Fashion Q & A

What should I wear?

 

Emma van Beurden addresses fashion dilemmas, with some online help.

 

 

Q. I have to wear mufti to high school. I don't know what is suitable to wear to school but I still want to look fashionable. Help!

 

A. I wore mufti in year 13 at my school. I would plan for hours what I was going to wear. Eventually, it became much easier to roll out of bed and throw on any old thing. When dressing for school avoid the following:

 

- Miniskirts (unless you have legs like Kate Moss)
- High heels - It is a known fact that paths around schools are as uneven as building sites. You can easily fall over wearing pancakes strapped to your feet, so anything with height definitely puts you in the danger zone.
- Low-cut tops, especially if you take part in drama. Frolicking around on the floor reenacting the death of Juliet in a low-cut top can be disastrous, not only for Juliet.

 

The best way to dress for school is trendy yet casual. Purchase a great pair of skinny jeans (Glassons has nice, reasonably priced ones). Always wear sneakers (you can never go wrong with Converse One Stars) and invest in a selection of great t-shirts (visit Richard.son in Parnell, and raid the Alba Fan Club section in Jeans West). If all else fails, go Emo. You will fit in with everyone else at your school and you can never go wrong with black.

 

Q. I don't have much spare time and with the ball season approaching I can't go to every shop to find the perfect dress.

 

A. Sit down at your computer and introduce yourself to the internet. Most shops have websites where you can check out what is for sale before you step out the door.

 

At www.chocolatesforbreakfast.co.nz you can check out a great selection of dresses by designers like Lisa Ho and Matthew Eager. It stocks sizes from 8-18 and keeps a record of who has bought what so that you can stand out at your school ball.
If you are not made of money, try trusty old Staxs. Its website (www.staxs.co.nz) shows off its ball gown collection. The dresses are classic (because your mother wants you to wear the same dress to every ball you will ever attend) and follow overseas trends.
Another reasonably priced shop when looking for ball dresses is Max (www.max.co.nz). It has some great cocktail dresses, which double as amazing ball dresses and you probably will get lots of wear out of them (again, this will please your mother). When I was in high school, I went to three balls. My first cost about the same as my car at the time and I never wore it again (although I told Mum I would). My second cost just as much and fell apart. My third was from Max. I have it to this day (and my last ball was six years ago).

 

 

Q. Where can I find fashionable cheap stuff and not look like everyone else?

 

A. The obvious places are Supre, Glassons, Jeans West and Dotti. They're all fashionable, follow overseas trends, and they're cheap enough that it doesn't matter if it falls apart by the time the trend has passed. The only problem is every girl and her dog wears stuff from these shops.
Fashion magazines suggest the most effective way to shop is to match chain store buys with designer and vintage clothes. By doing this you end up looking unique and stylish.

 

Links

 

- Chocolates for Breakfast
- Staxs
- Max
- Supre
- Glassons
- Jeans Wests
- Dotti

 

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