Years ago, while working an all-day women’s event at a fortune 100 company, women and men stopped by for a tip on their image. The number one item was the lack of attention to their eyebrows. They were mostly unattended. The purpose of eyebrows is to capture the eyes and enhance facial expressions.

Twenty years later, the proliferation of new products to add color and boldness to eyebrows may have gone too far! Most eyebrows look very painted on which is fine for television but not for everyday wear. The tip is to brush the eyebrow out, so it will look more natural. Also, when using these new tools, stay within the arc of the brow. Too many touch ups look like they belong on a science fiction character!

The fashion industry is trying shake up and rouse interest in clothing by introducing a new way of using prints and patterns in clothing for men and women. Blouses, dresses, and menswear are being designed with several different prints on one item.

Ted Baker started this by introducing collars and cuffs with patterns and shirt bodies in another pattern. Fashion savvy men began to wear them. And now, even conservative men wear multi-colors, multi-prints for business casual. DVF dresses are now loaded with several prints and patterns on the same dress. Just remember, the clothing should enhance the person wearing it as opposed to the clothing wearing the person.

Is it fabric or style that determines when clothing becomes too casual? We want a firm finish or wrinkle-free fabrics in a shirt, pants, or dress of choice. Often, these questions come up when choosing clothing for the office. Err on the polished side when making these decisions. When it comes to trends, stay away from the fads and wait styles out for at least two seasons.

I remember a situation when presenting to a group of high profile attorneys. One of the senior female partners wore a cropped pants suit. Those slacks took a while to take hold to begin with and are now out of fashion. Choose classic cuts with a modern flare. For example, Amal Clooney always wears classic cuts with a different slant to them like a flowered pencil skirt with a tailored sweater.

Recently, a well-known designer sold out a dress with a flower pattern on half of the dress and stripes on the other side. It was a shirt dress style designed to be worn in a business casual or party event setting. This major pattern style change shattered the mold of a small pattern with a stripe. This new trend has yet to make it to the next season. However, it fits with the current pattern explosion in dresses and men and women’s shirts. The one rule of the thumb is that the person should be wearing the clothing, not the clothing wearing the person.

Ruffles on blouses for women have been trending these last few years. This began with a simple ruffle at the hem of the sleeve around the wrist, eventually building to a three quarter sleeve. The most current rendition is layers of ruffles that end at the elbow of the sleeve. Unless the person wearing the blouse is very slender, this trend in blouses will add inches to the chest and in some cases, project a very costume-like look.

Lately, many rules have been broken about style, colors, and patterns. In fact, many styles considered unacceptable not too long ago, are now current! For example, colors that used to seem to clash are the latest hot style trend.

Prints on prints now work instead of just prints with a solid companion color. As always, though, the best style is the one that works for you. Whether you prefer classic and tailored or like to wear the most current threads, wear your clothes with confidence.

Prints, patterns, and flowers are making a presence in dresses, blouses, and shirts and in styles big, small, and mix and match separates. I personally prefer other prints, but I do like adding variety to my clothing choices. They way to do that is to select fabrics with texture and pronounced color weaves. If I ever decide to incorporate flowers in my wardrobe, it will most likely be with scarves.

Gray nail polish with a blacker color to it is trending again. Michele Obama first wore the lighter gray nine years ago while making a major speech at a convention. This color looks best on lighter skin tones. On darker skin, it might look like a bruised nail. Another trend (a favorite of mine) are the different neutral shades. If you have lighter skin, choose a companion neutral to enhance the skin tones.

Recently, I was with a client and noticed her glasses kept slipping off her nose. She was constantly pushing them up. I know this problem intimately because I have a flat nose with a very low bridge. Eyewear choices were limited for me because my eyewear needs to have nose pads that can be pinched to keep the glasses from sliding. Warby Parker just introduced a new line of eyewear so people like me can wear glasses without nose pads.

Matching your shoe color means that the shoe color and style should coordinate with the outfit being worn. Today, though, everything is all up in the air! Current times suggest that red color shoes can be worn with the opposite wheel color. Yellow sport shoes can be worn with a suit. Women can wear a completely different color red shoe with a white suit. Comfort has become critical and style goes out the window if any clothing or accessory is not comfortable. To play it safe, stay with companion colors in choosing a shoe color to go with your ensemble.