Are traditions fashionable?

All countries have their own traditions. In Southern Spain for example the women wear long dresses with ruffles during the celebration of Seville's April fair. This tradition goes back to the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th when what we know now as a leisure fair used to be a event for selling animals. Women used to go with their husbands wearing a robe with ruffles which is the outfit they wore to do the chores at home.

Ralph Lauren Spring-Summer collection 2013 was inspired by Seville and Spain and Dior by Galliano's hand was also inspired by this country on more than one occasion to give birth to Haute Couture collections.

In East London (UK) there's a group of men and women that are know as Pearly Kings and Queens. They originated from the city's street traders known as costermongers and the 'kings' and 'queens' were the leaders of each group. In the 18th century they began to sew pearls onto their old jackets and trousers to mimic their wealthy neighbours from West London where the fashion of wearing pearls was common. A few random pearls then developed into complex designs and symbols covering the whole of jacket and trousers or skirt.

Olivier Rousteing’s first collection as designer of Balmain last season had less tattered-come-glitzy looks than its previous designer injected into the brand making it a must-have for those who coveted a sexy, don’t-give-a-fuck, wild child image. We could see some resemblance to the Pearly Kings and Queens in these designs although Rousteing wasn't directly inspired by them.

India and saris also inspired designers such us Gaultier and Lagerfeld for the house of Chanel in his Pre-Fall 2012 collection pulling off a spectacularly different approach to French chic with a creative twist on Indian couture. Traditional Indian pieces of jewellery added to the look, almost stealing the show from the clothes with its bling. The collection featured intricate embroideries, raw silk and other extravagant materials characterised by an exquisite combination of delicate Indian handcraft and Parisian fashion. An array of colours blended perfectly, from bright hues to ivory tones, deep pigments of red and shades of gold and silver.

So as you can see, designers are inspired by traditions to design their collections. This summer we could wear Japanese inspired dresses, shirts and even shoes. If you live in Spain and your city has a fair you can easily make a statement wearing a Spanish inspire look instead of the typical "sevillana" dress. Step out of the box and you'll be the centre of attention.

Rule # 16: How to wear emerald green.

The colour of immortality, life and nature, the colour of opulence, rebirth and the universe, emerald green is the most magical, refined and elegant shade in the colour wheel. It’s not by chance that we love green eyes and the spring season, when everything is in blossom and it’s green all around. “Emerald green to everyone” – this is how I can describe this rich and classy hue, as it suits girls of any colour. The emerald green trend gives high class and self-confidence to every fashionista’s look and helps her create a memorable style. Ready to drop a jewel bomb to your wardrobe? Here, I bring to your attention the styling tricks of the emerald green trend, useful fashion tips on how to wear emerald green for you to get a new makeover and look like a precious jewel in the crowd of mortals.

The best thing about the emerald green trend is that it can flatter literally everyone, regardless of skin tone, hair and eye colour, and one’s personal style. This opulent jewel tone looks amazing in combination with a sea of other hues that you already have in your wardrobe. There aren’t any special tips on choosing emerald green clothing, as any girl can go and pick her favourite shade of this jewel tone and look amazing, no matter she is blonde, redhead or brunette. So hurry up to buy a few emerald green clothing pieces and learn ways to create drop-dead gorgeous looks getting inspired from the following emerald green style tips!

HEAD TO TOE EMERALD GREEN LOOK

The best way of standing out in the crowd with your emerald green clothes is getting dressed in this magical shade from head to toe. A dress or a tunic, a skirt suit or shorts worn with a tee, cropped trousers and a light chiffon blouse will look perfect in a single colour, complemented with green accessories, such as bright emerald green high heeled shoes or ballerina flats, flirty handbags with big buckles, some oversized sunglasses or a wide-brimmed hat, and, of course, sparkling emerald earrings. This outfit especially flatters red-haired beauties, but also brown-haired fashionistas and brunettes. Blondes are advised to break the overall green look with neutral shades of cream, black or white in order to create a beautiful contrast with their hair colour.

