Browsing Tag

wardrobe

Fashion

How I avoid morning wardrobe dilemmas

4th March, 2023


My schedule is quite busy what with having to juggle work commitments, events and also being a mum so the last thing I really want to have to deal with in the morning is a good ol’ fashioned wardrobe crisis! I’ve had my fair share of moments where I’ve been left with a pile of clothes and still no closer to determining what I’m going to wear so I’ve created a few must-dos for myself over the years to help make the whole process of walking out the door, dressed and ready to tackle the day a lot easier.

Plan ahead

There are some days where I’m going to my office, some days where I have an event or simply doing school drop off everyday with Sophia and Grace. So, at the beginning of each week I usually like to look at what each day ahead is going to be like so I know the type of outfits I need to pull together for the week.

If I know for example that I have to go from the office to an event, I’ll opt for an outfit that’s a little dressier so I can easily transition from work to drinks. Also, I usually have a bigger bag with me when I’m heading to the office as I need to take my laptop with me, but I’ll always bring a clutch to use later on so I’m not lugging a huge bag around. If I know it’s a day where I’m with the girls, I’ll usually just opt for something casual like jeans, a tee and sneakers as I know we’ll be doing a lot running around and for those types of days, comfort is key.

Do a trial run

If I’ve got a launch or an event I will usually try to plan my outfit a few days in advance so I have time to try the whole look on and choose my accessories such as my bag, shoes and jewellery accordingly. Also this helps me to know if something needs to be dry cleaned, ironed or washed ahead of time and I will have a few days up my sleeve to get it done. There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning and having an outfit in your head only to realise that it’s currently sitting in the washing basket.

Have some go-to pieces

I usually have a selection of looks I can turn to when I need to get out the door fast. These are just outfits I know already work so I don’t have to really think about them. When I’m heading to the office I usually stick to neutral tones and if I don’t have an event I’ll usually wear brogues or ballet flats and pop a blazer on. It’s just great to have standby options at the ready for those days when I don’t want to think about what to wear.

Maintain an organised wardrobe

When half my wardrobe is sitting on the floor there’s every chance that I will end up flustered and not knowing what to wear. So, I’ve made a point of trying to keep my wardrobe organised. I’ve shared a few of my tips here before but the aim is really to have everything visible and within easy reach so I don’t have to spend ages trying to track down one particular shirt or one particular shoe.

Do a weather check

I do this without fail and it really helps to narrow down what I’m going to wear. For example if it’s going to be pouring down with rain I’m likely to steer clear of neutrals that are going to get dirty easily. I usually already have a few options in my head and knowing what the temperature will be helps to narrow it down. Having a distinct idea of what it is I want to wear helps to make getting out the door a smoother process.

How do you avoid morning wardrobe dilemmas?

Fashion

The pieces I get the most DMs about

19th February, 2023

I tend to field a fair few DMs about various things, from where I bought a particular piece from to an enquiry about something in the background of a post on Instagram. Without a doubt however there are certain things I wear that will without fail trigger a flurry of DMs asking what brand it is or where I got it from. Along with these jeans which I have already written about, there are three things that I will always have to field questions about. Here they are…

Guinea Coin Necklace

The number one thing I always get asked about in my DMs is always in my coin necklace (probably because I wear it nearly everyday). It’s a guinea coin that my dad bought at an auction and had made it into a necklace. It’s so versatile and it’s one of those pieces of jewellery that is a constant in my wardrobe, plus it has sentimental value so it’s extra special.

Cartier Juste Un Clou Bracelet

My aunt gifted me this bracelet for my 30th birthday (the nail bracelet above) and I almost always will be wearing it, much like my coin necklace. I absolutely adore it as it works really well in a wrist stack but it also stands on its own if I want to go for a more minimalist approach. If you’re ever looking for an investment piece to spoil yourself with, I would definitely consider it. All these years later and it’s still in regular rotation.

D.O.F Sneakers

I will often get messages asking about these Department of Finery (D.O.F.) sneakers. They’re called the Zara in case you’re wondering! I’ve had them for a few years and they work really well with most outfits and are ultra comfy. I like that they look a little bit sporty and are quite a different vibe to the rest of my sneakers. I’ll wear these shoes with jeans most of the time but they also pair well with dresses.

