10 Ways with Jeans - classic & neutral

The Rules:

1. Style: These looks will work for anyone who loves classic & neutral. If boho, rock chic or dramatic are your thing, be prepared to be disappointed. 

2. Shapes: Use these pictures as inspiration for the type of garments shown. However, these looks will only work if the shape of the garment YOU wear is the shape that suits YOUR body type. So if Elle is wearing a hip length jacket in black, but you are 5" nothing, then make sure the length of jacket you are wearing is shorter than Elle's. 

3. Colours: Most of the colours shown can be worn by any colouring. However if you are fair, substitute black for any other darker shade like navy or grey. If you are a red head, your best black is chocolate. Also if you have a warm complexion, substitute white & blue for off white/cream & greens. You'll find they will generally work better for you. The blues and whites tend to work better for cool complexions.

4. Jackets: Most of these looks work around jacket. A jacket smartens up a look more than anything else on the planet. Learn to substitute softer garments like cardis for jackets. Every body shape has a best jacket shape. Take advantage. 

  1. Navy jacket, faded base, uber accessories

Even though the base is very casual, the jacket & uber
accessories smarten up the look.

2. Dark jacket with smart blouse 

Notice that the jeans arent ripped nor faded & the top is a blouse, not a tee.
That is a deliberate way to take the outfit up a notch.

3. All black except for the jeans

By adding a jacket to this look, it keeps it smart & takes it up a notch.
Without the jacket it's relaxed.

4. Trench & striped tee

A trench will pull together anything underneath.

5. Pretty lace top

6. Denim jacket & white top

7. Fun jacket - eg: spots

The "fun" element can be any print, texture or interest. 

8. Oversize anorak 

To stop this swamping you, keep everything else slim/close
to the body & the accessories smart.

9. Dark jacket, toning denim base

10. Pastel jacket & top

Note how the pastels soften the look.

Oops, one more...

11. Sweater

Petites please keep your sweaters compact.

What I Wore - Another Ms Hermes meets repeat basics

Yesterday I was harping about building your wardrobe around neutral basics & rotating accessories/printed pieces to create variety & oomph in your closet.

The people around you wont notice that you have worn the same neutral basics often, yet they will notice that you seem to be wearing "that scarf" or "those funky shoes" or that "loud printed blazer" again & again. 

Whilst we shouldnt care what others think, life is about perceptions and first impressions & you DO want to be perceived as smart, capable & forward thinking & NOT as stale or in repeat mode. 

Use your wardrobe to give the forward thinking impression & not the stale impression.

In that vein, I repeated yesterday's basics but changed my accessories.

Same jeans (Not Your Daughter's jeans) , same sweater (Zara), same bag.

Different rings/shoes/bracelets/scarf.

I felt like I was wearing something totally different to yesterday especially because the accessory which really stood out as different was close to my face.

The scarf

Hermes 90 cm silk square, Grand Manege
Tied in a slightly different way to yesterday.
See next post for tying technique.

Arm party

A whole bunch of different colours, deliberately in the same colours as the scarf.

Finger party

I keep a (long) olive tray which has all my silver rings.
It is in the bathroom where I do my hair & it is where they are best accessible before i walk out the door.

Today there is a chunky dome ring bought from a silver stand in a mall for around $80. 

There is a nice little test to confirm whether you suit chunky or dainty jewellery - I will show you in a later post. But I definitely come out as a chunky girl.

There is also a square ring in an anodised aluminium which came from ebay, Linda's Stuff for around $30. I have bought heaps from them & have mentioned them previously in What I Wore.

Since I was trying to fill a box with that seller, I also bought the silver version. If it works, buy multiples she preaches. 

The shoes

My intention was to wear these babies, Jil Sander bought about 5 years ago from David Jones in the city & rarely worn because I bought them too small, tried to wear them in (not very successfully) & hence couldnt return them nor re-sell them.

I see this style everywhere now, so I am trying to stretch them out again to take advantage of the trend. The size issue is only in the width at the toes - the length is OK (just).

So I brought a back up pair which got to see the light of day for quite a few hours - the Roberto Cavalli for Target ballet flats.

So that's the outfit. Hope you like.

Now for those scarf tying posts.....

What I Wore - Mr Zara basic meets Ms Hermes fancy

Today the weather was mild & I decided not to wear jacket. Since the ironing pile was quite large (understatement), I decided a sweater was appropriate. 

The sweater

Enter the Zara cotton one I bought a few days ago. I removed the cloth tag on the collar as it was scratchy. I have stored it with all my spare buttons & hang tags That's in case I have issues & need to consider a return, it helps if I have all the bits & show that I have looked after her.

