I am not a girl who thinks you can get away with just a few pairs of shoes. So aside from the fact that I am not a minimalist, I am going to give you some pretty logical reasons why women need an entire shoe wardrobe!

Shoes should compliment your outfit. They need to be the right size, shape, weight, and color. First let’s talk size. I don’t mean the size of your foot, I mean the proportion of the shoe to your ensemble.  If you are wearing a very light and airy dress, you want to pair it with a very minimalist shoe, not a BIG chunky shoe. In terms of shape, you want to make sure that it flows with your outfit. Many times dresses require a delicate strappy sandal and your big chunky winter sweater looks great with boots, however you can not swap the shoes between the outfits.

Generally speaking chunky shoes are bad and sleek shoes are good. Pointy toes extended the length of the leg and make you look THINNER.

In terms of color, it really depends on your preference and what you are wearing. If you are doing a neutral outfit (black, brown, gray etc), I always love a colorful shoe to give a pop. Treat your shoes as you would any other accessory. They don’t have to be the same color as the rest of your clothes so long as they add to the look and don’t detract from it.

Sure you can get away with less shoes than I have but if you are really trying to be the talk of the town, I highly suggest you give some thought to your shoes. Particularly if you are wearing a dress.  Meanwhile, I will go back to searching for the perfect pair of print shoes (think Pucci) to go with my new ivory and silver dress!

 I was in the shoe department the other day at Nordstrom and ran into a woman my Mom knows. She had just purchased a dress and asked me what shoes she should buy to go with it. It was a print dress that had a little bit of a gold tone in it. So I picked out a pair of strappy gold sandals. She loved the shoes, thought they would look great with the dress, and then said “but I have nothing else to wear them with.” This comment led me to believe that she must not be the only woman in the world who didn’t know metallics are neutral! I quickly informed her the gold is a neutral and she could wear them with just about anything.  The same thing applies to silver or pewter metallics. They work just like other neutrals such as white, navy, black, brown,  olive, and khaki. I think every woman should have a pair of silver and a pair of gold shoes. They are neutral, go with everything, and since metallics are all the rage, they are totally in style!

Dresses are certainly the “it” item of the year, not just the season. I, for one, am grateful! For some strange reason, dresses seemed to have disappeared for a while but now they are back with a vengeance. There are so many great things about dresses I barely no where to begin.

Let’s start with the fact they are economical. Yes ladies, dresses are economical. You buy the dress and you are DONE. You don’t have to worry about matching a skirt and a top or pants and a sweater. It’s one piece, simple and easy. For non-evening wear types of dresses, you are going to find the cost of a dress to be very similar to what you would pay for any other item of clothing (think skirt, pants, jeans, sweater, jacket). However, if you buy a skirt and a top you will end up spending MORE money. Now that’s not to say you can’t pair a cute jacket, shrug, or sweater with your dress to change the look. We highly encourage that type of creativity, but the point is the dress can stand alone.

Next, dresses look great on most every body. Clearly you have to find the right shape dress for your particular body, but dresses are very forgiving. Most women look great in an empire waist dress. The empire waist is just under your bust and gives the illusion of a much longer and leaner body.

Dresses are also great when you are traveling. It takes up much less space to pack a dress than an “outfit”.

Last but certainly not least, a dress is so ultra-feminine and chic. Who doesn’t want to look feminine and chic?

So if you are like me and have acquired more dresses in the last year than you know what to do with, don’t feel bad! Dresses are simple, easy, and here to stay. We think they are the most practical and easy item to have in your closet.  So please, play “dress-up” with me.

We seem to live in a very size obsessed society, but the question is, does size really matter? For those fashionistas out there like me, you know that sizes vary from designer to designer and even from one garment to the next. So my answer to that question is simply NO!

Let me interject this caveat, I am not saying women shouldn’t care about the body underneath their clothing, I am simply saying if you are comfortable with your body size, the size of your clothing is insignificant. You need to fit the body you have now.

The very most important factor in clothing is FIT not SIZE. Sure, most women would rather have the “2″ than the “4″ or the “10″ rather than the “12″ but in the end it’s all about how it looks on your body. After all, who is looking in your clothing at your size anyway? Nobody, I assure you.
Let’s just say you can “fit” in a smaller size, the question to ask yourself is “does this look GREAT?”. Examine the garment on your body, is it too big some places or too small in others? The key to fit is accommodating the largest part of your body. You can have garments taken in. So if the dress you have on is pulling across the hips, try on the next larger size. Does it look better? Probably! Don’t try and stuff yourself in a piece of clothing that is too small for you. It only makes you look BIGGER. I see this most often in pants, as they are the hardest garment to fit.

