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Wardrobe

9 Essential Layering Clothes For Autumn and Winter

Layering garments is the best way to transition your outfits from warmer to cooler months, as you can easily use trans-seasonal pieces to create stylish outfits. If you’re unsure which wardrobe elements you could add without compromising your style, check out this list of what I find to be my essential layering clothes for autumn and winter.

Early Autumn is the optimal time to invest in these pieces to prepare for the months ahead as you can find the best range of styles and colours.

Layer with a Camisole

You may already own cotton knit camis and tanks that can easily be used as a layering piece and may add a touch of colour to an outfit as they peek out the neckline of your V-neck tops.

Layer with Body Fitting Thermal Tops

Lightweight, half-sleeve or long-sleeve thermal tops are handy base layers to wear under your regular clothes. They should fit close to your body with no gaps around the arms, neck and waist (to keep the heat in).

Layer with Longline Cardigans

A longline cardigan is such a versatile layering piece. Wear yours with jeans and a tee for a relaxed, casual look, or team it with a dress and heeled boots for a dressier vibe. Remember: bulky knits add bulk, and finer knits are slimming.

Tip: If you have a defined waist, use a belt (either on top of or underneath your cardi) to flatter your figure.

Layer with a Blazer or Jacket

 Own at least one stylish blazer or jacket in a solid colour in one of your best neutrals so it mixes and matches with everything in your wardrobe. Choose a timeless, classic style for longevity. A blazer or jacket is an excellent staple to have in your wardrobe and can be worn all year round. You might choose a denim or moto style jacket or one of the current blazer styles depending on your style preferences.

Layer with Fine Wool Jumpers/Sweaters

Fitted jumpers. ‘Sweater weather’ is widely used in America to describe cold days. Jumpers made from soft, lightweight wool, luxurious cashmere, or a blend of materials like 70% wool, 20% acrylic and 10% cashmere are excellent layering items.

Wear a simple tee, cami, or thermal as an underlayer. Or, elevate the look by teaming your sweater with a button-up shirt underneath or wear it under your blazer when it’s chilly.

Fine knits are very versatile. Wear them with a longline cardigan and a scarf for colder days for extra warmth and cosiness.

Layer with Scarves

Scarves protect your neck from cold weather. They keep the air around your neck where it is. Your body warms the air around your neck, and a quality scarf will keep the air there, keeping your neck warm. Choose from natural fibres: cashmere, fleece, wool, and silk.

Plus, scarves are a great way to add colour, texture, and interest to your outfit.

Tip: If it’s really cold, wrap your scarf over your head and ears for extra warmth.

Layer with Hosiery

Tights and socks are great layered under dresses, skirts, and pants. They’re useful under dresses and skirts to protect your legs from cold air. Keep it simple with opaque neutral tones like black, grey, and brown. Or, liven things up with fun, bold hues or patterned tights.

A women is standing in a garden. She is wearing various layering clothes for the cool autumn day. These items include a leather jacket, teal coloured hosiery and a woollen scarf.

Fun layering clothes for Autumn: colourful tights.

Layering Clothes for Autumn: Trench Coat

The classic trench coat is timeless, as they are always in fashion. Choose styles without overly fashion-forward features, such as oversized collars, and ensure it is a comfortable weight and drape for you, so it doesn’t feel heavy or stiff.

Layer with a Leather jacket

It can be either genuine or faux leather. Either way, leather-style jackets are an ideal wardrobe staple for the cooler months, mainly if they are lined.

Choose from the blazer, biker or motto style jackets depending on the look you want to achieve.

Five leather jackets suitable for women. The colours are tan, black, maroon, off-white and apricot.

Click the image or here to shop the leather jackets.

Styling Tip: If your upper body looks bulky due to wearing many layers, keep your lower half more streamlined to create visual balance. This concept is called the ‘Principles of Volume’, which you can learn more about here.

If you’d like a ‘style best friend’ to help you select the perfect layering pieces for your Autumn/Winter wardrobe, so you’re sure the items you buy are ideal for you and will last for years, a Personal Shopping Trip is a fun, hands-on experience that will elevate your style and save you time, money and stress. Be your best stylish self today!

Sticky
March 22, 2023

How To Create More Outfits With Clothes You Already Have

Do you wear the same outfits day in, day out? (And are bored with them.)

Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes but know you only use about 20% of those clothes 80% of the time?

Do you struggle to see new and interesting ways to create multiple outfits from the clothes you already have?

Read on if you answered “Yes” to any of the above.

This blog encourages you to ‘shop’ in your own wardrobe – without having the need to buy more items. It explores ways to experiment with your existing clothes, shoes and accessories and tap into hundreds of new outfit combinations that are waiting to be discovered.

How To Shop Your Wardrobe

Experiment with one patterned top 

Mix items together that you’ve never tried before.

  • Start with a patterned top that you rarely wear.
  • Lay it on your bed. Look at the colours in it.
  • Now, choose all your pants and skirts that include any of the colours in that pattern.
  • Next, physically try on the top with each of your bottoms.
  • Create two piles of bottoms: 1) Items that don’t work and 2) Items that do work.
  • Then start playing with your shoes, bags, and accessories.

A women wears three different outfits using one patterned blouse. She created the outfits using clothes she already had in her wardrobe.

TIP: Photograph the winning outfits and pop them in an album on your phone for future reference. When you’re running late in the morning, this photo album will be a great source of inspiration and will save you valuable time.

Creating everyday outfits with special occasion garments

Do you have some items you keep for special occasions only? It could be sequined, shiny or shimmery. Team that item with clothes you might consider to be more on the smart-casual side. Think about changing the style of shoes you wear with this item or the jacket you decide to wear with it. For example, you could wear your sequin jacket with dark denim jeans (instead of a more formal dress or skirt), a stacked heel rather than a stiletto, and a good-quality tee.

Use Colour to link garments together

Link the new outfit combination using colour as the ‘glue’. Make sure the undertone and intensity of the colours harmonise to achieve a stylish and cohesive look. If you’re unsure which colours suit you best, a Personal Colour Analysis will put you on the right track.

Not everything will work

Let’s say the items you’ve just put together aren’t working. Can you do or add something to tweak the look so it works? For example, you’re wearing a maxi skirt with a boxy tee. The combination makes you look shapeless and wider. Could you add a belt to create shape? Could you tuck in the tee so there’s less volume up top, making you look narrower? Or, could you find a more fitted tee?

Use Accessories to create different outfits

Play with your accessories to change the look of the new top and bottom combination you’ve put together. For example, wooden beads and flat sandals will create a casual look. Shiny beads and sandals with a higher heel will elevate the look.

Seven pairs of strappy sandals are displayed. These sandals can help you create a casual outfit look. Team them with clothes you already have to create multitudes of outfits.

Click here or click on the board to shop these sandals.

Do you need help creating outfits with the clothes you already have?

If you’d like to get more value from your existing wardrobe and you are time-poor or lack the patience and creativity to put new outfits together, a wardrobe mix-and-match session is a fun ‘dress-ups’ session where I help you style your existing pieces to create new combinations and different looks. You’ll get more wear from your clothes and save yourself time and stress in the morning because you’ll have many photographed outfits you can refer to for inspiration. And, just as importantly, you’ll look stylish and feel fabulous too 🙂

Sticky
February 15, 2023

Create a Versatile Wardrobe in 9 Easy Steps

Is owning a versatile wardrobe something you’d like to achieve but think it’s in the ‘too hard basket?

Many clients tell me they’re tired of owning a wardrobe full of clothes and feel they have nothing to wear. They confess they only wear about 10 to 20% of their clothes. And, they tell me they’re not interested in being ‘slaves’ to fashion fads and trends.

This is a quote from the famous actress Joan Crawford, "Make your wardrobe as versatile as an actress. It should be able to play many roles."

What they want are fewer clothes and less decision fatigue. They’re keen to wear all their clothes more often and get better cost per wear per item. They love the idea of a capsule wardrobe where pieces mix and match effortlessly to create different looks for various occasions. They want to get dressed, look good and feel good in record time. And they know a versatile wardrobe will save them money in the long run and contribute to a healthy planet.

So many wins!

There are no set rules when it comes to a versatile wardrobe. It can be any size you like. You might decide to create two collections to adapt to seasonal changes, i.e., Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. Or, you could curate one capsule for work and another for play. Your personality style and lifestyle will influence your decisions.

