Luxe Glam Guide: How to Look Fab in Florals

As the flowers wither from the trees this month, you'll find them revived in your wardrobe this fall. I don't know about you but I've noticed lots of floral print already. Within one short block's radius on my way to the city, I saw 5 women ranging in all ages wearing flowers on their garments. Here's another addition to the Luxe Glam Guide: How to Look Fab in Florals.

1. The Right Print

Take into consideration the color, shape and size of the floral prints. Compare the color of the flowers to the background. Now, take a look at your features; skin, hair and eyes.

If your features are highly contrasted, the right floral for you will also have a high contrast. This looks best with more flowers and less ground showing. The farther away your dress goes from this concept, the more washed out or invisible you will look compared to the piece. Anne Hathaway's fair skin is highly contrasted with her dark eyes, hair and also dark, pronounced eyebrows. The dress on the left has a high population of roses, varying in shades of red against a mostly covered up black ground. Anne looks fab in this floral as opposed to the patchy one on the left. Not to mention, the cut of that dress makes her look a bit juvenile. Below is a similar situation with Kim Kardashian. Her skin is darker than Anne's, (which would place her in a medium category), but her dark hair, eyes and also thick brows lean her towards a high. Now, the "yes" dress definitely works. The "no" on the other hand is more of a "meh" for me because I like the blue against her skin but I am drawn to the dress more than I am to her face, so it's a no-go from me.

If your features are lower in contrast, so should your floral number. The print should also be bigger and spaced farther apart. If it's too busy, you'll look like a billboard for the botanical garden. No bueno.

Let's look at the fashionable Lupita Nyong'o. She has medium to dark skin and her hair and eyes are dark as well. This means that she has a medium to low contrast. The dress on the left also has a low contrast and she looks radiant! On the right, the boldly stated yellow flowers on the deep blue are pulling your eyes towards it and the lighting away from her face. Hence, the first dress works a lot better than the second. On the other hand, Cameron Diaz (below) with her light hair, eyes and skin, (also considered a low contrast), looked great in the black dress but washed out in the beige and black. In fact, the flowers look like they're crawling up to eat her head.

2. Shoes and Print

Matching shoes with florals are fun and easy because there are so many options! Here are three. First, go neutral with a nude (find your shade of nude here), black, white or (careful with this one) an earth-tone shoe. In my outfit on the right, I kept the booties subtle but sexy to allow the shirt to shine. Your second option is to go with a metallic. Accent it up with an understated gold or silver shoe. No pungent Austin powers gold members or the likes please. Last but not least, my absolute favorite, choose one color from the mix and match it with your shoe. I used the pink suede shoes to go with the pink petals hiding amongst the red. Choosing a color that is least shown adds an element of surprise to your overall look. I chose suede (in both looks) instead of say, patent leather, to avoid a clashing competition with the "centerpiece" of the outfit. Give it a try and let me know how it works out.

3. Accessories on Print

With a busy floral print in high contrast, you want to keep your jewelry minimal. Compliment the shape of your flowers with your jewels (round with round and so on). In my first outfit, I used stud earrings. I pulled from the light blue and semi oblong shapes on the dress and cut the total match-up with white. The silver clutch is an example of how to pair a floral with metallics. The second look has larger flowers on the side and near the neckline thus a large necklace would be fighting for attention so I added a long, thin one instead with rhinestones for some bling. Longer earrings work with this look because it acts as a continuation of the large designs on the blouse. Pretty way to be casually fab in florals.

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Well! Now that you're an expert in looking fab in floral, here are a few pieces I've pulled to help you shop for your own. Good luck!

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Your Glam Stylist,

Luxe LeBlanc

Glamour Girl's Must Haves: Leopard Print

I'd imagine that wearing animal print dates back to Neanderthals. Well, that's just plain wearing animal. Not to mention, it was probably one of very few articles of clothing which they wore to keep warm. And still, so many years later, animal print is in! In fact, Jackie Kennedy wore an authentic leopard coat designed by Oleg Cassini (who we talked about in last week's Wedding Wednesdays post) that allegedly almost wiped out the species (after the trend spread like wild fire) which birthed quality faux fur. Thank goodness!

Leopard print is one of my absolute favorites. Anyone can do it. As the colder weather creeps in for the fall, it's the perfect time to update your wardrobe [see current promotion below] and add some leopard. Last week, I parted with my leopard print booties at Housing Works. Hopefully they'll make someone else happy. Now, I'm on the hunt for a new piece.

*Reminder: Current Promotion*

If you consider yourself glamorous, you better have some leopard in that closet of yours. The thrill of seeing such a feisty piece in your wardrobe is empowering. Leopard print represents the power and strength of a majestic feline marked by subtle femininity in the black rosettes (mini roses) across it's golden fur. Show who's the queen of your jungle. Don't let the print intimidate you. Here's how you can add leopard to your wardrobe this fall.

1. Start Small - Leopard Print Accessories

If you're new to this, let's take baby steps. You won't know how it works until you try. Start out with accessories. You can find leopard print sunglasses, scarves, jewelry, purses and more. My middle model is sporting a silk leopard scarf with a simple off-white button down and cranberry slacks. As small as it may be, the scarf adds instant visual interest to the outfit. Small to medium sized leopard print jewelry will have the same effect. It doesn't take much to spice up your look with this print.

2. Get Bold - Leopard Print Focus Piece

If you're feeling a little more confident, let's take it a step further. Find your focus piece. This means that your leopard will be easily spotted but everything else around it will be subtle. For example, leopard print shoes are perfect for the fall. It's warm brown tones invite autumn into your wardrobe. They pair lovely with deep reds, darker greens, mustard yellow, brown, black and many more. If your shoe is your focus point, you can wear them with a simple solid colored dress like my first model in green. Most people feel more comfortable in a black dress to match the rosettes but I dare you to step outside the box and try another color.

3. Get Wild - Leopard Print All Over

Now, that you've graduated to the wild side, you're ready to try leopard all over. Leopard can be worn on top as a blouse, blazer, jacket or coat and on the bottom as pants or a skirt but I wouldn't suggest doing it from head to toe unless your goal is to be a leopard for Halloween or you've found the perfect full length leopard dress. Because the print can be so attention grabbing, don't let the piece wear you. Keep in mind that all leopard does not look alike. The prints vary in size, shapes and colors. Tip: if you tried on a leopard garment and all the attention is being drawn to it instead of your face, go for one with a lower contrast. Learned that from my extraordinary mentor in styling, Bridgette Raes. If you look closely, you'll notice that model 3 has on a loud leopard print blouse and her black shoes are also leopard print. So, I'm encouraging you to have fun when searching for your leopard pieces this fall.

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Now that you know how to wear leopard print, here are some items I thought you might like. Shop leopard print below.

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Love,

Your Glamour Stylist - Luxe LeBlanc