EMERALD GREEN COLOUR BLOCKING

Emerald looks amazing with almost any other colour. It makes a harmonious couple with the hues of the opposite colour spectrum. Emerald green in combination with purple, red and orange creates the most impressive look. In all the cases, the symbolic glow of emerald green gives a touch of purity, energy and freshness to every day and evening outfit. You can choose an emerald green dress and finish off your look with red accessories, for instance, or go for the unmatchable combo of emerald green and gold, such as an emerald green dress complemented with a tiny gold clutch and stylish golden strappy sandals.Emerald green also looks chic with all the neutral hues, including black, white, brown, camel, beige, grey, nude tones, as well as with burgundy, eclectic blue, bright yellow, metallic and pastel hues.

EMERALD GREEN WITH BEIGE 

Emerald green with beige (as well as with milk, white and light grey) makes the clearest and calmest combination. For instance, you can pick emerald green shorts and wear them with a breezy white blouse, a thin brown belt and camel ankle booties. You are sure to look very fresh and romantic.Or go for loose emerald pants worn with a cream blouse, brown bag, black shoes and a green hat. Don’t forget about the emerald earrings and the beige outerwear. You can keep the blouse monochrome or printed in delicate polka dots, for instance. This is a great outfit for office too.It’s also a nice idea to wear an emerald green dress or any other emerald green outfit and finish it off with beige accessories, such as shoes, sunglasses, hats and jewelry pieces. Your bag can be beige or green. Beige footwear will calm down the deep emerald green look, giving a touch of sophistication to it.

EMERALD GREEN WITH SOFT BLUE

This is a soft and light colour combination, which comes like a breath of fresh summer air. Think, for instance, an emerald green flirty dress accessorized with a pale blue bag, blue bracelets and green high heel shoes. This outfit is ideal for a romantic date or for a cocktail party.

EMERALD GREEN WITH PINK

No wonder, nature is the best designer. It never makes mistakes. Look around and draw inspiration from the flowers and plants: bright and beautiful flowers always look amazing with the lush emerald green. This is a royal combo. From pale pinks to juicy fuchsias, pink tones look amazing with emerald green.Opt for a romantic floral printed blouse, a pair of blue jeans and an emerald bag, for instance. What about a lovely crimson skirt and an emerald green bag with pastel pink touches? The combo of a soft purple blouse, a bright skirt and an emerald clutch is also striking. Play with floral prints, various shades of pink and emerald green and you’ll be a real winner! You can keep it pink or green, when it comes to your footwear, handbag and accessories. It’s not obligatory that they are all in a single colour. For instance, choose light pink shoes and a green bag.

EMERALD GREEN WITH FUCHSIA AND ECLECTIC BLUE

All the jewel tones look astounding together. The combo of emerald green and fuchsia or that of emerald green and eclectic blue arouses only admiration. For example, go for an emerald green dress and finish it off with a fuchsia clutch, a fuchsia scarf, golden shoes and golden jewelry pieces. Isn’t that amazing? Or you can try the vice versa: a fuchsia dress worn with emerald green bracelets, an emerald green bag and black ballerina flats.Another daring solution is choosing an eclectic blue dress, an emerald green trench coat, emerald green jewelry pieces, a green bag and eclectic blue high heels. You will hear only aaahs and uuuhhhs!

EMERALD GREEN WITH ORANGE

Besides the classic combo of emerald green and red, this opulent colour looks amazing also with orange, creating a crazy summer mood. For instance, choose an orange outfit and finish it off with emerald green shoes and accessories. You can also try the vice versa.

EMERALD GREEN ACCESSORIES

If you aren’t into eye-popping colours and prefer neutral clothes, you can liven up your look by opting for emerald green accessories. For instance, a black dress finished off with emerald green shoes, emerald earrings and bracelets and a golden clutch will look incredible. Whether it’s a grey, black, cream, beige or brown outfit, emerald green embellishments can instantly balance your trendy look.

WHERE TO WEAR EMERALD GREEN

Emerald green is a luxurious colour, so it’s the best solution for special occasions. However, you can also wear emerald green to office and on the casual basis. Make sure to keep it modest, when you sport this colour at the office. In all the other cases, you can turn on your fantasy and play with colours and prints, as emerald green is quite versatile and looks incredible in any colour combination.Now that you have so many ideas on how to wear emerald green clothes, you are sure to crush in love with the emerald green trend and make this stunning jewel tone the dominant option in your wardrobe. Don’t resist your temptation and play emerald green!

