Perpetuate
Women hate other women, naturally, seeing them as competition for that life-extending, procreating magic that men carry--on the most instinctual, primal level, of course. This little tidbit struck me as an oddly universal piece of advice from a woman, telling other women how to feel good about themselves on her terms. The only thing I hate more than other women is being lumped into a category with them.
Five sexy dressing myths
1. Tight jeans are sexy... not if they pinch or your belly hangs over the front or your underwear is hanging out. Approach jeans like tailored pants, not denim corsetry!
2. Show what you’ve got... not all at once. Choose cleavage or split skirt, long legged mini or bare back. Witness the Hilton sisters and take heed.
3. Wear red... not if you have bright red or canary yellow hair yourself.
4. The little black dress does it every time...unless you look better in apricot silk, violet or white. Innocence has a sensual charge as strong as any black widow.
5. Long hair is sexy... not if it hangs there like string or is blown out so straight it hardens your features. Frame your face, fling a few curls about, wear tiny veiled hat... seduction is an art of distraction.
Five sexy dressing truths
1. The favorite part of you is the sexiest part of you. That includes shoulders, knees ankles, nape or freckles...find ways to accent your subtler charms.
2. Relaxed women are sexy. Work hard on calming your spirit and pumping your energy for at least twenty minutes everyday. Suddenly clothes are almost irrelevant.
3. Women think they are 20 pounds heavier than they are, especially in a cocktail dress. Risk it anyway: curves are the life force!
4. Shoes are 80% percent of the equation. Find a heel that loves your legs and buy three pairs.
5. Tactile sensuality is key. Look and feel touchable with soft hair (no spray, no gel), fabrics like angora, silk charmeuse, satin and cashmere and deliciously kinky accessories: Even a little pair of stretch velvet gloves beckons an invitation. Shall we dance?
Five ways to feel sexy in five minutes
1. Always get dressed playing loud raunchy music, even for the office. Dancing beckons Venus.
2. Always have low light in the bedroom: head-level lighting creates the illusion of fat you simply don’t have!
3. Wear special-occasion lingerie everyday.
4. Spray perfume behind your knees and rub essential oils on your pulse points whenever you feel a bit flat: scent triggers desire and an appetite for life.
5. Avoid any color that reminds you of work, watching TV or public libraries.
Five simply fabulous date dressing tips
1. First date: This is the night to feel pretty. That could mean a simple floral dress or velveteen corset and a black satin skirt. Because first dates are about the unknown, you must indulge your own romantic fantasies. Paint a self portrait in style but try to wear slightly lower heels (for that long walk and talk) and as little make-up as possible…the mark of true confidence.
2. Weekly established date: Seduce your husband/ lover/beer buddy with a shifting menu of affordable lingerie, lipsticks and home-spun glamour hairdos. Variety is the spice of lust.
3. Old flame: The only way to re-ignite a smoldering fire is with maximum heat and pitiless friction: spritz on a spicy scent (such as Yves Saint Laurent Opium), pout a very red mouth (Lancome, Rouge Sensation Code Red), swing lush perfect hair, have bare legs glossed up with Michael Kors' Michael Leg Shine and wear a wrap dress with slinky, high-heeled sandals. No mercy.
4. Double date: Avoid overdressing: a confident siren never has to compete. This is the night when you can wear jeans and a little T-shirt but with a killer bra, favorite earrings and generous coats of mascara. Call it the super-natural effect.
5. Ten-year anniversary: Spend less on the dress and more on the spa treatments leading up to this important night. Indulge in body massage and beauty treatments that cherish every inch of you and then slide into something comfortable and exquisite (a beaded ‘20s-style sheath) and the highest shoes you can bear. A queen has to walk very tall.
Anna Johnson is the author of Handbags: The Power of the Purse and Three Black Skirts: All You Need to Survive and has written for Elle, Vanity Fair, Vogue UK and other magazines. She's a correspondent for the Australian cable TV program By Design. Born in Australia, she divides her time between New York City and Sydney.