 

 

Fashion, What I Wore

The 7-day outfit challenge

15th October, 2022

If you’ve ever faced that moment at the beginning of the week where the prospect of dressing yourself for the next seven days with what’s already in your wardrobe seems all too hard then you’re not alone. It’s said that women only wear 20 per cent of what’s in their closet and faced with that number it’s easy to see how we can become bored with what we already own and fall into a rut of wearing the same outfits on rotation. So it’s time to shake things up! For one week (this is particularly handy now many o fus are working from home) I’m daring you to think beyond your tried and tested looks and start looking at what you own in a new way. It’s easy to constantly top up your wardrobe with new items but it’s knowing how to revamp what you have that will really expand your closet.

To help you get started I’ve pulled together seven daily wardrobe challenges that will hopefully encourage you to think beyond your usual fashion repertoire and stumble upon an outfit you never knew you always wanted to wear. I think this is a great way to inject freshness into your ensembles and fall back in love with old pieces and discover new ways to wear them. Good luck and here’s to a week of great outfits!

Day 1: Wear a vibrant colour

A bright hue is an effective way to inject a bit of energy into your every day look. Wear the most vibrant colour you own and watch how it can instantly elevate your outfit.

Day 2: Try layering two unexpected pieces in your wardrobe

Find the most not so obvious pairings in your closet and put them together. With a little experimentation you’re bound to discover a combination that not only works but is one that you’d never have thought to put together. I did the below sporty look by pairing a dressy skirt with sneakers and unearthed a new way to style both pieces.

Day 3. Play with proportions and incorporate a voluminous piece in your look (two if you’re feeling adventurous!)

I really committed to this look and wore an oversized blazer and culottes to maximise the voluminous silhouette. If you’re usually one for form fitting garments or are just a tad intimidated by wearing something with so much volume try incorporating it just once into your look in the form of a top or pants.

Day 4: Try an ombre look and wear varying shades of the one colour

Choose one colour and wear it from head to toe in varying shades for a look that’s playful yet still cohesive. I went for a neutral look in graduating shades of tan/camel/brown in the look below but you can pick any colour that takes your fancy.

Day 5: Wear the boldest print in your wardrobe

I just adore wearing striking prints as it’s such an effective way to lift an outfit. Often playing with prints is a great way to refresh your wardrobe as it instantly adds a striking element that can take your look into new territory.

Day 6: Pair sneakers with something unexpected

Sneakers have become a wardrobe staple for me and I love just how versatile they’ve become. I love choosing a traditionally dressy piece and turning it into an off duty look with a pair of trainers.

Day 7: Wear a print and a vibrant colour in the one look

This is all about clashing and co-ordinating. Learning to work prints and colours in a way that works can instantly expand your wardrobe. By simply doing this unexpected and bold combination, you can easily expand the amount of wear you get from a lot of pieces in your closet.

Fashion, Lifestyle

How to declutter your wardrobe

26th March, 2020

One of the things I commit to doing fairly regularly is going through my closet and reorganising. However one thing I commit to at the start of every season is doing a big decluttering session. That means I go through everything to properly reorganise and take stock of what’s in there, and I’m constantly surprised at what a small percentage of my wardrobe I end up wearing simply because I’ve forgotten about pieces I own.

With a little extra time up our sleeves at home right now there’s no better time to do a complete wardrobe overhaul. I’ve always found there’s something quite cathartic about cleaning out one’s closet as it allows you to take stock of what you own and pinpoint what might be missing from your wardrobe. So, are you ready to clean?

Take out everything

Firstly in order to thoroughly do a thorough stocktake make sure you take out everything in your wardrobe so you can inspect every single garment. This process will obviously take quite awhile so be prepared to devote plenty of time to it in order to do it properly (I promise you’ll feel better afterwards!).

Be ruthless

My husband is notorious for hanging onto things like t-shirts that he never wears with a million holes through it and I’m always the one who says it has to go! I don’t have a very big place so space is a big commodity and I know the importance of a good edit as far as my wardrobe goes.

I have one basic rule I stick to: if I haven’t worn something in over a year then it has got to go. I think that’s a really good indication of how crucial something is to your wardrobe; if you’ve made it through all four seasons you haven’t once taken it out once then there’s usually a 100 per cent likelihood that you won’t wear it again.

Also if something is damaged and beyond repair or is looking really tatty it’s probably time to say goodbye to it. You want your wardrobe to be filled with pieces that you love and are functional.

