CK's Fashion Tip of the Month #10

This month on Fashion Tips, I’m gonna do something different.
These tidbits are SO necessary to have and yet most only have one of each or none at all. So here we go!
Must Haves #7 and #8 are now revealed!

SCARFS

STRETCH PANTS

If you recall last month’s post, I had mentioned how scarfs can be great substitutes for giving a unique look so I just be repeating myself. If you want the finder details, here’s the uplink to last week’s~ {http://cheetahkit.blogspot.com/2013/10/cks-fashion-tip-of-month-9.html }

Plus other examples of their uses~
{http://cheetahkit.blogspot.com/2013/08/w-t-f-10.html }
{http://cheetahkit.blogspot.com/2013/06/w-t-f-3.html }

Read them in good health or as a refresher course.

The next ‘Must Have’ has been abused by many that they are now banned in some of the workforce and if we’re not careful, will not be allowed in public places like restaurants. Unless you guys want them to stop being made; you BETTER take this month’s tip to heart….
Stretch pants --- or commonly known amongst the youth as ‘Leggings’ and ‘Jeggings’ {for those who don’t know the ‘subtle’ acronym, leggings that look like jeans} --- began life as a more sturdy replacement for tights and stockings since those things ripped between the cases of walking the wrong way and sneezing with mild velocity; but mostly it’s because of a loose nail or having too much lunch that day ;)

They were worn often to the point that the Designer Industry had gotten their new fashion trend to drip down to the minds of teenagers; just give the form-fitting pitch and add some colors/patterns to the product and ‘Generation Y’ will lap it up. Soon, they took it one step further with this and now we have a product that NO ONE can live without.
I’m not gonna lie, I had and used many of these for fashion and function {keeping my legs warm in the winter} but I know how I look wearing them by themselves and I’m about 80 LBS overweight. God gave me the common sense I was born with, unfortunately others need something MORE to give them that type of insight.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

If this article of clothing is your ‘Focus’ point or the main staple in your wardrobe, please be kind to all passerby’s by wearing it APPROPRIATELY!
Stretch pants/Leggings/Jeggings are as I said, one of the greatest eye-catchers used as a form of attraction, however it’s not meant to be worn by themselves and by people with a more ‘thicker’ build from the waist down. For novices unaware of their bodies and the trouble spots they have, most of problems are tailored around the hips and thighs so that doesn’t need to be accented like Busty Bottom and the shorty-shorts {http://cheetahkit.blogspot.com/2013/07/w-t-f-7.html }. One needs to understand that these pieces are STILL meant to be put UNDERNEATH clothing and not as a stand-alone unless it’s role-play in the bedroom.

The rules still stand at if you’re new to the Fashion scene, keep away from patterns until you can affectedly use them as a weapon of public seduction. Veterans --- note that you would “catch more flies with honey” {don’t know what that means? You got older relatives to fill in the blanks….} by having something either one-size too big shirt OR a shirt dress.

Why?
One word: MYSTERY!

Last tip on this matter before you condemned me and my advice; you CAN wear tops that stop at the waist but only if your IDEAL weight. Bad things happen when one doesn’t properly clothe themselves.

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CK's Fashion Tip of the Month #9

Welcome to part six (6) of our “Must Have” list for November’s Fashion Tip.
Last reminder; I will not be updating my weekly segments however this, BR: S/L/D and Anime of the Month will continue during the two (2) month break of winter.

Jumping in it, here’s the next item that no guy/girl should live without~

BELTS/SUSPENDERS

Surprised?
For the Men folk, they’ve been using this since they hit puberty {well, SOME of them due to the evidence I’ve been seeing on the streets}. The ‘fairer sex’ uses them for “Focus” point; as another attraction ploy like perfume or red lips too dark to be considered natural beauty.
But these are more than fashionable.
They also serve as to hold your pants up *hint hint*, the problem is that most of us don’t know what do REALLY do with them and HOW to use them properly.

Ladies, I know it can be tough to be creative with your wardrobe when you don’t have cash to jazz it up. I have stated that if manufactured belts are expensive one can use scarfs and the like to compensate and I still stand by that as a last resort. To the dudes, I say that these can have an effect on most women because of what is associated with them --- the old stereotype of ‘corporate America’ comes to our minds {i.e. having a job PERIOD and not running the streets or livin’ with Mama asking for handouts} and the possibility of another responsible adult in our lives. For both parties a word of caution, please be wise and not pinch your chest if you’re over a size B with the straps or create your own ‘solar system’ if you’re a man who’s stout but WAY past pudgy.

If what I said above does not cater to you, then here’s the long and the short of it; Belts and Suspenders are made for having a ‘break’ in the action {as stated here~ http://cheetahkit.blogspot.com/2013/06/w-t-f-3.html } and there are right and wrong ways of wearing them.