Some looks I pulled out for you:

Dress, Topshop. Necklace, amritasingh.com. Bag & Shoes, Zara. 

Top, peplum jacket & clutch, Mango. Pants, Stella McCartney. Shoes, Zara. Necklace, H&M. 

Shorts, Hollister. Blouse, belt & shoes, Mango. Bag, Zara. 

Pictures: Pinterest

Rule # 15: How to wear stripes.

Stripes are a huge trend next season so if you want to look your best wearing them either if you'd like to make your figure look slimmer or if you are underweight and always aim for a fuller look, there's a very clever trick to play with outfits for this purpose. Everyone know how much the choice of clothes means when it comes to highlighting or concealing certain parts of our bodies. There're different ways to make every imperfection become an advantage. In addition to the right combination of clothes that work for this purpose there's also another point that plays a great hole in this aspect. That is the print on the clothes. In this case I'm going to focus on STRIPES. Stripes can really help you in this respect. 

Stripes are those oldest and most tricky ways to use for figure adjustment. They have always been in fashion and will certainly have a long life ahead. The only thing that changes is the colours of trendy stripes and their being either thick or thin. Stripes are, indeed, very simple, classical, and ladylike and fit almost everyone. 

Horizontal and vertical stripes have different tendencies. Horizontal ones make your body slimmer, therefore you look thinner, and vertical ones widen our body adding a couple of kilos to you. So in order to learn more about each of them and know how to put outfits with stripes together, let's have a look at these tips for wearing stripes. 

HOW TO LOOK THINNER

Traditionally, fashion experts have been prone to the idea that plus-sized women should avoid horizontal stripes, claiming that this type of stripes gave the illusion of bulk. Others have the opposite opinion and have said that this was a very harsh mistake, since horizontal stripes have the opposite effect, as plus-sized people appear taller and more three-dimensional when wearing horizontal stripes. 

For me this is a tricky one: if you are a plus-sized woman you should avoid stripes unless you have been advise by an image consultant or you could opt for wearing straight pants with vertical stripes. Avoid wearing any type of stripes on your upper body. 

If you are a brave woman and want to try it follow this: pick a top in dark shades with lighter horizontal stripes, which reaches the top of your thighs. While wearing it, never tuck the shirt in the bottom outfit, rather leave it hanging loose over your jeans, skirt or whatever it may be. To finish off the look, you can also wear a blazer, a sweater or a nice necklace. 

Use stripes wisely. If you are a pear-shape, avoid striped bottoms, you'll even highlight your curvy hips, and always choose black tones of other pieces of clothes when you are pairing them with stripes. The dark background will also make you look slimmer. Unless you have a slim figure (rectangle shape), you can easily combine stripes tops with different colours of stylish bottoms. 

HOW TO WEAR STRIPES

There're different ways of wearing stripes. Let's have a look at the basic outfit choices including tops with traditional horizontal black and white stripes. 

