IT TAKES GUTS moving to work in a foreign country

 14. Dress to express and dress to impress - women

Your look creates an instant recognisable image before you open your mouth. It should reflect, a successful career woman doing a successful job; a successful man’s wife, a mother, a caring, sharing person, contented and comfortable in your own skin.

Wonderful opportunities and adventures are coming your way. You have chosen to take up this thrilling move overseas, and getting the wardrobe sorted should be fun. Do not even think of making it a nightmare. If some of these following pointers make life easier, hurrah, go forth into a variety of shops or on line and buy well, to cover your lovable shape to advantage.

Take a good critical view of yourself, in a long mirror. The best ones are in department stores that show a back view. Ouch! Seeing yourself under this absolutely cruel light might be a gruesome exercise for some but if it is not, how fortunate are you.

Examine the body shape you inherited from your parents and grandparents. Understand it. Were you born with small boobs and waist, with a big bottom? That is a traditional pear shape. You are not alone. You need longer tops that cut off across the broadest spot. The question then is how long or short are your legs. A straight skirt is flattering. Would a straight skirt that kicked out at the hem give a better balance to the total look? A full skirt with a lot of fabric could look bulky. If you have a large bust and a high waist, then lengthen your body with tops that extend to the hip and perhaps add a wider belt at the hipline. Growing up with a long waist, flat tummy and neat rounded bottom, lucky you! 

Accept this lovable body, it is serving you well. You can ooze vitality, the joy of living, a subtle sexuality, have good posture and grooming. Be a woman who cares about people and causes, is well read, with empowering spiritual values, who knows her worth. Become a woman who knows how to dress to express and dresses to impress. Take full advantage of clothes that maketh the woman that is you, and look amazing. Even models have problems before they are airbrushed away.

If in doubt about your ability to put yourself together, go to a stylist for help. Learn to think like an actress preparing for the part on that day; capable career woman, mum taking children to school, caring person visiting the sick, attending a charity lunch, a concert or ballet; power dressing for the woman behind the successful man. 

Enquire about the climate, will it b hotter or colder? Will there be good shopping where you are going? Be advised that going prepared is always the safest option. 

Take a good look into your wardrobe critically, pick out the right clothes for the morning teas, the luncheons, receptions, the opera, official dinners’ and the odd formal ball? Throw aside the comfortable shopping stay at home clothes. Overseas, until you get the hang of it, it is better to be over dressed than under dressed.

Coco Chanel said something like ‘Dress badly and be remembered for the dress, dress well and remembered as a woman of interest and style.

Dress should be fairly conservative in any new country especially when mixing with groups of unknown international people.

Bill Cunningham quoted, “Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life.” 

The look of Chanel and Ralph Lauren has a casual elegant style for day whilst Carla Zampatti, Bianca Spender, Sportscraft, Burberry, Armani fashions work well. Study street style before the fashion pages, observe what women are wearing going to work, to the races, relaxing in a bar or restaurant. Do not however forsake quality for price.

By interchanging two suits, swapping jackets and pants or skirts, gives four immediate options. Add tops to black, navy, grey or beige, basic colours, if that is what you have, with cinnamon and different tops, further extending the options. A surprise shock of colour in a blazer like, lime yellow, hot pink or glitter adds a wow interest, but too recognisable and soon stales if worn too frequently. If the move is to a country in South Africa you may require nothing but bright colours.

Do make co-ordination part of your clothing buying plan. Leave on the rack the clothes that are the wrong colour, too tight, too short or show too much flesh. White is a colour that is not worn frequently in the northern hemisphere, Take at least two pairs of black trousers mid weight, because you could be wearing them most of the time.

A skirt that is too short can be an embarrassment, creeping up when seated. Skirts need to be at or below the knee, whatever the fashion. It is never acceptable to show off your cleavage, no matter how proud you are of it. A little is more than enough. Too much can affect your own acceptance, or your partner’s job if other people are embarrassed, or green with envy.

Those who wear black are said to lead more colourful lives.

A black basic wardrobe does make life easier in both summer and winter. It is one colour that will see you elegantly through a full day, by accessorizing. That perfect black outfit starting the day can easily go through to clubbing at night. Add a touch of white in the morning such as a collar, tie scarf or beads, ditch the white, add a jacket and casual belt for lunch. In the evening, dress up your black pieces, in different ways by sifting through a well-stocked ‘bling box’, using a bit of imagination adding a snazzy necklace and/or a fancy belt when moving out on to drinks, and a smattering of sparkle, gold/silver or pearls for dinner or clubbing. A jacket with a bit a glam is a useful item even though noticeable, as - ‘Oh she’s wearing that again’ but it will be fun worn sparingly and there are always new people coming and going.