Dreaming of Owning a Versatile Wardrobe? These 9 Easy Steps Will Get You Started:

1. Does it work for your current lifestyle?

Begin with a lifestyle analysis. Where do you spend your time? What are the activities? What clothes, shoes, and accessories do you need for these activities? List and prioritise the items you need to support your lifestyle.

2. What do you want your clothes to communicate?

Have a clear understanding of what you want your visual image to project. What is the story you want your clothes to tell? How do you want others to perceive you? Armed with this self-knowledge, you’ll make informed, selective buying decisions about items that deserve a place in your wardrobe. They will be items you love, feel comfortable and confident wearing, and want to wear repeatedly.

Not sure? Let me help you with a Personal Style Consultation.

3. Do the colours make you look healthy?

Base your wardrobe around your ideal colour palette.

Clothes, shoes, and accessories coordinate with little or no effort when they have common elements, i.e., undertone, intensity, and value.

There’s a colour palette that’s perfect for you! It blends harmoniously with your colouring, i.e., your skin tone, hair, and eyes. These colours are incredibly flattering on you. Wearing them together creates a cohesive, flattering look. You can mix and match your palette in thousands of different ways – they will always work well together, adding to your wardrobe’s versatility.

4. Should you keep it or let it go?

A) If you love an item, but it doesn’t fit quite right, an alteration is a great investment.

B) What do you already own that deserves a place in your new wardrobe? Items that are never or rarely worn because they are too big, too small, damaged, the wrong colour, an unflattering style etc., won’t make a selection – best to let them go.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your wardrobe, let me help you edit your wardrobe, so you only have the best garments for you.

5. Build your wardrobe around your best neutrals.

The motto here is quality over quantity. Invest in quality basics in your best neutral tones: pants, skirts, jackets, plain basic tee, handbags, belts, and shoes. These items are the workhorses of your wardrobe, so they should be ‘built to last. Superior fabrics. Timeless designs.

If you have cool undertones, choose from grey, rose brown, black, white or soft white, mushroom, mahogany, or navy.

Folks with warm undertones select from khaki, olive green, tan, camel, green-grey, warm white, cream, russet, and marine blue.

 

 

Three models wear neutral coloured clothes e.g. black, white, tan, burgundy and beige. All of these neutral tones are useful to have if you want to create a versatile wardrobe.

Click the image to shop the board.

A model wearing a black coat holds a black handbag. There are four handbags on the left hand side of the image. They are brown, tan, soft white and beige in colour.

Click on the image to shop the board.

Six versatile handbags. Four are black. One is tan, and the other is maroon in colour.

This is a shoppable board.

Creating a functional wardrobe 

6. We all need a hero.

Once the foundations are sorted, add some carefully selected statement, aka hero pieces. These items inject your unique personality style into your outfits. They could be bolder colours or have an interesting pattern or adornments like fringing, studs, or sequins.

A personal shopping trip might be ideal if you don’t love shopping and are unsure what hero pieces would work for you.

7. Think layers.

Select multi-seasonal items that you can wear alone or layered to accommodate different weather conditions. The photos below show me wearing the same patterned skirt in summer and winter.

Ann Vodicka is a personal stylist in Sydney. This images shows her modelling the same floral skirt in two different ways. In the image on the left, she wears a rust coloured sleeveless top and suede slides. In the right hand side image she wears a teal polo neck jumper and rust coloured boots.

8. Laundry matters.

Choose fabrics that are easy to launder. Most of the clothes in your versatile wardrobe will be on high rotation, so the last thing you need is not to be able to wear an item because it’s at the dry cleaner or waiting to be hand-washed.

9. Finally, add accessories.

They alter the look of your outfits, take up very little space, and inject interest into clothes on constant rotation. Accessories can also be a fun and inexpensive way to express your style.

Does your current wardrobe offer you versatility and freedom? If you find sorting out your style tricky and would like some help curating a wardrobe that requires less thought, has greater impact, and works for your life and style, I’d love to help.

Sticky
May 25, 2022

The Three Body Types and Choosing Fabrics that Flatter You

Are you familiar with the three body types called ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph? Officially they’re known as Somatotypes. These body types are hereditary traits based on your skeletal frame, muscle mass, how much fat your body stores and where you store it.

