← Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
228 | APRIL Q&A: Styling Linen, Classic Petite Brands, and Finding the Right Hair Color
00:21:32
Wow! Where did March go? I feel like I was just recording our last monthly Q&A round-up episode and here we are, already moving onto April! Today’s episode is going to be SO GOOD! I’m answering a handful of questions from women in our...
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- [00:01]
Heather Riggs
Wow. Where did March go? I feel like I was just recording our last monthly Q and A roundup episode and here we are already moving on to April. Today's episode is going to be so good. I'm answering a handful of questions from women in our community. We'll be covering questions like suggestions for shopping and styling linen pieces, which pant silhouettes are in style but not too trendy right now, petite clothing brands for classic style types and where to shop for kids. Plus how to apply my tip about where wearing your hair color when your hair has multiple tones and you don't feel great wearing any of them. I told you things were going to get interesting today. We have so much to discuss. Let's dive right into this month's listener Q and A.
- [00:48]
Lisa
Welcome to her Style podcast where we're all about empowering you to show up and get dressed every day with confidence. I'm your host Heather Riggs, a 15 year and counting certified image consultant and color specialist ready to build a wardrobe and a personal style you love. Let's get started.
- [01:15]
Heather Riggs
I absolutely love answering your questions right here on the podcast with these monthly Q and A roundups and we don't have a moment to spare. We have so much to cover today, so let's dive right in with Allison's question which she sent via email. She said, I want to try a few linen items for summer. I have never gotten into linen but I live in Texas where we have long hot summers. Do you have any favorite brands for linen pieces? Have you ever tried any of the linen items Quince has? Do you have any styling suggestions for linen clothing? Any linen pieces you would recommend trying? Thanks so much Alison and Alison, absolutely. I also am a big fan of linen and I'm surprised that you've never given it a try in Texas. It definitely sounds like it's about time for you to dive in. So I do think that Quince is great. I have not purchased linen pieces from them personally, but I have many clients who have been very successful in shopping from Quint, so they're at such a great price point. I think that would be a wonderful first foray into the world of linen for you just to see what you like without making a massive investment. So definitely a good option for you there. I have also been really loving Banana Republic this past year. It was never one of my go to brands before, but I hit the jackpot there in the fall and they have some beautiful linen options as well. Again at a pretty good price point point. And you could also check Banana Republic Factory as well. Just to give you another option, mate, the label is a wonderful sustainable brand. They have gorgeous organic linen pieces. So if you are interested in doing some responsible shopping, I definitely recommend checking them out if you're in the U.S. i know you are, Allison, but for anyone else listening, that's another US option. And then you can always find some beautiful custom linen pieces on Etsy as well. Definitely make sure that you're checking the sourcing there and product reviews use and things like that to make sure that it's not going to be an itchy fabric. But I do think you could get some really great handmade designs from Etsy if you're open to that option as well. And as far as what to try, I think it does very much depend on your personal style. Linen has an inherently natural quality to it. It feels very lightweight and easy and effortless and so I do love it for spring and summer. I am a big fan of matching sets right now because it's going to give you a ready to go outfit that you don't have to think about. You just put the set on. You could add some jewelry that suits your taste, maybe slide on a simple sandal or a cute espadrille. But what's especially nice about going with a matching set is that you can also break it up into individual pieces and wear them as separates. So you're really going to get double or triple or quadruple the number of outfits because you can wear it both together and with other pieces in your wardrobe. Just as a couple of quick examples, you could pair linen shorts with basic tanks and tees or another button down shirt or even a blazer if you want to dress them up a little bit. Your linen blouse could double as a bathing suit cover up. You could mix it with a pair of jeans or wear it as a lightweight jacket to the office. If you have a more feminine aesthetic, you might want to opt for a linen dress or skirt instead, which is going to give you another very timeless and at the same time more elegant and ladylike look. That's still really easy to dress up or down. So I don't think you can go wrong. My best suggestion for styling your pieces is going to be to gently iron or steam each linen item immediately after you wash and dry it, just so that you can start with a clean fresh slate. And then don't stress because it is going to wrinkle as you wear it. There's no way around it, but I do think that this does lend itself to the carefree summer vibes of the material, so just be prepared for that and learn to love and embrace it. And I do like pairing slightly loose, oversized linen again just to capitalize on that kind of easy, breezy feel with more fitted and tailored pieces. And of course I personally feel like jewelry is a must just to give it a bit more elegance. So I hope that helps you, Alison, on your search. Please let me know what you decide to go with. And if you're in our free Her Style community over on Facebook, then definitely drop a photo in there so that we can see it and cheer you on in your linen this summer.
