Check Mate

Looking like you’ve just stepped out from Smallville ( for all you superman lovers) seems to be the trend these days. I’m talking about the surge in popularity for checkered tops for guys.

When I look at checkered tops I always have the image of farm workers or even cowboys. It has a rugged yet very laid back look to it.What I love about these tops is the fact that they are pretty eye catching. The patterns and colours definitely make us do a double take. It is like being a highlighted phrase in a sea of sentences.

Being seen as someone who is a little different and special. Well, all of us want to be different and special don’t we? I know I would love to!

However this checkered shirt look best suites slim or even thin guys.

The patterns gives the illusion of having greater mass and a much more volumed like look. A thin guy would stand to look a little bit more buffed when he puts on a checkered top.

The fitting of this top is also pretty important. If it sags and is too lose, then you’ll end up looking like a scarecrow. Something that fits just right is perfect. Guys, don’t have the mentality of buying something that you can grow into. By the time you grow into it, you’ll probably have to buy something new as the trend has already changed.

Clothes are temporary. Long lasting yes, but temporary nonetheless. For guys who are buffed rolling up the sleeves until it reveals some of your forearm and leaving the top button undone gives you a more rugged and tough look. Pair it up with a pair of tattered washed out jeans and voila, you have farm boy meets rockstar. A very unique and cool combination if you ask me.

As for colours, for the bigger guys, you’ll want colours that are a little more dark. Not too bright but dark. For the slimmer guys go for more pastel and lighter colours. Always base it on the principle that black makes you look smaller and white makes you look bigger.

Try to steer away from tucking it it, unless you really like the cowboy like fashion. Get something that doesn’t make your waist look too big. Thus the ideal fit should be slim fit an it should be something that you can tuck out. It can pass off as a clubbing attire or even a simple casual chill out by the beach attire. For the latter pair it up with nice berms.

For starters, FBT shorts are too short and a bit too translucent for the eyes. It leads you (or rather me) to wonder if the person is wearing underwear at all? Nooo i’m not perverted but i just cannot help but wonder…..

digress: I did see a guy once at a swimming complex wearing almost transparent neon yellow trunks!!! I SAW everything!! YIKES!!!!

So do away with those shorts! no matter how comfortable it is. It must be changed after sports!!!!

Another thing I noticed is that men wearing executive office wear often have pants that look too baggy at the behind…

I know office work can be boring. But that doesn’t mean you can just get away with grabbing your waist size pants from the rack. Different pants have different cuttings, so Please at least have the tendency to try them on and make sure they fit you nicely!

No extra cloth behind. Check the front, the back and the length! The hem of the pants must end just nicely at the top of your shoe heel.

Pants doesn’t have to be from one boutique. try out different styles, materials from different brands. get a good cut and it can last you all the way, unless of course you put on weight… Tailor make pants if you have a figure that makes it hard for you to get it off the shelves. Nowadays tailoring is not that expensive anymore.

Cinching the waist band tightly with a belt (those who lost weight or those who bought pants too big to make way for “in case” if I grow bigger) making the pants bunch around the waist is a definite NO NO!

Wearing ill fitting pants makes a person look sloppy, geeky (in a bad way) and butt shape very unflattering. Besides, Guys are not the only ones who will admire butts! (if you get what i mean)

Nice fitting office pants

So start wearing nice pants today!

We hope you are too.

It’s been a while since I last posted. Sorry about that guys! I just had to cope with the crazy schedule I had for the past few weeks. Anyways, I got something new that’s worth sharing, so here we go!

I’ve been rushing to and fro for multiple shoots these past few weeks. Sometimes, I’ve got to lug my costume and props along. So, apart from clothes – I realised I’ve been using different bags every now and then. Important note for the day – you can’t just use the same bag for all occasions or for all outfits  - your bag must fit!

Formal Attire + Sports Bag = NOT Good

For example, when you’re wearing formal business attire, please – and I beg you PLEASE – don’t carry a sports bag with you. If you really need to bring gym clothes, get a nice black leather bag which can fit your shoes as well as your clothes. These kinds of bag normally can be found in travel stores. Get something that is just nice and allows for easy travelling.