Three women stand together wearing white bikinis. They all are different body types or somatotypes.

Body types from left to right: Endomorph, Mesomorph, and Ectomorph.

American physician and psychologist Dr William Sheldon devised somatotypes in the 1940s. You can read more about his research here.

Today Sheldon’s body types go further than just describing a person’s physical build. Most people are a mix of two somatotypes. The most common combinations are mesomorph-endomorph for women and endomorph-mesomorph for men. There are recommended diets and exercise programs to benefit each physique.

That’s very interesting, but how does this information relate to the clothes and fabrics you wear?

Well, there’s a range of fabrics that flatter each somatotype. Having a good idea of which materials suit your body type will help you make great choices when you’re shopping for clothes. So, not only will you love how the garment looks and fits, you’ll feel good too!

Discover Your Body Type(s) and Fabric Recommendations

Tip: If you are one somatotype on the top and another on the bottom, use the fabric recommendations for both. E.g., If you are ectomorph on top and mesomorph on the bottom, wear fabrics for ectomorph from your waist up, and then use materials that suit mesomorph from your waist down.

Endomorph:

• Your body has curves. It looks round and soft.
• Body fat settles in the lower half of the body, e.g., tummy, hips, thighs, and bottom.
• Endomorphs typically have shorter limbs, and often, narrow shoulders
• Your body tends to carry extra fat by default (this body type has a higher body fat percentage than the other two body types)
Famous endomorphs: Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Sophia Vergara, Oprah, Marilyn Monroe, Russell Crowe, and Chris Pratt.
Models wearing soft, floaty fabrics which are perfect for the Endomorph body type.

Shop these items by clicking on the image.

Recommended fabrics for Endomorphs

Fabrics that drape and skim (not cling) over your curves are ideal. They should be fluid to medium stiffness – anything stiff or bulky material will add visual weight to your curves. Think soft and flowy.
Best fabrics include cotton jersey, viscose, bamboo, rayon, silk, lightweight wool, wool challis, chiffon, crepe de chine, fine gauze, silk crepe, silk jersey, velour, fine cashmere, most types of knits, and fabrics containing elastane (including denim).

Mesomorph:

• Appears muscular. You have more muscle than fat on your body.
• These people find it easy to gain and lose weight and are naturally strong.
• Usually has a medium frame and tends not to be overweight or underweight.
• Their bodies are often rectangular with an upright posture. (Sometimes they have broad shoulders)
Famous mesomorphs: Madonna, Janet Jackson, Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Wahlberg.
Models wear clothes made from fabrics that are suitable for the mesomorph body type.

This shoppable board is for those of you with a mesomorph body type. Click here or on the image.

Recommended fabrics for Mesomorphs

If you have a Mesomorph body type, look for fabrics with some fluidity and a ‘hint’ of stiffness, i.e., nothing too soft and flimsy, but also nothing too heavy or rigid. You can get away with clothes that cling because often, your body is toned.

Look for these fabrics: linen, medium weight cotton and cashmere, denim, knits, wool crepe, fine wool gabardine, flannel, suede, wool jersey, boucle knits (think Chanel jackets), chenille, velvet (beautiful for evening and winter wear), and anything crocheted.

Ectomorph:

• Lean, slim build, often with long limbs (sometimes with protruding bones)
• Finds it challenging to gain weight
• Low body fat
• Has a fast metabolism
Famous ectomorphs: Cameron Diaz, Taylor Swift, Gisele Bundchen, Kate Middleton, Zac Efron, and Tobey Maguire.
Models wear garments made by fabrics suitable for someone with an Ectomorph body type.

Click here or on the image to shop this board.

Recommended fabrics for Ectomorphs

Stiffer fabrics with structure will add visual weight to your lean silhouette. Anything materials that are tight or clingy will draw attention to your bones.

Suggested fabrics for this body type are leather, cotton, pure linen, organza, raw silk, Thai silk, taffeta, brocade, corduroy, stiff lace, wool gabardine (often used to make coats and suits), microfiber blends, and denim.