Divide and conquer

As you’re decluttering separate your clothes into piles: one to keep, one to donate to charity and one to alter or fix. Take the time to try on everything and be brutally honest about its place in your wardrobe. Don’t rush this part as this is often how you will end up hoarding things rather than parting with garments that aren’t getting used as you’re not thoroughly going through your closet.

Organise and categorise

I will pair like with like so skirts with skirts, dresses with dresses, t-shirts with t-shirts and so forth. I also have a small section in my wardrobe specifically for the clothes that I wear all the time so things like my jeans, favourite leather pants and go-to tees. This is so I don’t have to rifle through everything else each time I’m looking for something and mess my wardrobe up.

See what needs fixing

Now is also the time to check out your shoes to see if they need resoling or fixing. Along with your shoes gather all the garments that need to be altered or fixed and do it all in ONE go. It’s important to do it at once because if you try to do it gradually it will become quite a tedious process and what should be an easy exercise will just drag on and you risk ending up with a pile of clothes that you’ll get to eventually and it will in turn just eat up valuable space. The upside of doing this is that you’ve essentially got new pieces in your wardrobe.

Rotate your wardrobe according to seasons

If you have the luxury of other space in your home then pull out pieces that currently aren’t in season and store them away. I pop things in space saver bags and stack them up in another closet. Once it’s time to bring them back I pull those clothes out and replace them with other clothes that are no longer in season. This helps free up space and also means I don’t have to wade through super summery dresses in order to get to my winter jumpers.

However if you’ve got no space to do this, I would recommend just reorganising so that the current season’s clothes are more accessible. Put all the things you need to access easily at the front and move the things you don’t currently need towards the back. This will make figuring out what to wear so much easier in the morning.

What are some of your tips for doing a wardrobe spring clean?

Fashion, Shop

Zara’s got your key autumn pieces sorted for less than $500—and you can now buy everything online

19th March, 2018

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock you may have missed the momentous occasion that fashion lovers have been waiting for: you can now buy Zara online. All your super on trend buys are now just a click away and this means that it has never been easier to update your wardrobe. If you’re still trying to navigate your way through  the trans-seasonal weather (which if you’re in Sydney like me has been going from cool to scorching hot every few days) you may be noticing that you need a few new pieces to update your look. And there’s no better opportunity to do it on a budget than by checking out Zara’s latest offerings. I pulled together an edit of autumn’s must-haves for less than $500 and all six pieces should take you into winter and beyond.

Scroll down to shop my six must-have autumn pieces

Zara three quarter sleeve cropped black blazer with pearl buttons

Zara black three quarter length blazer, $99

A plain black blazer is a very handy thing to have in your wardrobe. It’s the type of piece that’s saved me on more than one occasion as it can instantly dress up an outfit in seconds. The cropped length of this style is great for our current is-it-or-isn’t-it-cold weather. And the pearl buttons are the kind of small finishing touch that can turn an ordinary blazer into something on trend.

Zara chambray shirt

Zara flowing v-neck blouse, $69.95

Click through to see this plain chambray shirt in action but I’m sure you’ll agree it’s the perfect cut for wearing in that relaxed, effortless, quintessential French girl style.

Zara striped sheer white blouse

Zara striped shirt with sheer detail, $59.95

A white shirt is all kinds of useful in any wardrobe but sometimes you just want to take a staple up a notch. Enter a sheer beauty such as this. It’s a great layering piece as you can wear a slip underneath for a more modest look or wear a gorgeous bra when you’re going for slightly sexier.

Zara neutral wide leg trousers

Zara neutral wide leg trousers, $69.95

A pair of wide leg trousers are great for the office and for off duty wear. Pair it with a button down, a simple tee or a slip and you can create myriad looks.

Zara geometric print pleated skirt

Zara geometric print pleated skirt, $69.95

Adding a punchy garment to your autumn wardrobe can add some life back into old wardrobe favourites. This piece can easily take you from 9 to 5 straight to after work drinks without missing a beat.

Zara black loafers with buckle detail

Zara black loafers with buckle detail, $69.95

I’m all about a great pair of polished flats as they’re comfy and so stylish at the same time. This style would work well with everything from jeans to a skirt and is the ideal shoe to see you through autumn/winter.

Have you snapped up anything on Zara online yet? Do share!