- [05:39]
Malia
Hi Heather, this is Lisa. I love your podcast. I have a question about black pants. I've been wearing the same type of black pants, kind of pretty skinny right above the ankle for years and I feel like I need a refresh, but I'm not sure what kind of pants black pants are in right now. I don't always want to do a long, wide leg trouser style pants, so I'm wondering how I can update but still feel classic and not go too trendy.
- [06:12]
Heather Riggs
Thank you. Okay, so I will answer any question however you want to send it in, but Lisa, getting to hear your voice and airing your question audibly on the podcast is far and away my absolute favorite. So thank you for taking the time to send me this sweet voice memo. I am so glad that you're loving this show and I'm thrilled to answer this question and help you diversify your pant collection in a classic but timely way. So my first thought is that a full length straight cut pant might be a really great option for you. As a quick example, something like Banana Republic sculpted straight pant. Just to give you an idea of what I mean, I think something like this would give you a little bit more room than the skinny fits that you've been holding onto and would also work nicely with a lot of different shoe styles. I'd also love for you to get something that is a full length just to again diversify your assortment. This would be a slight deviation from what you've been doing, but it won't push you so far outside your comfort zone like a wide leg might. I think this is also a very timeless look that you could add to your wardrobe. Now if you're open to something a bit more casual, you might like a cargo jogger. Utility styles are very on trend this spring, but I think a jogger silhouette is going to give you a more polished and classic feel versus some of the wide leg cargo pant Options that you're probably going to see when you start your search. Now, again, if you're used to skinny silhouettes, I think a jogger is going to be a nice extension on that. You can easily dress them up or down, especially if you go with more of a tencel or nylon material versus something that's going to look more like a sweatpant type of fabric. And I think this would be a comfy, versatile choice for you, especially heading into the spring and summer season. Now, Lisa, you didn't mention anything about your body shape and proportions, so you're going to want to experiment with this next suggestion and see how it works for you. But my last thought is to maybe try a subtle flare or boot cut style pant. If you have a straight rectangular figure, this can definitely help to add some welcome curves to your outfit. And I say subtle because when the flare or boot cut shape extends out gradually below your knee, I think it can help to create a really nice elongating effect. But you want to make sure that they're not too tight through the hip and thigh area, especially if you're self conscious of that area. Remember, we generally want to create a nice long line through your legs to get the most flattering look. So if you are looking to branch out, I think a boot cut or flare might be another good silhouette that's not too offbeat. I think it'll still appeal to your more classic, traditional style preferences, but it's also still very in at the moment, so you really will get the best of both. We need to have some real talk, my love. Are you struggling to put outfits together in the morning? Feeling tired of everything you own? Wishing you could go out and buy a whole new wardrobe so you can finally get dressed quickly and with confidence? Friend. That is not the only solution. In fact, I have an even better one that's going to help you save a ton of time and likely cut yourself spring and summer shopping list in half. Join me from Monday, April 7 through Friday, April 11 for a free Shop your Closet challenge where I'm going to show you how to style what you already own so you can maximize the pieces you've invested in and start showing up at your best right now. No more shopping required. I'll be bringing you five brand new bite sized trainings each day during the challenge week and answering your questions live every single day because you know we are all about implementation and personalization here at Her Style. You're going to walk away from this week with clarity about your signature style and how to infuse it into your outfits. Even if your lifestyle feels like a mismatch, you're going to get easy ways to highlight your best features and adapt the clothing that no longer fits you like it used to. Of course, I'll be sharing tons of tips to make the colors you own work even better for you and help you put together new color combinations with so much more confidence. You're going to get expert styling tips to take your outfits to the next level and make those hidden gems in your closet look totally up to date. This free event is going to completely transform the way you look at your current closet. Head to herstylellc.comchallenge right now to grab your free seat. We're gonna be giving away some incredible prizes all week long as well, so you do not want to miss out on this free five day event. If you're ready to wear what you own with confidence, then head to herstylellc.comchallenge and get registered for this free five day event right now. I can't wait to see you there. All right, we have two more listener questions to cover in today's episode. The next one came in via email as well from our friend Malia. She said, I'm a sophomore in high