Next Steps

Are you curious about your ideal style and how to achieve it? Your body type is just one piece of your overall style. A Personal Style Consultation covers everything from your personality, lifestyle, and the way you want to be perceived, to body shape, proportions, line, scale, patterns, face shape and jewellery (plus more!). It’s a fun and highly informative session that is specific to YOU. (No more trawling the internet for hours trying to find information that might be relevant for you.) In three hours you will have everything you need. You’ll find out what you love and want to change and have all the tools you need to make it happen, so you feel ‘style confident’ every day.

Sticky
February 15, 2022

Versatile Tops for Work and Play

What does your dream wardrobe look like?

I’m guessing there would be a few key factors you would mention:

Below you’ll find a selection of versatile tops for work and play. They’re items that can be worn in many different ways, for many different occasions.

Ideally, you want to be able to wear your clothes often, so you feel good about the money you’ve spent and you know you’re getting great cost per wear from each item. Because you love that item or outfit so much you’ll feel amazing in it and will happily to wear it over and over again – WIN!

Versatile Tops for Work and Play – Cool Undertones

How to Style Your Tops

You can easily team these tops with a tailored pair of pants and ballet flats or a more structured skirt and pumps for work. For casual Friday, you could wear the blouse with a pair of dressy denim jeans. And always remember to accessorise with some statement earrings or necklace.

Then, on the weekend, combine them with capri pants, a denim jacket and sneakers. If you have a defined waist, why not highlight it with a fabulous belt.

Swap the sneakers for a gorgeous pair of sandals or some stylish boots, and you’re ready for drinks and dinner with friends.

Off to a ritzy restaurant or the opera? Choose one of your shiny skirts or a 7/8 length skirt with some elegant heels.

One top – multiple uses 🙂

Versatile Tops for Work and Play – Warm Undertones

Sticky
November 23, 2021

10 Easy, Chic Ways To Style Your Winter Knits

These 10 easy, chic ways to style your winter knits will have you looking up-to-date for every occasion. Jumpers (‘sweaters’ in America, ‘pullovers’ in Europe) and short and long-line cardigans keep you warm and cosy on chilly days. They are versatile investment pieces for your winter wardrobe – perfect for layering when the temperature plummets. Mostly, I choose knits made from natural fibres like merino, alpaca, and cotton – not just to keep the cold out but because they are soft, comfortable, and breathable.

You can find my favourites in the shoppable boards and video below. Some of these styles come in other colours. My picks are based on cool and warm colours. If you have already had a colour analysis with me, you will know your best colour palette (whether you are warm or cool). You can wear all of these knits to create stylish outfits like the suggestions listed below.

 

Watch the video to see why I have selected these cosy winter knits.

10 Easy, Chic Ways To Style Your Winter Knits

  1. Jeans, ankle boots, jacket or long-long cardigan. Swap the ankle boots for sneakers.
  2. Team your knit with a skirt. Half tuck or belt your knit to show your shape.
  3. Add a textured vest over the top for extra warmth—for example, faux fur or quilted styles.
  4. Ankle boots, slim-fit jeans, and a long jumper with a long necklace.
  5. Wear a collared shirt underneath your knit. Allow the collar and hem of the shirt to peek out at either end.

 

  1. Skinny jeans or Ponte pants with long boots and a long scarf.
  2. A straight skirt, tights, ankle boots and an oversized winter knit.
  3. If your winter jumper is oversized and long enough, wear it like a dress with tights and long boots.
  4. Wear your oversize V-neck or boatneck knits off the shoulder with jeans, pants or a skirt and long boots.
  5. For a chic evening look, pair your light to medium weight jumpers with your darkest denim jeans or culottes and high heeled boots or pumps.

Have fun creating some of these easy ways to style your winter knits.

Sticky
July 24, 2021

Closet Organisation Tips For A Wardrobe You’ll Love

Do you have a wardrobe of clothes you love? Or, is it a place that stresses you out and saps your energy? These closet organisation tips will really make a big difference to your life if you are time poor (isn’t that most of us?) if you want a closet that easily works for you and your lifestyle or both.

The good news is that each suggestion will work whether you have a tiny wardrobe or a large walk-in robe.

Before you start, invest in non-bulky, flocked hangers for uniformity and space savings. Dispose of wire coat hangers, bulky wooden hangers (except when hanging heavy items like winter coats and suits) and plastic dry-cleaning bags. Have clip hangers ready for your pants and skirts.