$70 in 100% cotton in a chunky open moss stitch type knit (knitters, correct me if I ma wrong here, please) and a large cable down the centre front. 

The other feature that sold me this sweater was the vee neck. Since I love dark colours (like black) but dark colours (like black) dont love my face, having the vee brightens up the face due to the exposure of decoletage.

As it turns out the vee was the perfect breadth & depth to complement a Hermes scarf (or any 90 cm silky square.

SWEATER SLIMMING TIP: If you are bottom heavy, ensure your sweaters dont have a basque at the hem, or if they do, the ribbing on the basque doesnt come in narrower than the side seams. Otherwise your hips & thighs may look like a porky sausage end. Go for a straight side view. Always.

oops, she turned sideways when I wasnt looking.....

Notice also the split at the sides? It just helps to accommodate a pear's bottom half.

The jeans

The jeans almost dont rate a mention as you have met them in previous "What I Wore" posts.

They are a dark grey Not Your Daughter's Jeans in a straight leg.

The scarf

So far the outfit is basic pieces in dark colours. Not very exciting. The outfit needs a statement. I do that with jewellery and/or shoes/bag and/or a scarf or occasionally with a printed item of clothing.

Today, its a colourful silk scarf.

I chose a 90 cm silk square & did a basic double knot tie. Instructions in the next post (tomorrow).

Its a Hermes & I probably bought it from one of my collector friends, who for a while, were massive enablers of my collection. 

Its the New Orleans theme, which was re-issued for Katrina & the colourway is black with aqua accents. 

The aqua in this scarf sings on me. In fact this baby is what made me realise that I had moved from a winter to a summer. More on this later. 

Arm Party

I dont think you have met my elastic bracelet collection, have you?

The warm colours sit in an LV scarf box and the cool colours sit in a twin box.

Here they are open....

I have made at least half of these babies. 

The elastic bracelet obsession started about 5 years ago when Lisa Ho stores were selling Santos Wishes elastic bracelets in varying beads. they were great quality - the bead colour wouldnt scratch off & I especially liked that they were not mixed with any metals except the religious "wish" dangly bits. Since these dangly bits didnt rub directly on the skin, there was no unsightly tarnishing. 

I was buying them for a while, but at approx $70 per strand, the price annoyed me. Then I decided that all they were were clear elastic & beads, how hard can they be to make?

So I found the Bead Shop in Surry Hills (now only selling on line, but cheaper than when they maintained the shop front) and started making many colours. 

Even a genuine Swarovski band of beads would cost me around $20 to make when city stores were selling them for $60 odd. As for the beads, a typical cost would be $10 and it looked identical to the Santos Wishes.

Basically I stack heaps on each wrist in colours that complement or contrast with the outfit. Easy, cheap & cheerful. 

So I picked a bunch for one wrist & a bunch for the other wrist & off I went.

The rings

The chain ring is an Ann Demeulemeester, bought for a bomb from Assin in Paddington. I cant for the life of me eat or drink wearing it & I am so paranoid when I take it off to eat, I will forget it - so she get very limited outings with her over protective mum.

The multi square one is stainless steel Fossil, reasonably priced ($60?) I think, but if I bought it on line, it would have been even more reasonably priced.

The bag

I wear the same bag for 7 months or so, then rotate another.

Currently it's this kitchen sink toting 3.1 Phillip Lim which I bought from Belinda for around $350 & I LOVE it. 

However I had a few incidents today with this baby - I use the long shoulder strap on my right shoulder & as the sweater is a very open weave, I ended up with 3 massive (10 cm) pulls on the back right bum where the bag was rubbing against the bag hardware. Not happy. Trying to get the pulls back into the knit, but I think I will just have to settle for pushing then through the inside instead. 

Alternative bag?

Seriously I dont have the energy to add an alternative bag each day for the sake of the photos....but today I did find in my storage bins one of the most practical handbags on the planet - the Longchamp Le Pliage.

here it is folded up....

The basic version is made in a very durable nylon, leather handles & comes in every colour of the rainbow. Also in varying sizes & varying size straps. Great for travelling (lightweight). But the real beauty of it is no matter how much stuff you have in it, its stylish - after all, its French. 

They also do leather version & printed versions...huge industry. If you know someone travelling, get them to get you a duty free one. 

The shoes

Shoes are just over 20 years old. An Italian brand called Donzella which was heavily stocked at boutiques on the North Shore back then.

The shape is the slipper style which is in ATM & I quite like the bow even thought it is a bit schoolie. So I keep wearing them.

Notice they are navy & the rest of the outfit is black/grey?

Doesnt matter - I mix black & navy all the time. It works most of the time.

Moral of the story

If you like basics in neutral colours, build your wardrobe around them. 

