Style Recipe Ingredients Style recipes help to shape your style. They give you a framework and the ingredients you need when shopping for clothes or putting together outfits. I think they are an essential element of becoming truly stylish in an authentic way. I’ve written about them many times and why you must have one…
For my last look back at 2016 I thought I’d share some of my favourite blog posts and also favourite outfits I wore last year. I’ve chosen a favourite for each month of the year just in case you missed them! January 1. What are you holding onto – January 2016 This one was…
Becoming a magician with clothes involves learning the illusion of line. The slowest line we see is the curved line. Why? Well as our eye follows its path, it’s curves slow us down. Thus, if it’s a slower line to look at, it adds volume and curves to our bodies. Where do we find curves…
Diagonals are action lines – they create movement, and interest. They move your eye from one point to another (as I discussed here). This weekend, your challenge is to find some diagonals and use them in an outfit. There are lots of different places you’ll find diagonals, from necklines (V) to collars,…
This weekend, your style challenge is to create an outfit based around vertical lines (check out this post, and this one on ideas and tips to adding verticals to your outfit). You can use a jacket or some sort of outer layer left open to add extra verticals. You can add a long scarf for…
As I discussed in this post on my Three Rules of Horizontal Lines, line in clothing design creates optical illusions depending on the direction of the line. Verticals lengthen. Partly because they go up and down (giving height) but also because our eyes move along them more quickly than they do on horizontal or curved…
I’m excited to be able to welcome Denver Colorado (USA) based blogger and avid second hand shopper Judith Boyd of Style Crone to the Stylish Thoughts family. What is the secret to great style? For me, there really isn’t a secret. I think it’s important to take care of myself, which helps me to feel…
Underwear is something we all wear (well, most of us!). But have you ever thought about what your lingerie choices reveal about your personality? Did you know that your personality influences what you wear under your clothes? Personality and Lingerie: What Your Underwear Says About You “I need to be comfortable” Relaxed Go for cotton…
So Vogue UK magazine has published a piece about how cleavage and boobs are out of fashion. Sure they may have meant that fashions that make cleavage and boobs the focus, but I have an issue with a mass market magazine telling us that the way a body part appears can be in or out…
If you’re a keen racegoer, Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival can be an expensive time of year. So I thought, why not just buy one dress, and then using the beauty bundle concept, change it up so you feel like you’re wearing a completely different outfit each time, still on theme. I’ve chosen a simple offwhite…
I was lucky enough to see (and meet) Ari Seth Cohen, author of Advanced Style (blog, movie and books) in action as he politely asked women to pose for him as he took photos. He was in Melbourne promoting his new book Advanced Style – Older and Wiser and I caught him at Readings Bookstore…
Many of us compare our styles to others (and often find our own style somehow, lacking, in our eyes). We can feel we are not creative, sophisticated, elegant, bold, feminine, relaxed (pick your word and insert it here) enough. We think that our outfits just aren’t good enough. Now I know that it’s very easy…
….. I’m delighted to introduce you to Michelle who is a Sydney (Australia) based Instagrammer known as Fabuliciously Fun Life, who spent time doing my Evolve Your Style and 7-Steps to Style Programs. What is the secret to great style? Great style certainly includes the right mix of accessories, a flattering silhouette, and being well…
One of the things I notice here with the comments I receive both here and on Facebook, is that sometimes we can get bogged down in the minutia of style guidelines (remember they are just guidelines, not rules). I think so many women have a perfectionist streak that we want to be ‘perfect’ at putting…
In this video with Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types we discuss the importance of words, self-care, and self-esteem. I’ve mentioned this topic of self-talk before here, as I really think it’s a super important one. Tell us your strategy for stopping your negative self-talk? We’d love to know how you manage to keep…
If you’ve been reading this blog for more than a nanosecond, you’ll know that I truly believe that personality is the most important factor when choosing clothes and accessories. I listed 10 ways personality is more important than body shape here. And you may be aware (but if you’re new, maybe not) that body shape,…
Your style challenge for the weekend is to wear a hero garment or accessory. What is a Hero Garment? What’s a hero? Well it’s a statement piece. A hero makes your plain outfit more interesting and exciting. It can be built into the garment (such as a pattern) or can be added (like a statement…
My question is this: I’ll be turning 50 in a few months and still haven’t discovered my personal style – from hairstyle, clothing style, colors, fabrics.. the whole thing. When I was young, we didn’t have finances except for hand-me-downs and thrift stores. I didn’t learn “style” when I most girls did. But at my…
Don’t say “I can’t” say “I can” Do you ever correct your kids when they say “I can’t do ….” and tell them that they can do it? With a little effort, or patience, experience or practise. If they work hard they can. Yet how often do you tell yourself “I’m not stylish” or “I’m…
Welcome this Inside Out Style Weekend Style Challenge. It’s new, it’s fun, and it’s your chance to share your style! The weekend can be a great time to have a moment or two to reflect on your style. There may be fewer restrictions on what you can wear (if you have to stick to a uniform…
Today I’m really privilged to be introducing you to Kris Villarta, based in Donostia, The Basque Country, Spain who is a member of my Evolve Your Style program (they call themselves Evolvers). What is the secret to great style? Confidence, effort and an experimental mood. For me, confidence comes, to a great extent, from knowing…