Personally it irritates me to see men dressed in corporate gear, carrying sling on sports bag of sorts. It just doesn’t fit! Image is everything; you never know who you might meet. Well I’ll admit – more often than not when we dress up, nothing happens and when we don’t, something happens. I like to be safe than sorry, and I suggest you do the same too.

Haversacks

Picking A Colour

For you who carry haversacks, try to pick black, or brown ones. Not too colourful ones. And match the haversack to your theme. If you’re going somewhere to chill with your friends and you’re in jeans and t-shirt, match the colour of your haversack to the overall colour of your clothes. If there are more dark colours go for a black haversack. If there are lighter colours, go for a nice brown one.

Carrying The Bag

How do you carry the bag? Well don’t always carry it around like a school kid. And please don’t wear it way too low. Only if you’re some kind of skater dude. If not, wear it just nice and high. Sling one side. If you must sling both sides make sure you take a look at yourself in the mirror and see how you look wearing it. What you want to achieve is a kind of flushed look. That is the haversack becomes part of your clothing.

Ok people happy trying out! Peace!

Val

Hey everyone! Today, we are going to talk about finding the right hair colour for you! The rule of thumb for choosing the right one is making sure that the colour suits your skin tone.

If you have:

Dark skin

Go for golden and light tobacco browns. The colours make your beautiful skin more outstanding. Less is more so a subtle change can result in a dramatic transformation.

Avoid: Platinum blonde or brassy shades.

Yellow skin

Go for dark reds and blue blacks because your skin tone is a perfect match for dark colours.

Avoid: Orange copper and ashy yellow undertones as they’ll make you look even more sallow and washed out.

Olive skin

Warm tones work if you have naturally tanned skin. Think copper and lush browns.

Avoid: Blue blacks or yellow based hues as they can look unnatural.

Fair skin

Dark Violet, Dark/light Mahogany bring out the natual rosiness in your skin.

Avoid: Yellow based hues as they can make your skin look pale and washed out

Keeping in mind these suggestions, don’t be afraid to let your adventurous side show!

Xoxo,

Gerra

Simple fact of the matter – you look at yourself in the mirror and then get a shock of your life! And you probably say, “I don’t remember being that fat?!” or ” This is weird, I eat a lot and I’m still like a scarecrow!” So, ever wonder how you can look like an Ancient Greek God/Goddess?

Getting Physical
In the world of fashion, it’s all about physique. Sad but true. Aesthetics rule the game of looking good. However, I’m not a big fan of artificial aesthetics ie: plastic surgery. I personally believe that plastic surgery or more like corrective surgery is useful only when you need to fix a defect that happens through an accident. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Don’t take it as Gospel. To each his/her own.

How you look determines how well you take care of yourself. 
 

Assess Yourself
Do a mini assesment. Look at yourself in the mirror and see what you would like to change. I mean it, spend like the next 5 minutes doing that. I’ll wait…

Done? Good, now list them out in order from the highest priority to the lowest. Here’s an example:

1) Get toned

2) Get a new haircut

3) Get rid of acne
 

Take Action
Next look at these changes and see how you can achieve them naturally. Getting toned for example – go online and research for different kinds of exercises, diets and gym memberships.

Don’t like doing these? Fine pick an exciting sport that offers you a good workout. Do something you like and that will keep you interested.

For those of you who still have difficulty in this, well don’t fret. I’ll be releasing a new and unique programme that’s affordable, fun, exciting and challenging all at the same time. It’ll make you feel as energetic as a child once more, I promise =) So watch out for it!

 
Efforts Attract
Remember, being an attractive person takes work. It’s the effort you put in to take care of yourself that will glow with unexpected results. If people know you can take care of yourself, they’re more willing to invest in you or even be attracted to you because you give them a sense of assurance and certainty.

That’s all for now peace out people!

Val
Visit other entries of Quick Tips on:

• Jeans and Shoes
• Belts
• Shirts

Ever knew how colours work? Did you know that the colours of what you wear or apply on yourself can have an impact on yourself and your surroundings including people?

In this entry ladies and gents, we will visit colours and their meanings.

