It's all about the full length mirror.

If you love the styling tips provided by Style into Action, then you have to read this post. 

Frankly, even I was surprised at how things turned out. 

Firstly, I love linen, men's style shirts and certain shades of blue and green sing on me. 

Enter EXHIBIT A:

Target Collection women's shirt - perfect.

I didnt even try it on - just ensured the measurements havent changed since the last one from there & off I went, shirt in hand. 

As I was perusing the rest of the floor, enter EXHIBIT B:

The almost twin version from the Belle Curve range.

1. Same fabric
2. Same price
3. Same cut except, Belle Curve has 2 small 5 cm slits at the hem on each side seam AND Belle Curve has no flaps on the front pockets.

Frankly I prefer the lack of pocket flaps b/c it's easier to iron & has a cleaner line. But that is such a small difference, I didnt want to use it as sole basis of my decision.  

The ONLY answer was to TRY THEM ON in front of a FULL LENGTH MIRROR. 

Knowing that Belle Curve cuts more generously, I made sure I was comparing shirts with the same measurements rather than the same size on the tag. 

Target Collection was the winner by far.

Why? 

Target Collection's flaps were sitting just above my nipple (with well fitting bra), bringing the eye upwards & widening my upper half. For a pear shape, clothing that does that is gold.

The Belle Curve shirt's pocket started below my nipples, bringing the eye downwards toward my belly. That's the last place a pear wants the eye to go. It visibly made my upper body look smaller & my lower body look bigger. 

I was shocked at what a huge difference these two babies made. All thanks to TRYING ON & A FULL LENGTH MIRROR.

I can't emphasise those two things enough. 

Where do thirty something girls shop?

Fact: Every store has a customer profile and makes its goodies with that profile in mind. They know who buys most of their stuff – age, sex, single v partnered?, with kids? medium income? And a whole lot more about spending patterns due to loyalty programs.

Make sure you are shopping at stores which cater for your profile. Otherwise you are banging your head against a wall.

Case in point:

Posted today on the Country Road Facebook page, from a reader:

“Would have loved the orange dress but I went and had a look at it today and it was even shorter than I thought it would be! None of the other dresses are that flattering on the average middle aged woman who is self conscious about her arms, and doesn't want to show the world what she has had for breakfast every time she sits down.”

The customer profile at Country Road is different to that at Witchery & different to that at Cue or Review or Alannah Hill.

The above profiles are even more distinct from Trenery, Sussan, Sportscraft, Blue Illusion and Veronika Maine. Each store in this second group is also distinctly different from each other.

And distinct again to the profiles at temt, Forever New or Supre,

A lot of the differences are age driven although style is also a driver to the extent it varies with age.

I am not saying a “middle aged woman” cant shop at temt or Forever New or Country Road.  You can. Just make them your snack destinations, not your main course three times a day. 

The brands in the middle section (above) cater for an older group. Their cuts & lengths accommodate a 30 yo or a 40 yo body & not a 16 yo figure.  I am not suggesting they sell neck to knees clothing, but I think you understand what I am getting at.  

Find the brands that work for you & stop battling at the brands that don’t cater for your profile.

* Just because a store offers it, doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

* Just because you shopped there for the last 5 years, doesn’t mean it’s right for you now.

* Just because all your friends shop there, doesn’t mean it’s the place for you to shop.

The biggest hint that your in the wrong store is that you are griping about. Its not you, its the store. There's plenty of stores to go around and when you find the right ones, you will stop griping.  

PS: Did you notice that I haven’t mentioned anything about body shapes here? So not only do you have to contend with “store style” personalities, you also have to deal with getting the best fit depending on whether you are an apple, pear, busty, columns or hourglass, petite or tall. Hmmmmm.

I don’t want to overwhelm you – I just want to you be realistic about how its not easy to buy off the rack (without alterations), but EVERYONE is facing the same issue. The only ones consistently looking good are the ones who set aside some of their budget for alterations. And you can bet your bottom dollar the well dressed ones are shopping in the stores that suit their personal profile.

Does Nina Proudman's style suit YOU?

