fashion

Mastering Cocktail fashion: A Guide to flawless elegance

| Ann.Frimps

Style With Ann is backkk.

Cocktail events come and go, and with the holidays approaching, office parties and other similar events may be popping up. Because cocktail dress code falls between formal and casual fashion, most people struggle to balance comfort, elegance, and sleekness when dressing up for cocktail events. But I’ve gotcha. In this post, we’ll be looking at how best to slay every cocktail event, quick tips, and mistakes you’d want to avoid.

So what exactly is a cocktail attire?

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com

A cocktail attire or outfit lies between Formal/black tie and casual. ie it is semiformal. It is more classy and polished than a casual outfit, but more relaxed and laid-back than a black-tie or Formal outfit, blending style with comfort.

Let’s get into what you need to look at when building your ultimate cocktail outfit .

Colours

Colour plays a very critical role here. You would want to opt for neutrals(neutrals are always super safe). There is something about subtle colours that exude this kind of elegance so effortlessly. Colours like darker shades of blue, red, and green are also accepted

Clothing Option

Since you’d want to be between the formal official fashion and casual, and to not look over the top, avoid clothing like tuxedos, floor-length dresses /gowns. To avoid looking too casual (like you’re going on a girls’ day out or something), steer clear of T-shirts, jeans, sweatpants, baggy pants, cargo pants, and hoodies.

Appropriate wardrobe items you could go for include: Well-fitted suits, blazers, dress shirts or turtlenecks, Midi dresses, an LBD( little black dress), a very classy jumpsuit, slacks, and blouses. Make sure these items, if opted for, are well-tailored, comfortable, and not too showy.

Accesories

For footwear, just stay away from sneakers, flipflops, trainers,and try to avoid flat sandals as well. Opt instead, for : Dress shoes ( well polished of course), Heels , boots , loafers and flat shoes like ballerina flats

For jewelry…”Less is more.” Your jewelry shouldn’t compete for attention with your clothes; rather, it should complement them. Also, avoid overly bold, colourful, chunky, or over-the-top jewelry.

Neckties if worn, should be classic silk ties in solid colours or simple prints.

Handbags?? No, Clutch is the way to go. Pair your outfit with a matching or complementary clutch. Very cute and handy. Handbags are way too bulky for these occasions.

Makeup should be neat, clean and controlled.

For hair, there are so many options you can choose from: A nice shave, waves, Updos, buns, ponytails, soft volume, and face-framing pieces. It’s really up to you, what you are comfy with, and how well it matches with your outfit ( Pro-tip: Opt for updos, buns, or hairstyle that are not ” let down” if your outfits come up your neck)

This Style Guide is your ticket to turning heads at any cocktail event.

Dressing according to the event’s dress code, especially for cocktails, is key. It shows you’re serious, approachable, confident, competent, and reliable – basically, it sets the tone for how people perceive you, and in a corporate and social setting, that’s everything.

And so take your time, choose comfort with class, and choose you. You can check out the gallery for more inspirationhttps://stylewithann.fashion.blog/gallery/. I do hope you find this post helpful. Don’t forget to drop a like, share your thoughts below, and hit us up on social media for more tips and fashion inspiration.

Merry Christmas. Make sure not to forget the real reason for this season- the love God has for us revealed through Jesus Christ.

Ciao. 🙂

LAST MINUTE THANKSGIVING STYLE GUIDE 🍂🦃

| Ann.Frimps

I know it’s been a while since my last update (academic duties)….. but I’m back for now🤗

Thanksgiving is just hours away and for those who would be at gatherings and dinners and are still unsure of what to wear…..I think I’ve got you.

Here’s a last minute THANKSGIVING STYLE GUIDE

  • LET’S START WITH THE TEXTURES …

Corduroy , Suede, wool, waffle knit, tweed, faux leather,cashmere, denim and organic cotton are the best not only because they are going to keep you warm but they add a fall aesthetic appeal🍁🧡

  • NOW THE COLOURS
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com

You could just play around with the classic fall colours ( brown ,earth tones, ,orange, burgundy, etc. ). or you can do earthy pinks and dark greens. It is really up to you and what you have at the moment.

