Beauty & Fashion Tips - Rags & Rouges Style Tips

We all know her and love her for her beautiful bags. The story of Kate Spade is one of the All American Girl. Here was a girl that grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and described by everyone who knew her as wonderfully original. She embodied a ‘fresh sense of style’ and approached life and business with a seriousness that exuded nothing but professionalism.

Kate Spade began her career after finishing college in 1986. She started out at Mademoiselle magazine and left in 1991 as the Senior Fashion Editor and Head of Accessories. When she worked at Mademoiselle, Kate understood that the fashion market was missing something — a beautiful handbag that the average American woman could afford. So she decided to create one. The first concept was nothing but a myriad of sketches with some notes on costs of production with the end product being her famous satin-finished nylon bag in the $150 price range. Crossing her fingers and making a wish, Kate and her husband Andy Spade began marketing the Kate Spade brand “Kate Spade Handbags” in 1993.

 By 1996, Kate received an award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America for her talent in accessories. She received this distinction again in 1998 as Best Accessory Designer of the Year. In 1999, her bags made it to the Cooper Hewitt Museum for a National Design Triennial celebrating American Design excellence. She then received an award in 2004 for her Home line and several other recognitions followed this.

Kate’s bags are known for both their functionality and their beauty. Her bags each have a signature name that embodies a place on the planet that is dear to Kate’s heart. Here is her famous Foster’s Crossing creation, from a little known place in Idaho.  Pictured right is her Pasadena bag from one of L.A.’s most famous cities.

 In November 2006, Liz Claiborne Inc. purchased the Kate Spade brand for $124 million with a six-month transition plan. Sadly, that six month period has come to an end and Kate and Andy Spade are stepping out of the Kate Spade brand. Kate will leave her position as head designer, and Andy as CEO. The pair will explore other avenues of interest, continue their love of travel, and spend time with their two and a half year old daughter.

If you are a red carpet follower, particularly when it comes to fashion, you have probably seen and lusted after some of the sizzling gowns created by masterminds Mark Badgley and James Mischka. These cuts are frequent guests of the red carpet, movie premieres, after show parties, and so much more. Now these two artistic geniuses are showcasing their marketing talents by putting Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives star on the face of their Fall campaign.

You will see Teri Hatcher in a very provocative campaign that features lingerie and poolside jaunts, all playing up to the sexy Susan Mayer, her role on Desperate Housewives. She has told Entertainment Tonight that Badgley and Mischka worked her gown for her first red carpet event, so the history with between the trio is meaningful for her.

Besides eveningwear, you will find in the Badgely Mischka line sportswear, lingerie, swimwear, footwear, fur, and fragrances as well as a huge line of accessories. Earlier this month, this design team launched their new Platinum day handbag collection that showcased a sleek selection of lower-priced candy-colored bags that sported brass hardware in the $300 - $600 price range.

You will find Teri Hatcher’s campaign in September issues of Vanity Fair, InStyle, and Vogue, but here you can catch a sneak preview.

The word is out that the new face of Jordache is none other than Heidi Klum. This Victoria’s Secret supermodel is also the host to the Bravo hit series “Project Runway” and has not only the perfect face, but body to boot for Jordache’s Fall campaign. The campaign was shot in L.A. at the penthouse of Chateau Marmont.

Some of you may remember, or perhaps yet again I age myself, the 1979 Jordache ad that was banned for showcasing a topless woman riding a horse through the surf. At the time, the television networks weren’t too tickled about it so it got the boot. This year’s ad is being shown to a much more liberal network audience and will be a take off the same theme. Klum will be shot from behind as she holds equestrian gear and stands on the balcony overlooking L.A. at the Chateau Marmont. You can get a glimpse of it here.

In the ?70?s Jordache was the brand to wear but with the likes of Gloria Vanderbilt and Calvin Klein sneaking onto the scene, the jeans have had some tough competition. Today the line has added spandex and more flexible structure to the fabric making the jeans not only more comfortable, but stylish as well. You will be seeing high-waisted look come back with Jordache as well as the classic skinny jean that does not seem to want to fade anytime soon. With a face like Heidi Klum’s on the campaign trail for Jordache, it should not be long before Jordache makes a full comeback.

You can find Jordache at Macy?s, and get a glimpse of the shooting of the campaign over here.

If you are in a bit of a budget crunch, and well, who isn’t, then you will like what The Gap has done for you this Fall. They have narrowed down your wardrobe staples to four essential items that are this Fall’s top picks. Take these items and play with them with what you already have in your closet and you will have endless possibilities for this Fall’s looks. These come in nice neutral colors as well, so you can do just about anything with them. Let’s see what they have here.

