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Poshed up.
Victoria Beckham
working the media upon her arrival in Los Angeles.
--PHOTOGRAPHED BY
LUIS SINCO FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
A SNEAK
peek from That Extra Half an Inch, Victoria
Beckham’s style guide published in Britain last year.
Plans are under way for a
US release. But for now, put up your “Party Feet’’ and listen
up.
Looking
effortless is actually fashion code for “this involved
lots of thought,’’ and it’s a tragic truth that this
generally is the best strategy.
However
you’re built, be mindful of the rule that if you get
your boobs out, put your legs away, and vice versa. I
guarantee you will look better and feel a lot more
confident and comfortable.
The most
useful (shoe) you can possibly own is a pair of tan
high-heeled shoes, with either pointed toe or open toe.
Not only do they elongate your leg, because it looks as
if you’re not wearing shoes at all, but they will go
with pretty much any outfit and dress it up.
I am a
real high-heels girl...(and) the price of wearing high
heels is a painful one. But you can now buy Party Feet
by Scholl, which act like invisible pillows beneath the
balls of your feet.
Make
sure (cropped trousers) end about three-quarters of the
way down your calf, just at the point where it starts to
narrow towards your ankle. This is the most flattering
cut-off point on your leg: any higher and it ends at the
widest part of your calf, and your legs will look like
sausages, any lower and it will just look like you
shrunk your trousers in the wash.
I always
make sure my jeans have a bit of stretch to them (but
not too much that they bag), are narrow around the leg
and give shape to the bottom instead of squashing it
down. If you’re quite curvy with hips and a bum, Miss
Sixty is the label you want. Whereas, if you have more
of a straight up-and-down build, go for Habitual, Grass
Los Angeles or Acne.
The most
important thing to remember if you’re wearing a dress
that won’t let you wear a bra, such as one with a low
back or, in particular, a deep-plunge front, is to make
sure you have lots of toupee tape to keep everything in
place. Don’t bother with (nipple tape)...go to a proper
wig shop and get the real stuff as it’s much tougher and
nothing will go anywhere when you’ve got that on. Word
of warning though: be careful when you take it off, that
you don’t rip a nipple off, too!
One of
the things Geri (Halliwell) taught me when we were in
the Spice Girls was that just before you get out of the
shower, you should turn the temperature down and get a
blast of freezing-cold water. It makes your skin look
really taut and smooth too, and is great for the
circulation, but it is not very pleasant, I have to say.
Personally, I won’t go anywhere without my hair
straighteners, my Mason Pearson hairbrush, my rollers
and hairpins, a small makeup bag, toothbrush and
toothpaste, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream and eye
cream....If I’m going for a week, I’ll bring three pairs
of jeans. Then I try to stick to the formula of bringing
something casual (plain T-shirt), something a bit more
rock ‘n’ roll (vintage T-shirts and minidresses or
miniskirts), something classic (nice V-necks, a pencil
skirt and a plain dress) and then something a bit more
out there for some fun. For example...a pair of leather
chaps that I took to LA last year.
I just
throw on the Chanel sunglasses, which really do, as the
fashion magazines say, hide a multitude of sins. (Los Angeles
Times) |
