Work Your Wardrobe: Gok's Gorgeous Guide to Style that Lasts

THE GRANDAD

THE LOOK: this straight-up-and-down collarless style says casual cool—perfect for girls who don’t like the stiffness of a fitted white shirt.

WEAR WITH: jeans and some plain thong sandals, plus a pair of big hoop earrings—so simple. So sexy!

GOOD FIT FOR: curvy girls who want to cover the tummy area—try one with a little smocking to stop it clinging. Petites should get as neat a fit as possible so that your shirt draws attention to your shape in all the right ways.

NOT THE BEST FIT FOR: juicy pears—if your shirt’s too narrow at the top, it will set your shape off balance.

FAMOUS FOR WORKING THE LOOK: preppy A-listers, such as Gywneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston.

“Wear with a big pair of hoop earrings. So simple. So sexy!”

“No matter how you wear it, your white shirt should make you feel red hot!”

OVERSIZED

THE LOOK: loose, natural, I-just-threw-this-on chic.

WEAR WITH: leggings and jeans. Wrap a big belt round your waist to add definition to your shape, or an oversized jacket for a cool seventies Annie Hall take (I love that style!).

GOOD FIT FOR: it’s a winner for most shapes and ages—all that fabric means that you can play with proportions to suit your shape.

NOT THE BEST FIT FOR: petites or skinny chicks might feel a little like Casper The Friendly Ghost in this look.

FAMOUS FOR WORKING THE LOOK: everyone from Diane Keaton to Stella McCartney.

where to buy

FIND CLASSIC WHITE SHIRTS AT: TM Lewin, Jaeger, Thomas Pink, Whistles, Zara, Gap FIND WRAPOVER SHIRTS AT: Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Zara, Gap, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, TM Lewin FIND GRANDAD SHIRTS AT: Topshop, ASOS, Reiss, Savile Row Co, Debenhams FIND PUSSY BOW SHIRTS AT: Wallis, M&S, GAP, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, ASOS FIND OVERSIZED SHIRTS AT: M&S, Gap, Thomas Pink, Topman

SAVVY SAVER

IF YOU’VE GOT A WHITE SHIRT IN YOUR WARDROBE THAT YOU FEEL IS LOOKING A BIT WORSE FOR WEAR BUT WANT TO PULL OUT AGAIN, YOU CAN EASILY REVAMP IT. HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HOW TO REFRESH IT:

1 NOW, GIRLS, I’M NOT USUALLY ONE FOR CONFORMING, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO WHITE SHIRTS, EVEN I FOLLOW THE GOLDEN RULE: it has to be as crisp and clean-looking as humanly possible. So make sure you use a good brightener: John Lewis has a great selection, and so does Dylon, which is stocked in most supermarkets.

2 THIS TIP WILL ONLY TAKE A FEW MINUTES and, even better, will only set you back about a fiver: change the buttons on your shirt for a mix of coloured ones to add designer-like detail.

3 I LOVE THAT GOOD-AS-NEW FEELING THAT DRY-CLEANED CLOTHES HAVE, but I’m not so keen on shelling out a fortune for constant trips to the dry-cleaner. Try Dr Beckmann Dry-Clean Only sheets, which you stick in the tumble-dryer for 20 minutes. What a brilliant idea! (Dr-beckmann.co.uk)

SAVVY SAVER

HOPEFULLY YOU’RE ALREADY WEARING YOUR FAVOURITE WHITE SHIRT IN A WHOLE NEW WAY, BUT IF YOU WANT TO START AFRESH AND BUY A NEW STYLE, HERE ARE THE DEVILISH LITTLE DETAILS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

1 WEARING GOOD FABRICS WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR OUTFIT, and you deserve the best, sweetheart, so always buy the best fabric you can afford—100 per cent cotton is a pretty good benchmark. Also watch out for wonky or puffy seams and any poor finishing.

2 Now, gorgeous, the length of your shirt is so important: it can beautifully outline your shape or play havoc with it. I’d say err on the long side, as you have more fabric to play with. If your shirt is even half an inch too short, it will look and feel awkward, unless you’re in a hammock in Hawaii.

3 Pay close attention to shirt necklines, girls, because the collar shape will dictate your look. Choose a round collar for a playful style. Or draw attention to your neckline with a ruffle—it will softly frame your face.

