Casual Chic

Chic casual style because dressing down is as important ant as dressing up. Stylist tips to look everyday casual chic and polished.

Everyday Chic: Chanel styling and makeup you can try on your own!

I just love everything about this everyday chic look from Chanel in Vogue! The article is about Chanel’s global creative makeup and color designer Lucia Pica, pictured in a Chanel jacket, Margaret Howell scarf, and photographed by Daniel Jackson, for Vogue, September 2015. Pica's strong yet casual look is something that you easily master on your own. There's nothing easier to style the right white T-shirt. Top it with your favorite good jacket, add the flirty neckerchief and suddenly your otherwise better than basic jeans are polished and statement making. Now, of course, that bold 90s inspired smoldering dark lipstick adds the edge. Try it! MORE: Quick Tips

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Really, what do fashion people wear? It’s more normal than you think

Gray classics from Zara
Do you think it involves six-inch platforms and three mixed prints everyday? Eh, think again on what fashion people wear in their real lives. You might discover that it's a lot like you. I often hear that someone has shied away from fashion because they think it's too complicated.  Well, it is if you follow the photos in magazine editorials or fashion bloggers who pose their day away (where do they get the time?). Everyone has a different approach to fashion. There is no one modus operandi to style other than being authentic to yourself. And, that's not necessarily being trendy. Particularly, when you take a close look at what 'fashion people' REALLY wear. Don't get me wrong, everyone can

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Mommy Chic: Easy style stay at home mom clothes- YES, you can wear yoga pants!

Stay at home mom
Ok, not too old  for one of our 15th anniversary online posts, but rather important in honor of Mother's  Day. Yes, ladies you can look pulled together when you have a super casual lifestyle. have read with this week's Mommy Chic post. -S.H. What to wear when all the moms are fashion plates. Let's discover stay at home mom clothes for a mom who is is changing schools and feels the need to compete with the new moms in town. I hope you don't judge me on this but I feel like I'm being judged and need wardrobe help on my stay at home mom clothes. I'm a stay at home mom and really love that. We've relocated and my daughter

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Stylist Advice on how French women look chic in flats & you can too!

One of the many Bonus Expert Interviews in my C'est Chic Crash Course is on the topic of how to master Parisian Chic Anywhere! A key element to French chic style is giving up the heels here & there and wearing flats. But "their" flats never look frumpy or dumpy. So I pulled up this post on how French women look chic in flats and thought it was the perfect time to revisit the style advice. Whether you're a Francophile or not, we bet you've wondered how French women look chic in flats, and so has our latest reader's inquiry...  Dear Sharon:  I've been wearing flats again since they've come in and out of fashion over the past few years but I've yet

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What to wear when you work from home AND a peek at my office. Here’s some stylist advice

This week's look back post to celebrate the 15th anniversary of FocusOnStyle online, tackles the conundrum I face every day and you may too if you are an entrepreneur... what to wear when you work from home. Ya know, how to pull yourself together when no on really sees you and you still need to feel both great about yourself and comfy. Besides, get it together in a flash for when you need to look professional on a Skype or a fast meeting. I've been deep with my team working on the bountiful (I over delivered 10x) assets for the C'est Chic Crash Course (you've signed up to join me, right?) and have to admit that I've been spending a lot of

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What jeans to wear Spotlight Week! The Denim Pencil Skirt, Something to Reconsider

As the season on the calendar changes, the iffy weather may to exactly be a seasonal match. This installment of What Jeans To Wear Spotlight Week reviews a fantastic transitional wardrobe staple- the jeans skirt! Add a pair of tights + some ankle boots  and you'll be good to go to transition to a nippy day in no time. - S.H. If you're not a shorts person or looking for something that's perfectly styled for casual kickback style or city chic, look no further than a classic denim pencil skirt. In distressed denim, white or a dark wash, the denim pencil skirt that once was a wardrobe staple is looking all so right again. There are designer versions like the Victoria Beckham

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What jeans to wear Spotlight Week! Try a casual chic update to your everyday jeans with Saint Laurent inspiration

