June 25, 2023

Anna Bey Tips

Ladies,

Thank you so much for your purchase of this linen limited collection.
I would like to give you some tips on how to wear these items...

Linen Basics

To get the classy linen look right, there are some elegance rules one should follow if you wear linen.

Linen is considered to be more of a day-time attire. I would advise not to wear linen at night to dressed up events. Casual events are fine.
One drawback of wearing linen is that it gets wrinkly, and that's something one has to accept. Make sure you always steam your linen garments before wearing them to avoid excessive amounts of wrinkles.
Always steam or iron your linen garments straight after laundering. It will elevate their overall appearance and make them look more "crisp". Ironing slightly damp linen will make it easier to get all the creases out.
Just with any garments, always make sure your garments look clean and tidy when wearing them. Cut off any loose threads that naturally may occur from most clothing productions.

Summer Styling Essentials

Here are some essentials that I recommend you invest in that will match these linen items tremendously. You will look instantly put together with minimum effort!

Straw hat

A hat will elevate ANY outfit. And it's perfect to hide a bad hair day! You can find great hats at any budget. I do recommend getting "statement hats" that you can find in more specialized hat stores.

Wicker basket style bag

No need to buy designer bags for day-time activities in summer! Get a budget wicker style basket as your go to carry-on. They will match your linen items very well as they're both in natural fibers.

Brown or White Leather Sandals

Regardless if you opt for flats or sandals with a heel, I highly recommend that your footwear will be in the color brown or white. I have noticed over the years how these colors are the most functional to style with linen garments.

Crochet Style Espadrilles

Espadrilles and espadrilles with a wedge are perfect summer shoes for day-time, and the crochet variant works exceptionally well with linen. My favorite espadrilles brand is called Castaner and is fairly affordable.

How-to Style

Shirt Dress

The reason why I added the shirt dress to this collection is because I believe it's the most comfortable staple out there! It's like a uniform on it's own, all you need to do is to put it on and you're instantly elegantly dressed while being comfortable.

There are some do's and don'ts that I want to share with you:

Always tie the belt at your exact waist placement, even if you struggle to find your waist (all body shapes have a waist definition, even if it's small). This dress is made with adjustable waist, meaning I have not pre-defined the waist placement so you can find yours!

Do change the belt to a regular belt if you want! One idea could be to play around with a brown leather belt on the oatmeal, white or blue dress. For the pink and red you can maybe go for a black belt. Safest bet will be thinner belts or belts similar in size to the current belt.

If you don't enjoy the high slit (for extra spice) you can add discreet snap buttons. You can also add that in the chest area if you have a larger chest and get a small opening.

You can unbutton the sleeves and roll them up for a more casual look

This dress can be worn with classy sneakers, flats, open sandals, espadrilles, heels. It's a really versatile dress that will work with most shoes!

Accessorise according to your taste! You can wear a lovely necklace either tucked under the shirt or left casually on top. Long or short necklaces, doesn't matter!

Anna Bey's Fashion

Do not tie the belt in the middle of the belly. It looks better when tied slightly to the side (any side). You can of course tie it in the middle if you wish, just be careful if you have a protruding belly, the belt will emphasise that area.

If you decide to change belt, make sure it doesn't clash with the color of the dress. Be careful with contrasting colored belts if you don't want to draw too much attention to your stomach area.

Skipping the belt altogether will be a bad idea as the point of the belt is to put emphasis on the waist (create a feminine silhouette) but to also emphasis on the A-Line skirt.

Do not wear running shoes, ankle boots, knee high boots or heels with an exaggerated platform with this dress.

Maxi Dress

The short sleeve maxi dress is going to be a great choice for any dressy day-time events, or casual evenings.

Here's how I would wear it with elegance:

Heels or wedges are to recommend to wear with this dress as it's cut to reach the floor.

My personal favorite is to wear it with open to sandals (heels)

If you're a tall lady, you will be able to wear this dress with flat sandals too.

You can swap out the existing belt to one of yours. Maybe a brown belt? Don't be afraid to experiment with the belts you have and opt for the best looking one!

Add a necklace for a more accessorized look. Either under or over the shirt.

If worn as a dress for dressy occasions, then opt for a smaller bag. If worn as a casual day-time dress, then wear wedges together with a bigger bag (wicker basket style) for ultimate glamour.

Tie the belt slightly on the side instead of in the middle of the stomach as it might not be flattering on all body shapes.

Don't wear this dress with sneakers, running shoes, ballerinas, boots, pumps

Don't roll the sleeves up as they're already quite short and it will look strange otherwise

Don't stuff the pockets with actual items, they're meant to casually place your hands only when needed.

Linen Shirt

There's nothing that adds more confidence in clothing than a perfectly cut shirt. For linen, it's nice when it's a tiny bit oversized which is what I wanted to create for my own linen shirt.

Here are some of my recommendations:

Roll up the sleeves! It adds a cool, but sophisticated look. You can also wear with the sleeves down at your own desire.

Tuck the shirt into high-waisted bottoms. It elongates your body while adding some definition.

You can also wear the shirt in multiple ways not being tucked in. Example: Keep it unbuttoned like an open cardigan, as a cover up with a top underneath.

Another way of not tucking it in, would be to wear it buttoned up but by adding a belt in your waist area.

Don't forget the half-way tuck! Just tucking in a small part of the shirt in the front can give you a cool and relaxed look while being elegant.

Anna Beys Linen Collection

Do not button your shirt all the way up. You can of course, but I recommend leaving one - two buttons open.

Do not wear a bra that can be seen through the shirt. Either it can be the colors or lace details that can be seen.

Do not wear linen shirts under sweaters. While it works really well with cotton shirts, due to linen being a different kind of material (more summery) it simply won't work.

Oversized Linen Shirt (Beach Cover Up)

My absolute favorite cover up for the beach is the oversized linen shirt! It's absolutely genius and I wish more people knew about it. The linen helps protecting you from the sun, while keeping you cool & covering you up.

Here's how I recommend you wearing it:

No need to worry about matching the color of swimsuit underneath! Due to this being beachwear, you can have your bathing suit show past the linen.

If you want to make this cover up more feminine, add a belt to the waist.

Rolling up the sleeves is recommended!

You can wear the shirt unbuttoned or buttoned

You can wear this shirt even outside the beach. A popular way is to wear it like a cover up (cardigan style) on top of a regular outfit.

Beach linen shirt