It’s been 6 weeks since my bunion surgery and I’m so so excited that I can finally drive again! I think that has been one of the hardest things about the recovery from my recent bunion surgery. Having to ask others for help and being only able to go out and do things at the…
This next couple of weeks in Melbourne is the height of the Spring Racing Carnival, and if you’re still not sure what to wear I thought I’d share some tips to help you find an outfit. 1. Is it Racewear? Find out if what you’re planning to wear is race appropriate with this fun flowchart…
Shoes – we all have to wear them pretty much every day (very few of us can go barefoot out and about), and they impact greatly on your outfit as a whole, which is why when foot issues arise in your life (which they do for many of us as we age) your options for…
Handbags – I think they were my first fashion love (and gosh if I had any design skill, I’d love to be a handbag designer). Before shoes, for me, it was a handbag obsession which started in my university years. I have quite a collection of handbags and love to change up my bags with…
I bought my first pair of brogues back in the late 1980s, they were the fashion trend at the time – but with a long pointy toe (not quite a winklepicker but heading that way). My next pair arrived into my life in the early 1990s, a rounded toe, and traditional decorative perforations. A third…
When thinking about putting together an outfit once you’ve got the basics sorted (find out more about my Outfit Formula and choosing the best neutral basics for you) you may want a uniting or linking piece that ties other elements of it together. This may be a garment or accessory that contains elements such as…
One of the questions that came up on my Inside Out Style Lounge Facebook group was how to add interest to your summer outfits when it’s too hot for layers. Many women find cooler weather dressing much easier than hot weather, as they can add layers easily for that “third piece” element. So what to wear…
Sponsored by Airpufs I have a reasonably sized shoe collection (my husband would say large, I say reasonable) which I’ve gradually acquired over many, many years (actually I still have two pairs of shoes from the mid 90s). One of the reasons I have so many is that when I was about 19 years old…
Have you ever wondered why some necklines and necklace lengths flatter you more than others? It all comes down to balance points—key proportions that create harmony between your head and upper body. As humans, we love balance—it gives us a sense of visual harmony and connects to our innate sense of physical stability. This is…
Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I were asked about how to be comfortable, have a practical wardrobe but still be elegantly stylish. In this video we discuss some strategies to create a wardrobe that is both functional and comfortable yet stylish. Fabric Selection to Be Comfortable and Stylish Comfort and Ease Do fabrics…
We live in a coloured world. We wear colour, we choose colours to live with in our houses, we are surrounded by colour. It plays a vital role in our lives. It determines colour palettes for fashions, interior design, moods and emotional states. We can use colour to create illusion and as a symbol for…
The Personality of Patterns in Scarves This is the topic of the video Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss, though the personality of prints and the discussion on fabric choices extends into other clothing elements outside of the scarf! So how do you express personality through your patterns? Patterns Classic – stripes…
How do your shoes communicate? What is the personality dressing style of your shoes? In this video with Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types, we discuss and show examples of different shoe styles and elements of shoes so you can learn how to interpret your shoes and what they are communicating. What are The Design…
Frocktober continues and I’m sharing more dress styling ideas for you to try with your own dresses at home. Please make a small donation to my fundraising efforts to help find an early detection test for ovarian cancers which is a silent killer of many women. Your donation will help save lives. And I want…
Hats come in all different shapes and sizes. They were very common back in the 1950s when it was polite and the right thing to do, to wear a hat when outside of the house. Here is the photo I mention in the video that my father took in 1958 at the corner of Russell…
Accessories can be a great way of adding contrast in your outfit. You can add interest with pops of colour in accessories and create focal points for which to draw attention and encourage the eye to linger. You can raise your colour contrast. You can raise or lower your value contrast. This is why accessories…
I love colour (as regular readers will be aware) and I don’t have a naturally high colour contrast (ideally I’m physically more in the neutral plus 1 colour camp). But I like to wear more than one colour in patterns as they are often more versatile than a colour plus neutral print, and have found…
So you’re a bit scared of colour and you tend to wear black and grey and then combinations of black and grey as you’re just not sure how to add colour and you really don’t want to look like a clown. Now neutral outfits in black, white and grey abound on our city streets and…
What are the different kinds of shoes you need to have in your shoe wardrobe? There is no one right answer to this questions, but here are some important considerations when deciding what to include in your shoe wardrobe. Weather and Season Depending where you live in the world and how you spend your time,…
How do you feel about your style? Do you feel fabulous, ok or not great? How do you feel about what you wear? Do you own your style? In this (20 minute) video Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss some of our own feelings about these questions and where the answers and…
I love my navy leather boots, in fact I’ve loved them to death (they have gotten old and tatty looking), so I hunted high and low for a replacement pair of navy leather boots, to find none that fit my requirements. Instead, I found a pair of lovely nude leather boots that I decided to…
