As humans, we love balance. It gives us visual equilibrium and relates to our physical sense of balance (this is why we like our pictures to hang straight on the wall). Balance Points and Clothing Carla Mathis (image consultant and author of The Triumph of Individual Style) wrote about Balance Points in her book and…
Jill Chivers of Shop Your Wardrobe 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 Shop Your Wardrobe 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 Shop Your Wardrobe, 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 Shop Your Wardrobe 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…
Need to find some new ways to wear a large rectangular pashmina shawl over your evening dress? When travelling if you want to add some variety and interest to your outfits pashmina style shawls are a great way of adding colour (and warmth) over your evening wear. Taking 2 or 3 scarves can make your…
Hi, Imogen. I love reading your blog posts. Please use an upcoming post to address this “puzzle” for me–multiple formal looks from one dress. We’ll be cruising the Panama Canal in February and there will be 3 to 4 formal nights. Being gone 2 weeks, I have to get multiple uses from what I pack.…
Last year at the media opening of the amazing Viktor and Rolf exhibition I was sitting behind Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the curator of the exhibition and he was wearing this Viktor and Rolf denim jacket. I loved the button detailing on it and I decided that I wanted to replicate it in some way and came…
Accessories are great for adding interest and a hero to your outfit. They can provide additional colours and contrast to an outfit really easily. Plus, accessories don’t care what size you are. And who doesn’t love that about them? As I’ve discussed before, I’m a cold person (not cold in an unfriendly way, but cold…
When you think about choosing a pair of shoes, you want the shoe to work with your outfit as whole. When deciding which pair of shoes to wear, it’s worthwhile being able to quickly interpret the formality of the shoes. For example, if choosing a pair of oxfords (brogues) there are different elements that…
There are a couple of things to consider when choosing a metallic accessory such as jewellery or metallic garments. 1. Undertone (or temperature) of your colouring 2. Brightness of your palette and sheen of your skin Let’s look at each individually. Undertone or Temperature Whether you have a cool or warm undertone will make a…
Most wardrobes are built around basics or what I call, supporting acts. Basic outfits are the neutrals and solids with little built in detail (like denim jeans, black pants, plain tops and jackets) that are the glue as they go together with many things easily. But, if you’re not careful, a wardrobe of supporting acts…
Ok, I’ve got to admit it. I love knowing what other women carry around in their handbags, and so I thought that some of you may be in the same boat! Firstly I change up my handbags pretty frequently to match my outfits and also depending what I’m doing and how much I need to…