Tip: You can buy flocked hangers at Target and other general merchandise retailers.

How to Start Organising Your Closet

First, let’s weed out what you are not wearing to make it easier to find clothes you DO wear. Pull all your tops out of the wardrobe. Now, cull according to these criteria:

  1.  flattering colours on you
  2. authentic representations of you and your signature style e.g., classic, relaxed, creative, dramatic, feminine, elegant
  3. fits you now
  4. in a style that suits your body shape and proportions
  5. is current (rather than c1990)
  6. cull any more than 5 items of the same thing e.g.,10 white shirts – cull half
  7. supports your lifestyle

Place the tops that ’pass the test’ back into your closet using colour blocking – like in the feature image. If you decide to wear a top in a particular colour e.g red, all of your red tops will be in one location saving you time and simplifying the selection process.

Now, sort through the other items – pants, skirts, dresses, shoes, handbags, jewellery etc.

Depending on how extensive your collection is, how thorough you want to be and how much time you have, this step may need to be spread over a few days. (You may not be overjoyed with the process right now, but you’ll thank me later ?)

Quick Tips

• Do you have more shelf space than hanging space? Consider folding bulky items like jeans.

• What do you wear most? Ideally, those items should be at eye height and positioned close to the centre of the rack or shelf so you can see and access them quickly.

• Invest in a full-length mirror.

Recently I was at a client’s home (Cathy) helping her refresh her wardrobe and was surprised to find she didn’t have a full-length mirror. After the initial cull, I created new outfits with the clothes she decided to keep.

Cathy was unable to view her outfits in their entirety. At one stage she was wearing a fabulous outfit and I was explaining and demonstrating how changing the length of her skirt would dramatically improve the overall look of her outfit.  Unfortunately, she was unable to see it!

Having a full-length mirror takes some of the guesswork out of creating stylish outfits. Being able to see yourself head to toe gives you the opportunity to tweak something if it doesn’t look quite right.

There are many affordable options available (try Ikea) and they take up no additional space if you hang one on the back of your wardrobe or bedroom door.

Organising shoes in your wardrobe

Closet organisation tip: Store shoes in hanging shoe pockets in your wardrobe. Image of many colourful pairs of shoes housed in shoe pockets.

Hanging shoe pockets are an efficient use of space especially when you have a sizeable collection (like mine ?)

If you have plenty of hanging space, shoe pockets, available from Kmart and Target, are an excellent storage solution for your shoes. One usually holds 10 pairs of shoes. Another idea is to keep your shoe boxes, cut out the end of the box so you can view its contents and stack them one on top of the other.

Tip: If you want your shoes to retain their shape and last for years avoid stacking them.

I recommend organising your closet twice a year – Autumn/Winter and Summer/Spring. It offers you the opportunity to reassess what’s working for you and what’s not. Most of the heavy lifting will be done the first time around, so future closet organising will take a lot less time and effort.

I hope you find these closet organisation tips useful. The aim is to have a wardrobe that brings you joy! – One that compliments your personality, lifestyle and budget. And, one that is easy to navigate, and gives you time to do the things that matter most.

Organising your wardrobe can be emotionally, physically, and mentally draining. It’s difficult to make choices about what stays and what goes. It’s also challenging to see alternatives ways to style items you have worn the same way over and over again. If you feel you could use some professional to help cull items, organise your closet in record time and get a new lease of life from clothes you already own, gift yourself a fun and rewarding wardrobe audit.

Sticky
January 14, 2021

Your Comfy, Stylish Capsule Wardrobe For Stay At Home Living

A capsule wardrobe is a small collection of clothes that you can mix and match to effortlessly create many outfits.

Home isolation is our current reality and it’s easy to slip into wearing your gym gear, tracksuit or PJs on a regular basis.

Sure, it’s comfortable, but it doesn’t help your mindset around the fact that you’re stuck at home. Wearing those types of clothes day in, day out can make you feel a bit ‘blah’.

Keep your style game on I say! Not only will you look good, but you’ll feel much better too.

The key to creating your capsule wardrobe is to include clothes that have a common theme. The theme I use is colour.

Ten items of clothing plus two pairs of shoes, and matching accessories.