• One of the easiest and maybe the basic forms of wearing stripes is simply pairing a striped blouse or any other top with a pair of jeans. A loose-fitting shirt will be a wise choice for a curvy body. If you are fat in the tummy area, better opt for loose striped tops rather than define it. 
• It's also a good idea to wear striped shirt or tee with a simple black bottom. Indeed, whenever wearing stripes the classical way is keeping to black or white. Since the stripes already become visual, you can break the tone down by choosing black or white. If you have a curvy midsection go for something with high-waist paired with a loose-fitting striped top. 
• If you have a thin top and curvy bottom, then you can opt for a dress with a vertical striped top part and a one-coloured bottom. The bottom will look ideal, as it is, without adding any volume. Whereas the thin top part will visually become fuller. The bottom colour of the dress can complement the top colour or vice verse, contrast it. You can, for example, take a dress with a black and white top stripes and a green bottom. That really looks trendy and creates the illusion that your are wearing a tow-piece outfit. 
• If you are in one of those days when you don't want to think about what to wear, simply grab whatever comes close and go. A tunic top and leggings can be an ideal pick for those lazy days. A striped tunic-length top is certainly more expressive and fresh than your everyday standard tunics. Combine the latter with tights and you are ready to go. 
• Another outfit is a simple jersey dress, leggings, boots, a long cardigan and a "no-time-to-wash-my-hair" hat. The dress is very versatile and can serve for different occasions. You can switch the boots to high heels for an evening look. Skinny belts which are very trendy can add a final touch for your look. Put the belt on the cardigan over your dress and you're good to go. 
• Accessorize the stripes. If you like striped tops and want to have a different look when wearing them, then either add a matching vest, a tie or a colourful scarf that will refresh the traditional black and white. Neutral colours are best for a medium look. For more emphasis go for brighter accessories but keep in mind that you should not define your bottom part in this case. 
• For those who always want to conceal their body a loose horizontal striped cardigan can make wonders. Put on a neutral top, wear a cardigan on top and finish your look with either skinny pants or tights, or you can wear a simple mild coloured dress pairing it with a striped cardigan. 
• For more casual and trendy look you can change the cardigan for a blazer or a jacket, a leather one could be great especially for the cold season. A pair of jeans paired with a striped top and leather black jacket as well as black shoes or boots and you're done. 
• For cold weather, when putting on a dress, opt for a one colour coat over your striped dress and tights that are the same colour as the coat, or if you want to be a little bit bold, then combine the classical black and white striped dress with red tights. You'll have a dramatic look.
• Opt for stripes of other colours. Best combinations are: red and white, light brown and black, which resembles the leopard print, blue and white and so on. 
• Pair stripes with a neutral colour if you want to feel safe. If you're just starting to wear stripes, wear them with a block of colour on your other half. A striped skirt with a plain top can look fabulous, as can a striped top with a plain skirt or jeans. Emphasize only one part of you body. 

As you can see stripes can be wear in any season, from summer to winter. Always keep in mind the wider the stripe, the bolder the statement. If you are hesitant about stripes, try pinstripes at first and once you feel comfortable in them make your way for wider stripes. Pinstripes are especially cute for business and casual wear. 

Here are some looks I pulled out for you. 

Top, Blanco. Striped shorts & bag, Mango. Wedge, Zara. 

Striped top, delias.com. Jeans, Mango. Flats, Asos. Bag, Parfois. 

Striped blouse & skirt, Mango. Shoes, Zara. Clutch, Parfois. 

Striped dress, Topshop. Flats, Asos. Handbag, Mango. Pink belt, Uterque. Sunglasses, Ray-Ban. Heels, Zara. Bag & silver belt, Mango. 

Pictures: Pinterest, Getty. 

Rule # 14: How to wear crop tops.

Revealing a little skin is always sexy, especially during hot summer days. To this end, cropped tops are having a great popularity among both celebrities and fashion enthusiasts. A crop top is a short blouse or t-shirt which exposes some of the abdomen. Actually, a a summer trend crop top isn't just about showing off your stomach but rather being mixed and matched with other pieces for a feminine, elegant outfit that quite often reveals a bit more than a peep of a toned midriff. You can wear a crop top as a sportswears or daywear, but also pull off more sophisticated and refined looks with this piece of fabric.  

Although crop tops look chic on models and celebrities with flawless silhouettes they may lose their charm if sported in an appropriate way so, how to wear crop tops without being criticized at all? First of all you should pay attention to where you are planning to wear this piece: if you are getting ready for a day at the beach or a party that will certainly look amazing. However, avoid wearing this quite daring item at office or during a serious business meeting. The second rule is the fit: if your top fits you well you will look stylish in it. For the most fabulous summer look be sure to read through this useful crop top tips. 

