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Autumn Winter

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What dresses to buy for AW19

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The ‘Buffet’ dress has been hanging around all summer, whilst they are a shape that covers everything, it doesn’t mean it’s the right shape for your body shape. It does have the tendancy to make you look bigger, and hiding your smaller areas too. So what dresses should you be buying instead of this dress that you see everywhere, well I have some great updates for you for Autumn.

A good dress will make you feel good, it should make you feel confident and pulled together. It also requires very little thought as it’s just one piece of clothing, so all you really need to think about it what shoes to wear with it. Easy. Boots or trainers would be my answer, with maybe a bright or leopard print heel for an evening out.

I’ve picked 5 options that are getting me excited for the new season ahead; florals, monochrome, maxi, leather and shirt dresses.


FLORALS

Florals aren’t just for Spring. They are for all times of year. In Autumn/Winter, look for prints on a darker background, red is such a great colour for this time of year as it brightens up your wardrobe. It will also work well once you have to break out the 80 deniers.


MONOCHROME

An easy win whatever season, choose a print that never dates so spots, stars, hearts and so on. You can add colour through layers such as chunky knitwear or jackets, or through accessories. A great cross body bag or coloured pair of trainers always looks great off setting against the monochrome background.


LEATHER

This season’s hottest fabric trend and translates so well into dress shapes. Good quality leather is expensive so make sure you are going to wear the dress more than this season. Leather never dates, think biker jacket and pencil skirts, just be careful about shape and length as you will want it to last. But there is nothing more sophisticated, fashionable and chic than this season’s leather dress choices. Top of my list!


CHECK

Checks have long been an Autumn favourite in shirts, trousers and coats, but this year the check dress is making a comeback in a more grown up way. The pattern is simple and easy so should work well within any wardrobe as along as you get your colours right. Pair with any length boot, biker or cowboy or with fresh white trainers for a more casual take.


SHIRT DRESSES

Shirt dresses are a very easy way to look immediately smart at work, they bridge a gap between full-on suit and easy breezy too-casual dresses if you’re in a more corporate environment. You could pair with a heel or a smart boot for the office, but you can also dress them down with casual jacket a big boots for weekends.

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What to wear right now

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September is a tricky month to dress for, with its ‘hot one minute, cool the next’ weather; you leave the house in the morning wearing multiple layers, only to come back home with most of them stuffed in your handbag. The trick is to wear pieces that straddle the seasons, hitting that sweet spot between keeping you warm while being breathable and cooling too – and all the while looking super stylish. In other words, the holy grail of autumn fashion.
An oversized cardigan can be thrown over a long-sleeved floral dress , while a timeless double-breasted blazer in camel corduroy makes for a versatile lightweight jacket and faux leather becomes your new best friend. As it’s still warm enough to forgo socks, now is the time to wear your slip-on shoes – pair with a satin skirt and a white tee. Finally, there’s the boilersuit – a wardrobe essential that gives your wardrobe a style boost this September.


Re-spin your style with these key pieces which will go on to becoming the cornerstone of your Autumn style -

  1. Boilersuit / Cargo jumpsuit

    A jumpsuit is a wardrobe staple and can be worn all year round, layering a polo neck underneath or a fur jacket over the top. At this time of year the weather is just perfect to give it it’s own pedestal and chuck on a pair of trainers.

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2.Leather culottes & trousers

Whether vintage, vegan, faux or the real thing, leather bottoms are an instant hit this Autumn. I have a pair of leather leggings that I have had for a number of years and also a pair of faux leather culottes that I am currently living in. This time of year they are great to wear with no tights, layering top layers such as blazers, or chunky cardigans or even a sparkly jacket.

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3.Over-sized blazers

I love blazers and a new addition to my wardrobe is top of my AW list at the moment. There are alot of checks around , mensy styling and also double breasted. Wearing one over your dress, jumpsuit or with a pleated skirt will update your styling and keep that cold chill at bay in the mornings.


4.Skirts

Skirts have been a big staple of mine all Summer so no doubt I will continue to wear them through the Autumn but I need to update my style as I am getting bored of t-shirts and skirts. This is fine when I sling a blazer over the top, but now I want to add printed blouses, shirts, sweatshirts and soon knitwear tucked into my skirts. Just in time for the hiking boots too.

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5.The chunky bright cardigan

Alot of my clients will tell you that I do NOT like a cardigan. I much prefer a jacket as a more sophisticated, versatile piece in your wardrobe. If you own a cardigan it’s normally a frumpy, lazy way of keeping warm, I like to educate clients on other ways to layer up in the Winter. But this season I am lusting after chunky, statement, coloured cardigans - with emphasis on the statement. The cardigan needs to bring something new to wardrobe and wearing it with dresses and skirts is how you bring freshness to wardrobe.

