Spring outerwear trends we can't wait to try

7 STYLISH SPRING JACKETS

Tired of winter's wrath on your wardrobe? Get rid of your bulky winter jacket, and get into one of these stylish and refreshing outwear choices that are sure to get you ready for the spring season. They'll have you looking fashionable at a cost for every budget.

1

In the trenches

One spring must-have is a long beige or black trench coat,  and this one from the GAP (gapcanada.ca, $128) is the perfect trench to update your wardrobe. Made completely out of cotton, this trench will provide comfort, style and, of course, total chicness to your everyday outerwear. With classic trench features like the brown button closures, tie belt and the oversized collar, this trench is a sophisticated choice to invest in this season.

2

Biker chic

H&M can do no wrong, and its latest collection has us swooning — especially this  short, studded,  white biker jacket  (hm.com, $30). Proving that an edgy jacket isn't just for the fall and winter seasons, this jacket is a top choice for those of you who aren't ready to give up studs and bling for soft pastel colours, and the white shade is right on cue with the season's emphasis on white and pale hues. Oh, and the price doesn't hurt either.

3

In uniform

 

Love the look of the army jacket? Then you'll really love this jacket from  Artiza (aritzia.com, $120). It's designed with military-esque details, such as a tie-dye earth green and dark brown shade and four flap pockets. Another great detail of this jacket is the hood, which no doubt will keep you warm until temperatures start to rise. The jacket also comes in two colours, just in case you want to change things up a bit.

4

Colour splash

Bring on the colour! Spring is the first season of the year when we finally get to ditch the blacks and greys in our closet for something a little more bright, and this  Zara coat zara.com, $159) is the perfect start. The soft coral shade and simple, straight, clean structure make the coat stand out, and like many clothing items from Zara, it is crafted with a delicate blend of polyester and viscose, so you know the material will be able to handle the rain and wind.

5

Perfect patterns

Jackets don't always have to be long or bulky just because of the weather. Case in point: this beautiful  Aztec inspired  short boucle jacket  from TOPSHOP at the Bay (thebay.com, $124). With an eclectic design I can definitely see Solange Knowles pulling off, this jacket will be your go-to on warmer spring days and will give your outfit a much-needed boost from your plain ol' jacket.

6

Denim parka

Every so often an item comes along that is so captivating, we cannot turn away, and we just have to have it. This jacket is one of them. From Montreal-based retail chain Garage Clothing comes  a jacket that fuses the best of two style worlds : denim and parka  garage.ca, $80). I mean, can it get any better than that? Besides the clean design and details, such as the drawstring neckline and waist and the silver snaps, this jacket reinvents the idea of the regular, plain jean jacket with a more updated look, and the light-wash colour is the icing on this fashion cake. If you like it, make sure to get it soon, because it's available only on the web, and I'm sure it will go fast!

7

Spring showers

What would spring be without a raincoat? This rain jacket (urbanoutfitters.com, $69) makes me reminiscent of my childhood raincoats — only this is way more fashionable! With a  classic  soft yellow colour and designed with rain resistant material and deep front pockets, you won't mind getting caught in the spring showers with this must-have outerwear piece. Whether it's paired with basics like jeans and a plain top or with your work clothes, you'll look (and feel) stylish.

5 Ways to refresh Your relationship this spring

REV THINGS UP 
IN YOUR LOVE LIFE

When you've been with someone for a while, the passion can start to wane. To keep things spirited and fun, you need to put some effort into it. Try some of these ways to make your relationship feel new again.

When you're in a committed relationship, it's very common for things to become same old, same old. It's not necessarily bad that things hum along without bumps — both of you might be happy and content with most aspects of your partnership — but that fire and that excitement can fizzle. Even in the strongest partnerships, you have to work and put in effort to keep them running not just smoothly but with a spark.

While you're spring cleaning and starting things with a fresh slate, take time during this season of renewal to give your relationship a refresh. Not sure how to inject fun and intrigue into it? Luckily many ways to do this are very achievable without breaking the bank.

