Posts Tagged ‘winter’

How to style khaki

/ Style tips / 27 Comments

I’ve been wearing khaki long before it became a trend. The colour has always suited my fair skin and dark red hair. The khaki dress that I’m wearing in the picture below was a $15 bargain from Rockmans a few years ago. It was bought when I was breastfeeding Magdalene and needed a button down dress for church.

The dress has proved to be quite versatile. I have scarves galore that suit it. On the weekend I wore it with a leopard print cape cinched in with a beige belt.

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How to style Khaki

Khaki looks great with other neutral brown based tones. It can also look classy with navy, purple and red. Pops of orange can work well with khaki too. More commonly this season I’ve seen khaki paired with black and grey. A neutral palette of black, white and khaki can look great for work and to dress it down change the black to a pair of jeans.

If you are looking to add khaki to your winter wardrobe this season, look for khaki anoraks and drapey pants. For dresses look for shirt dresses that can be layered over tees as a jacket or worn by themselves over black tights. I’ve found a selection online to help you.*

 

 

Is khaki a colour you’d consider adding to your wardrobe this season?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

*I will earn commission if you purchase any of the items but there will be no extra cost to you.

How to wear knitwear this winter

/ Style tips / 20 Comments

It’s important at the start of each season to do a wardrobe audit to see what pieces are missing from your wardrobe. Your knitwear collection is definitely the first place to start when you look at what you already own and whether you need some updates. Knitwear needs to still hold it’s shape, not have holes and be free from lint and fuzz.

Depending on where you live in Australia will depend on how many knits you have and the thickness of each knit. In Brisbane, the knits need to light weight so they can be layered over a tee or shirt.

As a mum, I find my go to outfits in winter are jeans and a knit. I have found some ways you can style a knit so it looks like a well put together ensemble. I’ve also found some great knits on the net that you can add to your wardrobe if you find you need to add a few more to your collection.

A knit can be layered as the top photos show, or they can be worn on their own like the bottom two photos. If you choose to wear a knit on it’s own, choose a colourful or well patterned knit that will work well against a neutral bottom like jeans.

Do you like to layer your knits, or wear them on their own? Do you have any favourite styles from the collage? I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

*I will earn commission if you purchase any of these items. They are affilitate links, but this doesn’t not add extra costs to you.

 

Maggie T Autumn Winter Collection Showcase

/ News / 14 Comments

On Saturday I went along to the Maggie T Autumn Winter Collection showcase at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. My mum was modelling the latest styles in store and I went along to take photos and to check out the new range.

I don’t shop at Maggie T. My mum does and she could probably open up her own boutique with the amount of Maggie T clothes in her wardrobe. But I have worn on occasion Maggie T pants, shirts and scarves during my pregnancy to now. In fact this wrap is from Maggie T.

This cape is gorgeous from Maggie T

This wrap worn as a cape is gorgeous from Maggie T and still available

The attendees were aged 50+ and a mixture of different sizes. Maggie T is an older brand, but if you flip through their catalogue, there are some really on trend pieces that I would wear as a 30 year old. I’ve always said keep an open mind when shopping for clothes and don’t diss a store because it’s too old or too young. You never know what you will find.

Maggie T Autumn Winter Collection Showcase

Maggie T Icon of Style

The new Autumn Winter collection features monochrome patterns, animal prints and chartreuse. My favourite outfit was a chartreuse vest worn over a zebra print top. I convinced mum to get a chartreuse jacket. She loves wearing monochrome and I explained the chartreuse jacket would be a great way to add colour and it would go with pretty much everything in her wardrobe. It would also mean I could borrow it if the need arose….

Maggie T Autumn Winter Collection1

Maggie T Collection

 

Maggie T offer clothes from a size 12 to 24. If you become a Maggie T Member you can get some great savings until the 15th March.

While I was taking pictures, Phoebe had a great time interacting with the staff, models and attendees.

Phoebe enjoying the morning showcase

Phoebe enjoying the morning showcase

Ever been surprised by the clothes in a store that you don’t usually shop in? Do you like chartreuse?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

 

How to get what you want within a budget

/ Style tips / 15 Comments

I am on maternity leave which means our household has been living off one wage. There isn’t a lot of cash left over for personal spending, but I do try and put a little bit of money aside for clothes and shoes because they are a need.

Last winter, ankle boots were a big trend and they are making their season debut. Since clothes aren’t really on my radar due to my fluctuating size, a new pair of boots have been.

I fell in love with these Zoe Kratzmann Boots which are $289. I loved the colour and style, but not so much the heel height and they only go up to a size 10.

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I researched boots online by looking at other shoe retailers and I loved these boots by Nine West and they were cheaper than my Zoe Kratzmann boots at $179.95. I even became quite partial to the orange boots (which were reduced by $20) but reasoned the beige colour would get much more cost per wear value.

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Last week I went to Nine West at Robina to try the HippyChic boots on and their size 10 was a bit too snug for my foot. The sales assistant said that the leather would stretch but I’m not a fan of wearing shoes in while creating blisters on my feet. The assistant advised they didn’t go up to a size 11, although now looking online they actually did, but she mustn’t have had the size available.