HOW TO CHOOSE CROP TOPS

The most important step in looking chic while wearing a crop top is to choose it right, so before you fall in love with the colour, print and design of a crop top and hurry up to buy it, pay attention to the following factors:

• Length: Crop tops are available in various lengths so you can go for the longer or shorter tops depending on what style fits you the best. Keep in mind that you can wear a short crop top if you have a really perfect stomach without any additional fat. 
• Neck: In order not to create the impression that you are walking completely naked pay attention to the neck of your top. The shorter the top is the more modest the neck should be. 
• Hemline: The hemlines of crop tops can be even more asymmetric. Try on a few styles to see in which you look the best. 
• Style: There're various styles of crop tops such as sleeveless fitted tops, tight long-sleeved crop tops and loose, boxy crop tops with either short or long sleeves. So pay attention to your personal style, to the clothes you are going to wear the crop top with, as well as the occasion while picking a crop top. 
• Material: Before buying a crop top evaluate its material. Tighter fitting styles, both long and short-sleeved, should be made of a fabric that has some stretch in it. More revealing styles should be made of thicker fabrics. For looser, boxier styles, thinner fabrics are better. Lace can also do for such types of crop tops. 
• Bottoms: It matters a lot what you are paring the crop top with. You can wear it with low-rise pants for a sexier look, or with high-waist shorts, skirts or pants for a more balanced look. Remember the golden fashion rule: the shorter the top the longer the bottoms should be in order not to look overexposed and trashy. Also keep in mind that tighter fitting crop tops look great with pants, shorts or skirts with more volume. These crop tops also look amazing with bottoms that sit higher on the waist. Looser crop tops can be teamed up with tight, body-hugging pencil skirts, pants and shorts. 

HOW TO WEAR CROP TOPS

Once you have chosen the best style for you it's important to learn how to wear it the proper way. You should keep a few important things. 

Smarten it up: a crop top looks ultra chic and elegant when paired with a pencil skirt. During cool days you can also wear a vest or a lightweight blazer and match your top with tailored shorts. With the help of a blazer or a summer shirt you can easily make a transition from day to evening look. 

Dress up: there're many great crop top styles available decorated with studs, beads, jewels and lovely prints. You can wear this style with a full skirt or a pair of classic pants. 

Hint at it: a crop top doesn't have to expose too much of skin to look stylish. You can choose such a top and bottom combination that just hints that the top is cropped by showing off a little part of midriff. It creates a playful now-you-see-it and now-you-don't-see-it look. 

Wear it casually: a casual crop top that isn't on a bustier or bra top can be mixed and matched with maxi skirts and skinny jeans for a lovely summer day outfit. You can try a bit flowy style or one with an asymmetric hemline, as well as play up with various prints and colours. 

The vintage crop top: vintage crop tops / boob tubes don't necessarily mean some conservative style. Instead, they are youthful and interesting and look amazing against relaxed cuts and high-waisted skirts. Actually this style doesn't show off your entire stomach and looks great for a daywear. 

The evening crop top: featuring a high dose of casual flair, crop tops or tubes tops aren't usually translated into an evening wear. However, there are more complex styles featuring delicate lace or sheer details, studs and other embellishments, which look just breathtaking in combination with a clutch, high heels, an elegant skirt or pants. This evening look is sure to make heads turn. 

The sporty crop top: if for a daywear and eveningwear crop tops may seen to be not so common, for sportswear they certainly are. The sporty crop top isn't so revealing. This almost-not-a-crop-top style easily can be transferred into a casual day look when paired with some relaxed pants and flats. 

The crop top as a secondary statement: the crop top may be a statement trend for the summer, however, this isn't the only gorgeous trend you are dealing with while nailing it down. Actuyally there're so many amazing ways to shifting the attentions from the exposed midriff to elsewhere. Play up layering and accessorizing for the best results. For instance, you may be wearing a sexy knit top, which leaves you half bare, but if teamed up with a statement leather jacket, you make one hardly notice your crop. Other than that, you can go for prints. Whether it's a skirt or shorts, make the bottom of your look scream prints. 

And the final and most important tip for wearing crop tops is to inject a high amount of confidence into your crop-top look. 

Crop top, newlook.com. Skirt, Topshop. Sunglasses, Mango. Necklace, Asos. Handbag, Aldo. Sneakers, Zara. 

Crop top, Topshop. Skirt, Mango. Shoes, earrings & clutch, Selfridges. Necklace, Dorothy Perkings, Cuff, Mango.  

Pictures: Zara, Getty, FGR