school. I don't think I have the worst style ever, but I am looking to improve it. My biggest struggle is definitely fit. I'm a very petite person, 411 size 23 waist and smaller in a lot of brands. I think your style quiz was very accurate. However, I don't have a lot of the clothes I would like to wear in that style. Do you have any suggestions for clothing brands in classic, elegant, feminine styles that might fit me? I'm also open to kid sizes, but the brand depends. Cost is also a consideration. Since I'm in high school and I'm not working yet. I hope you'll be able to help me with my style, Malia. All right, my friend. I love that you reached out to me and that you were already thinking about developing your personal style, shopping with intention and implementing some of the tips and practices that I share here on her style podcast. You are going to be well set up for success and it just made my whole day to hear from you. So I think this question is going to serve a lot of the women in our community because we have a ton of petite shoppers around here and we also have a lot of moms to teen girls. So whether this applies to you or to your daughter, I'm more than happy to recommend a few classic brands and Some stores for very petite and kid size shoppers too. I'm going to start with a couple brands that are just great for all around petite sizing. A couple of them are going to be hitting at a higher price point, so this might be something for you in a couple of years to keep in mind. Malia, once you are, you know, working and having more income or if you are really set at a particular size, once you're done growing and you're ready to make bigger investments in your wardrobe. So I do want to mention these just for you to tuck away for future reference. So the first one is Aritzia. They have a fabulous selection. Again if you're willing and able to invest a little bit more than some of the fashionable kid brands that I will be sharing with you in just a minute. They do carry double XS and 23 inch jeans. I also wanted to mention Oak and Fort which again carries double Xs and double Zero pant sizes. So definitely worth checking them out at some point as well. And then for some lower price points that I think you could probably swing right now would be Aerie, American Eagle and Hollister. They might not give you exactly the same elegant vibe that you want, but I think it's worth keeping an eye on their inventory, especially for some good staple pieces. All three carry triple Xs and triple zero sizes along with short lengths for pants and they're all going to be again very budget friendly. Abercrombie could be amazing for you as well. They do have jeans in 23 inch waist sizes that come in various lengths. You can get short, regular and long, so you might be able to find that magic combination for you. Plus they have a decent selection of classic and feminine pieces, so I think you can land on something that really works well for your style preferences too. Now as far as stylish and I think more mature looking kids brands again, because I know that can be tricky, especially when you're in high school. You certainly don't want to look like you're shopping brands and clothing that is too cutesy and little kidsy. So we do want to be conscious of that. I will say I love J. Crew's Crew Cuts line for kids which you can also find at their factory stores for a bit less. And I think this would fall right in line with your classic, elegant and feminine aesthetic. Make sure you check the size charts. This goes for any place that you order and choose your size based on your largest measurement. If you are comfortable tucking away a small amount of funds, you might want to do Some alterations to get things to fit you really perfectly. But that's my best advice when shopping online and checking the size charts. Order for your largest measurement because it's always easier to add a belt or have things taken in just a little bit or shortened at the hem if you need it to, rather than trying to fit something to your smallest measurement and then it might not fit you otherwise. Now I will say as far as kids collections go, Zara also has some really beautiful pieces for kids. Some of them I wish came in my size. I would totally wear them, and I would absolutely check here if I were you. And of course, you know about my love affair with Nordstrom already. They have a really nice assortment for kids. You could potentially be spending higher price points here as well, but they have great sales sometimes. So again, I would keep this on your radar and just explore from time to time and see what you can find. H M is another very affordable option. They do have some super stylish pieces in their kids collection. I spied a cotton seersucker peplum blouse that I would 100% wear and borrow from you, Malia, if I could. It's so pretty and it's elegant. And they also have pant and jean sizes. That should also work for you, too. So definitely check out H and M. And then I will say my niece is not your age. She's a little younger, but she's very tall and thin, and she usually does pretty well at Target, especially for pants. So that could be another great place to explore. I would just steer clear of anything that looks too trendy for you since you really do want to hone in on that classic, elegant aesthetic. And I have also heard that Kohl's can be hit or miss for kids fashion as well. So you might want to pop in there if you have a local store that you can browse just to see what they have from time to time. All