1

Spend more time with other couples

Don't get us wrong; spending time with other couples is not about keeping up with the Joneses. But when you hang out with other couples, you get a first-hand look at how they interact with each other, which could inspire you both to act more like them. For example, say a couple is much more affectionate in public, and you find that sweet. It might inspire you and your partner to behave the same way.

2

Change things in your tried-and-true routine

You have your favourite restaurant, and you like to catch the latest superhero flicks. While it's fantastic that you have your beloved spots and common interests, shake things up. Try a new restaurant in a new neighbourhood instead of your usual dinner spot. Go see a comedy in addition to catching the latest Iron Man movie. Doing things like this gets you out of your comfort zone and keeps things eventful.

3

Try a new activity

You might already play tennis together and go to wine clubs, but take up a brand new hobby neither of you has ever tried. Trying a new activity will allow you both to learn and laugh together over the experience. You could, of course, introduce your partner to an activity close to your heart, but you run the risk of tense situations (think of how poorly it goes when a husband tries to teach his wife how to golf, for example).

4

Go on a dream vacation

If you have the time and savings to do so, going on a trip that's high on both your bucket lists is a fantastic way to inject some newness into your relationship. A holiday will take you out of your everyday environment, and having time off work will allow you to relax and focus on each other rather than the day-to-day tasks and errands we all get bogged down with. The breathtaking sights and experiences will become memories you'll share together for the rest of your lives.

5

Fulfill a sexual fantasy

Have things between the sheets become routine? There's no excuse for this. Talk about the things you've always wanted to try, and plan to experiment with them. If you have really busy schedules, then pencil it into your calendar. Making time to focus on your sexual passions is more important than spontaneity.

FROM DAYTIME TO PARTY TIME

FROM DAYTIME 
TO PARTY TIME

Chances are your social calendar is filling up fast this month with events and parties right after work. Because attending in your daytime attire won't do, elevate your look with these simple changes.

Your holiday social calendar filled with after-work drinks, dinners and parties leaves you with some major planning — as in how to easily and quickly transform your day look for the office into one that's festive for the evening. You don't need to keep your entire wardrobe or arsenal of beauty products at the office. With some smart choices, changing your look into one that's more holiday appropriate is easy.

Pretty your pout with bold colour

Your neutral, everyday lip colour is flattering, but everyone sees you with it daily. Slick on a bold, cherry-red lip, and it'll brighten up your entire face. Or if you're up for trying a more trendy but edgy look, try a deep, dark plum or wine lipstick, as seen on many fall runways.

Add shimmer to your face

Tuck an eyeshadow pencil or liner from Yves Rocher or Bobbi Brown that features glitter or sheen, and give your eyes a subtle shine. Using a highlighter such as Benefit Cosmetics High Beam to touch up your cheekbones will also help you glow, and you'll look just lovely in the many photos you'll be in.

Incorporate sparkle into your wardrobe

Sequins come back in a big way each holiday season, so if you can get away with sequins in your office environment, wear a simple sequined tank with a blazer overtop for the day, and then pull off the jacket when you head out after work. If you're not into the glitz of sequins, consider a simple sheath dress in a rich jewel tone or the colour of the season, oxblood. You can splash out on an investment piece when it comes to sequins, but brands such as Joe Fresh and RW also have fantastic yet budget-friendly choices.

Switch to party heels and a chic clutch

Just a simple change of your daytime shoes to showstopper heels can elevate your entire look to one that says, "I'm ready to enjoy this evening!" Glittery heels or the sheen of patent stilettos can become the focus of your evening look. Also, downsize your handbag to a classy metallic clutch, and your outfit will almost become secondary.

Put on rhinestones and crystal jewellery

If bringing a change of clothes isn't possible, simply tuck some statement jewellery into your handbag. Shops such as J. Crew, Loft and Banana Republic all have pretty, sparkling numbers that won't break the bank.

avier Rueda es Consultor en Imagen Pública y Director General de Imagen Excellence experto en la creación y proyección de la Imagen Pública de empresas, marcas, servicios, altos ejecutivos y personalidades públicas.

We alove the turn of the season! It’s always a great opportunity to share our picks for the season with you. Here are our top 5 Spring Picks for SS13 womenswear.