  • ACCESSORIES

Throw in a scarf , boots -ankle or thigh high . A cute bag and some subtle jewellery

  • NOW THE FITS

Here are some ideas:

  • A sweater dress, black leggings and thigh high boots
  • Sweatshirt, sleek pants and some loafers
  • Classic shirt or bodysuit and jeans, throw on a blazer or jacket…and heels/boots/sneakers
  • A maxi dress and heels
  • Turtleneck, pants( jeans,slacks,leggings), boots, blazer or jacket
  • A wrap dress
  • Velvet skirt , faux leather/leather boots
  • T-shirt, sweater vest ,pants
  • White button-up shirt , dark green pants , leather shoes
  • V-NECK sweater , scarf , pants or skirt , heals or sneakers

This post is so late , but better late than never right ? 🙃I hope you found this very helpful. Tell me what you think in the comments section. Don’t forget to like and Share. For more of these you could reach out via X or Pinterest 👇 .

Remember to be thankful for everything , even the little things🙏 . Ciao👋

OOTD 🤎💙 24/06/2024

| Ann.Frimps

Hiya 👋

Just wanted to share one of the outfits I put together. This outfit is actually the inspiration for my next post: ✨Styling Navy✨ (watch out for it 😊)

So I just went for a navy button up shirt with polka dots and cream beige straight legged pants, a brown watch and brown flats for the footwear.

Here’s the colour scheme I went for :

This is it. Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think in the comments section below or via X , mail or Pinterest

Watch out for ✨ Styling Navy ✨. See you soon.

The 25th Telecel Ghana Music Awards – TGMA❤️🖤

| Ann.Frimps

I always look forward to this one Saturday night of Awards, Music, Culture and of course my favourite…. Fashion. Last night Ghanaian music and artistes were celebrated.  🎉

It was as joyous as always with all the glitz and the glam . The stars didn’t disappoint in the fashion as well. Here are a couple of looks I loved from the Red Carpet and the main event as well.

Chrystal 🧡

Nathaniel Attoh

Nana Yaw Ofori Atta

Lydia Forson’s hair 🥹✨

Noella🖤

Naceee🫶

We’ve got AJ Sarpong here 😘

Eno and Akwaboah
Lordina The Soprano 🎶
Kwame Eugene

Favourite….. Adina Thembi embracing culture ✨

GMB 2023 Queen 👑
And our lovely hosts: Chris Atto and Naa Ashokor
Originality from King Promise 🩵🩶

Okayyy…so KMJ here was going for the Bridgerton Theme 😄

Piesie Esther

Well ….. These were some of my favourites. Hope you loved them too.

Don’t forget to like and Share and tell me what you think in the comments section below. Reach out for more exciting content via X and Pinterest

Congratulations to all Award Winners 🏆. And kudos to 25 years of honouring and celebrating our brilliant music and stars. ✨. The People. Music. Culture….. It’s Ghana🇬🇭❤️to the whole world.

👋👋 See you soon .

OOTD💛💙 01/04/24

| Ann.Frimps

So this outfit was kinda inspired by spring 😄😄. A few changes were made ….I felt like I ended up looking like a minion 🥲. Either way, I hope you like it.

This is it . I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think in the comments section below or via Mail, Pinterest or X.

Choosing an OOTD ( outfit of the day)

| Ann.Frimps

An all time favorite activity of mine is getting to choose outfits , although it is a whole other level of pain and exhaustion when you just don’t know what to wear.

When this happens I choose to ask myself some few questions to make the process a lot easier. They usually help and I’d like to share them . The first question I always ask myself is:

1. Where will I be going today?

Will I be going to school, to the office,to church, to the library, for a hangout and maybe shopping after that? You must really ask yourself and choose a couple of outfits(which we’ll get to narrow down to one eventually) accordingly. In the case where you’d be going to more than 1 place in a day , you’d want to make choices that will work well for all of them.

2. Will there be anything special happening where I’m going?

Maybe a you’ve got a big presentation at work, officials from HQ will be coming around, you’ll be attending a themed party, there’s christening at church or it’s just your usual boring day 😪. Whatever it is, you’ve got to make the right impression . Now you can narrow down the options from question 1.

3. What exactly is the weather like today?

Is it muddy (you don’t want to ruin those shoes 🥲) , warm , breezy? The weather is always a huge factor. It might feel cold in the morning and start to get really warm later . To avoid regretting your morning choice, layer with a coat, hoodie or cardigan and ditch it when it gets warmer. Also make use of the weather app/forecasts to be prepared for anything.