The Knit Dress

We have been talking a lot about dresses lately, and there is a reason for that. They are big big big this year, so stock up, or grab onto one essential staple like this cute knit dress. This dress is a soft cotton/wool blend meaning it won’t wrinkle and has crew neck and cap sleeves. This one will hit about mid-thigh and would look great with a pair of tights and a cinched belt. Do something a little different and throw a long sleeved underneath to add a contrasting color when the temps drop a bit.

The Crisp White Shirt

Amazing how this shirt never goes out of style. From The Gap it will come in high-quality stretch cotton with long sleeves and front buttoned as well as button cuffs. This will machine wash easily, and can you say versatility with this number? You can do this over, under, as is, whatever you want and pair it with any of Fall’s trendy bottoms. So fresh, this shirt is timeless from season to season.

The Wide Legged Pant

I have mentioned a few times that boot cut is on the way out. The wide legged pant is taking its place to offer a wider leg from waist to toe for both comfort and a more refined and polished look. This will look great with your boots or heels and again, the colors are neutral enough you can do a lot with this one as well. These sit below the waist and are fitted through the hip and thigh. The front slant pockets will streamline the tummy area a little bit and these offer a little bit of spandex as well for easier movement.

The Wrap Coat

Again, we have talked a lot about selecting the right coat for the Fall, and The Gap is offering a style called the Wrap Coat that is super feminine with just the right retro feel to it. This is a high-quality wool blend with a tie belt closure that will sit right below your waist. If you are a ’spiller’ (aka, MOI) then you want to go with the darker tone on this as it is dry clean only.

Ok, so over here I started talking about what men like to see on a woman. We covered the basics, the VERY basics, by discussing lingerie. Just to recap, bottom line (no pun intended) is men love lingerie as long as they can’t see it on your first impression. That’s right, no straps, no panties sticking out above your jeans, and so on. This look works on celebs, they can do whatever they want and still look great. This will NOT grab a man’s attention unless in fact you ARE Gwen Stefani. And you want the right fit of your bra as well as this will make your clothes fit better, and ultimately, YOU will look better. Let’s move forward…today, we are going to talk about what kind of DRESSES men want to see you in.

I am going with dresses today because again, men like them. Here’s why. They are feminine, and they reveal just the right amount of skin. They make a woman look like a woman, and when not too revealing, allow men to imagine what else might be going on. Most men like to see women looking feminine, it makes them more approachable. What KIND of dresses to men want to see on us?

The first rule is to pick one that accentuates your best body parts. You don’t need a lesson from me on that, you know what your best features are. Accentuate those pretty shoulders, your delicate neckline, gorgeous legs, or your lovely arms. Whatever your best features are, you want to find the dress that will highlight those and catch men’s eyes.

Most men will tell you when it comes to dresses or skirts, the shorter the better. Well, that is all fine and good but not all women look great in short skirts, and even those that do, not all women even feel comfortable in a short skirt. So the second rule is to pick something you are comfortable in. Even if you have legs that rival Jessica Alba’s but aren’t confident in a mini, don’t do it, you won’t feel great, and your lack of confidence will show making men shy away from you. A good rule of thumb is to wear something that will hit your knees if you are a little uncomfortable. I was recently told by a man that he prefers that length on a woman OVER the mini because it leaves more to the imagination. Men love to live in their fantasy worlds, so play up to that.

If you are a shorter girl, take advantage of heels with your dresses. Men LOVE heels, it satisfies every remote fantasy they have ever had. You can bet that almost every man has at least ONE fantasy where a woman is in heels. Where them wherever and whenever you can. Heels are sexy, and there is no argument on that.

If you are a little heavier, wear dresses that do not cling but have some looseness to them. Again, let’s travel back to their fantasy land for a minute. Men will NEVER fantasize that you look worse underneath than you actually do. They fantasize that you look better. They are on your side here, so just give them something to work with when it comes to looser dresses that don’t make you suck in your breath.

Taller women may have a few more choices when it comes to dresses, because even if they aren’t model thin, they can carry any extra weight a little bit easier. You can get away with either longer or shorter dresses when you are tall. For shoes you can do whatever you want as well. Again, don’t be shy to go with heels just because you top the 6 ft chart, men still dig it when you are tall, and in fact, love the amazon look even if it makes you taller than them. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that at least 60% of your skin is covered with tall women, a little goes a long way here. Again, feed their fantasies and let them imagine what they want.

One thing taller women need to be careful of, and especially when it comes to heels, is watch your posture. I have this problem and it is something I always need to keep an eye out. I stand at 5′11″ and am the biggest gangliest clutz on the planet some days. When I put heels on, it gets worse. It is EASY to slouch when you are tall but snap out of that habit. Stand up straight and keep your shoulders back. No, I don’t MEAN to sound like your mom, but if you can do this, you will look a lot more confident and sure of yourself on the outside. Not only that, but the clothes you are wearing will hang the way they are supposed to so you will look GREAT.

