The Style Conundrum Clothing manufacture is a big polluter of our planet, yet we have to wear clothing for our entire lives. Clothes also wear out, so they need to be replaced too. You can’t just buy one set o clothing to see you through the rest of your life! So how do you…
Over on my 7 Steps VIP Facebook group, there is lots of talk about colour contrast (and value as well) and how to make sure you have enough colour contrast in an outfit, without ending up wearing lots of different coloured garments (which may not be appropriate in some workplaces or just don’t suit your…
Packing Tips Whether for a holiday or work trip, or any other kind of travel – it’s so easy to overpack and also to under pack. How often do you forget something that’s kind of essential, yet have a bunch of clothes or shoes in your luggage you never get round to wearing? Packing can…
The start of a season or the start of the year are often times that you may think about doing a bit of a wardrobe clear-out – cull or reorganization. Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I got chatting about this and decided to turn on the camera of our video-conference call and share…
Do you love ironing? I know some who do, they find it like a meditation… but for me, not my idea of a fun time! So I asked Bianca who is an expert on all things ironing to write me some tips to ease the ironing burden, as I’m sure that others may feel a…
This holiday season (summer) in here in Australia has been one of catastrophic devastation with so much of Australia’s bushland on fire… and these are the areas that are populated by both people and our unique native wildlife. This season’s bushfires in Australia have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 2000 homes…
by Helen Spencer from hellosewing.com. So, your jeans are too long for you and you don’t want to go to the tailor and spend money on this simple alteration? That is an unfortunate scenario indeed, but it’s not a reason for you to be down. If you don’t want to go to the tailor then…
Each year I choose a word as a replacement for a series of New Year’s Resolutions. I think of it as a focus word of what I want to do or where I want to go in the coming year. It’s a great reminder when opportunities arise to know if it’s something that will move…
I’d like to take this opportunity to send you my very best wishes for this festive season! Where ever you are in the world, whatever you’re up to I hope you have a safe and enjoyable time. I would also like to thank you for reading and commenting on Inside Out Style blog posts. This is…
Have you heard of the 100 day outfit challenge? It’s where you shop your wardrobe and for 100 days, you wear a different outfit each day from what you already own in your wardrobe. You can wear the same garment twice, just not the same complete outfit twice. It’s a challenge to shop your wardrobe…
So you’ve read the body shape guidelines and thought to yourself “but my body doesn’t really fit into just one shape … I’m more of a mix of a couple of shapes”. Fortunately, you are not unusual and you don’t have to worry that nothing works for you. All you have to do is understand…
There are many ways to improve your style – from learning about the shapes and styles of clothes that flatter your figure, to understanding the colours and contrasts that harmonise with your own and not to ever forget how you personality influences your style choices (all of these foundations of style can be found in…
I was delighted to be interviewed by Catherine Baxter for her Industry Leader’s interview series and I got to share some of my thoughts on becoming an image consultant and some of the keys to being a great image consultant. One of the questions Catherine asked about was what obstacles I’ve overcome over my…
What’s a low-value contrast outfit anyway? It’s one where the value (that is the technical word for the lightness to darkness of a colour) is similar, and so is an outfit where there isn’t much value contrast. Many feel that low-value contrast outfits can be dull (and difficult) to put together with style. This is…
One of the great first-world conundrums for women in the era of the cold shoulder, off the shoulder and other strappy top era fashion trends, is what kind of bra to wear with these items? When the temperature is nearing 40C (over 100F) degrees, loose layered and not too many foundations are often a way…
Pantone has just released their 2020 Colour of the Year – and I’m super happy to announce after a few years of more non-traditional colours, 2020 will be the year of Classic Blue. It’s a mid-deep blue that is related to navy, but not as dark as traditional navy, and is likely to come in…
Old socks with holes in them or just odd socks that have lost their pair? Worn out grubby sneakers? These are often apparel items that just get tossed in the bin, not good enough to give to any thrift store. I mean who wants your stinky old socks and shoes? Rather than throw them in…
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken – another great quote from Oscar Wilde. This is one of my favourite reminders when the toxic witch that is “comparison” enters my head. It’s way too easy to compare yourself poorly to others in so many aspects of your life, and style is one of these aspects…
I was recently asked by a reader to talk about why so many women feel guilty about purchasing clothing and accessories. I’ve seen it many times, as women hide their purchases (or cost of purchases) from partners, from leaving a item in the bag for a while, to hanging it up and then not wearing…
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable we have to alter it every six months”, so said Oscar Wilde Fashion is an industry, designed to make money. Nothing wrong with that. We all have to make money to live, feed ourselves and kids, keep a roof over our heads…. but the fashion industry…
Body shapes, body proportions, body variations. These all impact on what your individual figure flattery guidelines will be as each of the body shapes and body proportion guidelines are generic and don’t take into consideration aspects of the other. What Does Body Shape Tell You? Where to put verticals to slim or elongate. Where to…
