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- Elizabeth Wellington's fashion column
- Looking for your clothing brand? Might need a map
- Which brands are where in shifting fashion world
- Curvy jeans on a lean budget
- A bounty of boots and bags
- Snake slithers fashion forward
- Keep cold at bay with winter's stylish warmers
- Flights of fashion
- TV togs: Retailers and popular shows are teaming up to bring you series-inspired fashions
- Bomber jackets take off
- Fashion Q&A: How to mix, match travel wardrobe
- Q&A: Think comfort when buying boots for fall
- Savvy tween girls as a market force
- Adopt a less tame fall look with faux fur
- Morehouse college says no to men in dresses
- Christian Siriano: Fierce fashion
- New underwear designs put squeeze on men's midsections
- Enjoying the freedom of locks
- 'Coco': Style & substance
- Philly vogue
- Fashion Q&A: Dress-code definitions needed
- Men's fashion going 'Mad' on New York runways
- Pants go feminine, fun
- Investment pieces now must wow
- Resale boutique takes advantage of good thing
- Geek chic fashion brings new respect for nerds
- Investment pieces now must wow
- We still must have 'it,' though 'it' has changed
- Fashion's more hard labor than laughs, film shows
- Retrofit: Designers looking back for forward fashions
- '80s' Esprit returns - but it's a new millennium
- Fashion Q&A: Short skirts, hostess gifts, bronzers
- Trends translated for 'average' woman
- Sharapova, Blake do fashion
- Take your pick from top 10 fall trends
- Advice for exec mates, from one to another
- Fall fashions focus on opposites
- Viewers are 'Mad' for show's vintage fashion
- Michelle Obama's style
- Boudoir photography
- White Hot Fashion
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Fashion rules you should break
We match from opposite sides of the color wheel, we don't wear white after
But whereas many rules are great for society and most are great rules of thumb, some rules are not so great for self-expression.
Not all rules are made to be broken, but we decided to offer up a few suggestions on the ones in need of revision.
Breaking these rules doesn't make you a rebel, it just makes you an individual. Try it, you might like it.
Just don't forget to brush and floss.
Rule No. 1: The
Black can be wonderful, elegant and forgiving, but it doesn't have to be the only thing in your special occasion closet. A brilliant monochromatic dress can give you an eye-popping edge. The season of happiness and folly should not be clad exclusively in black. A little jewel-colored dress can be just as versatile. Wear it with minimal or no jewelry for a crisp, effortless chic. Add a wide or skinny belt in a contrasting color, metallic or leopard to mix it up. Add a fitted black blazer and a belt to give it dimension. And you can tone it down with neutrals. A little bright dress should be on reserve for the nights when you want to command a little attention in a sea of dark frocks.
Rule No. 2: Nails should be short and shiny.
Matte is the new shine, so hunt up one of those flat grape, green, raspberry and midnight shades to make an impact. It will look oh-so-unexpected with your satin outfits and layers of jewels. You can pair this with rich matte lips and dark eyes. If everything sparkles, then you don't have any contrast. So don't be afraid to introduce a little subtlety into your ensemble. If you ever feel like a look is too much, but you can't figure out why, swap out some shine for some matte and feel your yin and yang harmonize.
Rule No. 3: Don't mix metals.
The best way to make a statement this season is to layer on chunky gold chokers with a couple of slim gunmetal silver chains and perhaps tie them with black ribbon. When it comes to accessories, the only rule is to have fun. For an edgy night look or to jazz up day wear, mix gold and silver, gunmetal and mesh to create sculptural neck looks. Roll them together so they really look jumbled. This inadvertently subverts another rule: Take one thing off before you leave the house. Now's the time to pile it on. But make sure you've got a simple clean backdrop. If your accessories pop, your outfit should otherwise be tame.
Rule No. 4: You can't dress up in flats.
The height-challenged among you will scoff and many men will mourn, but this is the season of "black-tie flats." Vera Wang Lavender Label introduced leather flats embellished with crystals and silver mesh, and
Rule No. 5: Read fashion magazines from front to back.
This might work for murder mystery novels, but not if you're having a time crunch and trying to get through a stack of fashion magazines. Start at the back and move forward, trust me, you won't miss anything. You'll skim the low rent ad space and then quickly flip to actual editorial content. Some magazines even have a quick and easy feature on the back page, but if you start from the front it could take you 50 pages just to get to the table of contents.
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