Now that you hopefully understand that the size doesn’t matter, let me clarify that point further by explaining to you how varied a size can be. Some manufacturers run small, others large, and some even true to size. Very rarely can women wear the same size across the board in 10 different designers or manufacturers. It is conceivable that with the inconsistency in the sizing throughout the garment industry, you could have anywhere from 3-5 different sizes in your closet right now that all fit you perfectly.  Then you get into the cut of each individual garment within the same brand and you will still find variations. Sometimes it’s simply they are cut too small or too large and other times it can be that the cut or style of a particular garment will fit your body differently than another.

So next time you are out looking for the perfect outfit, remember, it’s FIT not SIZE.  If you are really concerned about size, take your measurements on a regular basis and use that as your guide post, not some random garment manufacturers number or letter.

Trends certainly come and go, but many times they come back. Some of course we like and others we don’t like. I have to say, I am glad leggings are back. Leggings are a great way to add some warmth with a skirt or tunic in the cooler months. Plus, they are just down right comfortable!

Lucky for us, comfortable is magnified with the Elasthane/Viscose and Cotton/Cashmere blend leggings available from Majestic. These are truly  luxurious and very practical.

Every woman always hopes to not have to be tied down to their handbag. I mean we want to have the bag because it looks good, but who actually wants to carry it?

Well now you can be stylish and hands-free with these great Metallic Leather Belt Bags by Ficcare. These handy pieces feature two outside pockets, an outside zipper compartment, and a roomier zipper compartment on the top. The metallic leather is not only hip but also gives it a slightly dressier look for evening. So if you are looking for the perfect bag for your money, cell phone, lip gloss, and a few smaller items, this is perfect.

I hate to pick favorites per se, but I guess if you are a girl who has an abundance of choices and constantly go back to the same pieces, they are probably your favorites. I constantly find myself putting on all of the beautiful pieces by Saundra Messinger Saundra uses a unique brushed matte finish on her metals that give the jewelry a modern and very wearable look. Saundra’s jewelry has appeared in Vogue on many occasions and on the cover this Fall!

We are wild about the new Star & Moon Necklaces with diamonds. I mean everything looks better with diamonds right?

Sometimes I take my fashion knowledge for granted but after two evenings out and seeing many women in print pants, I thought I might need to discuss this topic. Print pants are pretty much NEVER a good idea. Even when they were “in style” during the ’80’s, they were still UGLY! Particularly bad are loud floral prints or pants embroidered with little whales or palm trees. It just screams tacky and unsophisticated.

Please don’t confuse print pants with things like tweeds, houndstooth, or a muted pattern. Those are totally different. A muted pattern can act as a neutral and should not be confused with a print. Patterns look chic and sophisticated. Should you require clarification on this, I am MORE than happy to help.

If you do happen to have print pants in your closet, I highly recommend donating them to a charitable organization.

We know there is a secret society of Karine Dupont fans who have been waiting patiently for a really long time for NEW Karine Dupont handbags to arrive. GOOD NEWS, Artfulwears.com will be getting them soon.

Karine Dupont has expanded the collection to be even more fabulous than it was before. While the traditional “K” bag will still exist in the K3 size, their new collection is more mix and match. So you can combine a cell phone pouch, wallet, travel bag, small pouch, large pouch, as well as many others, any way you like. So for example if you like the size of the K3 bag for daily wear but want a bigger travel bag to go with it, no problem! You can purchase them separately or together.

In addition to their new “Les choix de Karine”, they have expanded from just nylon to all kinds of leather (including metallic), python, tweeds, lace, prints, and more.

We are so excited about these bags, as they are even more genius than before! Stay tuned…

As you may know sequins and beading are TOTALLY IN STYLE this season. However, it has come to my attention that a little guidance on how to wear this trend might be necessary.

First of all, red sequins are unlikely to ever be aa good thing. I had the misfortune of seeing two women wearing red sequin tops last night, which inspired me to write this piece.

Generally speaking, the sequins or beading should not be ALL OVER the garment, but rather in bits and pieces. Think of a camisole and just the front is beaded. The exception to this might be a mini-dress in black, gold, gray, or silver sequins. Neutral colored beading or sequins tend to look more sophisticated.

The sequin and bead trend is not only reserved for dressy attire, you can easily incorporate them into your night on the town wardrobe. We love a cute beaded or sequined top with a pair of great jeans.

While we can’t show you all the good and bad examples, we suggest asking yourself “does this look modern”? If you answer “no” to that question, leave it on the rack!

This top by Interlud is a perfect example of a modern and chic way of integrating beading. We hope you SPARKLE this holiday season without blinding anyone.