In a world extraordinarily focused on outward appearance, we need only to open a magazine or turn on our televisions to see the latest and greatest fashion trend; it walks the red carpet, checks out a movie premier, and heads out nightly to the hottest restaurants. And we, as a society always mindful of what’s popular, follows dutifully along, eager to purchase the “must have” item of the season. But, ultimately, the fashion style that works best for us is that which looks good on our particular body and reflects our very individual personality.

As anyone who follows the fashion industry will tell you, trends come and go. What is one year’s hot item is the next season’s fashion “don’t.” Designers present their newest lines and before you know it stores are carrying these clothes in every conceivable variation. And then, just as quickly, they’re gone. It’s almost impossible to keep pace. Luckily, the fashion style that makes the most sense on an individual level is the fashion style that reflects who we are as people; and that never goes out of style.

The most important thing to remember is that just because a particular fashion style is popular at the moment does not mean that it will look good on your particular body. Wearing something just for the sake of wearing it ultimately goes against the principles of fashion. A fashion style that you choose to wear should be something that accentuates your positives, downplays your negatives, and complements the overall line of your body.

Take the time to get to know your body and what styles work best with it. Assess your body objectively; if you have trouble spots, look for cuts and fabrics that camouflage what you need them to camouflage; if you are on the shorter side, look for a fashion style that elongates your body; and always choose colors that complement your skin tone.

Once you find a style that works – stick with it and add your personal touches to reflect your personality; that is the best fashion style you can possibly wear.

If ever proof were needed of the havoc that fashion can wreak on even the most good-looking girl, it came on Friday night with Kate’s coming- out outfit. An enviably lithe 22-year-old, the Big Brother winner had looked suitably cool from the start. She’s athletic and knows how to work a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with the best of them. As she is, undoubtedly, in possession of what men ingeniously describe as “a great arse”, it’s small wonder that she’s happy to dress in this most modern of uniforms. Anyone with a shape like hers would do well to follow suit. Kate also clearly reads Now magazine, and every fashion glossy from Elle to InStyle, however, all of which have poisoned her mind with the need to follow the whims of fashion rather too literally. Yes, for the first time since we set eyes on her, Kate was actually seeking to look trendy - weirdly and self-consciously trendy. She’d clearly never worn the outfit before - a mistake worthy of a 13-year- old - and felt sorely uncomfortable as a result. All in all, a sorry case of aching to be fashionable over and above looking good.

Let’s take it from the (white lace) top. Lace! The fabric of the summer season! White! The colour of the summer season! It’s hardly aided by the requisite mahogany skin tone, as paraded by every Big Brother housemate to date. More important, lace, truth to tell, needs to be expensive and, preferably, vintage; Kate’s just looked like it must itch. As for the all-too-visible bra (also Colgate white and possibly orthopaedic) worn underneath… that was, of course, a look pioneered by Madonna circa Desperately Seeking Susan, and it works only in black Next, what was that skirt, and who should be shot for designing it? An A-line hybrid of summer’s much-hyped and best-forgotten gypsy/ peasant style, and in bleached denim for that life-on-the-street feel, to boot, it was embellished with a large panel of what looked like more lace! Whoever said co-ordinated dressing went out with the Fifties? Whichever way you look at it, said garment went to prove that bohemian is not a style that can be bought - it’s a mood, man - and that even the snake-hipped among us will look like the back of the proverbial bus in a badly cut garment.

Poor Kate. It should have been her finest moment, but she actually looked better in her Big Brother-supplied spangly pink plate- spinning costume. (Persistent rumour: it was designed by Jeremy Scott.) In the end, her big mistake was to try too hard - from the panda eyes to the strappy high heels - and to opt for a style that was a million miles from her own. She has the kind of squeaky-clean, tomboy appeal that doesn’t suit overdressed. One of the Brady Bunch auditioning for Fleetwood Mac springs to mind.

Admittedly, we’ve all been there, but the best thing about fashion today is that there is no longer any strict dress-code. It’s fine to be dressed to the nines on the way to the supermarket one minute and to look like the world’s most beautiful bag-lady at a black-tie reception the next. Some of the world’s most stylish men think nothing of wearing jeans with a dinner-jacket.

