Rita Mylett, a personal styling and image consultant and Network Mayo’s Business Woman of the Year, offers Mayo Advertiser readers some fashion tips (www.rmibranding.com ).
You don't want to look matchy-matchy. Which means, if you're wearing a blue shirt, don't wear blue shoes. Looking stylish has a lot to do with mixing and matching, and making it all work.
Pair dressy with casual
This is as easy as putting a bomber jacket on with a pair of dress pants. You probably never thought you could wear the opposites together, but doing so will give you that trendy look you are hoping for. Mixing dressy pieces with casual clothes, like wearing a blazer with a logo tee, can be very edgy if done the right way. While you experiment with mixing garments, use your judgment -- and a mirror -- and you can't go wrong.
Mix textures and patterns
Be careful with this fashion advice — you can look like a royal mess if you don't do it the right way. Practice moderation: Wear a shirt with ruffles with a tribal-chic-patterned scarf, for instance, And keep your pants, shoes, and accessories as simple and plain as possible.
Violate the rules
Yes, it's finally OK to wear brown with black, and mixed patterns. The important thing to note is that when doing this, it's always a gamble. If you're going to wear brown with black, for example, make sure both colours provide enough contrast so that in the dark, it doesn't look like you made a mistake and thought your brown garments were black. If you're going to mix patterns, make sure those prints complement each other, and don't overdo it.
