New Year Sales and Autumn/Winter 2012 Trends

/ Fashion / 20 Comments

January sales are the perfect time to buy clothes, accessories and shoes at a reduced price. I always love this time of year because of the bargains, but unfortunately it can also be draining on the credit card if you don’t have a plan of attack on what you need for your wardrobe.

If you are a budget fashionista like myself you would have already looked at what your wardrobe lacks and made a list of things that you need. You would also have made a list of items you will need for the coming Autumn. Winter 2012 trends are also another hot topic. The question is how can you buy for Autumn/Winter 2012 when you don’t know what the season trends will be for that season? Well I’m about to tell you!

My list included a black dress for all occasions, new t-shirt bras, black footless tights, pair of jeans and some smart casual tops both short-sleeve and ¾ sleeve to wear with jeans and cargos – easy casual wear for a mum running after a toddler.

As most mums know, gone are the days you could stand in your wardrobe and um and ah over what to wear. When the sun breaks, the day has started with little mouths to feed and you don’t have the luxury of ‘creating’ a cute outfit and trying on 3 different pants to get the right ‘look’. My outfits need to be comfortable, but fashionable, but not too trendy that I will cry if I get mashed banana or stamp ink on them.

I headed to Target where there was HEAPS of items reduced. This was where I found my gorgeous black sheer chiffon overlay dress with a necktie and brown belt. It was a steal at $30 (reduced from $59) and it’s a dress that I can dress up or down depending on the occasion. My t-shirt bras came from David Jones and were Simone Perele brand. They were originally $99.95, reduced to $29.95. When it comes to bras, you really need to get fitted for the right size and quality is of the upmost importance as you wear them everyday. David Jones and Myer have a free measuring service and their sales are always worth having a look at.

For my jeans, I can’t talk enough about the Katies Ultimate Denim range, especially if you have been pregnant. For me, after I had my daughter, I started in a size 16 and I have slowly gone down each size to a size 10. For $49.95 these jeans are a MUST HAVE for all women. They really do cinch in your tummy and butt to make you a size smaller than you really are.

My final shop was at Witchery and I can’t buy enough from this shop. To be quite honest I RARELY buy full price here because I often think the prices are hefty for what you get BUT when they have sales, they are worth popping in and browsing the racks.

At present Witchery have a promotion that if you buy two items you get the third free even on sale items. So here I bought a stunning ¾ sleeve animal print dress, a batik print tunic, a batik print tee, footless black tights and 2 ¾ sleeve t-shirts for Autumn.

Being a stylist and knowing my shape and colours means I  don’t have to fully apply trends for Autumn/Winter 2012 because when I wear what suits me, I will always look on trend anyway. BUT if you are quite fanatic about trends, here are the predictions from the runway for Autumn/Winter 2012 –

  • Tailored wool coats with a feminine detail  –  For inspiration look at the Duchess of Cambrige aka Catherine Middleton. Burberry has some gorgeous designs but for budget fashionista’s like myself, wait for the department stores to bring in their 2012 range.
  • Colours in the shades of moss green, deep grape and mauve as well as blue based greys and cherry pinks and reds. ‘Burnt’ colours will also have a look in so look at your burnt orange, mustard, red based browns and charcoal and black.
  • 70’s bohemian and and sophisticated glamour from 2011 will also impact 2012.
  • Wide leg pants, bell bottom and bootleg are the pants to wear for the season. In most cases, opt for the bootleg as the wide leg and bell bottom will overwhelm most body shapes unless you are tall and athletic
  • Patchwork jumpers/jackets and pants – try this trend sparingly!
  • Sheer blouses and maxi dresses (hint, my black dress from Target is perfect for this trend layered with a tailored wool coat)
  • Dare I say it winter jump suits
  • Knee high boots and ankle boots

Be a Knock Out using Block Colours

/ Style tips / 49 Comments

Don’t let colour block you out! Learn to wear colours that make you a knock out! Be a knock out using block colours.

 COLOUR BLOCKING IS THE NEW SEASON TREND FOR SUMMER 2011/2012 but which colours suit you?

 Colour Parties are an affordably great way for you to find out what colours suit you. Host a party for 2-10 friends and learn what colours you can wear well and which ones to avoid.

 The colour trends for this summer are watermelon, coral, tangerine, aqua, red, hot pink and vibrant purple.

 When colour blocking, only mix two to three colours max so that you don’t look like you’ve come out of the ensemble of Joseph and the Technicolour dream coat!!

 Pair unlikely colours together to make a fashion statement, for example tangerine and purple, yellow and blue, orange and red, aqua and red… the possibilities are endless!

 As well as the recent launch of “Colour Parties”, I have been very busy mastering the art of creating resin bangles.  I have made block colour bangles and palette bangles that contain ribbons relating to each season. I can post the bangles Australia wide. Feel free to order by email or fill out the online form.