4. What effect/look do I want to achieve with my outfit?

Fashion speaks a lot about everything. In a casual setting it is up to you. Opt for what feels best like you . However there’s not as much freedom in the professional, official or events world. You’d want to achieve a crisp,sharp,polished, smart , and elegant effect in these cases .

With the questions asked you should have been able to narrow down to a fewer choices which should make the selection process easier now. If not consider these as well

  • How long has it been since I wore these? ( Go for one you’ve not worn in a while)
  • Which one do I feel more comfortable in ?

5. Accessories??

Choosing accessories is pretty much the same as choosing the clothes . Just go through questions 1-4 and you’re done.(You can keep a change of accessories if you’d be changing settings)

All you have to do now is to take a look in the. mirror to reevaluate and off you go for another wonderful day.

Never underestimate the power of a Good Outfit on a bad day.

If you feel like this process is too time consuming and will make you late, you can either wake up earlier for this or choose your OOTD the night before.

I hope this helps. How do you choose your OOTD ? How best does it help? Share with me in the comments section. Remember to like and share. Also, connect via Mail ,Pinterest and Twitter for more fashion feed .

Stay marvelous✨🩷.

HEADWEAR – ACCESSORIZE ✨ (The series)

| Ann.Frimps

Headwear range from fedoras, sunhats, hijabs, caps to berets, fascinators, tiaras , beanies and numerous other ones . Apart from serving as design features, they also protect from the sun 🌞 , keep the head warm during winter ❄️ and come to rescue during a bad hair day 😉🤭.

There are a lot of headwear and each of them have distinctive features and functions. They are very easy to style yet headwear like hats and caps come with some rules and guides you must follow when you wear them .

Hat etiquette for men.

Your hat should be off when :

  • Being introduced.
  • Greeting
  • The national anthem is being played/sung
  • A flag is being hoisted
  • Indoors
  • At the table (mealtime)
  • At religious service/ house of worship (unless hats are required /allowed. For instance: the Taqiyah/kufi worn by Muslims. )

Hats should be on when :

  • Outdoors
  • In public transport
  • At athletic events

Women’s hat etiquette

*This only applies to fashion hats

Hats should be on at:

  • Anytime. Unlike the men, women can wear their hats at anytime

Hats should be off when:

  • It obstructs another persons view at the cinema or during weddings
  • At work , unless required by the job

During the evenings top hats are permissible for men ( though, hats are quite rare these days for men🤷) . For women, wide brim hats should be off after sunset because these hats are usually for shielding the face from the sun 🌞 so there is no need for them once the sun goes down . Fascinators and tiaras are appropriate in the evening.

Fun fact

Did you know that a chef’s hat has one hundred folds👨‍🍳👩‍🍳 which represent the hundred ways an egg can be cooked . Cool. Right?

Caps, unless baseball caps follow the same rules of the hat etiquette for men. These rules apply to both sexes in this context. However, baseball caps can be worn at sporting events whether indoors or outdoors.

Fascinators

Fascinators…… fancy. These glamorous headpieces are usually worn for weddings. They come in different shapes, sizes and designs. Fascinators are not always extravagant there are simple styled ones too. Styling a fascinator is quite easy, . It just has to match with or complement your dress and other accessories

When wearing a large fascinator with lots of details, go low with the jewelry especially on the ears and neck . If you’ll be wearing a fascinator for long hours, make sure it’s light-weighted and it is fastened properly (you don’t want your fascinator falling of in the middle of a wedding ceremony.)

Headbands

Fitness headband/sweatband

Fitness headbands keep hair from your face during workouts 💪. They also absorb sweat💦to prevent it from running down all over your face.

Spa/skincare headband

Spa headbands are solely meant to be worn during skincare time or makeup application to keep hair away from the face. They shouldn’t be worn outside as part of an outfit.

Fashion headbands

Flowers 🌺 , sequins , pearls , or just solid plain . Fashion headbands come in varieties and are go to accessories. They can be made of different materials like metal , plastic, or cloth . I prefer metal and cloth ones, they’re durable

Hair clips, ties and pins

They help keep your hair in place, whether it’s a ponytail or a messy bun and at the same time providing a touch of glam. Consider how a scrunchie adds more detail to a ponytail.

Headwrap/ scarf

Head scarfs are probably the most worn head accessory here in Africa. It is very versatile and the way they are twisted , turned and tied by African women is just an artful sight to behold.