I consulted Linda Bird’s Look Gorgeous Always for this topic. Let’s see what she and I have to say about wearing colours!

Brown
Brown is  a grounding colour, reassuring and comforting. And, chocolate brown can be flattering to brown-eyed girls.

When To Use It?   Brown, is not exactly my colour! I will however probably use it if I need to ease a tense situation or a person.

Black
Sophiticated and glamourous. Colour of excellence.

It can denote seriousness and the state of listening. 
It’s no wonder lots of professionals wear black and well…more black! I think black is good for a slimming effect too!

When To Use It?  At times when you want to appear more focused, serious and attentive.

Pink
Colour of warmth, eternal feminity (for girls of course) and love. Soothing and nurturing.

When To Use It?   When you’re on a date! I love pink btw!  Just because pink can appear feminine, doesn’t mean guys are not allowed to wear it.

White
Clean, calming and colour of purity and a great colour for new beginnings!

Violet
Creates peace and tranquillity.

When To Use It?  According to Linda, you can use violet to boost your powers of communication and keep your audience hanging on your every word.

Green
Colour of balance, calm and compassion. It’s the colour of LIFE! 
 
Green is believed to help overcome fatigue, tension and anger. 

When To Use It?    As it promotes peace and harmony, it’s a good colour to wear if you want to make up after a fight or have a tricky day at work ahead with difficult customers!

So, if you see me wearing green, that’s just my way of coping with an ‘explosion’. 

Blue
Peaceful,  orderly, restful and soothing.

Blue has been found to reduce blood pressure and pulse rate and help reduce stress. 

When To Use It?   Experts say it’s a good interview colour as it gives the impression the wearer is loyal and calm in a crisis!

Orange
Colour of happiness, confidence, sexual energy and fun!

It can lift spirits and stimulate memory. It’s warm, revitalising and linked with sunshine.

When To Use It?   A great colour for improving communication skills and helps break down barriers.

On a side note: pale orange makes my tanned skin glow so I love it!

Yellow
(That’s YELLOW btw in case you can’t read it.) And, yellow is actually good for boosting energy!

When To Use It?   A great colour to wear when you are getting over a heartbreak as it’s a cheerful colour that will help boost your mood.

Surround yourself with yellow if you need a burst of intellectual energy as it helps boost mental concentration.

When NOT To Use It?   Don’t use it for the bedroom as it could disturb your sleep!

Red
Is hot. It’s a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare. Red is Cupid and the Devil.

Because it is a stimulant and the hottest of the warm colours, red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure. That’s what the experts say. 

When NOT To Use It?   Hmm, let’s see. When you have something bad to say to someone I guess?  

 
Ladies and gents, these meanings are from someone’s perspective and inspired by the studies of many experts. Please don’t be limited to what they say, though. You may have your own interpretations of colours. If you think Linda is right, there’s also nothing wrong with agreeing with her.  :)  Hope you enjoyed this entry. 

XOXO,

Gerra

When I shop, I’m very particular about fitting. Sometimes, I may find a shirt that has a really good design, looks unique, but is just a little too big for my frame. It’s painful, but I got to let it go.

The last thing I want is for that awesome-looking shirt to hang off of me like some curtain! Let’s face it guys, some of us, me included, are not born to look like male models. But with grooming and proper dressing – including choosing the right fit – we can sure come close to looking like a model!

The last thing I want is for that awesome-looking shirt to hang off of me like some curtain! Let’s face it guys, some of us, me included, are not born to look like male models. But with grooming and proper dressing – including choosing the right fit – we can sure come close to looking like a model!

Rules That Will Help

So when it comes to choosing t-shirts or shirts in particular, here are a few rules.

1) Make sure the seam of the sleeve (the stitch line that connects the sleeve to the main shirt) is just slightly below the bone of your shoulder. It should not be so far off from your shoulder. If it is, that shirt is not for you.

2) When it comes to the length of the shirt, make sure that the shirt falls only one third past your crotch area. If it completely covers the crotch, tuck it in. You might also want to rethink about buying it because it may be too big for you.

