Style School: Which Waist Will Help You Dress For Success?

Welcome back, fashion-philes. Have you been keeping up with your research? Last week's class had us pondering the definition of Dupioni, and surely once you spotted the lovely lemon yellow wrap dress from Calypso Christiane Celle as the Dupioni dress, you snapped one up in every color.

By definition, Dupioni silk is a nubby silk made from yarn that is uneven or varied in width. The raised horizontal "slubs" shouldn't be confused with flubs — in nature, this phenomenon is due to two silkworms sewing one cocoon together, a rarity that creates beautifully unique material that is light enough for spring fashions yet durable enough for upholstery or drapery.

For this week's quiz, we'll continue on with dresses, but we'll shift our focus from fabrics to styles. How about a multiple choice? Match each dress above with its appropriate style below.

A. Empire Waist
B. Shift
C. Drop Waist

Bonus points will be given if you can correctly identify which fit flatters which body type. Stumped? Check back next week for this week's quiz answers and for your next fashionable assignment. And remember, the SheFinds professors keep office hours. Ask your most burning fashion questions in the comment section below; we'd be glad to help you in your quest for style knowledge! 

Style School: Will You Get Duped by Dupioni?

Greetings, style students. Hope you all enjoyed last week's assignment — we added a little extra bling just for you. Did you read up on pavé diamonds? And did you pick the stunning and totally covetable Frank Gehry Fish ring from Tiffany & Co. as the ring that featured the so-chic technique? Pavé settings are made up of a large number of small stones (usually diamonds, although I've been seeing a lot of quartz and other smokey gemstones lately) set closely together and held in place by tiny beads of setting metal. The effect is an extra twinkly one; the sparkly surfaces of pieces using the pavé technique look like they are literally "paved" with stones.

This week's pop quiz takes us back to the wonderful world of fabrics. Wedding season is fast approaching, and chances are most of you hunting for the perfect wedding-attending attire will come across at least one fab frock in Dupioni silk. One of the fresh yellow dresses above is made with Dupioni silk, and the other is satin. Think you can spot the subtle differences? You'll have to wait until next week's session to find out if you're a formal fabric master.

Extra Credit alert: There's no doubt that, in all your paging through magazines and watching Project Runway marathons, you've come across fashion terms that leave you scratching your head. Tip us off in the comments section below and we'll try to incorporate your Q's into our Style School quizzes.

Style School: Which Ring Has Pavé Bling?

Class is back in session. Do you feel confident that you aced your last pop quiz on hobo bags? If you called out our dear—but apparently fashion vocabulary-challenged—friend Kate Spade for mis-naming her structured green bag a hobo, you've scored an A!

Kate and class, a hobo bag is traditionally large, crescent-shaped, and made of a material that allows for that chic bohemian slouchiness. You've all seen the cartoons, with hobos carrying their loot in bandana-and-stick contraptions called bindles. Those are the inspiration behind typically roomy, flexible hobo bags. Ms. Spade's bag, while adorable, is a tad too structured, too small, and too impractical for the fashionista who carries her life around in her bag.

This week, we'll keep focusing on accessories, this time on girl's best friend. Ladies who love to be dripping in diamonds will know immediately which ring above features trendy pavé diamonds. What does "pavé" mean, you ask? Check back next week for the full fashion report and your next stylish assignment.

Style School: Hobo Yes Or No

Welcome back, style students. I trust you all did swimmingly on your first pop quiz and chose the white and green Badgley Mischka cocktail dress as the piece featuring an oh-so-trendy ombré effect.

If you got it wrong, don't worry. The SheFinds fashion profs are here to keep you up to speed on what's what in the world of style. Ombré is a French term meaning "shaded." Like the Badgley Mischka dress, pieces featuring ombré fabric or dye patterns have a gentle color gradient that fades seamlessly from one color to another (think beautiful morning sunrises). The effect is wispy and artistic—and it happens to be one hot trend at the moment. Everything from dresses to shoes to handbags are showing up with stunning shading.

Speaking of handbags, it's time for our next pop quiz, this one focusing in on popular purse lingo that gets thrown around—and misused—quite a bit. Both Kate Spade and Marc Jacobs call their pictured handbags "hobos," but only one of them really is (looks like at least one handbag designer needs to enroll in Style School stat!)


Think you know hobo from not-so? Be here when the bell rings next week to find out if you're in the hobo know, and to take your next style quiz.

Style School: Ombre Pop Quiz

Welcome to the first day of SheFinds Style School! My, what a fashionable class we have! We might not like to admit it, but there are some fashion terms out there that can boggle even the most savvy fashionista. So the profs at SheFinds are here to help - and we promise there won't be any weekend homework - except maybe to hit up the bargain sales.

The first pop quiz is on the term Ombre - what the heck is it anyway? Well, we're not going to give away the answer just yet, but below are two choices. Click on the one you think is the right answer to see if you're on top of the trends. And check in to Style School next week to learn the full definition and to take part in the next style quiz!