What to wear with big feet, chunky ankles, long neck

Dear Rissa,

I’ve seen many fashion magazines tackle women’s problems on body types and how to dress accordingly. I’ve heard endless stories on what to wear if you have small breasts, large breasts, big hips, small hips, a long torso or short torso, and a big bottom or flat bottom. I’ve read about fashion fixes for every body type whether it be slim, curvy, boyish, athletic or a plus-size. But those aren’t the only problem areas of a woman’s body. There are other parts of my body that I’m quite conscious of, too.

What do you recommend for people with long feet? I’m only 5’5" but I wear 8 1/2-size shoes. Must be my long toes – my friends tease me that they look like fingers! I’ve also got chunky ankles, what do I do about that? And lastly, I’ve got a long neck. What kinds of blouses would best flatter me? – Frustrated Farrah

Dear Frustrated Farrah,

For long feet, consider buying shoes with a low-cut vamp (the part of the shoe that covers the top of the foot) and a slight-to-moderate heel. A shoe with a high-cut vamp is likely to highlight your long feet. Also go for styles that emphasize the width of the foot rather than the length. In other words, the main decorative elements of the shoe should run across the foot rather than down the foot.

For thick or chunky ankles, low heels are more flattering than flats. A low vamp shoe style will work well not just for your long feet but for your chunky ankles as well. That’s because a low vamp will draw the eye down from the ankle. Avoid T-straps, mules, clogs, ankle boots, or any other shoes that lure the eye up toward the ankle rather than down toward the toes. And ankle bracelets aren’t a stylish choice either.

For your long neck, look for blouses with standup or high collars. Skip collarless jackets or tops. Also consider using scarves and jewelry that hang just at the base of the neck. Choker necklaces are a good choice. Avoid using scarves or necklaces that hang very low. Dangling earrings will also give the illusion of a shorter neck but make sure to avoid the long, straight, thin kinds. The extending lines parallel to your neck will keep your neck looking long.

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So Many Designer Brands

Dear Rissa,

I’ve been shopping lately (well, just window-shopping!) and I’ve just noticed that one brand can have so many names! Like Ralph Lauren has Polo Sport, RL, and Polo Jeans. I never really thought about it but what’s the difference? I mean, why do they have so many lines when it’s all just the same designer? Is there even a difference? Just wondering. – Brand Babe

Dear Brand Babe,

Big-name designers are aware of the "glitter factor" surrounding their names. But at the same time, they know that only a small percentage of the buying public can actually afford a $1,000 suit. That’s why in the ’80s and ’90s, these designers began to create spin-off lines. The pieces in these secondary lines are made for customers who crave the labels but can’t afford the expensive price tags on high-end pret-a-porter.

A more appropriate term for the mega designers’ by-products is "diffusion" lines. The lines come from the same "name" as the collections but are focused on a different direction or market. These often have the words "jeans" or "sport" somewhere in the label. These are usually targeted to younger customers that’s why the prices are lower compared to the other lines produced by the designer. But notice that it’s still more expensive than comparable merchandise from non-glitzy manufacturers. A T-shirt may just be like any white tee in a department store but because it’s D&G, it costs 10 times more. The name or label makes it more expensive.

In general, the lower the price point of a diffusion line, the less direct the designer’s participation. All they do sometimes is give an ok to prototypes made by sub-designers. In some cases, the design and/or manufacture is licensed out to other companies. The name on the label means the "glitter factor" is still there but otherwise, the items may be just like the cheaper ones. Buyers either don’t know or don’t care. They’d willingly shell out an expensive extra for "a few grains of stardust." Be familiar with the different strengths and flaws of the diffusion lines. Some are great, offering serious quality at reasonable prices, while a few are bad. When shopping, simply trust your own eyes and hands.

Here’s a list of designers and their diffusion lines but it will likely change over time.

Alberta Ferretti

Philosophy

Anna Sui

Sui

Anne Klein

Anne Klein II

A Line

Bill Blass

Blassport

Christian Lacroix

Bazar de Christian Lacroix

Lacroix Jeans

Calvin Klein

CK

Calvin Klein Jeans

Cerruti Arte

Cerruti 1881

Cerruti Club

Dolce & Gabbana

D&G

Dolce & Gabbana Jeans

Donna Karan Signature

Donna Karan New York

DKNY

D

DKNY Jeans

Escada / Margaretha Ley

Laurel

Escada Couture (eveningwear)

Escada Elements

Escada Sport

A Priori 7

Geoffrey Beene

Beene Bag

Geoffrey Beene Sport

Georges Rech

Synonyme

Unanyme

Gianfranco Ferre

Ferre Studio 000.1

Ferre Jeans

Gianni Versace

Istante

Versatile (eveningwear)

Versus

Versace.intensive

Versace Jeans Couture

Versace Jeans

Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani Borgonuovo 21

Le Collezione

Mani

Emporio Armani

Armani A/X

Armani Jeans

Helmut Lang

Helmut Lang Jeans

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Junior Gaultier

Gaultier Jeans

Jones New York

Jones New York Country

Jones New York Sport

Isaac Mizrahi

Is**c

Karl Lagerfeld

KL

Kenzo

Kenzo Jeans

Krizia

Krizia per Te

Liz Claiborne Collection

Lizwear

Liz & Co.

Lizsport

Elisabeth (large-size)

Emma James

Villager Signature

Louis Feraud

Louis Feraud Contraire

MaxMara

MaxMara Basic

MM by MaxMara

Weekend by MaxMara

Marella

Marella Sport

Pennyblack

Piano Forte by MaxMara

Marina Rinaldi (large-size)

Sportmax

I Blues

Prisma

Missoni

Missoni Sport

Moschino

Moschino Cheap and Chic

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar

Prada

Miu Miu

Granello

Prada Sport

Ralph Lauren Collection

Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren

RL

Ralph by Ralph Lauren

Polo Jeans

Lauren

Rifat Ozbek

Future Ozbek

Sonia Rykiel

Sonia Rykiel Inscription

Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Girl

Ungaro

Emanuel Ungaro U Collection

Emanuel Ungaro Parallele

Emanuel

Emanuel/Emanuel Ungaro

Liberte

Valentino

Miss V

Valentino Studio

Oliver

Vivienne Westwood Gold Label

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Anglomania

Yves Saint Laurent

Rive Gauche

YSL Variation

Yves Saint Laurent Encore

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For more tips on fashion, beauty and lifestyle trends, watch The Kikay Machine daily on Juice TV, Channel 47 on Destiny Cable and Channel 15 on Dream Cable. The show will soon be on SkyCable and Home Cable. Watch also Fashion TV Philippines on ABC-5 every Sunday at 11 p.m.

For your questions, comments and suggestions, e-mail the author at rissa_ms@hotmail.com.