What I Wore: Pinstripes, soft style

More meetings. 
Needed a jacket, even though the pants could be casual.

STYLE TIP: Important negotiations? Wear a jacket. You will be perceived as more experienced & capable than if you keep the top layer relaxed.

The jacket

A Sonia Rykiel black wool with a thin cream pin stripe.
Very old & when I bought it, it was really large, so they tailored it for me. Now its a bit snug around the waist, so I have to wear it open. But they kept all the seam allowances in, so it can be taken out & since it's wool, it will steam perfectly so all the seam lines will disappear.

STYLE TIP: When you have clothing taken in, leave the seam allowances in, so its possible to take it back out, later, if necessary.

The thing that really sold this jacket to me was gathers at the hem of the front sections. So cute. I remember thinking at the time that ironing would be difficult. Yes, but that's what steaming is for.

Love the little Sonia Rykiel ball on a front pocket. Each collection has a different bauble and every item in the collection has the bauble, so this could be used to date the item.

The cuff buttons are actually press studs. When we altered this, the sleeves needed to be shortened, so we had to unstitch the sleeves from the shoulders & take them up. It wasnt possible to do a professional job by taking 1-2 cm from the cuff as the button button would be too close to the hem to look appropriate.


The sweater

A Coles Mix 100% wool sweater from last year. Needs de-pilling desperately. Oops. 

You've probably noticed that I wear all my tops out - never tucked in. Its because even though I am long waisted, the moment I tuck in, my proportions go all wonky & I look stubby. Plus I prefer the top out as it hides all my lumps & bumps better than if I tuck in. 

STYLE TIP: The rule for sweaters, skim not cling. 

The jeans

I know, I am being lazy but I LOVE my boyfriend jeans. 
You may be sick of seeing them, but considering I bought them for $20, cost per wear (CPW) is now about $1 & rapidly going down further.

The necklaces

Both the necklaces sat within the vee of the jacket. The multi circle one is adjustible, so it made it even easier to sit them so their curves were in sync.

The multi one was from Belinda, on sale. Its very heavy but sits perfectly. It has silver toned rings with gold tones ones at the ends & in the middle. Its by a New York designer, name escapes me.

The one with the single large oval & the rubber strand is an Italian piece, Jolly Veneza and it came from Beautiful Things By in Beecroft. Love this place - a treasure trove of high end imported jewellery/accessories & normal homewares.

The bangle

Bottega Veneta from ebay, worn many many times.
Love.

The rings

The bottom piece is silver from Beautiful Things By at Beecroft. This si the first time you have seen this. Its an oval sitting on top of a circle. Your finger goes into the circle, so the oval just sits on top saying "hello" to the world. 

The top piece is stainless steel. I have worn this before.

The shoes

The Car Shoe black patent flats. Comfy & stylish.

See you tomorrow. 

What I Wore: Bright winter stripes & diamantes

The weather fined up today and a wool jacket wasnt called for.

The jacket

I had this colourful Sonia Rykiel hoodie on a drinks trolley - it had been worn and wasnt ready for a wash yet. So it was waiting for another wear.

Today was the day.

I bought it from ebay for $60. Its 100% cotton & a main line Rykiel. Love those rainbow stripes.

The top

A Bassike navy tee bought at a warehouse sale for around $60.

The jeans

Not Your Daughters Jeans in cobalt blue.

The cuff

A mesh & diamante piece from Oroton bought on ebay for $20.

The necklace

An Anne Klein matt gold from 1993, Grace Bros.
Back then GBs used to keep heaps of AK matt gold jewellery. They were very typical of that era. 

I tend to only wear it with a collar so it doesnt tarnish against the skin. So far, so good, but today's collar isnt very collar-ish.

The rings

The YSL dot ring & the multi circle Barneys NY ring.

The shoes

Prada copy cheapies from Wittner for $40. 

See you tomorrow.

What I Wore: A funeral suit which also goes to work

People always ask me what I consider to be the wardrobe essentials which should be in every woman's wardrobe.

I never answer this in terms of items of clothing. I answer it in  terms of occasions. So if that occasion came up, you have something to wear at a moment's notice. This means you need to have an outfit that will take you to cocktails/dinner, an outfit that will take you to a lunch with friends, outfits for work, outfits for being at home, outfits for running errands, outfits for sport, outfits for red carpet (yeah, right...hehehe) etc.  

