous lady, are ready to take on the world, Fastionista Style!

Be ahead of the trend and work these styles into your ensemble before they hit the mainstream.

Today’s Trend: Tribal Prints

For Spring/Summer 2012, designers are showing a lot of bold tribal prints, and a lot of them are more abstract not only in style but in color too. Here’s a great example from Les Nouvelles: it brings in sort of an animal/tribal print with the bright neon blue that’s going to be trending big time come the warmer weather. Of course, you can always do the more traditional tribal look as well, incorporating earth tones and accessories that have a more natural feel to them (wooden bracelets, seashell necklaces, etc.). Remember that the rule of prints still holds: if you have a smaller frame, you’ll most likely want to stick to smaller prints; if you have a bigger frame, feel free to check out the splashier patterns.