"Neutrals" include black, navy, cream, white, burgendy, chocolate, grey, forest green...get the picture?

But make sure you have some "fancier" pieces (can be scarves, jewellery, shoes, bags, hats or even basics in prints or brights etc) to pretty up the neutral basics. 

"Fancy" can be in terms of colour, shape, cut, fabric, texture - anything that isnt "basic".

It actually works out cheaper to re-wear neutral basics & to change around the fancy bits so that you look current & up to date.

Plus, your friends & work colleagues WILL remember your fancy pieces - they WONT remember the neutral basics (trust me on this), so you can get more mileage from those neutrals by re-wearing them (& varying your fancy bits).

After all, you dont want to be remembered as the girl who always wears "that scarf", or "those shoes", or "that bag"!

 

Woman of style - Neralee & her arm parties

 

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I was driving to Hurstville. (sheepishly...) I suppose I should tell you why I was headed there as it relates to the blog...I was chasing (as you do...) a Jane Lamerton denim pencil skirt in my size - the only one left in NSW. 

Now before you start on me, I am not one of those people who spends $20 of petrol to save $10 on an item. Seriously I am not! Well, not usually....


The skirt was $28 reduced from $40 reduced from $80. Did I mention it was the last one in NSW? So naturally it was a matter of importance. Also the Myer sale which was currently 30% off at the time finished on the Sunday, so not only was it important, it was urgent, well, semi-urgent.


Driving along, thinking about the soon to be mine skirt and why the heck Hurstville was so darned far away from my home, I was rudely interrupted by a police siren. So I stopped, as you do, to determine where it was coming from so that I could figure out whether to pull over & what else to do. 

A second later, "BANG" and another car hit me from behind. Now that was ruder than the police siren, eh?. That sinking feeling of being in a car accident reared its ugly head faster than you can say "Hermes is the best brand in the world".

I got out & asked the other driver if they were insured & the answer was yes, thankfully. At their suggestion we pulled into the near by side street and got out of our cars to examine the damage and exchange details.

Well, it turns out it was a lady driver. As she got out for a split second, I got distracted by what she was wearing, then the logical part of my brain told the creative part to "stop it" and to focus on the business at hand... 


As I was writing out my details for her (her name was Neralee, oops, her name still is Neralee....) she quizzed me about the label on the pen I was using....

"I know Escada" she said.
"Yes, its a German brand that does high end womens clothing & accessories." I responded.
"I have bought it overseas" she then said.


Well, that was the first thing that officially made her a nice lady, despite the fact that she had crashed into my car.


As I continued to write, my right brain took over again and I kept one eye on this lady...its not that I didnt trust her - its that she looked really good. In short - blog worthy....


With all the paperwork and swapping of details now over, I told her about my blog/facebook page and that I wanted to take a few photos....she kept insisting she wasnt photo ready and that she was on the way to the hairdresser to get her hair done for a nite out dancing. 

Anyone watching us would have thought we were arguing about the crash - no way - we had far more important things to argue about.

I finally had to resort to the old "you do THIS to my car & you wont even let me take a few photos?" Emotional blackmail - works every time.....


Check out these photos ....

Here she is admiring her crash target - my  boot & bumper bar.....  

Notice:

1. Knit tunic top with assymetric peek-a-boo cut out - interesting. Top skims over the hips & doesnt hug in any wrong places.
2. Capri (7/8) pants
3. Black flats with interest on the vamp
4. Bracelet length sleeves which allow the showcasing of arm party on each arm.
5. Dark sunnies - glam no matter how late the previous night was.
6. Beautiful asymetric cut platinum hair which picks up well with the asymetric cut of the top.
7. Monochrome neutral outfit colour, top to toe - simple & easy. Also slimming due to the up & down eye movement it creates


Do you like her look? 

I do!

Now, let's take a close up of her arm parties!

One wrist was a whole lot of silver bangles, all different &  all bought at different times and on various trips. 


The other wrist had a whole lot of gold bangles, again different & interesting.

& the mani in lavendar!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

A truly stylish woman, totally blog worthy.

BTW, Neralee is a caterer/photographer with an eye for fashion. No surprises given the flair with which she dresses.

Go to my Facebook site & Like if think Neralee is blog worthy. 
 

Should I or shouldnt I?

These Marni cuties are from one of my favourite designer recycled stores.....

They are AU$300 & never worn, except for press photos.

They are in pristine condition, fit perfectly and need a loving home.

The box & stuffing & all tissue is included (I ADORE the packaging of designer treats).

Classic Marni as only Consuela Castiglioni can do - non conventional (is it a shoe? is it a bootie?)....does it have laces? ......no silly!.......wow, it has little holes & a very unusual heels....