What jeans to wear Spotlight Week!  As we start to think about fall, let's re-look at this very classic, yet chic way to update your everyday jeans look. As a matter of fact, the ability to find YOUR chic in any style is what I teach in the C'est Chic Crash Course. I'll Have What She's Having: Irresistible casual denim with uptown styling (on a budget!) It's pretty easy to look chic in everyday, runaround jeans when your outfit tally is in the stratosphere. But how do YOU update everyday jeans without breaking the bank? I'll show you... Of course, there's a certain sense of eliteness to be able to afford a TOTAL design jeans look like this: Saint Laurent midrise

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French Chic at a Certain Age: Man-Tailored Jackets in the way Ines de la Fressange works them

Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 - Chanel
Oh la la... I'm shooting another segment for the C'es Chic Crash Course and so much is going on here on FoS. It's a triple threat for this week's Summer Spotlight of Ageless Style + highlights  from FocusOnStyle's Best of 15th Anniversary online, PLUS, Day Three of the three-part FoS series Ageless, Age-Appropriate French Chic At A Certain Age. Master this style: How to pull off classic man-tailored  jacket like Ines de la Fressange's tuxedo and school boy looks Wearing a jacket can get a bit tricky. If you're busty, you end up looking boxy (wear it open). If the jacket is too conservative, you just added 10 years to your appearance and, worse, the aura of being inflexible and boring (avoid anything

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How To Find Your Style…

The timeless man-tailored elegance from Ralph Lauren
For this week's 15th Anniversary online post, let's look back at this double-header style motivation post on FocusOnStyle from 1999 on how to find your style. If chic style is what you're after, I can help you redifine what chic is for you in my C'est Chic Crash Course. I hope you'll join me. How to find your style can be perplexing. But not if you simplify what you need to know to look great… Two-Up For Something New: Stymied For Style and Fashion Puzzle [dropcap]D[/dropcap]ear Sharon: I've just switched careers and aside from the obvious more casual dress code, I am having some daily doldrums regarding my appearance. Everything from makeup (or the lack thereof) to the horrific amount

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What to Wear: A Dress Redo from casual to corporate, from student to professional

Dress redo to master what to wear to transition your style when your lifestyle changes. Dear Sharon: I'm a 36 year old mom who has spent the last decade of my life somewhere between completing school and mommyhood. I'm about to graduate and need some ideas to build a professional looking wardrobe to wear for my new part-time job that's a bit corporate. I'm thrilled to enter the business world with my degree under my belt but my student wardrobe of raggy playground clothes or jeans and T-shirts won't cut it for the real world. Luckily, my husband has a good job but I still don't want to start spending too much on business clothes right out of the gate.

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Is There An Appropriate Dress Length For An Older Woman

This week's look back at one of FocusOnStyle's 15th Anniversary stylist advice posts takes into account the old addage of just becuase you could doesn't mean you should. As gorgeous and as in impeccable shape that you may be, knowing when and when not to flaunt it all, and how much, can be key in putting your best look forward. --S.H. Can I wear a short skirt at 57? I recently purchased a casual knit dress via mail order. I love this dress! The fit and soft purple wine color is great on my average size figure. My problem-- the dress is about 2" above my knees. Can a woman my age wear a shorter dress? If so, should I

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Something to focus on: Jessica Alba style inspiration for casual runaround easy chic on the go

I'll Have What She's Having: Jessica Alba's casual runaround style is something to take note of next time you are out & about and on the go... The actress and busy mom recently stepped out in your average but forever stylish plaid top and jean ensemble recently but what made her look so memorable was her gorgeously face framing vibrant ombre topper. And what is becoming a signature cute floppy fedora for her too! So next time you are heading out the door ready to combat your daily routine, think about opting for something similarly distinctive while avoiding having to sacrifice comfort. Just look at how arresting she looks without having to try too hard. >>More Casual Chic What makes Jessica's casual

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Let’s Look: Selma Blair does casual chic the way many of us dress everyday (even me)

I'll Have What She's Having: Nothing beats a good T-shirt for comfy, casual every day style! Umm, I don't know about you, but I spend a good chunk of my time wearing T-Shirts.  They're the kind of easy casual chic items that can be comfy wearing  while I zone out writing (yes, there's a zone) and then throw a jacket over and maybe a pair of heels and instantly look pulled together. But maybe it's not a heels day but a running around doing errands day. The pulled together part is still what's KEY. It's the difference from looking like you've got it going on to looking like you got dressed in the dark (even if you did). Let's take

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