First off – create a staple for dresses/long Tees/sweaters/sweater dresses, mostly found in neutral or neon they tie the whole piece together. Remember the “light/dark, dark/light” combination I had said? If you have a ‘light’ garment, use a ‘dark’ coloring for your divider so you don’t look like a walking blob of after-images; also if your partial to print, be wary of using them on another print. DO NOT wear a striped belt with polka-dotted dress!

Secondly – even though we like to accentuate the ‘girls’ ladies, having the belts on your natural waistline is all-around the best thing for you. I know you might not want to hear this but I think the guys got it down to a science --- especially if you’re well-endowed and I’m not takin’ about your chest size either. The ‘booty’ is a big factor as well as ‘Mr. Johnson’, we want to be comfortable when we walk and sit {not to mention BREATHE!} and as a one-time user of the stretch belt near my upper torso; I spent more time AJUSTING it in the ladies’ room than enjoying dinner with my man. He might get a VERY different idea on why you keep getting up from the table.

Third – they do not have to be your waist size.
I know, it makes no sense but here’s the thing….different kinds of dividers exist out there that are designed to just LOOK fancy and are not made with the sole proprietor in mind {i.e. the ‘one-size-fits-all’ lie or the Knotted belts}, when you discover one in your closet or purchased one recently w/o trying it on --- don’t panic.
You can still rock it, but test it at home to see if it does its job properly before heading to a party.

Also – fellas, what I’m saying here is unisex, not meant just for women. You too can use scarves and have ‘bling’ out dividers so long as it’s not at particular workplaces; I know for a fact that if Lawyers/Businessmen have them on they conceal it to a point that their pants look like they defied gravity. Now as for working in other 9 to 5 jobs like Retail or Restaurant, ditch any divider that are chains or distant cousins of them.

And Lastly {Ladies, you can use this too!} – NEVER WEAR SUSPENDERS AND BELTS IN THE SAME OUTFIT!!!! One or the other PLEASE!
Also, when I said that your shoes and bag do not have to match anymore, I didn’t say anything about the waist line….belts or suspenders MUST match your shoes; no If’s, Ands or Buts!!     

In closing, remember this if you take nothing else from this tip~
if you’re a girl who’s fully ‘stacked’, ignore the suspenders; and men if you got more than a small ‘pot belly’ or a body build of a walking meatball back AWAY from the belts UNLESS in both scenarios you have those vests/jackets in your arsenal. Trust me on this, pinching and constricting your God-giving assets OR proving to the world that you don’t have a waistline by cutting off circulation in the middle is NOT a good look for anyone.

And on a final note, wearing ANY of these with just a tank top or no top at all is frown upon!
Ladies and Gents please save that for the bedroom.

Thanks for tuning in this Friday.
Be on the lookout for our other monthly segment.

Hope you had a happy Halloween :D
Chow!

CK's Fashion Tip of the Month #8

It’s now time for my Fashion Tip of the Month!
Picking up where we left off with part 5 of our “Must Haves”. Because the 1^st fell on a Tuesday, “Off the ‘Spice’ Rack” won’t be updated until next week.

Before I start, yesterday; I had mentioned in the “WTF?!” update that I had a discussion about what words to use with my Ma. I believe that confidence starts within --- as a person with depression on a daily bases, positive thinking nowadays is VERY hard to come by.
How to achieve it begins with the beginning of the day when one gets up; I can’t help with that morning coffee but I can offer some alternative words for that trip to your closet.

Let me ask this~
When you go into your wardrobe early in the morning, what’s the first question that comes to your mind? I can guarantee it’s this:

“What am I gonna ‘throw on’ today?”

For the love of Fashion --- Rewind, Erase and REPLACE!!
Take it from someone who used that line more than needed in one setting and had dire consequences…

‘Throw on’ = Throw UP!
I stated that in that segment, and now for the meaning. When we don’t care about how we look, we tend to pick the least flattering garment in our arsenal {most of it lackluster or neon} and end up looking like we either:

Crawled out of a landfill suggesting one doesn’t bathe on the regular,

Are uncomfortable with our bodies so we cover ourselves in burlap sacks because one feels shapeless and undesirable,

Or want to be noticed by people whether by same or opposite sex, just to leave an everlasting impression by wearing outlandish, color-blinding or skin-tight clothing

….Hence why I disapprove the words ‘throw on’ because one of these scenarios is the end result of these two words we say to ourselves in the morning. Fashion is all about mentality, about how one FEELS about themselves and show it every day by the clothes one buys and wears.

So before you choose ANY outfit for ANY occasion, here are some choice sentences for you to use~

“What am I gonna ‘Put On’ today?”
“What do I feel like wearing today?”
“I need something that says _______”
“Let’s decide what to place upon my body.” {Ma’s favorite}

Now on with the one thing few fashionistas can’t live without~

Gaudy EVERYTHING!!

