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Brilliant Wardrobe Basics: Top 5 Essentials For Looking EuroChic in Your Business This Summer

The official start of summer is less than a couple of weeks away.  Summer demands a wardrobe of brilliantly chosen professional  basics to help us get through the steamy weeks ahead in style. Remember, there are basic clothes and the “right” basics; the difference between the two will determine whether you look stylish or not, whether in business formal or business casual situations.

If you still haven’t had a chance to perfect your summer business wardrobe last month, here are my 5 top picks of chic, summer basics that are key for looking sophisticated, style savvy, and well connected in your business. Every closet should have at least one of these items to help you put your most stylish foot forward during the summer months!

1) Aviator Sunglasses

These classic sunglasses have made a big comeback this season, especially in the gold tone. Aviators are fantastic because they are an ideal shape for any face shape. Just make sure to choose the size in proportion to your face, i.e. smaller frames for petites and larger for medium and bigger women. A fun twist to these shades is a slight shiny glaze on the lenses that add a bit more interest, like the ones that Jessica Parker wears in SITC2. 

2) Nude Shoes: platforms, wedges, or sandals

We are very lucky this summer to have such a wide selection of nude colored shoes! The great thing about the nude color is that we can pair these shoes with anything we already own in our closet, such as prints, stripes, bold color items.  But most of all, the nude color tricks the eye into elongating the leg so we can all look taller and slimmer…add that to platforms and wedges and “voila” mile long legs!

If you are opting for flatter versions, I suggest that you wear them with a shorter length skirt , cropped trousers, so not to make you look too bottom heavy or short.

3) Neutral Tone Shirtdress

Neutral tones are synonymous with elegance because of their slight and soft tones. Summer 2010 is about nudes (gray , champagne, beige). Breezy and easy for summer, a neutral shirtdress is the ultimate wardrobe blank canvas here. When it hits the right thigh length, this dress is always appropriate business wear.  You can pair this number with colorful beads, scarves, jackets, cardigan, etc. and it can be transformed into a Fall/Winter staple with opaque tights for cooler weather. Just make sure to buy the right shape dress for your body type and buy one that’s good quality and will last you for several years of summer sun.

4) Pale Cardigan

A pale, lightweight cardigan is one of the most versatile pieces we can own in the summer. The long V-neck button up style looks  great with all your work separates as well as a being a great piece to layer with for your casual looks. It’s a great piece to keep on hand for blasting air-con and those cool summer nights.  

 

5) Hoop Earrings

These classic favorites are back with a vengeance this summer. Shiny hoops are an instant pick –me-up to brighten up the face and go with every style accessory. These earrings  look good on all face shapes and give everyone a more youthful appearance. Just be careful with the proportions here. Smaller hoops work better on smaller faces, medium to large hoops are better on larger ladies.

Happy shopping and to your stylish success!

Fashion Verses Feet — A Female Struggle!

Wow ladies…you are looking great strutting your brand new pair of Jimmy Choo stiletto heels, turning heads all night as you dance the night away, until… Ouch! Oh no! The night is gone and so is the feeling in your toes. You limp home, feet swollen and elevated as you complain about your aching feet and curse those darn $600 shoes.

Guys have it so much easier than women you think to yourself. How are you ever going to be able to work all day tomorrow?

Has this ever happened to you? If so… how can you prevent pain the next time you get to wear your gorgeous Gucci heels? As a trend-setting fashionista can you have your cake and eat it too? Well the good news is… you do not have to stop wearing those sexy high-heeled stilettos. The bad news is after you learn how to take better care of your feet you will have another excuse to spend more of your hard earned money on more fancy footwear.

Let us take a look at why these dainty little shoes wreak so much havoc on your feet. First of all your feet have a certain purpose or function and that purpose or function has some limits associated with it. Secondly, if you have never properly prepared your feet to wear such a shoe for hours on end then it is understandable why you would suffer from such a painful dilemma.

Each foot has 26 bones in it and these bones are aligned into 4 arches. The purpose or function of these 4 arches is to absorb shock and stabilize the feet when you stand or walk. As your foot is resting inside your sweet stiletto these 4 arches are strained and altered in such a way that the shock absorbing function is nil to none. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was something you could do to help your foot function better while you model your new shoes through the evening? Well thank goodness there is something you can do…

The first thing that you can do to help your foot survive this stressful position is to perform a few easy foot exercises a few times each week. This will build up a tremendous amount of foot joint and arch strength and it will increase the endurance of your foot dramatically. The stronger the tiny muscles and joints in your feet, the longer they can sustain the stiletto stance you require of them.

The first exercise is a simple one, but can be a challenge for some. All you have to do is stand bare footed on a flat surface on one foot. Yes that is all. Stand on one foot for 30 seconds and repeat with both feet. As you do this easy balance exercise you will feel your ankle fluctuating somewhat rapidly back and forth. This is because the little muscles that keep your feet and ankles strong must work intermittently during this exercise to keep your body balanced.

The second exercise is a little more involved. Not really, but at least I’d like to make you think so. This exercise is best performed while wearing socks or a pair of flats. Standing with your feet about shoulder width apart you will raise your heels off of the floor so that you will be standing on the balls of your feet. Now if you could imagine moving your heels in a circular fashion you will continue rising up onto the balls of your feet and then lowering your heels back down towards the floor. If a partner watched you from the back they would see your heels moving outward, upward, inward, then downward in a circular fashion. It is best if you can keep your heels from touching the floor as this will maintain a higher level of tension in the muscles you are exercising. Do this circular motion ten times 3-5 times per week. Now keep in mind that if the four arches in your foot are initially compromised or non-existent…I would simply advise you to visit a chiropractor that specializes in restoring arches using gentle chiropractic adjustments to the feet before doing the strengthening exercises.

Within a few weeks of doing these two exercises consistently you should start to notice your feet feeling much stronger. You will also experience a significant increase in your ability to balance which will help many-fold as you stroll down the sidewalk in your lovely Louboutins.
© Robert J. Fenell, D.C.

For over 14 years Dr. Robert J. Fenell, D.C. has helped relieve thousands of patients from their debilitating hand and foot pain. He has also helped train hundreds of other chiropractors in the diagnosis and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome and many other hand and foot conditions. Get his free weekly expert tips at: www.handandfootpain.com

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