The new jean shapes

September 29, 2020

By far the most requested or asked question to me over the past couple of weeks has been what are the newest jean shapes? I think after lockdown we aren’t so into wearing our skinny jeans anymore, something about the restrictiveness of them. Some are even saying that the skinny jean is dead, read this elle.com piece on this thought. There are some new shapes that have been around for a couple of seasons but now seem to be coming into their own. Whilst we all might still be living in comfies, jeans are the hardest working item in our wardrobe and getting the right fit for your body is one thing I can help with, but feeling upto date and stylish is what I’m updating you with right now.

Given denim’s versatility and value in your wardrobe, now is the perfect time to invest in a fashion-forward pair of jeans for Autumn. Sales of skinny jeans are down and new shapes like a tapered leg, the Mom jean and the cropped kick flare are becoming more everyday style. My new pair that I have brought this season has been the Whistles barrel leg jean in acid wash. I have this style already from Whistles but was really taken by the newness of the wash, and I have to say I have been living in them.

High waisted styles are also here to stay, long forgotten a frumpy waist, now its all about how you dress your high waisted and last year Levi’s brought out a style called Ribcage, which were the highest waist they have ever done. What used to be a fail-safe jean, the skinny jean was the staple that formed the basis of every look, now when I pop it on it can make me feel lumpy and overexposed. Maybe it’s an age thing, feeling comfortable in my clothes is something that has become more important to me over the past few years. It might be hard to part with the skinny’s but I urge you to read on and think about your own personal style.

So whether you live in your jeans and want something new to bring your style upto date, I hope to excite you with some new styles for your wardrobe.

Tapered jean or Mom jean

High waisted tapered leg shape are your new comfy go-to jeans that are very flattering if worn high waisted and can be worn with trainers, high tops or tucked into slouchy boots. I have had my Zara pair since last Autumn and have lived in them. Here are some versions of this jean shape -

Black Premium mom tapered jean, Topshop, £45.99

Cropped ankle length kick flare

By far the most interesting new jean shape to grow over the past couple of seasons. You need to be ok with showing your ankle or wearing skinny boots that stick to the leg to fully appreciate the shape of these jeans. This shape is very flattering and will bring your jeans styling bang upto date.

Kick flare cropped jean, Everlane, £37 (in sale)

Barrel Jean

These are very similar to the tapered jean in shape at the ankle but are fitted at the waist and the thigh for a more flattering shape.

Straight

A fashion girl favourite, this is your new skinny silhouette who’s popularity is growing each season. Much more flattering in the leg than a skinny, the length has to finish in the right place though. High waisted and to the ankle will look great on everyone.

Bootcut

The bootcut and flare are the newest trend that every couple of years comes around again. There are is a 70’s trend but be careful to not go too wide leg or wide on the thighs, the most flattering bootcut is skinny on the thighs then kicking out at the calf.

High rise bootcut jeans, River Island, £45.00

White / Cream jean

I didn’t get as much wear out of my white jeans this Summer due to lockdown, but now as the season is changing I am feeling like I want to wear them. The shape I have isn’t skinny but they are high waisted and with a check blazer over the top it breaks up the white colour, making the outfit chic for the Autumn rather than Summery.

Straight high waist jeans, &other stories, £65

Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Comment

How to detox & Edit your wardrobe

September 26, 2020

There is no shame in having a bit of clutter in your life. We all lead busy lives with kids, work and life admin which is why it can be difficult to organise our time to organise our things. But with so much time spent at home right now, it’s a good time to get organised, declutter and create spaces that help create a sense of tranquility and happiness.

“Discard anything that does not spark joy”

Became a life saying a few years ago from Marie Kondo, whilst I do not practice the same decluttering techniques, alot of what she says about happiness coming from the items we own and the way they make us feel I’m in agreement with. At this time of year when the seasons are changing it is easy to continue buying in the same patterns we always do, buying things that don’t suit us, buying things that we already have, buying things that we never even wear. By starting with what you have in your wardrobe now it will set you up to spend your money better on things you need, that suit you and that make you feel good about yourself.

My wardrobe detox

As ever I did my own wardrobe detox this weekend when the weather finally turned colder. I packed away all my Summer clothes into air tight bags and popped them away in storage. I was then able to see what I had in my wardrobe and assess it for the coming Autumn and Winter months. Here is what I did -

