Commercial real estate professional Sandra is six feet tall and all legs. Plus, with size 11 feet, she has trouble finding clothes and shoes that fit. She needs a professional evening outfit for a fundraising benefit. A tall order for us?

   Our Style Mission

For Sandra, we were challenged to reach new fashion heights by dressing her lovely, leggy frame in an evening professional look.

Our guest expert is Malene Grotrian, haute couture designer of evening and professional wear. She had these tips for styling Sandra:

• For evening yet professional, go for a 3-piece look: a top, a bottom, and a jacket. Choose styles that are very feminine, very fitted, and very tailored.

• Stay away from pinks. There are better shades that will really pop with her colouring: greens, blues, and jewel tones.

   Our Look Book

At first we were undecided whether a dress or a skirt with a blouse would work best for Sandra, but we knew we wanted some shimmer, and also heels. So what if she’s already 6 feet tall? Those great legs deserve to be shown off!

We settled on a purple skirt with a bit of a sheen as our baseline for building the outfit.

• Dark purple sheen skirt by By Pink Tartan: $193 at The Bay
• Dark purple cowl neck top: $62 at Banana Republic
• Black peep-toe heels (in a roomy size 10!): $135 at Nine West
• Black opaque tights: $15 at H&M
• Black earrings: $45 at Banana Republic
• Silver chain twist bracelet: $50 at Banana Republic

   Expert opinion from Malene Grotrian:

• You chose a good colour for Sandra. Purple complements red hair really well.

• I’m glad you found something fun to match her personality. I like the length of the skirt, and I really like the neckline of the top — the draping adds a little bit of volume to a smaller chest.

• The look is lacking a little professionalism. I would love to see it with a sharp, fitted jacket, very tailored. When you’re tall, you can do this to break up a long silhouette.

 

   Did our style picks make the “Do List” or “Don’t List”?

Sandra loved the colour and will be definitely rocking the outfit at her fundraising event.

Our style expert Malene Grotrian gave us an 8/10. She says a great fitted jacket (and a couple extra hundred bucks!) would have earned us a perfect score.

 

   Tips we learned on this show:

• To make sense of crazy couture you often see in fashion magazines, find the elements of the image you can make work in the real world. For example, a fitted jacket or bustier, a flattering shape, a metallic accent or colour, or even the attitude of the wearer, which is free! (Trina Lombardo, Market Director of W Magazine)

• Practical advice for everyday women on finding their inner goddess: The cut of the cloth, of the dress, plus the shoes, and the accessories all help to create a sexy look. (Designer Vassilios Kostetsos)

• Choose clothes that are comfortable, that suit your body type, and your skin tone. (Designer Malene Grotrian)

   Other Show Segments

• Product Test: LipoLaser Fat Reduction Treatments
• Beauty Tips: Old Make-up? Toss it!
• Style tips: Fashion Stylist Tricks of the Trade

Please note: opinions expressed about fashion and beauty in this article are just that: our opinions. Feeling beautiful on the inside is what matters most, but we like to do what we can on the outside too.