The 10 garments I’ve used in my example are all warm colours i.e. They have golden, yellow-based undertones.

Here are examples of a warm and cool set of colours:

 

A swatch of warm, yellow-based colours.

Warm colours

A swatch of cool, blue-based colours.

Cool colours

If you’re not sure whether warm or cool colours suit you, a Personal Colour Analysis is the way to find out. You can have yours done online – it’s so much fun, and you receive ‘goodies’ in the post which is like Christmas 🙂

How To Create Your Comfy, Stylish Capsule Wardrobe

To create your capsule wardrobe choose five tops, two bottoms and three jackets or cardies.

When you calculate all of the ways you can mix and match the garments i.e. 5 tops x 2 bottoms x 3 outer layers you end up with 30 outfits.

You can make your capsule wardrobe as extensive as you want. For example, if you wanted to add an extra bottom, you would be able to create 45 outfits i.e. 5 tops x 3 bottoms x 3 outer layers = 45 different combinations.

Also, you can have all skirts, all pants or a selection of both in your capsule depending on your preferences. You can easily make this wardrobe formula your own by introducing tops with different necklines, sleeve lengths, fabrics, and patterns.

Finally, include accessories like necklaces, earrings and scarves to complete your outfits and add your stamp of individuality.

It’s that easy!

 

If you have any questions about creating your capsule wardrobe write them in the comment box below – I’ll be happy to answer them.

 

Sticky
April 14, 2020

The Only Travel Packing Tip You Need To Know

Travel packing can be a time consuming, overwhelming ordeal. Whether you’re going away for a weekend or a couple of months, knowing what and how much to take can be tricky. You really need to be prepared for all seasons without taking your entire wardrobe.

Using the capsule wardrobe system will help you cut down on what you pack, and take your travel packing nightmare from mission impossible to mission accomplished.

Some of the benefits for packing this way are that your suitcase will be lighter (feeling exhausted after lugging your bag around will be a thing of the past – remember getting your bag up 4 flights of stairs in that cute Italian pension?), you’ll have more space for the bits and pieces you buy along the way, packing will be quick and easy, AND you’ll achieve stylish travel looks with a minimum of fuss.

The main aim is to take clothes, shoes and accessories that mix and match together, so that even though you’re wearing the same items over and over again, the outfits always look different.

Here’s an example of a travel capsule wardrobe I packed for two weeks in Cuba. Temperatures range from an overnight minimum of 19 degrees Celsius to around 30 degrees during the day.

This combination weighted 9 kilograms and only took up a quarter of my suitcase. By mixing and matching the 12 elements (excluding the accessories) I can create 30 different outfits!

Travel packing step by step

I started with 2 pairs of pants and a jacket which are in neutral colours (Neutrals include navy, white, cream, beige, black, brown, grey and khaki).

Note: You could easily substitute pants for skirts or shorts or a combination.

Choosing neutral coloured pants and a jacket are the first step in a travel packing capsule wardrobe.

Then I added 4 tops from my personal colour palette.

Step two in the travel packing capsule wardrobe is to add four tops to the two pairs of pants and the jacket.

3 pairs of shoes: Sneakers, espadrilles and flat, brushed gold sandals.

Step three of the travel packing capsule wardrobe is to add three pairs of shoes. Image shows a pair of sneakers, espadrilles and flat heeled, brushed gold sandals.

Add 2 lightweight dresses and voila!

Two dresses have been added to the four tops, two pairs of pants and one jacket to complete the garment components of the travel packing capsule wardrobe.

And finally, some fun accessories to complete the overall look.

Two belts, three necklaces, two rings, assorted fun bracelets and a scarf complete the travel packing capsule wardrobe.

This diagram illustrates how it works:

This diagram shows how the clothes and shoes mix and match in the travel packing capsule wardrobe.

If you added another top, the outfit options would increase from 30 to 36. Increase or decrease the items you take depending on the destination, what activities you will be doing and the length of the trip.

Try this excellent travel packing tip if you want a more enjoyable, convenient and stylish trip away.

Wishing you happy and safe travels. Bon Voyage!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sticky
April 01, 2019

Put the Brakes on Fast Fashion

You’ve probably heard of the term fast fashion. The Oxford dictionary defines it as, “Inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.” I think it’s fair to say that most of us have bought fast fashion.

