Need some wardrobe advice? Stuck for something to wear to a party this weekend? Wondering which new season trends are the easiest to wear or will have the longest life?
Then just ask Rubi, your hostess at the style bar.
If there are any topics you would like covered or if you have a question about anything to do with style, then please feel free to either post your question or email tina@thestylebar.net, and Rubi will share her fashion knowledge with you!!
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Dear Rubi, I am planning a trip to Barcelona where, budget permitting, I will be indulging in some serious shopping. What (if anything) should I pack?
yours in anticipation
dress burlesque
dear rubi,
i have received an invitation to a party with instructions to ‘dress burlesque’.
please advise how to fulfil the bidding of one ‘Bobbie’ (whose party it is) without looking like a cross between a hooker and and a mardi-gras fag hag.
yours in anticipation
d
PS as it happens i have a pair of red heels on lay-by – will take a photo and send it on. think they could be a good basis for the outfit…
dear d in a diva dilemma
it is just this sort of comment made by an expert in their field that is bound to confuse the shopping public!!
dressing like a real diva (ie. opera singer, dancer or general prima donna) may entail being dressed in a more theatrical manner than your average punter, and is possibly also coupled with the unspoken attitude that you expect special attention to be lavished upon you during your visit.
this will probably only invite stares and confusion from the sales staff as they try to figure out if they should know who you are, decide that they do not and then proceed to ignore you. Could be fun but depends on whether you are really shopping or just mucking around. Might work in Europe where aristocracy are two-a-penny but in Sydney you are working with a far more egalitarian and therefore tougher crowd.
wannabe divas I fear may just invite disdain and the cold shoulder – and more’s the point why on earth would you want to pretend to be someone you are not in the first place?
I am all for making an effort with ones’ attire when shopping even for the most basic of items – I am sure you know my views on tatty old sportswear in the supermarket, and I am not talking about Stella McCartney for Adidas – but during my time at the luxury goods retailer Louis Vuitton we were constantly reminded that the most incognito and scruffy customer is invariably the most loaded.
it’s all about not having to try too hard.
so I say why not go the other way and see if you can’t throw them off guard! just be sure to be casually dangling a bentley keyring from your fingers (or similar symbol of old money), and just get on with what you came there for – to shop!
rubi
diva dilemma
dear rubi, i was intrigued to discover this dubious bit of advice on page 4 of today’s essential liftout (smh 14 feb 08). to quote verbatim:
‘Style Tip: Dress like a diva. It keeps your confidence up and gets you good service every time (even at the supermarket).’
what do diva’s dress like? and how could pretending to be one possibly get you service in a supermarket that was anything less than openly hostile?
yours in confusion
d