right, so I gave you a ton of choices. Basically, I don't want you to give up and I don't want you to settle. Malia, hold out for things that really speak to your personal style. I love that you are clear on how you want to show up and feel when you get dressed. So I think there's plenty of places to explore, and I would love for you to keep me posted on what ends up working out for you. All right, our final question for today is another one that came in via email. This was from our friend Ingrid, and it was in response to to episode number 224. My best color matching tips to maximize your color palette and what's in your wardrobe so Ingrid wrote me an email and she said, hello Heather, I like your idea to wear your hair color for a flattering look. I can imagine this working well for brunettes to wear brown. Black would look great on those with black hair, of course, but I don't understand how this would work for me. My hair is a mix of natural dark blonde at the roots, changing to a golden brass color on the ends, and my skin has pink undertones. Beige and gray looks sickly and terrible on me and yellows wash me out. What color can I look for that complements dark blonde or brassy blonde hair? Thanks for the great podcast, Ingrid. You are so welcome my friend. I'm honored that you took the time to send a response to this podcast episode. I love that you are trying to take this and apply it to you and figure out the best possible way to do that. We are all about personalization here. Now it's going to be a little bit tricky for me to give you the best advice without seeing your exact personal coloring, but I will give you a few quick ideas to try and you're going to want to be open to exploring and trying some new things and just being willing to see what ends up working out for you. They might not all be slam dunks, but you won't know until you try. So first, it sounds like you have a lot of variation to your hair color, so there's definitely room to play. And I will also clarify that you want to wear a hair related color, not necessarily your exact hair color, although that can also be great. But you want to find the color or colors that are going to work best for you. So it's also not surprising that you're struggling with this a little bit because gray and yellow, which sounds like two colors that you have tried and haven't worked for you, they are the hardest hues to wear and to get right. But don't lose hope if you don't feel your best in gray or yellow or beige. Let's nyx those. What I would say is to coordinate with your darker blonde roots, you might want to consider a richer Teddy bear brown option. You could think of something like Pantone's Color of the Year Mocha mousse or maybe a deep Portobello color. You might need a little bit more depth to complement your complexion and keep you feeling washed out. So I would maybe lean into the darker tones to your hair color, especially at your roots, and see how you feel in more of a light brown sort of option. That could be a great fit. You could also experiment with a dark taupe or a gray a gray beige combination. Don't freak out because I know you just said you don't like gray and beige, but if you went with a darker tone, I think that could give you more warmth than a basic gray and more saturation than a soft beige. While we're trying some new things, I would also play with some tan and camel tones which might pick up the golden ends of your hair really nicely without crossing into that dangerous yellow territory. But remember, I will say all yellows are not equal. Personally, I cannot do vibrant or brassy yellows, but I do love wearing a soft butter or champagne yellow, something that's a little bit cooler, especially in the summer months when my skin deepens just a bit. That's one of my favorite summer options to wear. It can definitely be trickier when your hair is multi dimensional. I will give you that, but I want you to keep your options open and keep trying and just see what works. Or if you want to eliminate the guesswork, you know I am always here and happy to team up on finding your best colors. Either way, you are definitely going to want to make sure that you are signed up for the Shop your Closet Challenge which starts this Monday. For even more tips and some exciting surprises to support you on your style journey. I want to give one more quick thank you and shout out to Alison, Lisa, Malia and Ingrid for sending your questions in for this monthly Q and A roundup episode. I'm so grateful for you and that you keep listening listening to her style podcast friend. I look forward to seeing you at next week's five day free Shop your Closet Challenge and answering tons of your questions live every single day during the event. I'll see you there soon.
- [20:45]
Lisa
Thank you for listening to today's episode.
- [20:48]
Heather Riggs
If you want to stop copying everyone.
- [20:50]
Lisa
Else'S style and start dialing in your own swoon worthy signature look, head over to take my free 5 minute personal style style Quiz which you can find.
- [20:59]
Heather Riggs
At the link in the show notes.
- [21:01]
Lisa
If you've enjoyed our time together, please be sure to rate, review and subscribe to her style podcast so you never miss an episode. Finally, I invite you to make this.
- [21:11]
Heather Riggs
A two way conversation and send me.
- [21:13]
Lisa
A DM over on Instagram eatherigstyle to let me know how I can best support you on your style journey. I'm always here for you in style and service. Until next time.