Stay tuned, I have a bit more to talk about on this subject…..

It seems everywhere I look a new trend is hitting the shelves for this Fall. Shortly off the heels of Stella McCartney’s dancewear line with Adidas, shoe makers and designers are making shoes that match the clothes instead of the other way around. We have seen ballet flats around for quite a while, and the trend has caught on in a BIG way. Now jazz inspired footwear is hitting the runway, and the shoe stores. If you are a girl that likes comfort, you will love this new trend that is durable and classy at the same time. Jazz shoes are great because they mold to your feet but also have a strong durability to them. Because they are so minimalist, pair them with the menswear inspired pieces we talked about yesterday, but you could also throw these with casual dresses or jeans as well.

By Dolce Vita you have the “Moritz”, an extremely comfortable shoe you can easily dress up. You see the upper is a little shorter and gives this durable shoe a slight edge to femininity. If you are on the fence with the menswear trend, these shoes will help you embrace that feel.

The American Spotlight for Ballet is jumping on the fashion bandwagon and teaming up with Payless to showcase their own line of dancewear inspired shoes. Here you have a soft leather upper and a suede insole. These can be worn either on the street or to your dance class. Either way, they work with this season’s looks no matter what you wear with them.

Here you are looking at Rupert Sanderson’s “Joyce Jazz” that you can find at Net-A-Porter. These shoes have a dressier feel to them with patent leather upper, and a true oxford cut to the shoe. They also have a squared toe and a 15mm wood block heel. This shoe is also at the higher end of the price range, and why shouldn’t it be. Sanderson perfects each pair he makes in Italy himself so you know these shoes will last you a good haul.

This year you can expect nothing less than impressive from designer Ralph Lauren. For your wearing pleasure he is launching what is called the Blue Label Collection. If you hate pink, and embrace the tomboy in you, you will LOVE this line. This line is old country wear with sturdy fabrics, clean lines, and a very masculine feel for even the most feminine woman. You will see rich tweeds, dark flannel, a down country look with a down town attitude. It is an eclectic juxtaposition of roughwear with just the right amount of bohemian.

Let’s look at a few samples.

This Lanier Wool Jacket comes in a stretch wool and is tailored for the longer torso. You won’t want to take this off with its ultra soft mix of angora and cashmere. Here is a jacket that looks rough on the outside, and feels soft for YOU on the inside. Pair this with some skinny jeans or straight legged jeans and a turtleneck.

This Shawl Collar Sweater Dress comes in a flat wool and cashmere blend with a sexy oversized shawl collar. It carries just the right appeal for that strength you embody during the day, with just the right amount of gentility for the evening. And this look can carry from one to the other breathlessly.

A Cabled Sweater doesn’t need to be oversized and frumpy anymore. Curl up by the fire with this crewneck you can wear with or without a collar. Why not don a shirt and tie like you see here, and get serious at the office. Or go bare underneath and experience true cozy wear on your weekends with the plush wool and cashmere blend. This with a pencil skirt or straight jeans will show the world that you can mean business and look sexy at the same time.

They will know not to mess with you when you arrive at the office in leather. There is something about a leather jacket on a woman that gives her an edge. This chic Hacking Jacket comes in a rich Fall color that will complement any skin tone. The structure to this seamline will also provide for a slimmer silhouette which will emphasize your femininity, yet keep you ahead of the game. For day you can wear this with a pencil skirt or tailored trousers, and at night, some straight legged jeans and a sexy camisole underneath. Who knew you had it in you?

If you were in love with the cute babydoll look of summer, then you will be happy to hear that this look is going into Fall with a bang.

Here is an example of a babydoll sweater that can quickly be turned into a cardigan. Sitting on your hip, this will skim over the body parts you don?t want noticed, and flatter those that do. This has a fitted bust and a flared empire waist. You can wear this on its own, or as a pretty cardigan.

I like this scoop-necked knit sweater as well. The fabric is heavy enough to warm you up when the temps start to fall. And when they fall even further, this would look cute over a turtleneck, or a scooped long-sleeved T-shirt. You can wear these with jeans and ballet flats, or with a skirt and some heels. This look is very flattering on the neckline, while skimming over your hips.

This is a great piece for Fall that is extremely versatile. When you have those Indian Summer days, wear this as is with jeans or you could even get away with capris. When the temps go up, throw on a long sleeve beneath this one and you are good to go. This one sits well below the hip and comes in a nice variety of colors. The good thing is this one will work so well in your budget that you could handle picking up a few of them.