I set aside the time to detox my wardrobe without any interruptions from kids, errands or having to stop half way through leaving the bedroom in a massive mess.
I was armed with my storage bags, bin liners, a note pad and my long mirror to try things on.
I started by pulling out all my favourite Summer pieces and putting them away, I also identified if there was anything that I hadn’t worn and anything that might need either repairing or throwing away. I made an honest assessment about what I wore, what I loved wearing and what were the reasons for me not wearing some pieces.
I sorted the Summer clothes into 3 piles; Keep, toss (charity, ebay or bin), & a maybe pile.
Once I had all of the Summer items out of the way I worked through the rest of my wardrobe and pieces I had packed away that were for the colder months.
I did the same technique and asked myself questions whilst also trying some items on. Does it still fit me? Does this reflect my style? Do I love it? Has it had it’s day?
After a mammoth try on session I added some pieces to my piles of charity, toss and Ebay. I kept out the things I really loved and can see myself wearing in the coming weeks. I left some pieces still packed away like really heavy knits so to save space in my wardrobe for what I want to wear right now.
As I was going along I made some notes of things that I had to throw out cos they had holes in or looked over worn but I wanted to replace and these pieces I added to my A/W wishlist which I will share with you very soon.
I cleaned my wardrobe and drawers and put everything back in neatly so I can see what I have when I get dressed everyday.
I now have to deal with my piles; a couple of buttons to repair on a blazer and boilersuit and a small pile of pieces to put on ebay, plus a bag for the charity shop.

How I felt afterwards is still with me now, I feel a weight has lifted off my shoulders, I know what I need for Autumn to plug the gaps and my wardrobe looks inviting once again as it is free from clutter.

Reviewing your wardrobe is the first step in finding your style. Great style comes when you discover the colours and pieces that make you feel fantastic. This is what I want to help you create. If you need professional help with your wardrobe then contact me now for your home visit consultation and let’s bring the joy back to your life.

Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Comment

How to style a blazer

September 22, 2020

Blazers have been a big part of my style for a number of years now and the trend for wearing them off duty, out of the office and as a casual jacket has grown over the past couple of seasons. It’s the perfect jacket to transition into cooler temperatures with, lightweight enough to wear or carry and it has the ability to make an outfit look better instantly. I don't know why, exactly. It could be the collar – everyone looks better with a collar, or the shoulders that create a vertical line for your body shape. It could be the fact that there are so many different options, thus ensuring there's a breadth of colours, fits and sizes. Whatever the reason, now is the perfect time to find a blazer to update other pieces you have in your wardrobe. You will never regret buying one as there are so many things that you can wear it with.

So whether you prefer a tailored, oversized, neutral or bold coloured, check or printed blazer - you can be assured you’re always going to look stylish and well put together with a blazer. It’s classically versatile whilst having an underlining sophistication. Meet your new best friend, your wardrobe staple, your game changer. Thankfully there are many to choose from to buy right now, but I have rounded up the ones that you need the most, of course not all of them but the best of what’s out there right now, to buy now and that you won’t regret.

Top blazers everyone will be wearing

Houndstooth blazer

Mini houndstooth double breasted blazer, Topshop, £55

Pink blazer

Belted blazer

Check blazer

Check double breasted blazer, H&M, £34.99

Leather blazer

Oversized leather belted blazer, COS, £290

Oversized blazer

Jersey blazer

Jersey fitted blazer, Whistles, £85 (currently £68 in promotion)

Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Comment

How I updated my style with 5 new items

September 6, 2020

The 5 items that I brought to update my style for transitioning into Autumn

Now that we are transitioning into Autumn it’s time to look at what you have in your wardrobe. September can be a mixture of sunny warm days, cold moody days and lots of rain so it’s this transition that we need to dress for. You need to use current pieces that you have in your wardrobe from Summer and some other pieces from last Autumn or Spring and sprinkle a bit of newness in there too.

Often all you need is 5 perfect items to update your style and put a new spin on lots of things in your wardrobe and this is where my Fashion Fix service comes in. Once I know your colours, know your body shape and size and understand more about your lifestyle I can pull together the 5 key pieces you need to wear right now. Clients who’s wardrobe we have detoxed, added new pieces into and built up over time just need a small injection of newness that seamlessly go into your wardrobe and give you a style injection.

I challenged myself to get 5 new pieces for my transitional wardrobe on a budget of £120. I manged to use 2 discount codes in my 5 pieces and free delivery on all of them which means I came in under budget. My pieces are items that I can wear now with sandals if the weather is warm enough, I can layer over things and each other, and are versatile that I have been able to use them in different styling ways many times already. Having a more structured view on what I wanted to buy meant I was more focused on what I really needed, what made me happy and meant I kept in my budget restrictions.

I stuck to my colour palette, brought things that would last me through Autumn and Winter, so whilst they weren’t expensive investment buys, cost per wear will be high which makes me happy that I have spent my money well. Having a clearer idea about what I wanted my style to be and how I wanted to style myself made my choices better ones.

You don’t need a lot in your wardrobe and you don’t need a massive budget to update it, you just need me to find the perfect 5 pieces for you. For £25 you can’t go wrong getting some fresh new pieces for your wardrobe and styling advice from a personal stylist.