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wardrobe hero

The return of the humble shirt

February 10, 2020

ALL HAIL THE SHIRT

For a few seasons the shirt seems to have gone into the back of the wardrobe in favour of the classic t-shirt, sweater or blouse. But this season it returns with maximum femininity and creativity.

It’s not about having a boring white shirt in your wardrobe for such an occasion that arises for you to wear one, white shirts are making a comeback but they look nothing like the one you have gathering dust. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be making an investment purchase with your shirt that will have a legacy in your wardrobe, but what’s out there right now is anything but boring. Full of embroidery, frill details, puff sleeves and femininity it’s all in the details.

Top of the list is a white shirt which can be worn layered underneath your knit, cable cardi or oversized blazer in the coming weeks while the temperature rises. This particular styling has inspired the high street to copy a shirt from Ganni (featured below), a Scandinavian brand that has many fashion followers and leads where others follow.

The other week I featured overshirts as a big trend for Spring and the check being the main print and driving force of this. Check shirts and blouses are also around with puff sleeves or big sleeves and detailing, so kind of the opposite of the edgy biker like look to the overshirt - there is no reason why you can’t style both, I know I will be.

Down the catwalk many designers showed lots of blue stripe shirts and all the magazine and trend reports are pushing this as the shirt to buy this season. So there is alot of plain mensy oversized shirts out there which are to be worn with tapered trousers and oversized blazers.

Lastly denim shirts are definately making a come back, either edgy stiff denim acid washed or chambray soft cotton with frills. Either way a denim shirt is a wardrobe hero and such a great piece to be worn with skirts and dresses.

THE FRILL COLLAR SHIRT

CHECK SHIRT

BLUE STRIPE SHIRT

STRIPE COTTON SHIRT, GANNI @MYTERESA, £150

DENIM SHIRT

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My best buys from Autumn Winter 2019

January 11, 2020

As many of you know Autumn 2019 was a turning point for me in my style journey. My littlest one started school and after 6 years of working for myself as a personal stylist it was time to review my wardrobe with more gusto rather than methodically of recent years. I really did ask myself “do I REALLY like myself in this piece of clothing”. Then it either got sold, went to charity or I popped it back in my wardrobe. Autumn saw me invest money, time and knowledge of what I wanted my style to look like into my wardrobe.

But now we hit 2020, not quite Spring yet, but a transitional few weeks in the fashion / retail calendar when stores get refreshed, new pieces hit the shops and after Christmas I get excited about new styles, colours and fashions out there. It’s been a big part of my life since my career started and I can’t switch that passion for fashion off. So before I look ahead to the next season, I wanted to look back at what I had brought over the past few months and learn some lessons from the purchases I had made.

In this blog post I am going to look at my best buys of the past few months and in next week’s blog post I will share with you my lessons that I learnt that I will take forward into 2020. I want this exercise to set me up for the season ahead, make me aware of the positive buys vs the mistakes I made and to avoid those pitfalls again so that I am not wasting money or spending money on something that doesn’t fit my lifestyle.

Today I pulled out all the newer pieces in my wardrobe and thought about the things I love the most, the ones I wore the most and will enjoy wearing for years to come. I have brought more than any normal season for me (normally I limit myself to my 5 updates per season), but that was down to my circumstances, but I still made measured decisions based on what I wanted my style to be, and I wanted pieces to last me so that I wasn’t buying throwaway fashion.

I’m hoping that my list will inspire you to take a look at your wardrobe and reassess what you brought last season, looking at the good pieces and perhaps making note of some bad habits you might be in.

So here are my best buys from Autumn 2019 to inspire you to look at yours -

GRENSON NANNETTE BOOTS

These boots were by far the best investment I have made in a long time. From the moment I brought them they have barely been off my feet. I wear them with everything and any outfit I put together looks different with these beauties on. They are not for everyone and a year ago I thought they weren’t for me, too chunky, too much hype, BUT now I cannot stop gushing (or wearing!) them. Investing in a great pair of boots that you love is an easy way to update your Autumn style.

ZARA EMBELLISHED JUMPER

Zara always pulls some great knits out of the bag on the run up to Christmas that have something a little bit special on them. I dubbed this my Christmas jumper but I have worn it many times since Christmas and will continue to. With high street stores like Zara its worth investing a little bit more money into higher prices items because the quality is better, the embellishments are nicer and they will last you longer. I find that if I wait for something special to come along and spend more money on it then I love it more. This jumper has definitely been one of my biggest hits and I’ve only had it a few weeks.

KITRI STAR DRESS

I felt so fantastic when I wore this dress. I snapped it up as soon as it came out online as I knew it was exactly the kind of dress I would love and it didn’t disappoint. I have only worn it the once, so I need to start wearing it a bit more often but I perhaps will leave it for more occasions rather than everyday, purely because I love it so much, it’s a dress that I will keep forever.

TOPSHOP WHITE JUMPER

Topshop every year seem to get some pieces of knitwear just spot on and for me this was one of them. I love the cable styling, the length, its so soft to touch. Granted the colour might put people off but I have found that I’ve reached for it often as it’s one of the only lighter colour pieces of knitwear that I have in my wardrobe. It’s been great for layering over dresses, wearing with skirts and I can even tuck it in the front of my jeans - a fab all rounder.

WHISTLES PRINTED SKIRT

I was on a mission to add a new skirt into my wardrobe this season as I detoxed a couple out of my wardrobe that didn’t fit me anymore. I ended up getting this one from ASOS with a discount code and I have worn it countless times. It is so versatile with jumpers, t-shirts, blazers, boots, heels and trainers I am sure I will be continuing to wear it when I ditch the tights in the spring.