The volume of clothes in each category or occasion is your next step - depending on your lifestyle. Obviously a stay at home mum will have a greater portion of home outfits & a smaller portion of work outfits than a corporate girl.  

Back to occasions.....the other outfit every woman needs is one for a funeral. 

I had to attend a funeral today.
For me that means something dark. It doesnt have to be black, just dark. And something suit-y - formal, although a dress (think LBD) could also have worked.

The jacket

A black Giorgio Armani super fine 120 wool. Single breasted, fully lined, moderate shoulder pads, covers the bum. Works all the time. 

STYLE TIP: Look for buttons at the cuffs which have faux button holes. A sign of a better quality garment than those without. Mind you, this makes it more costly to shorten the sleeve, but the look in the end is so much classier.

STYLE TIP: Dont put things in jacket pockets. Ever. That's what handbags are for. Leave them stitched up so the garment retains it shape and looks neat. 

The jacket is part of a suit which I bought about 5 years ago from the Martin Place store for a bomb - its skirt is fitted & flared at the knees with a million flippy bits. Unfortunately it wont fit me around the hips & tummy at the moment so I had to find an alternative skirt. You've probably noticed I am not big on pants unless they are casual or jeans.

STYLE TIP: The best way to make a matched suit out of unmatched separates (in the same colour) is to make one of them a knit. Since the knit has texture and depth, as long as it is in the same colour as the woven, it will work with the woven even if technically they are not matched.  

In contrast its very hard to exactly match two wovens in the same colour without looking like you are trying but didnt quite get there. 

Since I wanted the formality of a jacket (not a cardi) my knit had to be a skirt.

The skirt

A black Sonia Rykiel which you have met previously.
I adore the combination of super tight fit through the legs with a flippy skirt.

Also love the wide thick waist band - good for sucking in the tummy. 

I'd better get rid of the pilling before putting this away in the wardrobe.

The top

The trusty Coles Mix black scoop neck tee. $6.
No photograph required.

The scarf

This is navy & black Nina Ricci wool scarf which is an open spider weave type of knit. I bought it for $20 from Recycled Rags in Neutral Bay many years ago. It was $20 and had plenty of holes in it which I stitched up by threading black cotton in & out through the holes. 

The shape is a rectangle with curved edges. All the raw edges are sewn in, via piping in the same knit. the work on this baby is top notch. 

It has a gorgeous little red resin drop at one end with the brand name etched into it. 

The brooch

The brooch is probably my favourite thing of this outfit.
I bought it from the Giorgio Armani boutique in Sydney when it was where the Hermes boutique is currently, about 12 years ago. It was $300 & a steal. Its the perfect sparkly jet black Swarovski beads on a gunmetal grey round structure. I like having something sparkly which I can wear at the most somber of occasions without disrespecting the hosts. 

The shoes

These are Azzedine Alaia in a wool felt with a croc front trim.
I bought these pre-loved for < $300 from a pre loved store in Paddington which I no longer shop at. If you want to know why, just ask me on the FB page.

See you tomorrow when I wear brown jeans...

What I Wore: SIA does matchy matchy sweater & scarf

Let's get this straight.

I have never in my life worn anything tight. Ever.
Everything either skims or is loose. The looser the better I feel. I dont do tight. If in doubt, I always go up a size, never down.

Having gained some weight of late, some pieces are getting tighter & perhaps even tight. 

Panic city. But not enough to exercise or change the diet in any material way & fight nature. Fighting nature is an uphill battle.

The only issue with weight gain for me isnt how I look or even the health side (bad, I know, some of my health nut readers will shake their heads). Its that I cant fit into my clothes. The beautiful clothes that I love & I buy to have forever. That's the tragedy.

Case in point: My Sonia Rykiel striped sweater.

The sweater

  

Sonia has been doing rainbow stripes on everything from accessories to clothes for a gazillion years. The shades vary & most of the time she alternates with with black to white/cream. Its her trademark.

Here are some examples...

Love this tee from her main line

A scarf from her diffusion range, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel -  her main line would never offer  such simple stripes. Her diffusion is always watered down (cheaper) in styling/fabric compared to the main line & that's what makes it cheaper.

