Runway to Every Day Model Series: Ashlea

Welcome to our model series of our bi-annual Runway to Every Day event where we detail the looks chosen for our models and the clever dressing strategies behind them.

We hope you enjoyed our re-cap of the two runway events that took place at Chadstone-The Fashion Capital. A style workshop that sees seven Style With Cindy clients take to the runway and showcase the latest Autumn/Winter fashion collections in outfits specifically selected for them.

Over the next three weeks, we will be featuring each model in separate posts, details of their style transformations, where to find their look and perhaps prompt you to consider your own personal style.

So first up we’d like to introduce the gorgeous Ashlea who is 27 years of age and wears a size 10 to 12.

Ashlea has completed a style workshop and a personal shop in a bid to learn how to dress for her body shape and understand how to shop for her age – something she has found challenging in the past.

Body Shape:

Ashlea is a triangle body shape (better known as a pear) that sees the widest part of her body from her hips below.
In contrast, she does have a fuller bust, structured shoulders and a very small waist.
While it may seem a familiar body shape for women it is not the most common figure for someone in their twenties which is why Ashlea initially found it challenging to shop at stores and implement trends targeted at her demographic.

Aim: To bring attention to the top half of Ashlea’s body, balance out her shoulders and hips and make use of her tiny waist.

Outfit One: Casual

Ashlea looked chic and youthful in her first ensemble where we played with black, print and denim.

We wanted to bring some trends in as Ashlea is at a great age to experiment with her look and get away with some of the most ambitious styles.

We’ve placed Ashlea in some black jeggings that are fitted and flattering without clinging to her legs. We’ve kept away from pockets as they would just add unnecessary bulk and tucked the jeggings into some winter boots to further elongate her and visually slim her silhouette.

In order to bring the attention to the top of her body, we’ve played with a black and white striped top (nautical trend) and for a touch of casualness, we threw a cropped denim shirt over the top.

This brings in a little colour and accentuates her waist. Just a style note that denim is big this AW14, and we’ll even see denim on denim if you dare.

This season’s tartan print would have been too much in terms of clothing so we’ve brought it in via an accessory.

Top: Country Road Stripe Long Sleeved Top
Pants: Thurley black Jegging
Shirt: Country Road Denim Shirt
Shoes: Country Road boot
Accessories: Mocha bangles and watch, Lovisa necklace, Country Road bag and beanie

Outfit Two: Smart Casual

Awww gushed the audience as Ashlea hit the runway for the second time. We think Ashlea looked absolutely striking in this black-on-black outfit with some modern updates.

If you remember my trend forecast earlier this year, leather was very dominant and we decided to bring it in to this look in the form of a feminine skirt.

The straight cut skirt and length of the skirt streamlines Ashlea’s hips and black of course is generally a slimming colour.

To add a bit of interest and trend to the outfit, we chose a skirt with a textured front leather panel that also brings a bit of luxe to the overall look.

We teamed a cropped long sleeve top with this skirt. This is a hot trend and is about having your skin peek through rather than having large sections on show bringing a sexy edge to the look. It also reminds us of Ashley’s beautiful waist.

A touch of this seasons leopard and animal print through the clutch and shoes break up the black keeping this outfit chic.

Finally – that hat! No explanation needed, it just worked as the final touch.

Top: Seed black cropped knit
Skirt: Seed leather panel skirt
Shoes: Seed leopard print pointed pumps
Accessories: Mocha jewellry, Seed clutch and hat

Outfit Three: Evening

Here we placed Ashlea in a gorgeous Cue cocktail dress to shown off her sexy pins.

The dress is very flattering and is great for the winter months as the back and front are covered. It can also be layered with tights or a long sleeve top.

We’ve taken this seasons new black – navy – and brought it in with a print pattern to add interest while still keeping with a cooler colour palette which is ideal for Ashlea’s fair skin tone and blonde hair.

The skirt section of the dress breaks out into a pleated a-line drawing from the waist. You can see a tiny bit of Ashlea’s décolletage and we’ve stayed with a straight sleeveless cut that streamlines her entire body.

A metallic belt around the middle both cinches her waist and works in with her other wrist accessories.

For a cover up, we’ve opted for this seasons cape in classic black. The double-breasted design sits just on her hips slimming Ashlea most when it’s buttoned up.

This dress spoke for itself with nothing more required than a simple black pump shoe to complete the look.

Dress: Cue
Cape: Cue black cape
Shoes: Santini black pointed pump
Accessories: Kookai silver chain belt (underneath on waist), Mocha jewellery and Cue clutch

 

It was great to see Ashlea looking so beautiful and confident and see her fall in love with her body and shopping for fashion again.

Younger people in particular tend to take trends by bible, forgetting about their shape and you will see Ashlea still looks young yet stylish using clever dressing strategies.

 

If you like what you see and would like to leave a comment for Ashlea, please do so below and we’ll see you Thursday for our next model – Julia.

Love Cindy xx