Tailored blazers or casual style jackets thrown over a plain black outfit are great items for extending a wardrobe, when one is meeting and socialising with the same people. It pays to invest in good quality basic but classical items, like a camel colour mohair or cashmere overcoat, for cold winters in many parts of the international world. You may even require a triple lined long fur coat and knee warmers.

Have clothes that fit your frame as clothes that are too big and baggy could make you look enormous. Too tight, too short and look pudgy, whilst clothes that fit properly will slim you down. Be proud if you are a big person and wear clothes that actually fit your body. Add a tailored jacket and look at yourself critically. If a soft jacket is a better option for you, wear it. If a scarf adds more bulk, looking sideways, dump it. A huge artificial flower pinned high on the shoulder is eye catching and can look stunning if you have a large frame, detracting from what you might regard as a flaw somewhere else. 

A shirt with long sleeves can double as jacket to cover bare arms in hot areas of religious differences. Jeans are the new international uniform but there are many places, clubs, and hotels where they are unacceptable; but good for home, going to a painting, pottery, jewellery, or flower arranging class. Yoga classes are good for the soul.

If legs are not your best feature, a straight calf length style may be more flattering than a full skirt, which adds even more volume to your frame. Could you wear knee length boots? Otherwise, go for trousers, a well-cut straight trouser, not too short, just touching over the shoe and reaching just short of the ground at the back. Make sure pants are cut well up and narrow up to the crutch, not baggy around the upper thigh with the crutch down almost to the knee. You naturally do want to look your best. 

Classic court shoes in black, a cinnamon shade, beige or snake skin for a lunch or morning tea, always look classy and shout, this is a woman of style. A pair or two of smart ‘follow-me home’ shoes that you can walk or stand in comfortably are essential in any girls wardrobe whether she is four, forty or twice that. Add boots, ankle boots and another pair of casuals for walking. Boots need non-skid soles.

Do not be guilty of wearing fancy high heels with a sporty outfit, unless you are making a statement, nor carry a tailored dark leather handbag with a filmy summer dress. Shorts and thongs are not a good look in any city or town they are for mornings on a cruise ship or for the sand at the beach, full stop! They are resort clothes.

Rules and markers are not set in concrete. Rules are made to be broken as they relate to you, especially if confident in knowing who you are.

By now you should feel confidence that whatever you chose for an occasion is in good taste. If you do not feel right, change the outfit. Only put on extra bling if there is something missing when you take it off. Understatement has a lot to offer, but not for every occasion.

According to the late Karl Langerfeld, “Trendy is the last stage before tacky.”

Corporate women need a designer handbag or two, a Coach, Michael Kors, Gucci or any other posh brand that is a status symbol. On a budget it is better not to invest too much in handbags or overcoats as they can be parked out of sight. Choose one casual travel handbag with enough pockets to hold passport, tickets etc. and smaller smart little evening bags for formal occasions.

The right piece of jewelry, an item by Christian Dior or Chanel, costing $1000 instead of the $8,000 from a Percy Marks or Tiffany adds class but on the other hand, any little junk jewelry shop may yield a real find for less than fifty dollars, if you decide to leave grandma’s precious heirloom brooch in the family vault, as you should. Suss out unusual little items that are always worth collecting to ring changes from small boutique shops when you are bold enough and the occasion warrants showing more individuality.

A bold brooch does not always need to be worn pinned on to a dress or suit; it can be pinned over a silver wire necklet, gold or silver chain, onto a string of pearls or band of black leather. Splashy beads can make a statement, especially in a bright turquoise or coral colour.

According to Chanel, no woman should live without her strings of pearls.

Hong Kong pearls are good value but even a little shop one can give you ‘the look’ and who can tell, fake, unless they want to take a bite. They do not have to be real, just look real.

It is possible to go a little over the top in the evenings, except in France or Italy where less is more.

Stoles and pashminas are useful as a wrap in the evenings in temperate areas.

Learn to manage your own hair so that in a difficult post, it can always be shining with good health and bounce. Hairdressers are not automatically on hand or the chemicals they offer may be too harsh. Do not leave home without several packages of hair colour that can be applied to the roots with a nozzle every six weeks or so, and washed out under the shower, be sure to add hot rollers and tong’s to put in a little bounce if necessary.

It is a good idea to have your make-up done at least once professionally before you set out; simply sit in a department store once or twice and see what tricks some of the girls on the cosmetic counters can produce to make the most of your best features. Different coloured sticks of a foundation can cover an awful lot of blotches, chapped skin and useful to cover bruises that may otherwise show through on the front of stockinged legs.

You are going to need a magnifying mirror, good tweezers, a razor an exfoliate cream to take care of that unwanted hair that keeps popping out, plus a simple moisturiser to cover most daily needs.

Finally, there are women with a great style of their own that follow no rules. They have an innate taste projecting a certain image that does not go unnoticed.

Most of us need to work on it. Take aboard all these tips and tricks, but be your own woman of style.