There’s nothing wrong with having this for your outfits that don’t have that certain ‘wow’ factor like a pattern or print. I know many of my masterpieces needed ‘spicing up’ and that’s the main reason why gaudy necklaces, rings, earring and bracelets were invented.
Starting out life as costume jewelry, the more outrageous the item; the more attention was focused on it --- one of my favorite ‘Focus Points’ to have when only styling in neutral or dark colors. As I had mentioned in my previous post on one of my Tips, “there’s no such thing as ‘Gaudy’, it just needs to be done in moderation”.
My meaning goes into depth on this one for those of you joining us or you HAVE read it however can’t remember the fine details of it, you’re in luck.

Here’s the uplink~
http://cheetahkit.blogspot.com/2013/05/cks-fashion-tip-of-month-3.html

I know this one’s short, but seeing as how I did this particular subject and HATE to repeat myself you guys will have to work for the rest ;)

LOL is now temporary replacing Being Real: Sex, Lies and Drama for Thursdays until further notice.

Hope you join us.

See you in two (2) days :D

CK's Fashion Tip of the Month #7

Since this is the Lord’s Day, I’ll try to make it brief for my Fashion Tip.

First off --- here’s the latest trend in the Fashion World; came out fresh in the middle of last month. Normally I save the visual aids for Saturdays and we just had a “WTF” update yesterday; but in this case I wanted you guys to see it before you go crazy for it.

For those who know this trend already, don’t spoil it for the rest of the fans ~

They call it the “Grudge” look and they’re not too far off in the description.
These actually remind me of that Michael Jackson music video ‘Thriller’ when all the dead rose up to dance { :P}, especially the one on the far left.

The only thing it has going for it is that the homeless can stay in fashion this year. The one on the far right looks more like school girl trying to copy Avril Lavigne. And lastly, that is OBVIOUSLY a men’s garment for the girl in the middle; it’s hanging off her {looks like she raided my late Father’s cloest}!

Now that we got this new and ‘exciting’ look out of the way, let’s get started with part 4 of our “Must Haves” in which I think everyone not only SHOULD have in their arsenal but comes in handy when going clothes shopping~

NO-SLEEVES/CAMIS

The next best thing to ‘man’s best friend’ :)
What’s great about this little gem of knowledge is that this will NEVER go out of style; plus they go with everything and come in different colors and patterns for a fresh new look each time.
Although, I wouldn’t take this tidbit too lightly ---- even a ‘pro’ messes up this rule. There’s a possibility of overload.

So here’s what I’m gonna do.
Time for getting back to the basics {Veterans, bear with me; it won’t hurt to do a quick review}!

When getting no-sleeves and camis for the first time, get all the colors of the rainbow plus the neutral; I know one has some that don’t look right due to skin color but because they’re centered in the middle of your outfits, you can use different jackets to pair them with and also very handy for see-through garments.
If you plan for the middle to be a pattern, be careful. Pick one that doesn’t involve the color of diarrhea and vomit. Polka Dot, Leopard and Plaid are common but don’t have too many of them in your arsenal; they get dull pretty quick ;)

If you know when you're going shopping with the girls/fellas, this is what you should wear.
On more than a few occasions, it has saved a lot of headaches when I just wanted to try on a Tee, Sweater and/or Jacket {especially when one finds themselves in a store with NO dressing rooms (yes, those kinds of stores are still out there)}! 

I mean reality check here ---- you expect us to just grab a garment, wishing/hoping/praying that because you bought your size that it will MAGICALLY fit; only to bring it back the next time when you find out it doesn't. Plus adding insult to injury, tell us you can only get store credit [Hot Topic stores and Rainbow in Silver Spring, MD; I'm talking about you!!] to a place you don't even shop at often if ever and was on a spontaneous whim!
 

With this secret, you don't have to worry about that anymore ;)
Just change in the aisles ---- though I DON'T recommend trying that with any piece of clothing below the waist {even with leggings underneath}.

That’s all for my Fashion Tip for this month.
Hoped you enjoyed the extras!

In case you’re wondering, “Off the ‘Spice’ Rack” will be updated as will “WTF?!” however due to continuous conflict; “Being Real” might not be. Show up on Tuesday for the final verdict.  

Ck's Fashion Tip of the Month #6

Here we go with part 3 of our “Must Haves”.