Open letter to all Offspring fashion fans:

Nina Proudman is a fictional character.

Her style is bohemian.

Her style is popular.

After all, she has a fabulous figure and the clothes/accessories are selected & styled by experts.

You can use her as inspiration for your wardrobe.

You can even seek out & buy the actual pieces she wears.

That’s if you want to look like a fictional character.

Lets go to your wardrobe.

I find a lot of women open their wardrobe door in the morning & aren’t exactly thrilled with what they see – even if there are many choices in front of them.

Lets face it, most women wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time.

Choices made on the spur of the moment during a television show are unlikely to increase that ratio.

The only way to increase that ratio is twofold.

Firstly, you PLAN your wardrobe based on your LIFESTYLE. 

1. What activities do I do in my life (stay at home mum, school run, lunch with friends, career girl in the office, career girl with home office, drinks with friends, dating, clubbing, fitness etc)?
2. What clothes do I need for each of those activities (jeans, pants, nice tops for day,  suits, party & cocktail, sexy tops for night, exercise wear, large bag for the kitchen sink, structured bag for work, small bag for play)?
3. Hence where are the gaps in my wardrobe? But don’t even think about going shopping yet. At this stage it’s a GENERAL assessment of the gaps and general assessments are never good enough for shopping trips.
   
   

The chances of Nina’s clothes fitting into your wardrobe gaps is a longshot. All Nina’s clothes will do is reduce your ratio so you will wear 10% of your wardrobe 80% of the time.

Secondly, you must “KNOW THYSELF”.

1. What is my body shape (apple, pear, inverted triangle, rectangle, hourglass)?

2. What is my height (ie: am I petite)?

3. Am I long waisted or short waisted?

4. What colours flatter my complexion?

5. What’s my style (classic, dramatic, whimsical, bohemian, natural/sporty, minimalist etc)?

Once you’ve figured out “know thyself”, then you go back to the “plan” and identify the gaps in a more targeted and specific manner.

For example, lets say you identified that you needed more casual tops in the “planning” step.  “Know thyself” narrows it down & identifies the styles & colours of the casual tops. Yet, even if you have these specifics, its still NOT time to go shopping.

Let me give you some examples of the specifics:

A kimono top is the worst thing for a petite or a rectangle to wear. Unless they live in Japan.

Yellow is one of the hardest colours to wear. Unless you are a road worker. It is death on a complexion which suits burgundy, cobalt, watermelon or lavender, navy, aqua or fuschia. Unless you are in a television studio with light and make up people at your beck & call.

Long layered necklaces sitting below the breastbone on busty girls will emphasise the girls. All they do is move around over the breasts & make the girls the focus instead of the overall look being the focus. 

For large busts, a necklace like left is appropriate. The length of the
necklace on the right is very wrong. 

Slim jeans tucked into long boots don’t work for pears. Unless you want to look even more bottom heavy. A pear needs balance on their lower half (think boot leg) & they don’t need their silhouettes around the hips/thighs emphasized by tight clothes.

Maxi dresses aren’t the best for petite shapes or apples. But if you can find an empire waist dress, it may work for an apple or a pear.




Full skirt maxis don’t work on anyone except for tall inverted triangles or hourglasses. The chances of you being the exception here are miniscule.

There are MANY shades of ever colour. The complexions which suit soft muted colours will not suit the same colour in a vibrant clear version. So a mint green wont suit the complexions which look good in a soft khaki green nor those who look good in an emerald green. If you live in a TV studio with make up & lighting people all around you, this doesn’t apply to you.

  

Unless you invoke that TV studio scenario, if you suit aqua well, you wont suit turquoise as well. And vice versa. Nina wears both these colours as she invokes the TV studio exception. 

Clingy Henley style tops, unless used for layering, are not very forgiving on real bodies.

Only a very small proportion of women have a
figure that can accommodate this look. 

A cross body narrow bag wont work for a stay at home mum or a corporate girl unless you intend to use it casually. Don’t expect it to work for you seven days a week. It only works 24/7 in a TV studio.