Of course, Kate’s was not the only Big Brother fashion faux pas, and all future housemates would do well to take heed. In the meantime, don’t even get me started on Jade…

Susannah Frankel is the fashion editor of `The Independent

March 2002. Katie Grand, editor of Pop magazine and stylist, is spotted backstage at the Milan shows in a shrunken flight-cum-boiler suit. Fashion antennae begin to twitch. A couple of weeks later, Arena’s fashion director, Allan Kennedy, is in a London studio, styling a utilitarian shoot called “Work in Progress”. It’s inspired by the iconic black-and- white photographs of 1930s farm labourers taken by the German photographer August Sander. Antennae are now vibrating. By the time the designer Bella Freud rocks up to a fashion launch a month or so later wearing a pair of carpenter’s pants with an old school blazer and heels, they’re whirring wildly.Picture these seemingly unconnected events and you’ve just witnessed the birth of a trend. Not a catwalk trend but one from the street, sparked by fashion-savvy types plugged into the next big thing. In this case, it appears to be workwear. Suddenly, style pundits are forsaking fashion mecca (Harvey Nichols), and scouring Alexandra Workwear and Workwear World for mechanic’s overalls, industrial boiler-suits and decorator’s dungarees instead. Indeed, looking like a labourer (albeit a squeaky-clean one) and adopting the proletarian aesthetic is the height of insider fashion.”I always check for a good hardware shop wherever I am, because they’re just the sexiest stores,” says the stylist Judy Blame, who made his name in the Eighties by juxtaposing high-fashion labels and street/ workwear finds. “I’ve got 100 boiler suits. All of them are oversized, you can just throw them and mix them with something else.” While Balenciaga’s intricately reconstructed summer combat pants may have inspired endless lookalikes for winter (nearly every designer sent a pair storming down their runway), the prole trend is less about the catwalk’s theatrical interpretation (silk organza boiler suits, anyone?), and more to do with forcing the military aesthetic into a safe zone.

“We really wanted it to look more utilitarian than military,” says the designer Justin Thornton, of Preen’s waistcoats and off-kilter skirts that are a patchwork of industrial pockets, drawstrings and zip fastenings from recycled military parkas. “That’s why we focused on the function of the clothes rather than the military aspect.”

With its drip-dry, easy-clean, stay-pressed connotations, workwear is fast becoming something of a chic anti-chic statement. Shrug on a boiler suit (the arms tied around your waist), with Topshop’s bestselling “Kate Moss” vest and a pair of strappy heels, and you will not only appear effortlessly hip but also be able to tick off several trends in one go: androgyny, oversized clothing, dishevelled elegance.

“A lot of very stylish people don’t wear severe glamour any more. Whereas mixing something utilitarian with something glamorous is cool now,” says Thornton, whose workwear pinafore tops are designed to look as low-key with a slick pair of tuxedo pants as with a pair of faded jeans and flip- flops. “The people who I think have something really special about them look like they haven’t tried too hard.”

As creative director of the Doneger Group, a New York fashion forecasting firm, it is David Wolfe’s job to define and make sense of emerging trends. “I think it’s an evolution of grunge,” he explains. “It’s another way to dress up in dressed-down clothes.” According to Wolfe, the no-frills aesthetic is discernibly Seventies retro, rewinding to a time when such an anti-fashion spirit was shockingly new. “It was a major trend in the mid-Seventies,” he recalls. “It was a reaction to the beginning of what became the Eighties’ over- affluent, overachiever, Armani- esque mainstream. The reason it’s happening now is the same deal.”

And it’s not just women who are adopting the utilitarian uniform. “Workwear’s a really great look for straight guys,” says Allan Kennedy of Arena. “It’s pared-down, simple and minimal, which makes men look more attractive precisely because it looks so effortless.”

Elevated by fashion folk to an aesthetic, it’s a look that ultimately relies on a romanticised view of the type of industry and labour that has been all but wiped out by the IT revolution. The irony is, if you adopt the aesthetic, you too can look like you’ve done a hard day’s graft when in fact you’ve been sitting in front of a laptop, fiddling with a mouse all day.

