Answering another lovely reader’s question about how to work with a limited colour palette, Jill Chivers of Shop Your Wardrobe and I took up the challenge to help demystify and share our secret sauce on the subject. How to Use a Limited Range of Colours and Not Get Bored Is it really limited or is it…
Overdying clothes into colours that flatter you can be a great way to “save” a garment that is a great shape and style, but the colour just isn’t right for you. You can change a colour completely, or just tweak it slightly to a more flattering shade for you. If you’ve been thinking about tackling…
Following on from a reader’s question on how to know if you’re in a style rut and how to get out of one if you’re in one, I thought this would be a great topic to discuss with Jill on video. Ruts can make you feel less than happy, as clothing affects how you feel…
Hi Imogen, It seems that different personalities especially regards to accessories, associated with a certain refinement level. For example elegant chic & classic seems accessories that associated with mainly level 1 or maybe 2. Relaxed person associated with refinement level 3, or maybe 2. However everybody has life situation that involve various refinement levels. Many…
Fashion trends, they are something you may love or hate or just not care about. One aspect of fashion trends is how much you buy into the trend for fashion’s sake or ignore them for the sake of figure flattery. Fashion Trends vs Figure Flattery In this video with Jill Chivers of Shop Your Wardrobe,…
Online shopping is here to stay. For many, it is a wonderful new way of purchasing clothing, particularly if you live in a smaller town, remote area or want a more varied wardrobe than your local stores can provide for. But there are downsides such as finding clothes that fit (and knowing the right size…
Necklaces are great ways to create focal points. They draw attention upwards and can add a desired level of contrast, interest and detail to your “communication centre” (that’s a fancy way of saying your face!). Why do I love necklaces so much? Well they can make you look instantly more stylish. They can add interest…
What do you need in your wardrobe? There are many lists of “essential items every woman should own” around, yet for most of us, these are not helpful as they don’t take into consideration: Your lifestyle – how you spend your time, what you do, what your dressing requirements are Your body shape/proportions/colouring (not everyone…
Does the intensity of the accessories (necklace, earrings etc.) have to match with one another OR does their intensity have to match with the clothing worn? Or, both of the above? I’m not sure if the intensity of everything is the same, then there’s no focal point? If I were to wear a warm red…
What is the Fashion Trend Continuum? As with all products, and fashion is a product, there is a continuum, a growth and decline cycle. With fashion though, it can be fast (fad) which lasts 3-12 months or slow (classic) which last 5-10 years, though many fashions turn into that mid-point(trend), that last around 2-5 years.…
There are just so many lists of essentials that “every woman should own” out there on the internet. If you’ve been reading Inside Out Style for a while you’ll realise that I don’t believe in such prescriptive lists. Why not? Well I know from the experience of working with thousands of clients is that we…
Before I had my breast reduction surgery, shopping was a bit of a nightmare. When it’s hard to find any clothes that actually fit (if it fit my bust it was way too large on my shoulders). For me shoes, costume jewellery and handbags have been my “go to” items when shopping for many years.…
Corporate wardrobes tend to be more expensive, yet if you are a recent university graduate or on an internship you just don’t have that kind of money to splash around. So how do you create a functional and stylish corporate wardrobe on a budget? Where to shop and what to buy? Create a Corporate Wardrobe…
I often hear from women just how frustrating shopping can be. My clients tell me when we’re on a personal shopping expedition that they normally give up really quickly, and my online community of 7 Steps to Style members has also let me know just how dissatisfying and unfruitful a shopping trip can be. My…
Many of you will have a wardrobe that has items that don’t get worn that often, and other pieces that are worn all the time. That old Pareto Principle of 80/20 rule comes in here too – that you are most likely to wear the same 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. Now…
I often feel like some people expect me to be magical, not like a magician (that I can help you with … find out more about becoming a magician with clothing here). Truly magical – like a fairy godmother who grants you 3 wishes that will turn your wardrobe from frumpy to fantastic. Perfect in…
It took pregnancy to have me really think about building a wardrobe that was versatile, cost-effective and that worked for all the aspects of my life. Most maternity wardrobes are great capsules. So let’s unpack what you can learn from that short gestational time in your wardrobe. 1. It’s Better to Have a Few Great…
Just like with skirts, different shoe styles suit different trouser styles. When you think about how to choose a shoe and heel style to work with your pants, you will want to take into consideration a few aspects. 1. Trouser Shape and Shoe Selection From the widest palazzo pant to your skinny leg pant, there…
One of the issues I have in the cooler months, if I want to wear pants and an open top shoe – like a ballet flat or pump, even a loafer, but I don’t want to wear a pair of tights (hosiery), then my feet get cold. Now there have been the old “pop sock”…
Many of you wear activity trackers. I wear one daily as it helps me know just how much time I’ve spent sitting down, and reminds me that I need to get up and move to stay healthy. Yet, most fitness trackers are fine for sport, but just don’t look right worn with your smarter or…
How does magic work? We’re smart people, we should be able to see the tricks of a magician? Yet, how often have you seen a magic trick and been perplexed at it how fools your eye? The art of the magician is in illusion and distraction. The magician distracts you away from the trick, at…
