The only dress you need this Winter

The knitted dress returns

It’s been a while since the jumper dress has been fashionable, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been fashionable as I have been wearing mine for years, it just means it’s been hard to find any good ones to buy every Autumn. But this year it’s the only dress you will need this season. It’s cosy and warm and wraps you up which let’s face it is just how we want to feel right now. Knitwear is the best part of Autumn dressing so why not make it your whole outfit and embrace the knitted dress.

To some the knitted dress is unforgiving against their body shape, makes you hotter than a hot water bottle and just looks itchy. With an abundance of choices out there, all these excuses to not buy a jumper dress can be dismissed. Ribbed fabrics are being used, flattering lengths, different necklines and also detailing such as open backs and self belts. Most importantly they are cosy, especially now we are home more, comfort is important, this dress will see you through your lockdown days. This will be the most useful piece you buy given our current paired down lifestyles right now. Just pair it with chunky boots or trainers and you will be suitable for any occasion in the coming months.

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Best jumper dresses online

1. Ribbed midi dress, Mango, £49.99

2. Relaxed belted turtleneck midi dress, &other stories, £85

3. Rib knit dress, H&M, £39.99

4. Rib knit dress, H&M, £29.99

5. High knit wool dress, Arket, £89

6. Camel longline wool knit dress, £139

7. Oversized long knit dress, Monki, £40

8. Oat funnel neck knitted jumper dress, Topshop, £45.99

9. Polo collar knit dress, Zara, £49.99

My Autumn / Winter wishlist

Everytime the seasons change from Summer to Autumn then Winter to Spring I do a wish-list for that up coming season. For Autumn it normally starts around the beginning of September, collating ideas I have found, styles I like, things I know I need onto a mood board. I then do a wardrobe detox that normally cements some ideas in my mind of what I need replacing or newness and by then I have started buying those pieces on my moodboard.

I love figuring out how I am going to re-style my wardrobe staples for the new season. For me, it’s a balance of embracing easy updates and falling back in love with forgotten classics and stumbling upon some new future favourites too. I always start with a 'wishlist’ of ideas, or a mood board, then I do a wardrobe detox and define my season's wanted list of things. I consider trends, what I liked from last season, what I need to replace and what is missing from my wardrobe. Sometimes it’s lots of items and others it might only be five.

It's exciting when a new season starts, but you can get swept up in impulse buying, over buying or not having the right focus. Creating lists and mood boards ensures you spend your money more wisely, you can feel more confident about your choices and have fun finding the things you want.

One of the main reasons I pull together a mood board, or even write a list, is so that I don’t haphazardly buy things, this gives me a strategy to ensure that I don’t impulse buy, I don’t repeat buy something I already have and most importantly for me, that I don’t over buy. I tell alot of clients about my strategy to help them really think about what is in their wardrobe so that when you buy items they will fit in with the other pieces in your already own. Review your wardrobe, what have you loved wearing, what haven’t you worn alot of and what are you missing that will pull more outfits together?

“A great wardrobe is like a well-oiled machine that consists of interrelated parts that all work together, allowing you to mix and match freely and create a ton of different outfits that all suit your personal style.”

A common comment from clients to me is “I love fashion but I hate buying clothes”, if you have the tendency to feel over whelmed, stressed or anxious when shopping by having a list it will keep you focused and help you make the best choices for your style. The average shopper goes on a little shopping trip with a vague idea of what they want to buy and what they eventually take home is something that was on sale, something that caught their attention or something that they will never wear once home. By writing a list every season it will help you build a more cohesive wardrobe which will enhance your style and matches your wardrobe preferences.

Over the past few weeks if you follow me on Instagram you have seen that I have constantly been wearing the pieces I have brought from my AW wishlist, mixed back with older items in my wardrobe. The bits you buy and inject into your wardrobe need to fit in seamlessly, show off your style and make you feel good about yourself. Follow me @edits_styling.com

I would love to help you with your Autumn wants and needs, I can shop for the missing pieces you may have, help you define your style with some newness and inject some confidence back into your everyday outfits. Contact me for you consultation.

The new jean shapes

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.

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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

Mom fit tapered jeans, Mango, £35.99

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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.

Crop flared jean, Mango, £35.99

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

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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.

Black high waist barrel jean, Whistles, £95

Barrel jeans, Levi’s, £120

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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.

Ribcage straight leg jean, Levi’s, £100

High waist straight jean, Mango, £49.99

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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.

Premium bootcut jean, Zara, £29.99

High rise bootcut jeans, River Island, £45.00

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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

Premium straight leg jean, Zara, £29.99

How to detox & Edit your wardrobe

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 -

1. 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.

2. I was armed with my storage bags, bin liners, a note pad and my long mirror to try things on.

3. 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.

4. I sorted the Summer clothes into 3 piles; Keep, toss (charity, ebay or bin), & a maybe pile.

5. 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.

6. 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?

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. I cleaned my wardrobe and drawers and put everything back in neatly so I can see what I have when I get dressed everyday.

10. 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.