1 Monochrome

This season black has joined forces with white to create a dominating monochrome tone. From Prada to Stella McCartney, black and white has taken over! In the form of stripes,oriental inspired graphics or simple dots of colour, black and white compliment eachother in ways we’d have never before been able to imagine.

2 Cobalt

The bright and exciting shade of blue has caught our eyes at several stores, shows and fashion exhibitions. Cobalt knits, skirts, trousers and shoes are key trend for the season.  Opt for an oversized cobalt sweater and wear the shade of blue top to toe. Or, stay on trend  with cobalt accessories.

3 White

Along with the tailored and chic fits that the season demands, dazzling shades of bright white have been central to several shoes. White from top to bottom has been spotted at Christian Dior and Topshop Unique,  but we’d suggest adding few black or pastel shaded accessories.

4 Bright and  tailored

Combining the bright and the beautiful with perfectly trimmed, tailored cuts is entirely on trend this season. Often stunning prints have been put together with simple neat and clean cuts, for the tailored look.

5. Nude

With all the bright, beautiful and distinct colours taking centre stage, nude and gold accesories and shoes sit peacefully in the backseat .  Opt to go head to toe nude with the odd bright accessory or give a colourful outfit the nude touch. Here are our picks of Givenchy, Brian Atwood and Stella  McCartney nude heels that are essential to your shoe closet this  season.

Stay stylish this season whit the Men's Blazer

This season the tailored look for men is sexier than ever. JRFASHIONSTYLING Image Consultants, our personal shoppers have pulled together some of the best trends to created a super sharp outfit.

Essential to your wardrobe is a blazer which can be dressed up or dressed down easily. A lightweight blazer like this one from Saint Laurent is classic, simple but also fashion-forward. The pattern and colour offer versatility, while the lightweight material makes the blazer ready-to-wear all season long.

YSL Slim Fit Blazer

Keep it simple with a clean cut white shirt, like this one from Valentino. The studding detail gives the extra pop to freshen up your attire, while sticking to white colouring is simple, safe and on-trend.

Valentino Collar Stud Cotton-Twill Shirt

A Cashmere sweater – essential for the season – is comfortable and cosy, perfect for an evening out when it may get colder.

Burberry Crew Neck Cashmere Sweater

A pair of clean cut slim-fit jeans like this pair from Nudie go perfectly with this outfit. A comfortable slim fit works well with this slim fit blazer.

Nudie distressed Jeans

Finally a simple scarf adds the extra pop this season demands.

Jil Sander Print Silk Scarf

Pulling the outfit all together with a Balenciaga Leather Pouch andMark McNairy loafers, perfects the look: the yellow rubber soles add the perfect amount of colour to this outfit.

Javier Rueda es Consultor en Imagen Pública y Director General de Imagen Excellence experto en la creación y proyección de la Imagen Pública de empresas, marcas, servicios, altos ejecutivos y personalidades públicas.

ASESORÍA DE IMAGEN: Las Formas del Cuerpo // Image consultancy: Body shapes

Este post los vamos a dividir en varias partes. Esta semana, vamos a hablar de ASESORIA DE IMAGEN enfocada a las distintas formas del cuerpo. Y las próximas partes será sobre QUÉ VESTIMENTA  nos favorece más según el tipo del cuerpo.

// This post is going to be divided into several parts. This week we are going to talk about image consultancy focusing on the different body shapes and the following parts will be about what kind of clothes looks better on us according to our body shape.

Cada mujer es distinta y los cuerpos también tienen formas distintas. Partiremos de la base que todos los cuerpos son bonitos, y en todos se puede sacar el mejor partido. Según el volumen y  los colores, oscuros o claros,  lograremos un efecto óptico de proporción. Pero tenemos que saber dónde y como aplicarlos.

Recordemos que igual que en el maquillaje, debemos tener en cuenta que los colores oscuros restan volumen y los claros lo aportan.

Comenzaremos con los tipos de cuerpo más comunes.

// Every woman is different and so are their bodies… We must consider that all bodies are beautiful and we can make the most of them. According to the volume and the dark or light colours we use, we’ll obtain an optical effect of proportion but we must know how and where to apply them… Remember that, as I said in the make up post, we must consider that dark colours disguise volume and light ones increase it.

