SMART life


Styling for your shape C


elebrities greet the public usu- ally dressed to the nines – with the reason being, they have a team of


stylists to help them look their best. For the less fortunate, we have to rely on our own knowledge of fashion as well as what type of body shape we have in order to dress and im- press. Dressing for


In Vogue Ally Champagne


your body shape is not a new sci- ence. Back in the day, seam- st resses were kept busy mak- ing clothing for women who did not have an off- the-rack figure. Clothing was t ailor ed and adjusted for the


woman’s figure. Today, designers provide us with ample selections to suit and fit the majority of women, taking into consid- eration colouring, size, height, and body shape. Having a sense of what body type you


have allows you to pick and choose cloth- ing which will create the illusion of having a proportioned figure. Knowing your body shape is not about focusing on a particular area such as legs, but rather on the body as a whole. According to Givenchy, “Te dress must


follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress.” His unique understanding of women and fash- ion was the basis of his designing empire. Although designer fashions and trends


make billions of dollars yearly, opting for what makes you feel good is all about choosing what accentuates your best fea- tures, hides your flaws, as well as makes you feel comfortable and confident. Seeing a woman constantly tug at her dress hem says she managed to get into it, but is hav- ing difficulty keeping it on. Definitely not the statement you want to make. Tere are seven main body shapes identi-


fied in the designing world: 1. Te inverted triangle 2. Te lean column 3. Te rectangle 4. Te apple 5. Te pear (opposite of the inverted tri- angle)


6. Te neat hourglass 7. Te full hourglass Te neat hourglass is considered to be


the most perfect and balanced body shape. Tis means the shoulders and hips line up, the bust is defined, the waistline is pro-


Choosing the right pieces to accentuate your figure and downplay your flaws


Despite what the mannequins indicate, one size does not fit all. Pay attention to the unique needs of your shape when styling.


Hints for dressing hourglass


figures


1. To downplay your curves, wear a dark top that ends just below your hip bone or past your thighs


2. To play up your curves, try tops in light or bright colours


3. Wear a bra to lift, support and separate if you are bodacious


4. Wear belted jackets to accentuate your waist 5. Dresses should draw focus to the waist without adding extra volume to your bust


6. Skirts should hug and drape your hips


nounced, and it can include a little tummy as well as a curvaceous bottom. Basically we are talking about being proportionate and curvy, the opposite of the modelesque figure. This feminine and curvy body needs


to find tops which accentuate the bust line without appearing heavy. Flattering tops include scoop or V-necklines, shirts that sit at the waist, and jackets and coats with clean lines that are tailored to fit. Te hourglass should avoid high necklines, shapeless cuts, empire types, and embel- lishments like tassels, beading or bling around the bust or hips.


7. Trousers should be worn with a wide leg that goes down to the floor to elongate – the width balances out the hips


8. Jeans can be wide-legged, loose fitting, boot- cut or flared – stretch denim follows the curves


9. Belts should be small to medium-sized – wide belts can make your bottom appear bigger as well as your top half


10. Purses: try a bag with angles to downplay your curves like a cigar box classic, and to play them up, get a bag with curves like a hobo bag


Dressing the lower half is rather easy,


as most bottoms compliment this figure type. Stylish pieces include pencil or A-line skirts, and jeans which fit well around the hips and behind. Te no-no list includes shapeless or overly baggy items as well as skirts that drop to the thickest part of your leg. Women with this type of shape may have


a tendency to look heavy and short due to their hips. To remedy this, defining the waist and lengthening the legs balances the look. Tis can include a top that sits at the waist with a pair of trousers with good length to allow for heels.


Accessorizing with the right footwear is


essential. You can’t go wrong with a classic pair of stilettos, especially if they are a col- our that brings your entire outfit together. Also try peep toes or rounded toes. Leave the pointed shoes and chunky heels for others. Tose gifted with this hourglass shape


(eight per cent or less of us) have little to wor- ry about. Tink Marilyn Monroe. She was a natural balance of well-placed curves which she enhanced with form-fitting dresses, skirts and tops. Kim Kardashian, Eva Lon- goria, and Scarlett Johansson are definitely the hourglass women of our times.


Te importance of what? Asset allocation Asset allocation is the key to investment success


crease your peace of mind at the same time. But what exactly is as-


B


set allocation? Simply put, it is a strat-


egy for answering two questions: What type of assets should I have in my portfolio? How much of each


should I have? I cannot overstate the


importance of asset al- location when it comes to building a successful portfolio. Asset allocation provides you with a road- map for selecting appro- priate investments, and for rebalancing your portfolio before, during, and after market volatility. As such, it is one of the cornerstones of successful investing. Te rationale for asset allocation Te idea of asset allocation is an old


March 2014


y following a well-formulated as- set allocation strategy, you can stabilize your portfolio and in-


Making Cents Robert Blando


one (at least as old as the saying, “don’t put all your eggs into one basket”). But the idea really took off in the late ‘80s, when investment whiz Gary Brinson (whose f inancial research in the subject has become one of the corner- stones of modern invest- ment strategy) discovered in an investigation that more than 90 per cent of portfolio performance could be at- tributed to how assets were allocated. Slightly less than five per cent was accounted for by the actual securities held, while less than two per cent was due to market timing. In other words, asset al- location turned out to be 10


times more important than everything else put together! Successful asset alloca- tion begins with a simple rule: we should all look for the combination of assets that gives us the greatest potential return for an appropriate level of risk. Te right


asset allocation for you may not be the right allocation for me, depending on the difference in our personal risk toler- ance, but the principle comes down to this: take on as much risk as you have to in order to accomplish your investment goals. And no more. How do I begin?


You can start by asking yourself a


simple question: “Given my personal risk tolerance, and individual objectives, what portion of assets should I allocate for growth, what portion for income, and what portion for liquidity?” This is the secret to successful asset alloca- tion – figure out what you are trying to accomplish with your investments, and then organize your portfolio in the way that is most likely to make those goals a reality. Putting asset allocation to work


Once you’ve outlined your investment


objectives, you should be able to deter- mine an appropriate asset mix. If it’s growth you’re after, you’ll want to allo- cate a significant amount of your wealth to equities, which have historically


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outpaced other assets when it comes to growth. If your objective is income, you’ll want fixed-income investments such as bonds, preferred shares, and per- haps income trusts or real estate. Tese investments offer the most consistent income flow. And if the goal is safety and liquidity, short-term investments such as GICs, T-bills, or money market mutual funds will dominate. No matter what your objective, you’ll


want to reserve a portion of your port- folio for each of these main categories. Such a balance will make market volatili- ty a lot less of a problem in your portfolio, and will help you sleep better at night. Robert W. Blando is a senior wealth


advisor for ScotiaMcLeod, a division of Scotia Capital Inc. He can be reached at 204-946-9223 or robert_blando@scotia- mcleod.com. Tis column is intended as a general


source of information and should not be considered personal investment, tax or pension advice. Te information, opin- ions and conclusions contained in the column are protected by copyright.


SMART TAB 15


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