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Lynda Osborne

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT STYLE FOR YOUR SHAPE

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT STYLE FOR YOUR SHAPE SHAPE

Apparel fashion trends are mainly about colors, fabrics, patterns and silhouettes, among other design elements, and any of these four basic components can make or break your look depending on your type of shape.  People are also of four basic shape types, and each one can be styled differently to achieve the most flattering look.

Going way back to Project Runway week 3, models on stilts show a perfect example of how styles work with one’s shape. Take for instance, the work of designers Julia and Joshua.  With daddy-long legs, as seen in the extreme lithe rectangular shape of the moco-jumbies, vertical stripes made a dramatic effect.. These models exhibited the long lean and straight shape, which would look wider if camouflaged with lots of fabric. If one should wish to use stripes, it can be used to detract from an unwanted look and enhance what you desire instead. You can get very creative.

In this case, more width can be achieved by optical illusion when placing the stripes horizontally as opposed to placing them lengthways. Vertical stripes can be a solution for the plus size person wanting to look slimmer. The red number created by the winners Laura and Anthony detracted from the long and narrow silhouette through their styling with the voluminous pants and over skirt.

Choosing the right style for your shape is all about balancing your figure proportions with correct style lines, fabric patterns and color choices or combinations. You ladies with the hourglass figure, where the bust and the hips are approximately the same measurements, you have it made since you can wear almost any style and it is very easy to find your size..

If you are a Pear shape women, or “slim-thick”, typical of most Caribbean and Latino women where the hips are wide and the bustline smaller, if you desire, you can create more width to your top through the use of lighter or brighter colors, while making the hips appear smaller by using darker colors,   though many may be guilty of accentuating the larger curves with bold color choices such as white.

Quite the opposite to the pear-shape, is the Inverted or full-top shape, full-busted women with a narrower width at the hips.  If you fall under this category, most likely your legs may be may be slimmer as well.  Choose styles that add width to your hips and legs, no pencil-pants here! If your ankles are thin, choose hem lengths that stop at the knee, the widest part of your calves, or covering the ankles, no where in-between.  Stripes and styles lines look best when they are lengthways or diagonal at the top only.  Where possible, chose styles that are close-fitting at the top from shoulder to waist, widening out at the hips, such as princess-lines and flared skirts or flared pants. Alternately, you can chose styles that taper freely from the bust to the upper hip and flaring out below.

When you have a very full waistline, as seen in the Round or square figure, keep the focus away from the stomach area by refraining from the use of belts and lines across.  Accentuate the positive which is usually the shoulders or bust, and use stripes lengthways, diagonally, or in a downward “V”.  It is wiser to choose fashion trends that are only suitable for your shape than to follow one that emphasizes the bad. Do not use printed fabrics that place large patterns around the waistline.

Fashion styles come and go, one season your silhouette may be in, the next season it may be out, but you can always make up for it by concentrating on the colors of the season while keeping your own style, for it’s an evolving fashion world, where individual style is fast becoming an acceptable trend of today.

THE FASHION QUEST

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THE FASHION QUEST

by Lynda Osborne

Many fashionists dream of the fashion design world as fortune and fame. Some love the limelight of runway modeling and the world of supermodels, while others adore the artistic photo shoots, many with that glimmer of hope that recognition towards a film career would follow. On the other hand, others take a different approach.  They look at the business aspect of it, the viability of it, and the dedication behind the scenes.

There are very many designers worldwide, and what we see in the media is just the tip of the iceberg. Many concentrate seriously on their day-to-day activities, satisfied with their share of the market, unaffected by the non-involvement in fashion shows and the flash of cameras.  They may not be a household name, but they have made their niche within this fashion sphere.

I believe in a quote “When you do something great, there’s the possibility that there’s someone out there that’s just as good or better than you”.  I was quite intrigued by a seemingly unknown designer who may not be among the first ten top designers, but better than many. It is true that sometimes what we see in the media as a big achievement by someone, may be just a fluke, or a publicized one-time event with no solid foundation nor genuine capacity for continuity, but I have researched this designer and have found him to be right on board.

Another designer I was intrigued with is from Chicago, Illinois.  I had the opportunity to view her catalogue while liaising with a buyeer in Chicago, and was quite amazed to see the bead work she put into her dresses.  While my garments are about creative structure, line and style, she concentrated on detailed embellishment, incorporating them in every piece that she produced.