I was disappointed because most of my online research and even window shopping hadn’t been successful for what I was looking for.

I decided to head to Harbour Town at Southport which is a factory outlet shopping mall, to see if I could find what I was looking for and low and behold, every shoe store I went into didn’t have my size (I’m a 10.5-11) or didn’t have the colour or style.

I then walked into Joanne Mercer and found these two pairs of boots.

The Orange Suede Boots were a size 10 and were reduced from $179.95 to $49.95. They were a generous size 10.

Orange Boots

The Natural Tan Boots were a size 11 and were reduced from $169.95 to $69.95.

Neutral Boots

There was also an extra 30% off sale prices while I was in the store. I ended up with two new pairs of boots for $85. I was very pleased with my purchases and can’t wait to wear them this winter.

To get what you want within a budget comes down to good research and sometimes compromising on style and colour. It’s important to remember when buying shoes, a good fit is much more important than style, so don’t go and buy a style you love that doesn’t fit your foot properly. My natural colour boots aren’t beige like the original style boots I was intending to purchase, but I know they are a workable colour within my wardrobe.

In the end my compromise saved me money, and I got two pairs of boots.

How do you go about getting items to suit your budget? Had any good bargains lately?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for I Blog on Tuesdays.

New Year Sales and Autumn/Winter 2012 Trends

/ Fashion / 20 Comments

January sales are the perfect time to buy clothes, accessories and shoes at a reduced price. I always love this time of year because of the bargains, but unfortunately it can also be draining on the credit card if you don’t have a plan of attack on what you need for your wardrobe.

If you are a budget fashionista like myself you would have already looked at what your wardrobe lacks and made a list of things that you need. You would also have made a list of items you will need for the coming Autumn. Winter 2012 trends are also another hot topic. The question is how can you buy for Autumn/Winter 2012 when you don’t know what the season trends will be for that season? Well I’m about to tell you!

My list included a black dress for all occasions, new t-shirt bras, black footless tights, pair of jeans and some smart casual tops both short-sleeve and ¾ sleeve to wear with jeans and cargos – easy casual wear for a mum running after a toddler.

As most mums know, gone are the days you could stand in your wardrobe and um and ah over what to wear. When the sun breaks, the day has started with little mouths to feed and you don’t have the luxury of ‘creating’ a cute outfit and trying on 3 different pants to get the right ‘look’. My outfits need to be comfortable, but fashionable, but not too trendy that I will cry if I get mashed banana or stamp ink on them.

I headed to Target where there was HEAPS of items reduced. This was where I found my gorgeous black sheer chiffon overlay dress with a necktie and brown belt. It was a steal at $30 (reduced from $59) and it’s a dress that I can dress up or down depending on the occasion. My t-shirt bras came from David Jones and were Simone Perele brand. They were originally $99.95, reduced to $29.95. When it comes to bras, you really need to get fitted for the right size and quality is of the upmost importance as you wear them everyday. David Jones and Myer have a free measuring service and their sales are always worth having a look at.

For my jeans, I can’t talk enough about the Katies Ultimate Denim range, especially if you have been pregnant. For me, after I had my daughter, I started in a size 16 and I have slowly gone down each size to a size 10. For $49.95 these jeans are a MUST HAVE for all women. They really do cinch in your tummy and butt to make you a size smaller than you really are.

My final shop was at Witchery and I can’t buy enough from this shop. To be quite honest I RARELY buy full price here because I often think the prices are hefty for what you get BUT when they have sales, they are worth popping in and browsing the racks.

At present Witchery have a promotion that if you buy two items you get the third free even on sale items. So here I bought a stunning ¾ sleeve animal print dress, a batik print tunic, a batik print tee, footless black tights and 2 ¾ sleeve t-shirts for Autumn.

Being a stylist and knowing my shape and colours means I  don’t have to fully apply trends for Autumn/Winter 2012 because when I wear what suits me, I will always look on trend anyway. BUT if you are quite fanatic about trends, here are the predictions from the runway for Autumn/Winter 2012 –

  • Tailored wool coats with a feminine detail  –  For inspiration look at the Duchess of Cambrige aka Catherine Middleton. Burberry has some gorgeous designs but for budget fashionista’s like myself, wait for the department stores to bring in their 2012 range.
  • Colours in the shades of moss green, deep grape and mauve as well as blue based greys and cherry pinks and reds. ‘Burnt’ colours will also have a look in so look at your burnt orange, mustard, red based browns and charcoal and black.
  • 70’s bohemian and and sophisticated glamour from 2011 will also impact 2012.
  • Wide leg pants, bell bottom and bootleg are the pants to wear for the season. In most cases, opt for the bootleg as the wide leg and bell bottom will overwhelm most body shapes unless you are tall and athletic
  • Patchwork jumpers/jackets and pants – try this trend sparingly!
  • Sheer blouses and maxi dresses (hint, my black dress from Target is perfect for this trend layered with a tailored wool coat)
  • Dare I say it winter jump suits
  • Knee high boots and ankle boots

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