“So now you know why a white shirt is always top of the ‘classic fashion’ lists, ladies. I can’t wait to show you how much more fashion potential this brilliant basic has in my Timeless Style section on page 194.”

Chapter Two Jeans (#ulink_7b9f22fb-9d71-5262-b65b-e250e4573233)

NOW, GIRLS, IF I ASKED YOU TO NAME THE TOP THREE GARMENTS that you were happy to pull out of your wardrobe every day, your jeans would be right up there at number one.

WE’VE ALL GOT A FAVOURITE PAIR THAT WE LIVE IN AND CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT; they are as comfortable as a second skin. But then jeans have always been the benchmark garment when it comes to how we feel about our bodies. On good days, your best jeans can make you feel like the sexiest person alive. On those not-so-hot days, they can make you feel anything but. And that, girls, is why we shouldn’t be so quick to keep our denims in the comfy bracket—they may be the easiest thing in the world to pull on and forget about, but to get a whole lot more wear out of them, jeans need a little fashion fix, too.

Now, let’s work THREE CLASSIC JEANS STYLES as I show you some great ways to wear them.

Gok’s FIT TIPS

BOOTCUT JEANS

1. Don’t confuse bootcuts with flares, girls. Flares come in tight at the top of the leg and then flare out really wide at the bottom, so if you are curvy, all that fabric flapping around your ankles could make you look dumpy.

2. While a bootcut hem can perform a brilliant balancing act on pear-shaped figures, go too wide at the leg, girls, and it can make you look wide all over. (And why would you want to conceal that tiny waist!)

3. A chic, seventies-style front crease will draw the eye away from your hips and lengthen the legs.

1 bootcut jeans

WITH A SEXY SEVENTIES FLAVOUR, BOOTCUTS—JEANS WITH A STRAIGHT LEG THAT FLARES OUT SLIGHTLY AT THE BOTTOM—ARE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR STYLES IN STORES NOW. They were originally designed to sit comfortably over cowboy boots, and whether down on the ranch or out on the town, bootcuts are a brilliantly versatile option for most shapes. The look? Everyday elegance is the starting point with this style, ladies. So let’s make them the elegant option for you.

· SIMPLY SEXY

Jeans and T-shirts go together like summer and ice cream, and nothing says ‘classic cool’ more than this traditional combo. If you’re tall and leggy, or perfectly petite, a plain white vest tucked into your bootcuts and finished off with a brown leather belt and some thong sandals is a uniform that you’ll want to wear every day, as it will hug your bust and curve around your shape. Other figure-flatterers include opting for a longer-length V-neck T-shirt with feminine detail, such as ruffles or puff sleeves. Choose a looser style if you are not so keen on the cling factor.

· CUTTING EDGE

I love the idea of smartening up jeans with sharp tailoring, and a neatly cut black jacket does the trick nicely. So if you are popping out for a midweek dinner date, pull out any black jacket that nips in at the waist and skims across your bottom. Styles longer than this are a no-go with bootcuts—they will turn your frame into a box, and that is certainly not hot, ladies. Roll the sleeves up and simply add heels and a slim patent belt (or any of your trusted big, sexy waist-cinchers) for added shape.

Gok’s FIT TIPS

SKINNY JEANS

1. You don’t have to be super-skinny to wear them, but if you feel at all uncomfortable in skinnies, be honest and go for another style.

2. I know how tempting it is to squeeze into a pair of jeans that fit you at the hips and make your legs feel like Elle Macpherson’s (we’ve all been there, my darlings), but if they nip so tightly at the waist that your midriff hangs over them, say no to these doubtful denims.

3. Mid—to high-rise are the most flattering skinny cuts: those LA-style low-rise ones can reveal way too much. Can you hear me, Pussycat Dolls?

2 skinny jeans

EVERY JEANS STYLE HAS ITS OWN PERSONALITY AND SKINNIES ARE THE FUNKY ROCK CHICK OF THE GROUP. Many of the curvier girls I meet feel that skinnies are hard to pull off, but it’s all about getting the balance right. If you wear a top with lots of fabric and movement, where the fabric fits under the bust and flows over your stomach and bottom, then it will even out your proportions and shape you up in no time.

· READY TO ROCK