Her Enfant range

A collaboration with H&M a few years ago

I have found that most of her rainbows are warm toned so I tended to stay away...you know, lots of mustards, yellows, oranges, corals, turquoises, bright orangey reds etc. Hospital colours. I'm more into the burgendies, fuschias, cobalts and forest greens. 

Then one day many years ago I did a David Jones pre-sell (where they show you the imports in a private viewing & you can buy away from the public space) and this sweater popped up. 

It had mostly cool colours. My colours. Magic.

She puts a marker on her main line peices, sometimes a diamante, sometimes a plate, sometimes a ball. 

& the more magic part was there was a matching scarf. Double magic.

I had to buy. Simply had to.

A week later I was in Hong Kong & the same collection which had only just arrived in Sydney, had been on the floor for a couple of months & was reduced by 50%.  I was at the SR boutique in the Landmark building on the island. It was like XMAS. They didnt have the sweater in my size but I did score the scarf and saved about $600, $500 in reduction & $100 in exchange rate. 

I was in HK for a week, punding the pavement & I only bought two things (& a stack of runway mags). The scarf was one of those things.

Back in David Jones, I returned the scarf, received a refund & all was good as I had still paid a bomb for the sweater anyway. 

Sweater worn again & again & again. 
It was a fine wool with 10% cashmere and would work under suits & with jeans. 

Scarf worn about half that time, but as I am a scarf girl, it was a terrific "in the coffin" purchase.

Well fast forward about 5 years & this thing called weight gain set in & it felt too tight for my liking. So I stalked ebay & found the next size up (French 42) & bought it for about $120. I sold the original for about $70 (crazy, huh?). 

SHOP TIP: If you're patient, most things come around again on ebay. If you're not patient, then dont even think about it. 

Fast forward another few years & I have grown out of the 42.
I couldnt be bothered looking for another one - frankly the longer the time from the original garment, the more chance there will be issues with the item (critter holes, stains, etc) - while that isnt a full proof reason not to look, its a contributing factor. 

STYLE TIP: The label says Dry Clean Only. For an unstructured knit in wool/cashmere, no way will I heed this instruction. Out comes the wool wash (or the shampoo), a few dips & swirls, gently squeeze out the water but dont wring, roll in a towel to take out the excess moisture & lay flat to dry. 

Recently I was looking at some photos of shirts under sweaters & the lightbulb moment hit.

The shirt

My What I Wore posts wouldn't be complete without a Coles mix item.

I grabbed a black cotton/elastene poplin shirt from last season & wore it under the sweater.

I wrote about these shirts when I found them....

http://styleintoaction.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/the-coles-mix-2012-gold-medal-find.html

These shirts were serious gold in quality & price. 

Sweater sleeves pulled up.

Shirt tails hanging out, front & back & front bottom two buttons open. 

Collar popped (you look taller with a popped collar).

The shirt smoothed over the lumps & bumps so the sweater wasnt hugging them, but merely sitting over them.

It worked.

I was happy to walk out of the house with this look.

The rings

Alexander McQueen skull enamel ring in stainless (& made in China).

Bottega intercaccio ring, I love thee more than life itself.


The jeans

A washed grey Not Your Daughters Jeans straight leg.
Any denim would have done the job here as it is the stripes that pop the outfit.

The shoes

A Tod's grey pump - a perfect work shoe.
Originally I bought the black, realised what a great shape they were for me & found another neutral to invest in.

As usual, love the pointy but round toe & the stacked heel.

It would have been alot easier to just grab a loafer, but since I was in an outfit that I had not worn in this way before, I wanted everything else to say "confident". For me, heels do this all the time.

Have I forgotten anything?

Oh yes, 

The scarf

An identical knit colour to the sweater but a slightly different weave so when the scarf hangs next to it, they look identical. Everything is thought through with brands like Rykiel and frankly that's one of the things you pay for. 

So we are talking matchy matchy but in a perfect meant to be kind of way.

Its so wonderful having colours that like your face near your face. 

I also love the way the sides are finished with a knit that looks like a fine hem...

I have taken the large Sonia Rykiel tag off the scarf. However the bronze "SR" plate remains. It is sewn on & is intended to stay on. 

STYLE TIP: Take all tags off your scarves when you wear them. They look so much better without those tags which are styled with the brand's logo in mind, but dont work in harmony with individual pieces made by the brand.  

