Every now and again, usually when I post a particularly well put together outfit for Dear Glimmer, or post a photo of an outfit I'm wearing on Instagram - I get an email or text from a friend. "I love your outfit choices...please take me shopping - I'll pay you!" And while I find these emails very flattering, I'm not actually a personal stylist (people go to school for this) and the whole thought of picking out specific outfits for others stresses me out. In case you haven't noticed, I always speak in general terms about fashion here on Glimmer. A long camel coat and sneakers isn't going to look good on everyone. Everyone's bodies are different, so what works for me - might not be the best choice for you. So how do you know what works best for your body? You consult Smithery Style of course! 

Smithery is Rena and Mavis - two ladies who skipped out on their former lives in advertising to help women find the perfect outfits for their body type.  Smithery identifies your body shape with either an in-person consultation, or in the privacy of your own home using their easy Shape Finder. Five of the most common body shapes are identified (X, H, A, V & O), so once you have identified yours, they will help you choose from their showroom of beautifully curated choices (business and casual styles available) or you can easily shop the collection online.  Smithery offers a range of sizes and price points and 90% of their clothing is under $150. Of course when I visited their Spadina Ave. showroom, I found the one thing that was over $150 - typical me. 

After perusing the racks of sweet styles, Mavis measured me up and  determined that I was an H body type. Typically H shapes fall into the following categories:

• Shoulders, waist and hips appear about the same width. If you're measuring (which they did - ugh) the waist size will generally be within nine inches of the shoulders and hips. (No Marilyn Monroe hourglass here girls.)
• Little waist definition creating a column effect. 
• H's can be either narrow (with a small bust) or more rectangular (fuller bust and a bit rounder tummy -and commonly short waisted.  I believe as I get older I'm falling more into the second category. 

Then they gave me a 'essentials worksheet' for curating a wardrobe suitable for H shapes. Some of the suggestions include:

• round neck tee's
• chunky knit sweaters (yay)
• boldly patterned top (I rarely wear patterns - so this is a challenge for me)
• high tie neck blouses
• dress with wrap or darting at the waist. 
• horizontal stripes
• skinny ankle length jeans in denim and in white (thanks God)

Many of the suggestions I thankfully already have in my wardrobe, but I will try to experiment more wrap dresses and bold patterns. It also explains why I feel awkward in the column dress I bought at Club Monaco this past summer. For a H shape...you need to create a waist - not bring attention to the fact that you don't have one.  Check out the Smithery website to find your shape and the best clothes for you!

I asked the ladies what they're three style must-have's for Fall are, and they reminded me that they are "big proponents of easy comfortable pieces that upgrade your look to everyday chic." They include:

- a coatigan: A long sweater with a substantial weight that takes you in an out of the car and work and errands. This kind of third piece elevates any two basics into a legit outfit and our fall weather means you don't need to jump right to a full blown jacket. 

- a pair of black ankle length pants: We've hunted down what we've dubbed the magic butt pants from a company called Tyler Madison in Montreal. They are made in Canada and lift and tuck and suck and are seamless so they layer like a dream. 

- a wild card that makes you happy: something in a pattern or colour or style that is just on the edge of your comfort zone. These are often the compliment magnets! 

SMITHERY

147 Spadina Ave 

Toronto, Ontario