Their colour is a mix of dark blush pink, camel and a tinge of orange. Sounds weird, but they work perfectly as a year round neutral.

The eye movement is definitely vertical on these little girls. That means they are leg lengthening & that means they are slimming. Woo hoo!

They are not as camel-y as these photos imply although the middle photo front on view shoe shows the blush tint quite well.

Pretty sure they are AW 2010/11 (southern hemisphere AW 2011).

Oh, & I love the sturdy but Amazonian heels - practical yet wow!

Having some serious financial issues ATM, causing me to have screaming matches with the bank manager on a weekly basis (hahahaha, just joking).....but should I or shouldnt I?

Please weigh in dear readers, I need your guidance.

PS: I'll be posting a detailed blog on the best designer recycled stores in Sydney (including this one) very shortly.

Neutrals are like Switzerland

I absolutely love this look on Bar Rafaeli - its fresh, transeasonal and youthful.
Does this look work for you?

I love how there is a neutral grey base (top, bottom, scarf), with pops of (different) colours in the jacket & the belt and there is pretty & unexpected blush pink shoes/bag. Neutrals look expensive so you can look like a million dollars without spending it. Happy dance!

I would give up my first born to have this outfit because each item is a neutral like Switzerland so it will get on with everything in my wardrobe. As a result, I will wear and wear each piece and so cost per wear (CPW) will be managed through the floor! More happy dance!

The only item I recognise here as designer is Bar's bag - a Balenciaga. I have a sneaky suspicion everything else is also designer - let me know via the comments if you manage to do a Sherlock on the rest of her outfit's origins.

In this post I will show you how easy it is to re-create this look at affordable price points. With each item I have selected, I have tried to give you two options in terms of style.

Jeans - a light grey wash

Skinnies - Levis Bold Curve Skinny ID $119AU in light grey - for the young-uns!



Lonsdale Bernard in light grey $100AU - for us with a fuller figure!




The denim jacket

A denim look cord trucker jacket from SurfStitch $100AU (think super soft and cuddly)



A classic trucker denim jacket from SurfStitch for $100AU




Light grey tee options

Grey marle tee - All Quitter from Glue for $50AU - loose (aka relaxed) for "fat days" - who me?




Grey tee with ruching to add interest & show off a trim tummy - from Forcast $29AU from $40AU




Ladakh ruffle tee from SurfStitch for $33AU from $55AU




Frankly this is my favourite top option - button the top of the jacket & have this peeking out from the waist down at the front - so feminine yet casual & (bonus), tummy hiding! I heart ruffles! This will also work well if you plan on having a smaller scarf or not wearing the scarf for most of the day.


The scarf accessory options

A David Lawrence 100% wool charcoal oblong scarf (no yucky viscose) - $79AU



A Banjo & Matilda 100% cashmere light grey scarf at $299 - the ultimate in luxury by the company which is owned by Elle Macpherson's sister in law. Yes, a serious investment, but you will have this forever. Just make sure you protect it from moths & critters as they tend to go for the good stuff (same applies for the wool scarf actually).



The belt options

There are many affordable thin tan belts on the market. Make yours in leather so it lasts well.

TIP: If you want it large enough to wrap around twice, buy two & wear them as one long belt.

TIP: If in general you prefer silver metals, buy the belt with a silver toned keeper. If in general you prefer gold metals, buy the belt with a gold toned keeper.

#1 option -
Element Dawn Leather from SurfStitch $30AU from $50AU


#2 option -
Drew stud belt from Oxford $45AU from $89AU


The Bag

A Celine inspired tote - from Witchery for $180AU from $300AU



Couldnt resist showing you the originals on a recycled site, ioffer.....cute little girls, eh?

I think Witchery did a great "inspired" job in this case.....



The Shoe options

A ladylike from Wanted called Hussy for $130AU



A sexy suede high heel to ramp it up from Witchery called Colette, new stock for $170AU

TIP: Three coats of light Scotchguard ladies, please!



A comfy wedge - a mock crock from Witchery - new stock for $170AU



Of course you can do a flat like Bar - ballet flat or loafer....

TIP: I also love how the bag and shoes arent matchy matchy (not the same leather), but they complement each other in their tone.

Oops, almost forgot - the sunglasses

An aviator style - again loads on offer from the real Ray-Bans to much cheaper.
The only thing to watch is the tone of the metal...if your face is better flattered by gold tones, then make sure the sunnies have that. If your face is better flattered by silver tones, then make sure the sunnies have that instead.

Frankly - if you hate aviators, most other styles will do - seriously - you dont have to copy every element exactly.

Do you like this look & can it work for you? I'd love to know.