“The other night, I was sitting in a pub, wearing my hammer-head necklace and my worn-out JCB denims,” Blame says. “Anyway, this woman comes up to me and asks, `Are you a metalworker?’. I said, `No, love. I work in fashion’. But she obviously thought I was, because of what I was wearing. So the look worked. It really worked. Hah!”

The fashion trends in apparel and housewares departments have spread across the aisle to many items in the hardware department, particularly flashlights.

The days of dull metal bodies, corroding battery cases and lights that fail in an emergency are over.

They have been replaced with high-fashion products produced with sleek lines, high-grade plastics, long-life batteries and high-intensity lights with price tags averaging $5 and $6, not the $3 and $4 of several years ago. This trend to upscale was established in the early part of this decade when rechargeables were introduced and is only expected to intensify with time. Phasing Out Cheap Stuff

“We’re getting rid of all the cheap stuff priced at $1 to $3,’ commented a New York-based discounter who asked not to be identified. “People aren’t reactive to the old cheap stuff anymore. They have no qualms about spending $5 to $10 on a flashlight.’

Ames, Rocky Hill, Conn., is reducing the number of sku’s at the lower end, preferring instead to concentrate on “the best items’ in the category, said Leslie Dietzman, executive vice president, merchandising.

When consumers decide to buy a flashlight, market research shows their primary considerations are reliability and performance. Consumers are demanding that their flashlights work when they need them and they are willing to pay for those qualities. Flashlights are a $415 million a year business at retail, $100 million of which is attributed to rechargeables, according to industry estimates. Sales have been growing by about 9 percent a year since 1983 when the upscale, high-tech focus took hold. By 1990, flashlight sales, including rechargeables, are projected to near $550 million.

Flashlight sales through discount retail outlets represent the largest chunk of sales, research reveals, comprising slightly more than one-third of all product sold, substantially outpacing department stores, with 15 percent, and hardware/home centers, with 12 percent of the market.

Beyond the move to upscale, emerging trends in the flashlight category continue to be the development of rechargeables, pricey lithium-powered traditional flashlights, compact sizes or “mini’s,’ and color.

A dual-battery system, like the Luma II by Rayovac–which includes a lithium battery as the primary power source and an alkaline battery as a backup–could be another trend. Also, more than ever before, flashlights are coming equipped with batteries, a development that is expected to gain momentum.

Only lithium battery-operated flashlights pose a trend snag for discounters, some report, because they are so pricey. Until prices moderate, some chains, like Gee Bee, Johnstown, Pa., won’t carry them at all.

Industry experts estimate that 95 percent of all households own at least one flashlight, and have three to five flashlights on the average. Consumers buy flashlights for such traditional home uses as emergencies, convenience and recreational activities like camping, plus for their cars and even for ladies’ purses, which now represent an exploding market for both manufacturers and retailers.

And increasingly, flashlights are being purchased as gifts. In fact, according to research supplied by Rayovac, over 50 percent of premium lights are purchased for someone else. And Black & Decker reported that in rechargeables, sales are split evenly between products bought for personal consumption and those purchased for gifts.

“The industry has created a demand with consumers simply by changing technology and design which translates into increased sales,’ observed David Covitz, vp and divisional merchandise manager for home improvement at Gold Circle, Worthington, Ohio.

These innovations have produced sales increases in the “double-digits’ at Gold Circle, a pace Covitz expects will continue for at least another 12 to 18 months, and longer if manufacturers continue to introduce new, more innovative products.

Women are playing a more important part in these sales, too, with as much as 60 percent of all flashlight sales attributed to women, said Kevin Garrity, vp, marketing for Garrity Industries, a leading flashlight manufacturer. Because women have shown a willingness to buy flashlights, manufacturers have stepped up styling efforts to appeal to them.

Color is playing a more important role in product styling, as is compact design, lighter-weight models and varying grip sizes.

In January, Black & Decker will roll out a new lithium-powered flashlight in four pastel colors called, “Just For Me.’ These models will carry a suggested retail price of $11.98. The manufacturer, which introduced flashlights in fashion colors several years ago, will continue to “see where color can be applied,’ said Garrity.