Nina wears cream & stark white near her face. Thanks to the TV studio exception. Apart from that no one who suits cream will also suit stark white. Don’t just buy a Nina white top or a Nina cream top. Make sure its YOUR best shade of white.

Nina wears metals which can be gold or silver toned. No-one whose complexion  suits gold will suit silvers even remotely as well. Unless they take advantage of the TV studio ambience exception.



If your style is dramatic or structured (like Billie's) or minimalist, then Nina's numbers just wont work for you.

Nina loves cropped jackets over long tops. Kimono style, denim, flowy, the works. If you are pear shaped, forget this look. Alot of women are pear shaped. 

Women on the short side generally cant wear long, loose flowy styles. Ever. 

The Oneseason style top is not good for shorter girls. Get it altered or dont buy it.

So once you know what DOES & DOESN’T work for your lifestyle, body & complexion AND you have identified your specific gaps, then you can think about shopping. I can guarantee you that most of Nina’s clothes don’t fall into your shopping list.

In case you haven’t figured it out, Nina Proudman has a terrific figure & with the help of the TV studio exception will look fabulous all the time. If you copy her style, you will get it wrong for you body, colouring & lifestyle. Guaranteed.

Yes, so many women are filling their carts after each episode with things that don’t suit them or their lifestyle. I am seeing the same names again & again, every week. Not picking up the odd piece here & there, but picking up many pieces. 

Please step back & do some planning before you click after an episode.

Frankly, if you didn’t have gaps in your wardrobe for scalloped boots or yellow tops before the episode screened, I can guarantee you that those items will be a mistake if you bought them after the episode.

What do I mean by a mistake?

I am sure you’ll wear the mistake once or twice or even three times. You’ll get comments on the item because your friends will recognize it as a Nina piece. But its unlikely they will complement YOU. They will instead complement the ITEM.

When something is a winner, your friends say “Wow you look terrific”

When something isn’t a winner, your friends say “Wow, what a great top”.

Ultimately, the stuff that looks terrific, but doesn’t look terrific on YOU, wont be worn a lot. Do you want to buy stuff that sits in your wardrobe more than it sits on your back?

Nina Proudman style isnt for everyone. In fact it isnt right for over 50% of adult women. Be careful when you get excited every Wednesday night. I am worried about your wardrobe and your wallet. 

Checklist: How to build an accessory wardrobe

As soon as we are born and clothes are put onto our bodies, dressing becomes second nature.

Accessorising comes later in life and so most of us have had less practice - so it is trickier to do. But the skill of accessorising can still be learnt. 

This post provides you with a CHECKLIST of the questions you should be asking yourself when planning your accessories wardrobe.

Question 1: What's my preferred style?

Yes, "style" doesnt just apply to clothes, it very much applies to bling.

The 3 overriding styles styles are classic, dramatic or boho.

A classic may prefer subtle chains or pearls. The key here is neat and controlled pieces which dont go all over the place. So the earrings may be a single drop or a stud. The necklace may be a symmetrical choker or a single strand and there is less chance it will be a lariat.

A dramatic style will favour asymmetry, geometry, exaggerated pieces, bold colours and large metallic pieces. 
Think large clean lines & statement pieces. Your bling may be the wooden pieces from Elk, or the resin and metal pieces from Dinosaur Designs.  

A boho style prefers mixed colours, often but not always earthy, and anything which isnt neat. Think dangly, intricate and fussy pieces. Leather pieces tend to fall into this category.

At this point, I would suggest you do some googling to see what these styles of bling look like. If there are celebrities whose style you admire, google again, to see more of their style. The more you can identify what you like, the easier your wardrobe building will be. Trust me, the homework WILL pay off. 

Down the track, you can fine tune your knowledge into more detailed categories like crafty/whimsical, romantic/girly, minimalist, sporty/casual, Euro chic and corporate, among others. These are all variations on the 3 basic styles.

So if you're corporate at work and dramatic on the weekend, perhaps you shouldnt grab those ethnic beads at the markets.

If you're minimalist, then that multicoloured raw edge scarf may not be the best choice for you, even if its on sale.

Question 2: What colours flatter my face?