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What I found when I detoxed my wardrobe

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September; new season, new term, new beginnings, new me!

Whatever you want to call it, September harks the end of the Summer and for most the start of something new and fresh. This year, after 10 years all my children are at school full time and after 6 years of running Edits-Styling it feels like I’m starting something new again.

Every season brings something new and different for my business, clients I have been styling for years and have established lovely relationships with, meeting and working with new clients, also events that I get asked to present at. So far September has got off to a flying start and I have been busy from the outset which is amazing and I am truly thankful for. But all these changes in my life has got me thinking that it’s time to focus back onto myself. For years I have juggled my work with the kids, with school PTA commitments, going to the gym, and everything that comes with running a house, including having building work done. I spend most of my time looking at other people’s wardrobe’s and style, advising them on how to pull outfits together, how to style them, what to buy and where to buy it from. Whilst I practise what I preach, I wear all the colours that suit me, I detox my wardrobe as I go along each season and I only buy pieces I love and wear them constantly, but I feel like my style has been left behind.

Only a couple of months ago I turned 40, whilst it didn’t feel like a massive moment at the time, I am getting some time to process it and perhaps this is the starting to point to me feeling like I need to modify my style to suit my life for right now. I meet lots of women and men who are stuck in a rut, who do not know what to wear everyday and how to put it together. It can happen at any point in our life regardless of age, work, children and health, sometimes it’s just time to move forward.

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So I am starting where I start with all my clients, with a wardrobe detox. I set myself some time to do it properly just like I do in a consultation. I asked myself the following question with every item I own -

  1. Do I love this?

  2. Does it make me feel good?

  3. When did I last wear it?

  4. Am I likely to wear it again?

  5. Is this the style I want to move forward with?

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My goal is to get rid of everything that doesn’t reflect my personal style or that has had it’s time (it’s too worn). I have held on to so many pieces in my wardrobe for years, pieces that I love, this doesn’t mean that they have to go, it’s about re-establishing my own style and focusing on that. I have a system of things that need to go into the bin bag, items that I am going to sell, storing pieces because they are seasonal and popping the bits I love back into my wardrobe.

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It takes me nearly 3 hours, I’ve lost about 25% of my wardrobe and I’ve learnt some lessons along the way which I will focus on when shopping and buying new pieces for my style;

  1. The brand I got rid of the most was Zara. So I need to be picky when it comes to buying from them - I have some pieces I have had for years but they have detailing such as embroidery and cutwork, stick to these in the future and not fast fashion cheap items.

  2. I have lots of eveningwear that I love and I don’t need to buy anymore.

  3. I need to be bolder with my choices, alot of the pieces I have got rid of don’t have the edge that I am looking for in my style.

  4. Choose better brands, buy better and they will last longer. This is so true of my wardrobe.

  5. I didn’t get rid of a single pair of shoes that is because my wardrobe covers all bases so I do not need to buy anymore.

Post detox I feel excited, invigorated and ready to start on a new styling journey using my expertise to focus on myself. I do have a sense of trying to stay sustainable with the choices that I make and the pieces that I wear on a daily basis, so a big part of me is trying to grapple with the guilt I also feel for getting rid of so much of my wardrobe. BUT I do know that many of the pieces I have had for years, I have worn and worn and worn them and it’s time to move on. Plus the money I spent on them is already spent, there is nothing left to waste, except for my wardrobe space. I also remember that just because I don’t love that item anymore, doesn’t mean that someone else won’t love it! So I am off to find new owners for all my detoxed pieces whether that be on ebay or at the local charity shop.

So now that I’ve detoxed, it is time to build my dream wardrobe…I hope you will join me on this journey too.

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New season's winners at LK Bennett

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LK Bennett, a British Icon, a firm favourite with Kate Middleton, good quality, expensive but classic. These are words that I would of used to describe the high street chain for the past few years. I have a number of clients who I will shop in LK Bennett with them due to their work attire or when clients have occasions such as ascot, weddings and christenings it will be on my list to look at. Until now I have never thought of them as fashion forward, classic yes, beautifully cut yes, modern sometimes…but today after a personal shopping trip with a client my head has been turned!

Their new AW19 collection had me excited at every turn and every dress. The client did buy 2 dresses from the collection and after we parted ways I had to go back and try some on myself. Here are my top picks from the new collection…




The same style comes in bright purple too

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These 2 beautiful bags also caught my eye…

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