Another trick to a smoother back is this little piece called~

Jackets

There are different types out now and I’ll get to those in a moment, but I want to talk about the first part of this post which is the LENGTH of them.
The reason why I say they are great to have them as staples is because just like Vests, it creates the illusion of the perfect bod {at least from behind}. However, I have noticed that the jackets most people have cover one of the best assets on any person’s body; and we can’t have that if that’s your most flattering part ;)

My advice for the people who want to show off their ‘biscuits’ is to find the kind that stop at the waist. Those types are always in style and are still appropriate for all ages, short or long-sleeved. That length hides the love handles while you work on sculpting them plus extenuates you waist and rear, so make sure you have it hanging in your closet.

Those who have a straight figure, ones that have it down at the buttocks or the knees can give you the elegance and flare you want with a hint of mystery. Some of us are more endowed than others, but with this type of jacket; it can be a life-saver for those who aren’t stacking in the back.

Lastly, for the tall people in the world; lean towards the ones that stop at the upper calves. I know it can be tough to find articles of clothing that can shrink your height and look sassy all in one shot ---- these will create your own version of “breaking action”; as well as bring your wardrobe to a new level. Have an all-black or brown with a hint of gold flex in your arsenal and you’ll rock the club next time.

And now for the second part ---- the patterns.

Again, if you’re a beginner; go for the neutral colors. You can have them for dress style, pleather type or the jean scene. All of those are acceptable. Once you figure out which color suits your skin tone, it becomes easier to choose the appropriate patterns; but for right now {if you MUST} stick to a black-and-white print. When I was a novice, I learned quickly that Yellow and Orange were the least compatible next to my natural coloring….

And it was all thanks to having a Black-and-White checkered dress jacket while trying on different camisoles and undershirts.

For the veterans of fashion, I’m repeating what I had said on one of my “WTF?!” posts~

If you have more than two (2) colors in your jacket, pick the color LEAST repeated or seen.
I have no doubt that you have chosen the best tones for your closet, but even a Fashionista like me needs a reminder every now and again.
This logic can be used for the undershirt, t-shirts, jeans, dress pants AND skirts {for an example, revisit #6 on my Fashion Tip page}!

Hope this month’s Tip guides you through your next urge of ‘Retail Therapy’.
Make sure to keep an eye out for part 4 :D

ALWAYS keep it real!   

CK's Fashion Tip of the Month #5

Welcome to “Must Haves” part 2 of my Fashion Tips :)

Right to the point --- his month’s staple that NEEDS to be in a closet {other than jeans} is~

Vests

….so simple, yet always overlooked; which is unfortunate because this is one of the pieces that can not only make or break an outfit, but they are perfect for covering ‘problem areas’ that we ALL have.
I, myself am maybe 100lbs overweight {don’t really know cuz I don’t get on a scale unless at a Doc’s request --- personal reasons} and for people who can relate; you got just as many love handles as me :P

I had actually discovered this trade secret on my 5^th solo shop {best way to learn about your body is to shop by yourself}; when I saw myself in the mirror with this on I fell in LOVE with it due to the fact that my back looked so smooth when I turned to the side, it was like I had lost 45lbs instantly!

This garment is also in fashion during all four seasons, perfect for the change in weather; and because they come in different kinds of patterns, vests are one of the best eye-catchers to have.
I have a total of 11 styles of the same concept ---- 3 ‘open’, 5 buttoned, 1 sweater and 2 ‘make-shift’.
And true to my word, one of my buttoned vests is a current trend which is ‘Flo-Mo’ {in truth, this will probably the only way I’ll EVER have this in my closet; not a big fan of this one}.

As for the ‘make-shift’ definition, mostly anything can be a vest depending on the cut of the shirt and where the seam is located; if the piece is still intact and not unraveled in any other place other than the armpit, it’s still salvageable.
Another trend I have in my closet is Hound’s Tooth blended with the colors Brown, White and Black. It’s beautiful however I noticed after a few washes, I did see that there was an enormous hole under my armpit; I still wanted to keep the shirt so what I did was cut the sleeves off and now, I receive very high compliments.

For those who are just jumping on the bandwagon of fashion~
when picking out vests for the first time, look for neutral colors like Black, Grey, White, Brown, etc.
Also, make sure that you get the next size up than want you normally wear; reason for that is because you need to BREATHE {and you do want to be able to turn in them as well}! I’m not saying that you can’t have patterns, but for novices; I would wait a bit before the attempt.

For you veterans~
and I’m assuming you know your body by now ---- some patterns aren’t made for everyone, so for the love of God; choose wisely!
If you have a body type of a meatball, then back away from the horizontal stripes.
Only have neon if you plan to be out past 12 ‘am’….NOT ‘pm’ {save that brightness for the emergency vehicles}.

That’s enough for this month, hope it’s useful for ya :D
Because of the extra segment, Tuesday’s Discussion part 1 of 2 will be push back to next week.
Being Real: Sex, Lies and Drama will update on schedule.
Don’t miss it!

Keep it Real!
C-Ya on Thursday ;)