Probably the only exception to this is Hermes scarves - I'd suggest to leave the tags on & tuck them in via the folding. Better resale value and the scarf which is a premium item, remains original.

The dilemma - 

Scarf hanging? or Scarf wrapped around neck? 

My fashion goals in life (Yes, I AM making this up as I go along) are (in no particular order):

1. Comfy
2. Wear only what I love
3. Exceptional fit
4. Quality fabric
5. Quality making
6. Flatter my complexion
7. Flatter my shape
8. Make me look taller (I love height).

Based on these criteria, which scarf placement did I choose?

Hanging?

or wrapped?

based on my goals - Hanging? or Wrapped?

& why?

What I Wore: SIA goes corporate

Sometimes there are never enough hours in the day. Today was one of those days. I found myself taking these photos at 5 pm when it was seriously getting dark. Silly me.

Today was corporate day.
Explanation. Since I was presenting to TAFE students on interview appearance (as part of my Fitted for Work gig), I decided to wear interview appropriate clothing.

Dont be horrified about the fact that I was presenting on interview appearance but wasnt interview appropriate. My boss & I normally present in smart business wear, just not notched up to interview standard. As part of the presentation, we use ourselves as examples of what not to wear.

So today I turned up corporate, stockings & all.

My transition to corporate had to be gentle.

The skirt

The skirt was an 100% wool knit in black from Sonia Rykiel at David Jones in the Sydney CBD about 6 years ago.
It had a wide waist band (slurp in the tummy) and pointelle stitching near the hem. The hem was many many seriously fluted bits. Very feminine. 

The photo implies an asymmetric hem - it isnt. The hem is horizontal.

With control top pantihose and my Target seamless knickers, smoothing the hips & thighs was a snap. Then take a knit skirt which hugs & flip it out at the hem & you have a pretty perfect shape. When you walk, it swings just so. The beauty of this is that it will work for most body types.

STYLE TIP: If you love skirts, one of the most flattering styles isnt actually a pencil skirt. A pencil skirt has a harsh hemline. Instead grab something that hugs you like a pencil until a bit above your knee. Then let it flare out. This has the sexiness of a pencil but the femininity of a flare. Its not easy to find this style on the high street as the cut is expensive to do. But if you see it & it remotely fits (alterations can do the final tweaks), grab it.
In Australia, Covers used to do this style season after season in lined jersey fabrics. But they are no longer in business. 

Sheepishly, I have to admit, the only way to do justice to this baby is to be photographed in it. It comes to life on a body. 

I also have it in navy (hey, they were on sale).

The stockings were a Voodoo Nightshade sheer.

The top

Since I didnt wear a Coles Mix tee yesterday, I had to make up for it today. Black, scoop neck, $6.

I did try another tee on before I settled on this one though. 
The other was too long & it showed from under the jacket. When the rest of the outfit is fitted & business like, a top longer than the jacket generally isnt a good look. 

The jacket

Another boiled wool creation from Italian brand, Clips.
Purchased from a boutique in Sydney called Posh which sells alot to the CEO of Westpac, Gail Kelly. I bought it about 6 years ago.

It has a double bias ruffle all the way around the collar and the front. The hem is a single ruffle. Also on the cuffs. It has a couple of subtle buttons under the ruffle, but I never button them up and as I have grown since I bought it, I wouldnt even try.

Its got all the structure of a jacket, but in a wool knit its as comfy as my PJs. It is a long in the body cut which suits me just fine. 

The necklace

Today, since I was doing the all black thing again, I needed colour somewhere in the mix.

I thought a scarf would be too fluffy with all those ruffles, so a necklace was in order.

A red sun pendant on sterling which I bought from a jewellery store in Paddington called Chantal B. I have worn this again & again and I am sure it'll be in the coffin with me. I change the chain between sterling or rubber. Today, the rubber was easier to find. 

The rings

More old faithfulls.
$10 Witchery ring & the Bottega Veneta intercaccio.

The shoes

Patrick Cox pumps.
Yes I have worn these the last 2 days, however in their defense, those days were only half days.

STYLE TIP: Never wear natural fibres (leather, fabric etc) more than two days in a row. The fibres need time to relax and get back to shape from the moisture and secretions your body subjects them to. Please, at least 24 hours between wears. 

Today is their final day for now. Back in their box to rest til next time.

See you tomorrow, where I'll be back in casual (plus a jacket) for the weekend.