In March 2017, ABC’s Lateline program reported that “in Australia alone, more than 500,000 tonnes of textiles and leather end up in landfill each year.”  That’s mind blowing!

These days the fashion industry has the ability to manufacture cheap, low quality clothing very quickly. Retailers are introducing new trends every few weeks and this is impacting our buying habits. We’re buying more and more clothes and the flow on effect is that the amount of clothes we’re throwing away is increasing too.

So how do we put the brakes on this fast fashion phenomenon? What can we do to extend the lifespan of our clothes and delay their journey into landfill?

Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling:

  •  Donate to and shop at charity stores. There’s plenty to choose from: Australian Red Cross, Vinnies, Salvos, Anglicare and The Smith Family. I bought this stunning Elie Tahari silk blouse for $28 at my local Red Cross shop…. Bargain!
Saying "no" to fast fashion: my Elie Tahari blouse bought at the Red Cross Shop

Elie Tahari silk blouse from my local Red Cross shop

  • Sell or buy at recycle/consignment boutiques. I’ve used Recycled Rags Emporium in Sydney to sell some of my near new clothes and shoes that were lying idle in my wardrobe.
  • Buy and sell online at websites such as Ebay, Gumtree and Facebook’s Marketplace.
  • Organise swap meets with friends or participate in a local community event. Last Sunday Inner West Council held a clothing swap as part of their Footprints Eco Festival.  It was a fantastic initiative and lots of fun.
Say "no" to fast fashion by clothes swapping.

Clothes swap at Eco Festival

What else can I do to put the brakes on Fast Fashion?

  • Offer or gift items to family and friends (with no offence taken if they don’t want them.)
  • Buy eco friendly fashion items from businesses that promote ethical and sustainable fashion such as purepod.com.au, theark.com.au (their Travel 17 collection is fantastic), wellmadeclothes.com.au and threadharvest.com.au
  • Sell at markets and car boot sales. I have sold clothes, shoes, accessories and other bits and pieces at Rozelle markets in Sydney on the occasional weekend. Each time I walked away with a tidy profit of more than $600!
  • If you buy from fashions brands like H & M, Nike and Patagonia, look into their recycling programs and incentives.
  • Donate ‘gently used’ professional clothing to your local not for profit organisations that support women and men in their quest for financial independence through employment and upskilling. e.g. Wear for Success in Melbourne (for men and women), and Dress for Success (Women only. Locations around Australia).
  • Vivienne Westwood said it so well; “Buy less, choose well.” Invest in higher quality items that mix and match with pieces you already own. Not only will they last longer, (that’s the aim of the game), but you’ll get better cost per wear per garment. Every item will earn its keep. Spending money on higher quality fabrics and textiles helps garments retain their shape, colour and surface texture for longer.
  • Shop your wardrobe. Spend an afternoon reinventing new outfits from the pieces you already own. You’ll probably discover items you forgot were there or find pieces that still have the shop tag on them! Get your creative juices flowing! Breathe new life into the existing contents of your wardrobe.
  • If you’re handy with a sewing machine or know a quality clothing alterations store you can repair or restyle garments to give them a new lease of life. You could change them to align with current fashion trends or to better fit your figure and proportions. And, if you’re stuck for ideas, Suzannah Hamlin Stanley’s book, ‘DIY Wardrobe Makeovers: Alter, Refresh & Refashion Your Clothes * Step-By-Step Sewing Tutorials’ provides plenty of handy tips and inspiration. Another book worth mentioning is, “The Refashion Handbook: Refit, Redesign, Remake for Everybody.’ by Beth Huntington.
  • Rent items you’ll only wear once. It’s such an easy, affordable way to stay current and you’ll never be seen wearing the same outfit twice. Rates are very reasonable compared to the cost of a new garment and most suppliers offer next day delivery to capital cities. dressedup.com.au glamcorner.com.au yourcloset.com.au
  • Lastly, create a capsule wardrobe: a group of clothes that mix and match with each other unified by colour. You’ll need less clothes and have more options because all items work together. It also equates to better cost per wear per item e.g. A $100 for a shirt worn 100 times =  $1 each time you wore it.
Sticky
September 03, 2017
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