Long thought of as a “sleepy industry,’ flashlights have emerged as a booming and profitable category for retailers. Gross margins are generally at the 40 percent to 50 percent level and merchandising opportunities exist throughout the store: in hardware, automotives, sporting goods, endcaps and at checkout.

African Americans have long been associated with influencing fashion and its trends. It’s also no secret that we are big consumers of style. According to Target Market News, African Americans spent $22.9 billion on clothing in 2002. What we don’t often hear about are the people behind the scenes–those who ignite, interpret, and cover the trends–all in a business that has never welcomed black creative talent with open arms. There are some trailblazers, however, who have weathered the fashion storm to become leaders in this transient industry. History: White has worked as a fashion reporter, editor, and director for several leading publications including Elle, The New York Times, British Vogue, and Talk.

Pulse: “I relate to high fashion as well as accessible fashion. For the Web, you really have to grab people with information and articulate it in a timely manner.”

Fashion Changes: “The way people look at buying fashion, the way fashion information is delivered to the consumer has changed, eBay is the runway for the real world.”

TRACY REESE

Distinction: Designer of signature lines TR and the moderately priced Plenty, which is available at Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom’s, Saks Fifth Ave., and Macy’s West.

Milestones: With her creations featured in 300 stores globally including countries such as France, China, Germany, and Australia, Reese’s annual sales topped $12 million in 2003. Advantage: “I am totally satisfied with where I am right now as a designer. I design a product that I believe in.”

Fashion Forward: Her Plenty Home line is debuting this fall, and she is pursuing an accessory and shoe license.

PATRICK ROBINSON

Distinction: Creative director of design, Perry Ellis Womenswear.

History: Assisted Patrick Kelly and Albert Nipon before becoming design director for Georgio Armani in Milan. He was one of Vogue’s Top 100 Rising stars in 1996.

Challenges: Received negative publicity after launching his own line in 1996 and was dismissed from Anne Klein after two seasons as design director.

Fashion Forward: Credited with reviving the Perry Ellis line with color and upbeat styles. “I knew I wanted mixed patterns with lots of detail. It’s evening and day all mixed together. People want fantastic, functional clothes.”

JUNE HAYNES

Distinction: U.S. director of retail at Valentino, managing boutiques in Las Vegas; Beverly Hills, California; Palm Beach, and Bal Harbor, Florida; and Honolulu.

History: Opened and managed the first Dolce & Gabbana boutique in the U.S., the flagship store in New York City, and two others in Bal Harbor, and Los Angeles.

Business Motto; “Stay hungry, because once you’re full, you’re satisfied.”

Ambassador Attitude: “If I am going to stand for a brand, we should be the ones to do our own PR. I tell my managers and sales people that the majority of business is done when the stores are closed. You can’t stay in the store waiting for people to come in, you’ve got to go out and bring the business.”

STEPHEN BURROWS

Distinction: The only black fashion designer with a free-standing exclusive boutique in New York’s prestigious Henri Bendel.

History: A ’70s icon for his signature bright knits with “lettuce” hemlines, Burrows dressed actresses, and supermodels. He won the American Critics’ annual Coty Award in 1973, 1974, and 1977.

Lessons: “I’ve learned you have to have a healthy business to have a business. It’s learning to blend the artistic and the commercial.”

Forward: “I see more color, more body conscious, more fun. If you take fashion too seriously, becomes boring.”

JUNE HORNE

Distinction: Senior buyer American/European Designer Collections Saks Fifth Avenue.

Vision: Covers shows in Europe and New York City to find clothes for 30 of Saks’ 64 stores in the U.S. “The beauty of certain regions is the opportunity to select for different markets: Boca Raton is young, sexy, and hot. Palm Beach is more sophisticated and ladylike.”

Trend Watching: The fall lines portrayed “country couture”–a contradiction between rustic and refined.

Outlook: Horne is excited about a crop of new young black designers, particularly James Thomas, who worked for Calvin Klein and is now developing his own line.