3) If you’re athletic and slim, go for shirts that fit just nice. DON’T leave space for more growth. Shirts can only be worn for like a year or 2 and then you have to change them. If you’re a bigger built, go for shirts that don’t hug your body. Again, watch the seam of the sleeve.

Seeing My Old Self In Other Guys
I know a lot of guys who just go, grab what’s convenient, pay up and rush straight home to either fiddle with their computers or plonk themselves in front of the goggle box.

Truth be told, I was like that when I was a growing teen. I didn’t want to put too much emphasis on taking my time to choose the right top. I wanted to get out of the clothing department as fast as possible and into the video games or comics store!

An Inspiring Aunt
But, thankfully I had my aunt who would always force me to follow her on her shopping trips and along the way she would preach to me about fitting, cut and fabrics. At first it went in one ear and out the other as I sat quietly by the couch checking out cute sales girls as they walked past. Time went on and what my aunt would used to say slowly seeped into my subconscious somehow. And I’m grateful for that.

So, when it comes to going out and buying clothes, I’ve become very particular and fussy.

Use the 3 basic rules for now when you choose your top and you’ll definitely see a change.

Val

Visit other entries of Quick Tips on:

• Jeans and Shoes
• Belt
• Taking Care of Yourself

Ok, so you’ve successfully managed your new stylish lifestyle and you’re putting in more effort in taking care of yourself. Well done and crazy congratulations on that… BUT not so fast!

You don’t just stop there. You need to further improve and also, discover new creative ways of styling on your own.

Why You Ask?
Truth be told a lot of people stagnate; in other words, they stop changing. They get stranded on a plateau and they don’t move forward. They settle with the results they get. This is fine, but you see when you start to settle what happens is that things become very routine-like. It becomes very dull and monotonous. This dullness and monotony will creep into your personality and drain you! Snap out of it! That’s the last thing you want right now.

Spicing It Up
Make dressing up and maintaining your lifestyle fun! Make it an adventure! Never let it slip into a boring routine that will eventually make you despise it. You see, when it comes to dressing up, you can always try to work out a different persona. I love doing that!

Try this, go out one day and assume a different persona. A persona that reflects your dress style. If it’s classy and suave, then walk and talk like that for a day. Ok, it might seem dumb at first and your friends might laugh. But who cares? This is fun. Dressing up is all about fun. You need to be daring to be adventurous. Only then will you be creative and develop and sense of style that’s unique to you.

So, be adventurous. Take a bit of a risk. Besides, you’re not committing a crime, am I right? So, cut yourself some slack and learn to laugh at yourself from time to time. =D

Val

Note from me: What happens when you try to be a little daring? Check out what J had to say about it.

Your image is how you groom yourself, the way you dress up, and carry THE package of YOU. IT speaks even before you say anything.

Why Bother?

When you portray a good image of yourself, opportunities tend to come to you more often. Good things get attracted to good things and it’s a cycle you can’t break. Think Laws of Attraction. 

Developing an image that people admire and respect leads to open doors and a high chance of success. Only YOU can determine your way of life.
 

How To Package A Good Image

Identify Your Obstacles

To have a good image, you have to be able to identify your obstacles – be it in your career, in your personal life or how you communicate. They play important roles in presenting your image. When you are able to identify them, you learn more about yourself, and you can improve on them. Identifying them is both a self-discovery and a self-improvement process. When you choose to improve them, it shows that you are a mature person.

Balance These Two

Having a good image is balancing between persistence and flexibility.

Persistence means determination. Having a good image means you are a determined person. A determined person has a good image because he or she has good energy. Why is there a good energy? That’s because determined people are always positive about fulfilling tasks – big or small. So, if you have been procrastinating from doing anything, there is no better time like…now!

Flexibility means you are able to adapt to different environments and/or situations. That helps you gain a good image as well because it shows that you are able to respond positively to changes! Good image = good growth.
 

How Do I Start?

Look nowhere else but at the mirror. Look at yourself- you are your own brand. Now you know who the brand is, think of how to package it. Choose the identity you want to have within your environment, be it at work, a party or an important function, then dress up to express it! Put in effort in dressing up and you’ll find yourself enjoying this wonderful journey of life!

XOXO,

Gerra