This is very important for anything that sits near your face, namely necklaces, earrings, corsages, brooches, headbands, glasses, scarves & the handles of shoulder bags.

If you wear it on your feet, waist, hands or wrist, then wear it even if it would make you look ill around the face as long as you love it & it complements the outfit.

If you really want to get it perfect, also watch the buckles on your shoes and the buckle son your belt too. 

This question also applies to knowing your best metal, whether its silver tone, yellow gold tone or rose gold tone. 

It doesnt end there. If you look best in silver tones, then keep your distressed metals as gunmetals/greys. If you look best in yellow gold/rose gold tones, then keep your distressed metals as antiquey gold.

Question 3: 
a) What accessories do I hate wearing?
b) What accessories do I prefer wearing?
c) What features of the accessory do I like or dislike?

This question is all about "know thyself". The more you know  about what you like & dont like, the easier it will be to spot the winner & the loser. The more you plan to wear the item, the more important this question becomes. 

For example:
If you hate rings there is no point investing in them just because they are on sale.
If bangles drive you mad, then steer away from them.

When it comes to bags:
Do you like your bags to have one handle or two?
Do you like your bags with a shoulder strap?
Do you need a divider in your handbag?
Do you need an outer zipper or is a press stud OK?
What is your preferred size (depth, height, width)?
Hey, if you are going to invest a few hundred dollars (let alone a few thousand) on a bag, this kind of self knowledge is vital.

Question 4: 
a) What necklines do I wear?
b) What's my facial shape?
c) Am I big bones or small boned?

There are some rules of thumb here & the rest is playing around in front of the mirror.

Wear accessories around your neck which complement your neckline. 

For example:
A square neckline looks best with angular accessories.
A vee neckline looks best with vee accessories such as a chain with a pendant that directs the chain to look like a vee.
A round neck looks best with accessories which follow the curve of the round neckline.

If your face is curved, keep your accessories angular.
If your face is angular, keep your accessories curved.
By selecting accessories opposite to your face shape, you will achieve balance & harmony.

For example:
If your face is an inverted triangle (think Reece Witherspoon), then wear triangular shaped earrings (which arent inverted) so they balance out your pointy chin.
A square face looks best in rounded frames.
An oblong face looks best in glasses which have strength at the temples (like cat eye frames).

Do you know if you are big boned or small boned?
If you dont, ask me on the Facebook page public area & I will give you the test for this. 

Big boned girls should wear larger scale accessories.
Small boned girls should wear smaller scale accessories.

Question 5: Do I prefer "cheap & cheerful" or investment pieces?

Frankly, if you like investment pieces, you need to scour the sales or accept that you will have less bling, since each one will have a higher cost. 

Question 6: Finally, does it complement the outfit, accentuate my good bits & detract from my bad bits? 

For example: The white shoe
The colour white may not suit your complexion but you can wear white in shoes. Even if white shoes complement your outfit, if you have big feet, they may be cut/stitched/trimmed so they will accentuate your bad bits. Leave them at the store & go home.  

Stand back in a full length mirror to assess this. Lucky for you, accessory shops have plenty of these and you should bring the outfit with you if you REALLY want to get it right.

Does the item pass?

The item you are fingering at the store needs to pass as many of the above questions as possible.  The more of these questions that the item passes, the more the buy will make sense for your wardrobe as it will be more likely you will wear it more so CPW goes down. 

Putting it into practice:

There is no better way to learn than to practice.
Pick your 3 favourite outfits & accessorise them.
Do one at a time, otherwise it can get confusing.
Take a photo of each look. 
Dont be afraid to overlap some of the accessories you use in each outfit. In fact, most of us have a particular style we gravitate toward, so I'd expect you to overlap the accessories  in your outfits - it makes sense & its practical. But try to make at least 1 or 2 items different so you dont get too predictable. After all, its cheaper to make an outfit look different with an accessory than with a new garment. 
Even if you are an investment dresser accessory girl, go to store like Diva and Lovisa and PLAY. Then look for a similar piece at a higher price point.
Always take the outfit with you (or wear it) when selecting accessories. 