These are the most common body shapes:

 

 CUERPO RELOJ DE ARENA:

Se dice que es el tipo de cuerpo más proporcionado y muy femenino. Se caracteriza por tener la cintura definida. Los hombros y caderas más anchas de manera proporcionada y a la misma anchura. Encarnaría lo que siempre hemos conocido como 90-60-90, aunque por supuesto se puede tener esta tipología teniendo otras medidas.

// HOURGLASS: It is said to be the best-proportioned and most feminine body shape. Its waist is well defined, the shoulders and hips are wider in a proportional way. It is the embodiment of what we have always known as 90-60-90, but, of course, this body shape can be found in the same proportion with different measures.

  

 

CUERPO PERA:

Se caracteriza sobre todo por tener más volumen en la zona de las caderas, lo que crea una desproporción óptica con la parte superior, con unos hombros y pecho normales estrechitos. Este tipo de cuerpo es muy común entre las mujeres y también puede ser sexy.

Para aportar un efecto óptico compensado daremos mas volumen con las prendas a la parte de los hombros y disimularemos la zona inferior y caderas.

// PEAR SHAPE: It has got more volume in the hips zone, creating so an optical disproportion with the top part of the body. The shoulders and chest are normal or even narrow. This kind of body is the most common among the women and it can be really sexy.

 In order to compensate the optical effect, we’ll give more volume to the part of the shoulders by means of clothes. And we’ll disguise the hips zone.

 

CUERPO TRIÁNGULO:

Es el contrario al tipo de cuerpo pera ya que las proporciones van a la inversa. Se caracteriza por tener unos hombros anchos, mayores a las medidas de las caderas, que suelen más bien menudas… (La mayoría de las nadadoras profesionales tienen este tipo de cuerpo).

Le daremos más  importancia a la zona inferior y a las piernas, disimulando el exceso de anchura de los hombros.

// TRIANGULAR SHAPE: It is the opposite of the pear-shaped body since the proportions are inverted. The most important thing is that the shoulders are wider than the hips, which are often narrow.

Most of the swimmers and professional gymnasts have got this kind of body.  We’ll emphasize the lower part of the body and the legs, hiding the width of the shoulders.

 

CUERPO REGLA:

Este tipo de cuerpo también podríamos decir que es bastante proporcionado, ya que las medidas de sus hombros son como las de sus caderas, pero con la diferencia al cuerpo  reloj de arena de que casi no tienen cintura, simulando un rectángulo.

Compensaremos la falta de curvas, creándolas con accesorios y distintos cortes de  prendas, que estudiaremos en la segunda parte del post.

// RULER SHAPE OR RECTANGULAR SHAPE: This kind of body is rather proportionate because the shoulders and the hips have similar measures. But it’s different to the hourglass body since its waist isn’t well definite, looking the body like a rectangle.

 We’ll compensate the lack of curves, creating them with accessories and different cuts of clothes. We’ll talk about this subject in future posts.

 

CUERPO TIPO MANZANA:

Lo más característico de este cuerpo es que tiene una cintura ancha. Sus hombros suelen ser finos y tienden a tener las piernas delgadas. Con este tipo de cuerpo intentaremos centrar la atención bien en el escote o en las piernas, ya que las suelen tener bonitas, y disimularemos la zona del abdomen.

//APPLE SHAPE:  The most characteristic thing in this body shape is its wide waist. Its shoulders are normal and people with this kind of body are prone to have slim legs. In this case we’ll try to emphasize the necklace or the legs because they are usually beautiful. We’ll try to disguise the abdomen zone.

 Estos son los tipo de cuerpos más comunes, lo que no quiere decir que los haya mixtos o que todos los cuerpos se ciñan a estos cánones.

Esta es la primera parte de asesoría de imagen que iremos ampliando en próximos posts en los que veremos las prendas que más favorecen a cada tipología y cuáles debemos ponernos!

Nos vemos en dos semanas, que tocan vacaciones!!

// These are the most common body shapes, but there are mixed kinds, not all the bodies adjust to these canons…  This is the first part of image consultancy; we’ll talk in the future posts about the kinds of clothes that better suit to these typologies and which ones we must always avoid.