Such specialised expertise does not occur by guess. Many persons have natural talents in certain spheres, and just as practice makes perfect, that practice also steers you to find or get into your niche. It is said that one has to pay one’s dues before becoming an expert in a field, and while working long hours and stepping far to broaden one’s horizon are surely two of those dues, one must be strong and diligent through obstacles along the way. One may venture into something that may just restrict or stagnate, while another may enlighten to the opening up of one’s eyes, and be a conduit for maximized creative energy and due success.

Lynda Osborne Bio

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  Born in the eastern region of Trinidad &Tobago, Lynda Osborne founded her Fashion Wear business in 1980 after quitting a nine to five office job.

Inspired by the remarkable response to the outfits she created in her spare time during her office tenure, she opened her first fashion shop in her home town, fully stocked with her designs under the label of Lyn  Mac.

She quickly became well-known  for her unique  and fashionable styles, and was sought after for wedding, evening and pageant gowns, as well as striking one-of-a-kind outfits.

With a natural aptitude towards the industry’s business processes, two years later, Lynda relocated further west, gravitating to a bigger volume.  With a small staff, she expanded to manufacturing limited editions of her designs under the label of Lyn Borne, and supplied to prime local department stores and boutiques.

She singly handled the sales, designing, cutting, and fabric surface treatments.  During the initial three years in manufacturing, her  stylish sun-time pant sets, dresses and skirt sets included interesting detailing, as well as screen-printing, hand-painting and Shibori-dying on cottons, linens and jersey fabrics.  Her Christmas collections saw unique cuts using designer textiles and sequined fabrics.

 She produced limited editions of trendy casual wear, swimsuits, semi-formal wear and evening wear, while continuing to provide custom-made fashions to individual clients.  

Not to be often seen in the limelight, Lynda Osborne did not participate in fashion weeks, but instead went direct to the sales target, sought and approached wholesale buyers, and successfully delivered with continuing orders.

In 1991, she was invited to participate in a program in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy and Goodwill Industries, School for the physically-challenged. 

Here, she was introduced to Saori handweaving and soon added it to her skills portfolio, following which she developed  a program for Goodwill Industries, for the teaching of hand-weaving and the creation of hand-woven fabrics and products. These included purses, shawls and soft shoes.

1991 proved to be an eventful year where she created a stunning silver gown for the Miss Republic Carnival Beauty pageant for the first time, and won best gown, beating a popular all-time designer winner.  

Later that year, she was asked to produce a fashion show of her designs to delegates of the International Community Education Association (ICEA) during their annual conference which was held in  Trinidad at the Hilton Hotel that year.  She received an award for her remarkable contribution.

Relocating close to Port of Spain in 1992, Lynda Osborne solved a design dilemma for then leading carnival band Barbarosa, when she innovatively created costuming depicting the waves of the sea, using blue iridescent transparent organza with a rippling effect. This led to contracts for six more sections  that year, and on-going seasonal contracts during the next five years.

In the interim, Lynda Osborne launched a Business wear segment providing ladies made-to-measure tailored jackets, trousers, skirts and dresses to small companies and offices,  Her very first two clients were Citrus Growers Association and West Indian Tobacco Ltd.

For  Lynda, designing comes easily and natural, and she has a knack for developing her own advanced techniques from basic learnt skills.  With the advent of the computer, she  quickly taught herself and upgraded her art and design skills onto the digital platform.

Once again Lynda stepped  into imparting her knowledge, this time in 2007 at the University of the West indies, when she co-lectured in 2 fashion modules : Fashion Industry  studies and Computer-aided design in Fashion, part of the 3rd year segment of the Human Ecology Bachelor of Science degree.

In 2008, taking a 4-year hiatus, she went on to solidify her natural knowledge, experience and skills, and attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts honors degree in Fashion Design in 2012, gaining some insights into the formal systems in the industry, while making comparisons with the real world.  Re-entering the industry was met with challenges as supply chains and markets’ buying habits were going through a rapid change. 

Operations resumed in 2013, concentrating on in-person Bespoke and Made-to-measure fashion wear, and gradually progressing towards e-commerce in 2022.