Tips for building a resort wardrobe

Readers have recently asked about resort dressing.

There are three things to remember when building a resort wardrobe:

1. Buy natural fibres (linen, cotton preferred); or
2. Buy loose & flowy styles; &
3. No surprises - stick to items that have worked for you. Since you'll be living out of a suitcase, now is not the time to try something new (which may not work like your old faithfulls). Know thyself applies more here than ever before. 

Think about what look/style you want to portray, then dress accordingly. There are four main resort looks to think about:

1. Dramatic - bold clashing colours, scarf prints, geometric patterns, bold accessories with gold/silver. The most glamorous of the resort looks. Think Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Escada, Pucci & Dolce & Gabbana.

Versace

Locally, Charlie Brown does this look brilliantly at reasonable prices. She also has outlet stores for a better price. 

Charlie Brown

Zimmerman tends to this style too.
Camilla's kaftan's are also good for this look - but pricey.

2. Bohemian - floral or fauna prints, earthy colours, beads, full skirts, handkerchief hems. Think Isabel Marant. Locally Tree of Life, Tigerlily, Lee Matthews, Little Joe, Megan Park, sass & bide, Fossil, Easton Pearson, Zimmerman, Collette by Collette Dinnigan  and all the denim stores do this well.

Think about taking a maxi dress

Think about taking a tunic style top

Think about taking a sarong that can be used as a skirt.

3. Smart city inspired separates - preppy or tailored, a jacket with neat tops, fitted cardigans, smart walk shorts or a tailored pant. Includes the nautical look. Corporate girls may already have alot of this - now is the time to wear the suits as separates - shop your closet. Think Ralph Lauren. 

Locally, Sussan (for their linens), Esprit, Veronika Maine, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Ted Baker, Yarra Trail, Ben Sherman, Ping Pong & Witchery are all good brands for this look.

Sussan's linens are perfect for a resort wardrobe

Some examples of the city inspired look.

4. Loose flowy with neutral colours - best in linen, but also in soft cotton. 
The pieces here are tunic style tops and dresses, long line shirts worn alone or as jackets and palazzo pants. Probably the hardest category to find at an affordable price. 

Locally, good brands for this are Akira (pricey), Resort Report, Hammock & Vine, Mela Purdie and Verge (NZ).

Akira

Hammock & Vine SS 2012/13

Hammock & Vine SS 2012/13

Hammock & Vine SS 2012/13

Hammock & Vine SS 2012/13

Resort Report - SS 2012/13

Resort Report 2012/13

Mela Purdie SS 2012/13

Mela Purdie SS 2012/13

Some tips for resort dressing:

1. Try to stick to two base colours for your clothes and add interest & colour with accessories. This is the easiest way for everythng to mix & match, hence you will save space by taking fewer pieces.

2. Make sure you have one evening outfit - good bets are a little black dress or a printed maxi. Glam them up with lots of bling. Go for as much costume bling as possible, so you dont have to worry about security for the bling.

3. For evening, flat jewelled sandals work well. Leave your heels at home.

4. An espadrille wedge is always a great idea for daywear when you need something dressier than a sneaker or flip flops.

5. Multiple coloured Havaianas work well for daywear & take up minimal space in your bag.

6. Get a pedicure before you leave for the trip.

7. Take a warm wrap for the trip - pashinas are perfect. They act as blankets or as cover ups.

8. Take a chiffon shawl for the evening cover up. If you need more, and you didnt bring a cardi, use your partner's jacket on the night. 

9. Apart from the above brands, stores like Target, Big W, Zara & Topshop carry all the above styles to some extent. 

10. Check for any religious or cultural dress requirements applicable to your destination.

11. You must sit down ahead of the trip & plan outfits for each day & evening event. That will allow you to edit down the items you take to the absolute minimum. Trial each outfit in front of a full length mirror at least a few days before you leave - so you have time to make changes & do any final maintenance (spot removal, loose hems, missing buttons etc).

12. For day wear, try to go for a larger bag than you would wear when at home. You'll find you are more likely to fill it than when you are at home.

13. Have a good time & bring me back a pressie