MAKE IT LOOK EASY

I'm loving the Vintage fashion revival that's getting us into those op shops and sourcing items online from second-hand sellers.

And of course, I'm loving those current designers who are deeply inspired by the 70s bringing those high quality classic nostalgic pieces back.

I was born in 1972 and have fond memories of the long denim dress/coat, cord, taupe (brown) colours, platform shoes, trench coats, sun ray pleat skirts, flared jeans, and wide leg pants that my Mum used to wear so gorgeously.

Only today and at the age of 50, I do need to wear these items differently.

I don't want to look like I've gone back in time, I want to look like I've bought the past forward by giving it a modern day edge.

Adding items to each outfit that wouldn't have been around back then, paired together or that have evolved dramatically over the years adds that modern spin.



Wearing a vintage inspired denim dress/coat over a crisp white tracksuit with current on-trend loafers is a surefire way to modernise this...

You may have not given it much thought before but there is a perfect length where your coat should land on your body when wearing wide-leg pants or flared jeans.

Your coat should finish above your knee to keep your shape and avoid looking swamped.

The dramatic wide triangle bottom finish of your pants will blend into the rectangle coat shape if not cut off above the knee

Let me show you how this works below.

But when it comes to skinny jeans or straight-leg jeans with a cuff (this gives a slight taper), your coat will work at any length (as shown below).

So now it's all up to you. 

If you're not one for wearing wide-leg pants or flared jeans, you can go as long or as short as you like when it comes to choosing your coat.

But do consider the colour and what will not only work back with you but works with everything else you already own (I'm wearing my skin colour in the top photo).

Your dream wardrobe starts with the colour of your skin.

It's really funny to think just how important a neckline is...

Your face shape has everything to do with your best neckline as to whether you suit a scoop neck or a v neck (just like it is for your haircut) but then you need to also consider how crisp your face frame is too (your collar or neckline seam as not everyone suits texture).


Have you ever put on a top and hated it on you around your face but loved the colour and the way it looked everywhere else? 


I can guarantee it was that the neckline worked against you.


Seems like such a small thing but remember it is right by your face and can either make you shine or do the complete opposite.

The best frame under your face is always your own natural skin (it suits you perfectly!) but we also don't want to go around looking naked.

In my video below, I give you some super helpful tips on how to avoid this.

And don't forget to correct that neckline with a face-length necklace when wearing a high neck top.

...

Do you have a favourite shade of orange you like to wear?

Apricot is one of mine.

My cool pink skin suits 5 shades of orange but it's important that we not only create the perfect wardrobe that suits our skin tone, but everything we own should also go back together.

Blue skin babes only have one form of orange that suits them the best while our peach skin babes have 8 and orange skin babes have 12!


This is where my Brilliant colour combinations e book is so important.


I know that my apricot tops will work back beautifully with my dark denim jeans and black and white print shoes.

You see, colour is the foundation of the perfect wardrobe.


As you’ve already learned, we can manipulate shapes, silhouettes, and proportions.


But the one thing that’s a little harder to get right is colour!


In fact, this is one of the main reasons why I created my brilliant colour combinations e book and the colour type mood boards in the first place … as they work together to let...

Autumn hits us next week and there will be a few style changes happening about the place.

A huge trend this Autumn and Winter is denim.

So anything you see being done in trends in all fabrics will be repeated in denim. 

I'm talking trench coats, hand bags, and of course - the wide-leg pants.

If you are short like me and your wide-leg denim isn't quite cropped. Make sure your shoes have a slight lift in the way of a heel or platform and show some skin.

Or cut them off nice and high in order to show your full ankle bone or do as I have done here and just give them a really wide fold.

The wider the jeans, the wider the fold can be.

Your choice - either cut or fold.

And remember, just because this is a current trend, doesn't mean for you that it's not a forever style

You can make anything work forever if you know how to wear it with confidence.

I personally suit texture over smoothness, it's my natural visual presentation.

I use this knowledge to look for imperfections, indents, marle, and chiffon in fabrics that I wear and I  also look for jewellery that is wooden and rustic for the same reason.

But that doesn't mean that I can't wear smooth items too.

It just means that I stand out personally against texture whereas the smooth items make me personally recede back.

So if I drop quite a bit of money on an investment necklace or earrings, I may choose to buy those as smooth or as shiny as I can so that they stand out as the main feature compared to my natural features of hair, skin, and eyes.

I also tend to wear other smooth, blingy, and bright items or fabrics with the investment piece so I look completely committed to the look (see photo above).

This way at least my bling has a friend even if it isn't a friend of mine. 

As a smooth girl however, Kate (in the photo...

Print shoes are fantastic for adding excitement to a relatively plain outfit. 

And at times they can add the dark, the light and even the colour in one hit (like the block heels pictured below, black, off-white, and green).

You can refresh yourself on my light, dark, colour, and a print system HERE.

But the best kind of print shoes are the ones that come across as equally light and dark.

Meaning that they can contrast your last hemline as either light or dark with no problems.

And if you manage to find some with only one neutral in the print, this helps make getting dressed even easier.

The print slides above enable me to wear white in my outfit as there is no white in the print.

https://youtu.be/4fzpi4d02A8

Nat xo

I wear a lot of shirts and shirt dresses so often having a collar on my denim jackets creates a double collar look for me and my personal style.

Of course, I always wear my shirt collars on the inside of my jackets (lesson from last week's email) but it still gives a double collar effect.

So guess what I do?

I just cut it off. I cut close to the seam line stitching and leave a bit of a raw edge (I suit texture best over smooth so this works well for me).

And have a look at the difference! 

A denim jacket is masculine to begin with so removing the collar balances it more into both masculine and feminine. 


Just because something is made a certain way doesn't mean you can't change it to suit you. 

Check out my blog post here on how I cut rips into my jeans. You are the Boss In Your Wardrobe!

To your wardrobe success, 

Collars.

Do you wear yours out or in?

It's super common to pull it out over our jumpers and jackets as that is what we have always been taught but it looks way cooler if you leave your collar on the inside.

If you leave your inner items as part of your silhouette without joining them to your outer frame, it levels up the visual experience.

Your jacket or jumper then becomes the finishing frame.

Try this for yourself and let me know if you can see the difference.

It's really quite amazing once you see it. 

To your wardrobe success,

Hey, Friend,
 

Working out what style you tend to wear the most in Winter is the key to figuring out which boots colour and length you should buy.

Most people have a regular "uniform" that they don't stray too far from in any one season.

Do you mainly were skirts and dresses?

Or pants and jeans over Winter?

I know that I used to only wear jeans and tracksuit pants every single winter and I would usually pair that with ugg boots.

It was only when I learnt the science behind style that I stepped out of my true comfort zone and have ever since worn a fabulous array of looks throughout the cooler months.

It's the not knowing how to that trapped me into not wanting to.

Check out more tips in my video below.

How To Wear Boots Videos