Some styles are proof of life working against designer fashion. Take bootcut trousers. This particular silhouette may not have been even remotely fashionable - at catwalk level, at least - for a good two years, but it remains almost impossible to find a pair of jeans that doesn’t flare, if only slightly, at the knee. From designer denims such as 7 For All Mankind, James Preserved and Earl, to the high-street stalwarts Levi’s and Gap, the vast majority of jeans are relatively low-rise, tight to the knee and then kick to the ankle to accommodate, well, to accommodate a boot, neatly enoughThe reason behind the silhouette’s ubiquity? There are too many women out there who swear by its transformative powers for them to be ignored. Boot-cut trousers make their hips look more slender, their legs longer, they say. Boot-cut trousers compensate for a multitude of sins in the bottom department, a less-than-perfect behind hovering above two dead- straight skinny sticks like an airship not being the finest of looks to behold. Oh, and the low- rise effect is more comfortable, as anyone who has recently tried to button themselves up into a pair of high-waisted trousers will confirm. And pity those of us who grew up sans stretch-denim in the Eighties: clothing-induced colic was only to be expected way back then. Boot-cut trousers have their detractors, however. Purists in particular know that high-waisted, poker-straight, or even drainpipe, trousers are now de rigueur, and they are therefore not amused by Saturday afternoons spent searching the streets for that particular holy grail in vain. Boot- cut trousers are too mainstream to be seen wearing, this fashion faction argues. Most heinous of all? Tucking a pair of heels beneath voluminous, boot-cut folds. This is the preserve of the West London It Girl, and even the more forward-thinking among them now tuck their jeans into boots, thank you.

It will perhaps come as no surprise that the man who booted the boot- cut trouser unceremoniously off the runway in the first place was Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga. When, for spring/summer 2003, Ghesquiere sent out a collection, uncompromising even by his label’s standards, of neoprene- look skintight minidresses and trousers that were not only high-waisted but also narrow from thigh to ankle, the rest of the world took note. Cue a slew of return-of-the-waist style editorials everywhere, from the pages of this newspaper to those of Vogue. And the waist duly returned, causing joy among those critical of the hitherto ubiquitous exposed midriff, at least. Except that jeans remained flared. In real, as opposed to fashion, life the boot- cut silhouette proved impossible to shift. Even Ghesquiere’s devotees had to admit that, while lovely to behold, these new proportions were by no means easy for even the most blessed of women to wear.

It was, of course, the catwalk that was responsible for the reinvention of flared trousers in the first place. Sailor’s trousers - cut wide in the leg to enable those on deck to roll them up should flooding occur - were, of course, the original article, but it’s safe to say that such fashion emergencies rarely hit Bond Street. People took to flares again because they looked rather good. Throughout the Seventies, bell-bottoms were also the only trousers to be seen wearing.

This meant, naturally, that by the Eighties the silhouette had been sent without ceremony to fashion Siberia. In the mid-Nineties, however, a leggier look, inspired by Alexander McQueen, who looked to the long, lean silhouette of the Thirties and Forties for inspiration, and popularised by Tom Ford - the man who made disco fashionable once more - appeared on the runways and then on the streets. Ford, in particular, ensured that every high- street chain was filled with low-rise, boot-cut trousers, preferably black and with just the right amount of stretch… Of course, women the world over loved him for it, and continue to do so to this day. For McQueen’s part, even 10 years on, he remains partial to a flared or boot-cut trouser.

And the good news is, come autumn/winter 2005, none other than Nicolas Ghesquiere has decreed that the boot-cut is back. With more than a few designers focusing on commerce as well as innovation, this seems like a pragmatic move as well as an aesthetically pleasing one. Yes, having been a committed straight-legged trouser designer since autumn/ winter 2001 - and five years is a long time in fashion - this highly influential figure has decreed that, just over six months from now, flares will again be fashionable.