Scarved Away

/ Style tips / 17 Comments

When money is tight and you want to ‘update’ your wardrobe, the easiest and most economical way to do it is by purchasing accessories. Get scarved away. As the weather changes from Winter to Spring in Australia, now is the time to invest in purchasing a scarf or two.

I love scarves because they can add colour or interest to any outfit and they aren’t expensive. My favourite site for scarves is Scarf World. They are are UK shop but they have every scarf under the sun and they have a sale on right now with 20% off all their scarves. They deliver worldwide too. With Spring on the way, my picks for Spring 2011 is the Brown animal print scarf which can be paired with most coloured tops and for a floral spring hit, the pink or purple floral cotton scarf.

Scarves look great paired with a plain coloured tee and jeans or a maxi skirt. Scarves are also versatile in that you don’t have to wear them around your neck, if they are long enough you can wear them around your waist as a belt or around your hair as a head band. Scarves can also be tied around your handbag to add interest to your outfit. The sky is the limit with scarves… you can never have too many they are a versatile fashion staple every woman (and man) should own.

Maternity Dresses & Other Dresses for Spring Racing Carnival 2011

/ Style tips / 9 Comments

If you are looking for GORGEOUS special occasion maternity dresses, you need to check out the sale at Isabella Oliver! Isabella Oliver design elegant maternity dresses perfect for the upcoming Spring Racing Carnival in Australia. Due to the excellent dollar exchange, you will be getting a bargain because at present, Isabella Oliver have a 50% sale on all their summer stock which is perfect timing for our upcoming spring/summer 2011/2012 season. My picks are the Print Kimono Dress for the Spring Racing Carnival and why not try the Limited Edition Gold Sequin Dress for Christmas day 2011? You’ll be sure to glow and ‘sparkle’.

Isabella Oliver also design non-maternity dresses that are simply stunning on any female silhouette. They have a 50% sale on this line as well. My picks from this line for the 2011 Spring Racing Carnival are the Print Silk Belted dress or the Lace Easy Fit skirt teamed with the gorgeous Red Silk Flutter Sleeve top. For your work Christmas party why not try the Sequin dress in black or gold?

Dress shopping has never been this easy or this CHEAP! If you order your dresses now, they will be shipped in time before Spring, with time to return and receive the correct size if you order the incorrect size on your original order.

Happy Shopping!

Winter Fashion 2011

/ Style tips / 17 Comments

It’s been a while since I wrote on my blog about fashion. There seems to be a lot happening in the world lately and part of me felt bogged down with the burdens of others and the fact that so many people had either lost their lives or their livelihoods due to the recent natural disasters that have hit countries around the world. I live in Brisbane and it was hit by the worst flooding in 30 years in January. Not only was Brisbane flooded but 75% of the State of QLD. I wasn’t affected by the floods but some of my friends were and I felt selfish writing about fashion and how to stay ‘trendy’ and up to the minute with current fashion styles when these friends had lost their entire wardrobes, shoes, accessories and well basically all their belongings.

Having also been busy being a mother to my 11 month old daughter, I got stuck in a rut fashion wise. Whatever was clean and fitted was generally chucked on – and essentially fashion should be easy when you are running around after a baby but when you are also a stylist, you would expect that they would have it ‘altogether’ with their clothing ensembles. Unfortunately I haven’t.

It wasn’t until I went away on a much needed holiday to the Gold Coast in April that I got my shopping MOJO back and I realized that while people have lost ‘things’, ‘things’ can be replaced with better and new ‘things’. (Same can’t be said for photos and items that hold sentimental value, but I am generally speaking fashion here).

I love the Winter fashion 2011. The colours of khaki green, Cadbury purple, dark grey and your basic black and white are the colours of this season. Burnt Orange is another favourite and the lovely thing about these colours is that they all go well together. Leopard print and vintage florals are also fabulous teamed with these colours.

When it comes to shoes, flats are in HALLELUJAH! Loafers are the new heels which really excites me because since becoming a mum, I can’t seem to walk well in high heels. They are also a safety hazard when running around after your baby!

Jeans are my live in staple during winter, but I have also bought a pair of skinny cargos in khaki which will give my jeans a rest and can be worn dressed up or down.

So what will I be wearing this winter 2011?

Skinny cargos or jeans with a basic long sleeve tee teamed with a leopard print or floral print scarf. My patent leather cinnamon loafers from Wittner will also been worn to death as well as my black knee high boots – no heel of course.

If you want to update your wardrobe, but don’t have a lot of money, look at your department stores like Kmart and Big W. They offer some great current fashion styles that will suit any budget.

 

 

1 … 75 76 77 78 79