SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, anchor:
Back now with
BOBBIE'S STYLE BUZZ
and today it's our
street
edition. TODAY style editor and bobbie.com's
Bobbie Thomas
hit the pavement to search out the best
street
style and to solve your fashion dilemmas all at the same time.
Bobbie
, good morning to you.
Ms. BOBBIE THOMAS (Today Style Editor):
Good morning.
GUTHRIE:
So we got viewer questions and then you're kind of answering it with viewers that you found on the
street
when you liked their looks.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yes. All across the county I see women every day that I love their look. So why not use them as the great answer.
GUTHRIE:
OK, well, let's get to our first question.
Ms. THOMAS:
Mm-hmm.
GUTHRIE:
And this comes from
Kathy
. She writes in. "I am a 52-year-old who works for a boutique in our local mall. One of the requirements of the job is being, quote, 'fashion forward.' I am the oldest of the staff and would like simple ideas on how to update my look." A good question.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yeah, the simple answer, accessories. And so many women are going back to school or working in trendy boutiques. I found
Rosanne
here on the
street
in
New York
and she had on a denim jacket which a classic but it was a bit boxy and so I really wanted to do something that she could update her look with. And you'll see the after picture. A great item that you'll get more mileage out of, a statement jacket. If we can see the next photo. You'll see that I updated her with this modern jacket.
GUTHRIE:
Oh, that's cute.
Ms. THOMAS:
And then one big thing, the statement earring. It doesn't have to overpower but it will do a lot and instantly you see that there's a fashion forward update.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah, that's really cute. And it feels age appropriate. Because I'm sure
Kathy
and the viewers, it seems like they really don't want to be in something that doesn't feel right for them.
Ms. THOMAS:
You don't want to wear
Spandex
.
GUTHRIE:
Yes, exactly.
Ms. THOMAS:
You really don't. You just need a few accessories. And you'll see here in the next woman I found here on the
street
,
Stephanie
has a scarf on and it's really fantastic. The basic is the
wrap dress
. And that's a great thing.
GUTHRIE:
Mm-hmm.
Ms. THOMAS:
Stay with the basic foundations but just add the pop of color, the trend in the scarf. I found
Ebony
who also had a great example of a scarf on, she had a basic blazer.
GUTHRIE:
That's cute.
Ms. THOMAS:
Again something that everybody might have in their closet but it's really about the trend in the scarf and even the little pop of lipstick which is great and the nails, but all around you'll see just the accessories.
GUTHRIE:
She's cute. And she tied it cute, too.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yes.
GUTHRIE:
I like how she did that.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yeah, experiment with those things that you can layer the trend on and move forward inexpensively.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah. OK, let's get to our next question. This comes from
Margaret
. She writes "My fiance isn't into fashion and feels frightened by things like
skinny jeans
. How can I" -- well, I actually can't blame him. All right, "How can I help him take baby steps to being more stylish?" Yeah, all right, so some help for the guys.
Ms. THOMAS:
PS, I'm frightened by
skinny jeans
.
GUTHRIE:
I know.
Ms. THOMAS:
So you know, here's the deal. Men -- scarves can go a long way, too. This is
Philippe
. I loved that he had this really great red scarf on in the airport. And something that's a little tough to see maybe in this photo, he has a brown shoe on with these sort of black cords and a charcoal gray jacket.
GUTHRIE:
Mm-hmm.
Ms. THOMAS:
And that mix is really cool. Just mix the basic neutrals and add the pop of color.
GUTHRIE:
OK, that looks great.
Ms. THOMAS:
I also have and example of somebody else.
GUTHRIE:
Joshua
.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yeah, Joshua. You know, a statement jacket is great for a guy, too. This
leather jacket
really works on him. It may be a corduroy blazer or something else for your man but again, a statement jacket can work for the guys.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah, and the messenger bag looks cool too.
Ms. THOMAS:
Yeah, I love that.
GUTHRIE:
I don't know if he did that on purpose but it looks fashionable.
Ms. THOMAS:
The murse.
GUTHRIE:
OK, on to something glamorous at the office.
Amanda
asks us, "I'm obsessed with all things sparkly and glamorous but my lifestyle doesn't exactly involve walking red carpets. How can I incorporate special items into my daytime wardrobe without feeling overdressed?"
Ms. THOMAS:
I think we really all can relate to this. And my tip is instead of buying a sequined dress for one of your holiday special occasions, invest in separates. I really like this look on
Gabrielle
. I stopped her in the
street
and said, 'Wait, wait. Let me take your picture.' You see that she has a sequined blouse on and a satin skirt so these are separates that she could wear to a holiday party. But the key here is really the low-key ponytail...
GUTHRIE:
Yeah.
Ms. THOMAS:
...and this oversized bag, which really dresses down the sparkly outfit.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah.
Ms. THOMAS:
And I
just think it's a fantastic idea so you can get more wear out those
special occasion
pieces.
GUTHRIE:
She has the cute shoes, too.
Ms. THOMAS:
I love those shoes, too. The little yellow shoe is great. But even if she had a nude shoe that could further dress it down.
GUTHRIE:
Or if you did want to buy the sequin dress maybe throw a blazer, something over it to kind of neutralize it?
Ms. THOMAS:
Yes. The only thing I would caution because if you're going to work make sure it's in a black or a jewel
tone color
.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah.
Ms. THOMAS:
No hot pink sequins. No neon sequins.
GUTHRIE:
Note to self. OK, there goes tomorrow's outfit. All right, let's get our next letter from new mom
Christine
. And she says, "I'm a new mom with a hectic schedule so I need to be comfortable during the day. While I want to wear sweats, they don't make me feel great myself. So how can I add some polish?"
Ms. THOMAS:
Who doesn't want to wear sweats.
GUTHRIE:
I know, or
PJs
. Sometimes
PJs
, too.
Ms. THOMAS:
Exactly. I think the key here that I would advise is don't separate your sweats and put them in a drawer separate from your regular clothes. Go ahead and mix them in. Hang them in your closet by, you know, arm length.
GUTHRIE:
Mm-hmm.
Ms. THOMAS:
You'll see on
Grace
from
San Francisco
I stopped her, great example of her sweatshirt but the keys that really added polish was, the -- you know this buttoned down shirt that was crisp and tailored.
GUTHRIE:
Mm-hmm.
Ms. THOMAS:
And the patent shoe. This was a really great addition to make the whole look work together. So you can. I mean, essentially this is just a sweat shirt and jeans.
GUTHRIE:
Yep.
Ms. THOMAS:
But the other two items, opposites attract, are a little dressier.
GUTHRIE:
It's cute.
Ms. THOMAS:
And so you could kind of do that in your wardrobe and sometimes when you open your closet you can just be inspired by what you see sitting next to each other. So, yeah.
GUTHRIE:
All right. Some great ideas. Good questions from viewers and good looks on the
street
, too.
Bobbie Thomas
, thanks so much.
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