Given this designer’s past form, who are we to argue? Apart from anything else, for the vast majority of us, boot-cut trousers had never gone away

Having a plus-size figure should never discourage women from dressing up, whether it is for business, casual, or formal. One of the easiest way to dress up a pair of slacks, skirt or dress, is to add a jacket. Knowing your body type and choosing colors that flatter and enhance your figure and skin tone, can help you select a versatile plus size jacket that can last for years.
The cut of a jacket is the first thing that plus size women must consider. They should stay away from short, boxy jackets. Choosing a longer jacket that just skims the hips will give them a taller, slimmer look. It’s also good to select a jacket with shoulder pads as they will add to the style of the jacket while helping to balance out the overall look.
Plus size women who have a straight ‘up and down’ physique, might prefer suits with straight lines. Search for longer jackets that have sharp lapels and are not too cinched at the waist. Plus size women with curvy physiques should wear shorter jackets with rounded lines, curved lapel and a fitted waist. A cinched jacket will accentuate the waist and minimize the stomach.
When choosing a jacket, be sure that it falls in the proper spot on your body that is most flattering for you. For example, larger busted women will want to avoid jackets with pockets located on the bust line. Simple cut jackets with a tapered waist are the most flattering for this body type.
Plus sized women with a larger figure will find longer jackets that elongate the hips to be the most flattering for their size. Jackets that are cut too short will draw attention to trouble areas and should be avoided.
It’s important for plus size women to achieve a look of proportion. While a long jacket can make a 5′6″ woman look taller, it can overpower a 4′11″ woman and make her look even shorter. The following tips can help you find the right length plus size jacket for you.
When choosing the length of a jacket hem be aware that the hem should not be at the widest part of your body. As an alternative, go for longer or shorter. When you choose a longer jacket, be sure to choose a more narrow pant or skirt. Your jacket or skirt should be about two thirds of the length of your overall look. Long jackets over knee length skirts and shorther jackets over longer shirts have the most flattering effect.
Scarves are a great accessory to add a personal touch to a plus size jacket. Use a long scarf to elongate your figure.

In the world of fashion, there are no shortages of ideas about do’s and don’ts when it comes to what clothes to purchase. The specialized world of plus size fashion is no different. While some of these tips are genuinely useful, others are little more than myths and misconceptions. Lets debunk a few of these myths commonly associated with plus size fashion.
Another common myth is that if you are plus size, showing any skin is definitely out. However, this is not true! There isn’t a logical reason for any woman, plus size or regular size, to completely hide her body. Whatever your body flaws, there are also flattering features about you. Find out your positive assets and then find clothes that show them off! If you have great legs, wear short skirts to emphasize them. If you have a beautiful, busty figure than try low scoop necks or V cuts.
One piece of fashion advice for plus sized women is to never bare your arms. Although it has long been thought that sleeveless tops are not for larger ladies, this is completely untrue. It can be very flattering and sexy to bare a little skin yet if you feel uncomfortable doing so there are many things you can do to avoid this. A cute shawl or shrug draped over your shoulders, or a lace- or chiffon-sleeved shirt will cover your upper arms. So there are ways in which you can show your arms yet not bare too much flesh!
Another common myth is that plus size women should never wear horizontal stripes. This is just plain silly. Stripes, whether vertical diagonal or even horizontal, can be flattering. There are, however, a few rules regarding the placement of the stripes that are worth considering. If your hips are your widest point, then you should wear horizontal stripes on other parts of your body, such as your upper body or on your legs.
Plus girls should stay away from bold prints. Pay no attention to this myth! The effect of the print upon a plus-sized silhouette is determined by the spacing of the print. Look for prints with overlapping edges, not those whose major elements are widely spaced. Remember that bold and large-sized fabric designs will flatter you!
Larger girls should try to avoid tight fitting clothing, at least that is what everyone is told. This is untrue, unless you are hoping to hide your figure from everyone. No one, especially plus size girls, should be forced to wear nondescript piles of clothing that hang unflatteringly. By selecting clothing that fits your figure appropriately, you can make any outfit shine. A tighter, fitted tank top covered with a slightly looser jacket can be a staple of your wardrobe. Don’t let everything cling your problem areas, but do let your positive features shine through.
Another myth is that plus girls shouldn’t wear white. While it is true that dark colors like black, grey or navy blue are slimming, fit is more important than color. Indeed, color can be used to your advantage. If you are bigger on the bottom, choose a simple dark bottom and a bold print or a light color for a top. Plus sized girls are not confined to dark colors, so feel free to lighten up!