10 Must haves for Spring
10 must haves to sass up your wardrobe this Spring
With a glimpse of Spring shining through, you may have, like me, been out shopping already to sass up your wardrobe.
Nothing sparkles like new
Yes I know it’s a noble deed to shop your wardrobe, recycle and repurpose your clothes but I’m sorry, no matter how much I think I have enough clothes to last me to the end of days, there is always room for a brand new item to inject into every new season.
Start with what you already have in your closet.
If you’re the organized type (which I am not), pull out your outfits that will serve you well this season.
Grab those basics or those items on the must have list that you already have and check out their wear ability. If they’re still looking fresh and lovely place them on the bed and create as many outfits and ideas as you can. Who knows after this exercise you might be happy not to shop or buy anything new at all.
Always remember there are only so many days in the year and only so many different outfits we can wear anyway, so there is no need to over buy.
Cull, cull, cull.
If you have time (which I don’t) now is a good time to cull out of your wardrobe any unwanted garments.
Ones you’ve not worn, grown out of (don’t wait until you grow back into again, it barely happens) or are looking a bit shabby.
If they are good enough to pass on or sell, do that. Why waste a good garment.
Item No 1.
White jeans.
I find nearly all my clients young or old are predominately wearing casual clothes.
So my no 1. pick is white jeans. I like to wear them all year round. Find your suitable whites and choose the right seasonal fabrics with stretch or no stretch in your best styles.
Item no 2.
Denim Jeans.
Dress them up or dress them down. Denim jeans are forever in fashion so find your best brands and again be sure to choose your right colour denims.
Item no 3.
White T shirt.
Nothing looks fresher than a white t shirt with jeans, pants or skirt. They can look so smart and lovely also very dressy with the right accessories. Just try not to spill beetroot on them.
Item no 4.
Coloured T shirt.
Another must have staple is the coloured Tee. Go anywhere, go with anything and remember in your colours you have such an array of choice why wouldn’t you have more than one in the mix.
Remember when you see them on special, they usually come in a mix of colours, and when you know your colours well, you will find it easy to choose.
Item no 5.
The Sun dress
On those stinking hot days what can be cooler than a light and airy dress. Strappy or straight a soft linen dress is so chic. Remember the shift dress is very flattering for all shapes.
Item no 6
A stylish sun hat.
Don’t leave the house without your hat but be sure it makes a statement and suits your style and face shape.
Item no 7
A Summer bag
To complete your look for the warmer months, what could be more fun and fabulous than a gorgeous colourful and glam handbag. This is a time when you can purchase a non leather bag, perhaps raffia or fabric and something very pretty.
Item no 8
Beautiful coloured pant
With so many prints, silks, flowy pants and patterns available, you can wear something totally different to what you’d wear in the cooler months.
Item no 9
Short sleeve blouse
A short sleeve blouse, is a great purchase in pure cotton, linen or any other light fabric. The main goal is breathability and easy style. Find a cut that flatters your body shape.
Item no 10
Long sleeve shirt
You will find the need for a longer sleeve shirt on occasion and there are so many beautiful choices to make. Lovely silks, satins, stripes, cotton, linen, fun prints are waiting for you to add to your lovely spring/summer collection
I hope this has given you a few ideas as well as some inspiration to get into your spring/summer look
One last thing be sure every item you purchase is in your correct colours. Nothing is more glamorous, beautiful or stylish than wearing your colours from top to toe.
Five ways to know if you're wearing your Colours.
Getting your Colours right is just so important to your Ultimate Image so read today's blog with 5 ways to tell if you do have them right or not.
How to wear your neutrals
How to wear your neutrals
What is a neutral colour?
I would describe a neutral colour as one that is quite benign. One that's not screaming for attention, and one that's a base for all of your other amazing colours.
Not everyone feels good in a pink and green outfit for example but they may enjoy wearing perhaps a green top with a neutral like grey.
It's good to start your wardrobe with your neutrals then add your colour in next.
But are all neutrals created equal? Definitely not. Many stylists are firm about having a base of dark cool neutrals like black, pure white, greys and navy’s with a splash of brown thrown in. But those neutrals are only found in the Winter Palette. Black doesn't go with everything, as we've been led to believe. And Winter neutrals don't go with Summer, Spring or Autumn neutrals.
As a colour consultant of 20 years, I have found these ideas to be quiet damaging as a whole to the fashion industry. Using black as a style staple is not useful to your Image picture.
Here's an example of working with a warm Autumn neutral and Black a cool dominant neutral to create a mismatched look.
YOU NEED TO FIND YOUR COLOURS AND THEN WORK WITH THE NEUTRALS IN YOUR PALETTE ONLY
For a stylish, complete, co-ordinated wardrobe that suits you down to the ground, you need to work with YOUR neutrals only.
The reason being, neutrals from another palette will not look good on you, and also will not go with the other shades or neutrals in your palette.
THE NEUTRAL COLOUR PALETTES.
Some stylists categorize people as neutrals. But I like to call only colours neutral not people.
Every colour is either a Cool Deep or dominant colour,(Winter) a cool muted colour,(Summer) a deep warm colour (Autumn) or a warm bright colour (Spring)
That's it. Every colour on the planet will slot into one of four palettes only. And you will be one of the four palettes as well. No sub colours or flow people in my opinion. Some colours "flow"but not people.
THE COLOUR SWATCH BOOKS FOR THE FOUR SEASONS
Get your colours right. There is Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. What season are you and there is no need for any sub seasons.
You will have thousands of colours to choose from that will all look amazing on you.
So what are the four types of neutrals I’m speaking of?
Warm Deep or Autumn neutrals are lovely deep olive greens, rich creams, clays, golden browns, deep apricots, muddied burgundies and pumpkins to name a few as well as rich warm khakis and golds.
The bright Spring neutrals on the other hand are still warm but much lighter than their deep counterparts, so colours like light soft caramels, light creams, warm light browns, tans, peaches and apricots are part of the Spring neutrals.
Moving into the cooler palettes we have the boldness and clarity of the deep Winter colours, black, pure white, all greys, silvers, dark navys and deep deep browns.
Forget burgundy as some may include in the Winter palette. I reserve that for the muted cool neutrals of Summer. The denim which is a winter denim is dark navy blue.
Summer neutrals are cool and soft and muted. Ones like off whites, soft grey, cool taupes, cool beiges, light cool khakis, burgundy and maroons create a nice base and don’t forget your dusty navy’s. Please don’t forget light denim teams best with these colours.
With all this in mind you can see there is a plethora of colours, considered to be neutral.
So once you know your colours, you can stick to the neutrals within your season for best results. Ask your consultant how to incorporate these into your wardrobe.
It’s always best to get professional advice about your colours and be sure the colours actually “fit”with you.
If your not happy with your results after a colour analysis, my advice would be to get a 2nd and sometimes even a 3rd opinion until you get your colours right.
I have had so many clients over the years who have had their colours done incorrectly.
There is a mindfield of systems now so I hope you find a solution that’s right for you.
HOW TO TELL IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT COLOURS?
Here are a few checkpoints.
You'll look younger and more attractive in your colours
Your hair colour will compliment your colours
3. Your make up will blend into your skin and not sit on top
4. You will have 100’s and 100’s of colours to choose from
5. You will feel at peace in your colours
6. All the clothes in your wardrobe will coordinate
7. You will have heaps of outfits even if you have a small wardrobe (capsule)
8. You’ll always get compliments about what your wearing
9. You'll find it easier to accessorize and mix and match
You’ll look very stylish all the time.
For more information contact Your Colours and Style Sydney