&OTHER STORIES SPOT DRESS

I had shopped this dress for a few clients on the run up to Christmas and knew how fabulous it looked on, so I ended up not being able to resist it for myself. It was a great Christmas day dress but one that’s easy to throw on in the daytime as wearing it with my Grenson boots or trainers really help dial the Christmas feel of it down. It’s so comfy so makes me want to wear it everyday.

ZARA BALLOON JEANS

As many of my clients know I live and swear by Levi skinny jeans and for years I have not shyed away from them whilst recommending them to all my clients too. But I wanted to make a concious decision to change up my denim this Autumn so I tried the Zara balloon jeans. Granted they sometimes make me look a bit bigger in size due to the volume, but they are so comfy and if I tuck in a jumper and wear a belt then my eye is drawn to my waist rather than my hips so I am happier with my body proportions. It’s been nice to step away from the skinny jeans but I know they will always be a wardrobe staple whereas these potentially won’t be right for me next Autumn.

HUSH BLAZER

I was so excited when I saw this blazer online at Hush, I pretty much live in blazers for my work appointments and wanted to add in a single breasted one that wasn’t as busy as my other double breasted check blazer that I have had for years. I waited for the right one to come along and when it did I couldn’t be happier. It is warm handle though so I won’t be able to wear in the Spring/Summer months as it will be too hot but hopefully I’ll get so much wear out of it before then that it won’t matter. A great investment piece.

WHISTLES ZEBRA JUMPER

This jumper is a really nice lightweight knit that I can tuck into skirts and jeans, and with my obsession with green I loved the colour of it. This has certainly been a go to for me this season and a buy that I can always rely on when I’m stuck for inspiration on what to wear that day.

TOPSHOP OVERSIZED KNITTED JUMPER

I have lived in this massive oversized roll neck jumper from Topshop. I have to say it is starting to bobble quite a bit now so I’m not sure how long it will last but I have loved wearing it over dresses, skirt, with my leather leggings and jeans, it’s just been an easy throw-on jumper but yet I feel stylish wearing it. I certainly got my money’s worth as I brought it with a discount code and couldn’t of spent more than £30 on it. A great buy but quality wise it probably won’t last too much longer.

So those were my 10 best buys of Autumn Winter 2019. It just happened to be 10 and whilst I have lots of other things I love in my wardrobe these items certainly stand out as my favourites, the ones I wore the most, I felt the most stylish in and were also pieces that I felt gave me a renewed sense of style.

I would love to hear what your favourite buys were last year, so please do share them with me.

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What dresses to buy for AW19

September 24, 2019

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.

Watercolour pansy print dress, LK Bennett, £325.00

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.

William star-print midi dress, Stine Goya, Harvey Nichols, £210.00

Bell sleeve black & white dress, Topshop, £39.00

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!

Grey leather judo dress, Topshop boutique, £250.00

Darted leather shirt dress, Uterque, £290.00

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.

Smocked plaid shirt dress, &other stories, £95.00

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.

Watercolour shirt dress, &other stories, £85.00

French Connection Carri shirt dress, John Lewis, £110.00

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It's been a spotty kind of week

August 1, 2019

This week has been a mixed bag of weather, a mixed bag of activities now that the kids are off school and work has slowed up for the summer holidays and a mixed bag of life stuff happening too. What hasn’t been a mixed bag has been my outfits as this week, having got a bit bored of the temperamental weather, I decided to stick to a theme - SPOTS.

Some outfits are styled for evening and some for daytime. I have tried to use lots of my accessories that I own to use colour in my outfits. Accessories are key when it comes to building your own style and styling your outfits, starting with a good base of shoes and bags and then building on earrings, hair accessories, sunglasses and necklaces will all come with time. Some pieces I have owned for 10 years, others have been newer purchases for events this summer, sale purchases or gifts for my birthday.

So this is what my week looked like in outfits…

THE Zara spotty dress. I have dressed this up for evening using magenta pink that is from my colour palette (Winter), that I religiously stick to. Using accessories to make this monotone dress have some style personality.

Shoes from Topshop (sale)

Hairband from Maison Archives London

Bag from &other stories (Last year) - similar here

This outfit was also for the evening, but I had worn the skirt with a plain white tank top in the daytime as was a warmer day, so for the evening I added the yellow clutch bag from Whistles (sale) and my office sandals that I got last year but I give to so many clients because they are so comfy.

Skirt from & other stories

White tee from H&M (old)

Clutch bag from Whistles (sale)

Sandals from office

This was a day outfit, out with the kids on a sunny day to the park. The spot tank top is from Topshop and one of the oldest things I have in my wardrobe. It is quite short so I can wear it out with jeans but I can also tuck it in. I like to add a hairband when I am wearing this skirt as it gives it more attitude, the denim skirt is old from &Other Stories.

Denim skirt from & other stories, similar here

Spot tank top from Topshop (old)

Sandals from &other stories last year, but they have got them out again here

Red clutch from Kate Spade (present)

Embellished hairband from Anthropologie last year, similar here

Sunglasses from Mulberry

This last outfit was a daytime one, one where I went for lunch with a friend so I dressed up a bit. If I wanted to wear this out with the kids I would of put my white stan smith trainers on, changed my bag to a bigger one and perhaps thrown a jacket over the top too. Alot of these pieces are old from my wardrobe, but stand the test of time.