Choosing headwear

During the fall🍁, winter ❄️ and monsoon🌧️ seasons hats or headwear like knit caps and felt hats are the most suitable, because they are made of heavy fabric and materials and they will keep your head warm and cozy all day. ☺️

In summer🏖️, spring🌷and harmattan ☀️, wide brim and light hats like sun hats and straw hats are the best. They don’t absorb a lot of heat and they’ll shield your face from the sun. They match with almost everything, dresses , shorts ,…. everything

The next time you decide to put on headwear consider; how long you’ll be wearing it for , climate factors and the occasion . Be creative with them and make sure to observe those etiquettes 😉😉

I do hope that this post got you informed. There’ll be more coming your way on ACCESSORIZE ✨ ( The series). Make sure you don’t miss it. Like, tell me what you think in the comments section and share.

Thanks for reading 🙂. See you soon 👋

SUIT ACCESSORIES – ACCESSORIZE ✨ (The series)

| Ann.Frimps

SUIT ACCESSORIES👔

Suits , as we all know are usually for professional and formal settings and others like weddings. However , we have : business formal, business professional , business casual and casual under professional outfits. The accessories you choose can determine which of the four categories your outfit falls under. The accessories under this category are usually used or worn any how, so this post ( the first one of the series) , is all about suit accessories.

1. TIE

Ties are the commonly known and used suit accessory . They are very necessary and mandatory in every formal outfit especially for males. Choosing the appropriate tie to suit an outfit for a particular setting is quite tricky.

The usual conservative solid black,navy or burgundy usually does the trick but make sure it complements the outfit . In the same way patterned ties could work . When I say patterned I don’t mean bold and colourful floral prints , I mean striped, birdseye , graph checked, and the other classics with appropriate toned down or dark neutral colours for a business formal outfit.

For black tie,/evening events you can go for a bow tie or something similar to business formal. For weddings💐 you can go for bow ties too and pastel coloured , the classics or pretty patterned ties. Always make sure that the tie isn’t too loose or too tight. The tie must be long enough to touch the waistline of your trousers or slightly touch your belt’s buckle but it shouldn’t cross the buckle.

2. Pocket square

Pocket squares are meant to complement a tie . Never match a tie directly to a pocket square. In choosing a pocket square, selecting a patterned one with some or similar colours to the tie will be ok. You can also go for classic white( to be safe) or be experimental with patterns and colours but be mindful of the fact that a wrong choice can destroy your look. Pocket squares must not clash with the tie in terms of colour and pattern instead they must complement as said earlier.

3. Tie clip/bar

The role of tie clips or bars is to hold/fasten a tie to the shirt. Tie clips must be located between the third and fourth button of the shirt. They should be ½-¾ of the width across the tie ( not to long all the way, not too short 👍). A tie clip/band is needless when you’re wearing a three piece suit (ie. Trousers,vest/waistcoat and jacket) because the waistcoat/vest holds the tie in place . The tie clip would be useless in that outfit.

4. Cufflinks

Cufflinks are usually put on french cuff shirts . They’re so small and cute yet they make a statement ✨. Cool . Match cufflinks with the other metals in your outfit. Gold =gold, silver=silver.

5. Lapel pin

Lapel pins are worn on the upper left lapel of a suit jacket. They sometimes symbolize achievements 🎖️🎖️ and belongingness to a particular society, organization or country. The flower lapel pins 🌺🌼 are usually worn for weddings, prom and other related events.

Note:

  • Eliminating the necktie/bowtie makes your outfit business casual/casual . It’s laid back and appropriate for a casual work environment.
  • Match the metals in your outfit.i.e . The metal of your belt buckle, cufflinks, lapel pins,tie clips , shoes and watches must all match . If you’re going for a silver tie clip makes sure the other metals are also silver.
  • Match the leather of your shoes and belt in your outfit. If it’s black leather, make sure it runs through out .
  • For business formal don’t wear brightly coloured socks 🧦. Stick to the dark colours like navy , black and brown. And make sure they are long enough.

The next time you wear a suit I hope you consider these few factors to help make the appropriate choices for any setting.

There’s more to come your way on ACCESSORIZE ✨ (The series) . Share your thoughts and concerns in the comments section. 👍 Like and share if you liked it. I urge that you don’t miss the next post and the other posts in this series.

👋Have a lovely day 🤗.