"Whatshouldiwear.com.au" - take the risk out of fashion decisions

Most of us have some hideous items lurking at the back of our wardrobes that should never have left the fluro lights of the store. Buyer’s remorse strikes the best of us, but can it be avoided? Do you ever wish you could have a personal shopper giving you expert advice on what to buy and how to wear it? Imagine how much time and money that would save.  And maybe then you would have something to wear when you look into the sea of mismatched clothes you call your wardrobe. Most of us don’t have the budget to stretch to that luxury, so what would be the next best thing? How about a community of fashion minded peers ready to answer all your fashion questions? 

Make 2013 the year of your best wardrobe ever

Today I will be sharing with you a guest post that I did for one of my favourite websites, "What Should I Wear". Here I share how to de-clutter and organise your wardrobe so you can get the best out of what you have and look your best everyday! To read more click here.

Trans-seasonal Dressing - One Dress, Two Ways

I love summer dresses. Just simple, casual sun dresses with a fitted tank on top and a cute flippy skirt on the bottom. They are my go-to pieces as they work just as well around the house on a lazy afternoon as they do at a summer BBQ or casual dinner when dressed up with jewelled flats and great accessories.

What's even better about these dresses is the fact that if they are in neutral tones and a simple shape, they can easily be rugged up for the cooler months.

This dress was $19 from Girl Express at Kmart last September. You don't get much better than that. I have got a lot of wear out of it, in all situations and weather.
Below is my fashion equation for using one dress in two different seasons.

Spring/Summer

Dress + Long Floaty Vest + Beaded flats

=

A cute breezy summer outfit, just add colored jewelry for a pop of colour

(BTW, that adorable creature in my arms in my new nephew, how cute is he!)

Autumn/Winter

Dress + Leggings

+ Boots + Long-sleeved Tee + Coloured Belt

=

A cute and comfy, casual winter outfit. Add a blazer or coat for extra warmth.

Trans-seasonal dressing - boots with bare legs

Sunday was one of the first times this year that I was going out early in the morning when the air was fresh and cool. We went to check out an organic market in the city to get some fresh fruit and vegies. The problem with dressing on these kind of days is that it is quite cool in the shade but warm in the sun and bound to get hotter as the day goes on. The perfect opportunity for a trans-seasonal outfit. If only it was that easy.

I started with a new black and white Brenton stripped t-shirt dress. But what to wear on my legs and feet? It was too cool for bare legs and sandals or ballet flats (and Im currently on the lookout for a new pair so that wasnt an option anyway) and I knew I would overheat later in the day with leggings and boots.

Enter my new fave idea for 'in-between' dressing; boots with bare legs. I wore my new flat, over the knee riding boots and finished it off with a three-quater sleeved pale grey long-line blazer. Comfy, practical and (hopefully!) stylish. Mission complete.

Shop outside the square

Do you ever get sick of finding the same thing in EVERY shop you walk into. Or at least a very similar version. I have actually found identical tops in two shops in the same shopping center, one twice as much as the other. Which proves it definitely pays to shop around. But this fashion incest has more impact then over-inflated prices. It means that you see the same items on everyone and you also get sick of the 'trends' very quickly. The remedy for this? Try shopping in somewhere you don't expect. I actually found the best black shorts I have ever bought at Best and Less for $22. Bargain, and no one would ever know. Other great places to try are op shops (as previously mentioned!), and markets. Last Friday night I went to the Southbank markets and found some great buys in the few stalls I went to (I got there just as they were closing, otherwise I would have gone to ALL the stalls, I'm sure my husband was glad we ran out of time!)

My first find were 50% silk dresses in a one size fits all, long draped style, belted at the waist with a coloured ribbon. The colour and print choices were gorgeous, much more exciting than my usual black, grey and denim colour pallet. Then on to a stall that stocked retail brands but really interesting styles. I wanted to buy everything there! Maybe it was the yummy Turkish food in my belly, the warm summer night or the tiredness brought on by it being 10pm at the end of a long week but I bought something I swear I never would. I bought a playsuit. Not that I don't like them. I have often looked longly at butt-flashing strapless cotton playsuits and figure hugging jumpsuits but convinced myself they wouldn't work for my body type. I have obviously found a magic one. It may be the dark colour (yes, it is a black base, I'm sorry!) or the vertical print but it actually hides my stomach and is quite flattering. And I think I look very cute (I'm just avoiding asking males and non-fashionish females for their opinion at risk of smashing the illusion!) Judge for yourself, and remember to shop out side the retail square.

One skirt, four ways

What do you have nothing to wear but can’t really

afford to buy new clothes? My advice, step away for the shopping center, put down your wallet and have another look in your wardrobe.

The key when creating your wardrobe is to buy pieces in neutral colours that can be worn in various ways. That way you can use one item to create multiple looks. This may take some time and creativity but that’s part of the fun of fashion.

I have a long stretch black flowy skirt that has a band

that folds over at the top. Because of the stretchy nature, it can be worn in many positions, across the ribs, at waist height, on the hips or even as a strapless dress. This makes it extremely versatile and it is always fun making up new combinations of pieces and different ways to wear them. My favorite way to wear it is with a cami tucked in and belted at the waist. I also recently knotted the bottom of the skirt to add interest. This season, maxi skirts are hot so I will also be wearing it lower on the hips maybe even with a baggier knit over the top.

So by looking in my wardrobe, I have created 4 new outfits all without a shopping trip, or a guilt trip.

Op shop find of the month!

I have officially found the op shop buy of the month, maybe the year!
It is a great 1950's style wide-set halter top which zips up the back and is nice and long with just the right amount of stretch to keep those love handles in check. It's in the cutest print - white with black polka dots. Love. And only cost $5.50! It's times like these I love op shopping

Beware though, op shopping can have hidden dangers. On the same shopping trip that I found my great top, I also came away with a tacky, synthetic Cotton On skirt. Not so good. Cotton On is often hit and miss even when purchased brand new in the right season let alone a few years old out of somebody else's wardrobe. But such are the perils of op shopping. As Maggie Alderson (the authority in fashion writing in my opinion) once wrote, there is such a thing as shopping relativity. Namely, the desirability of objects is relative to the other objects around them.

Which means that when you go to a yucky secondhand store filled with junk and 80's frilled nightmares, an 100% synthetic fluro yellow jumpsuit can suddenly seem quite attractive. It can be an easy trap to fall into. Once back home next to clothes from the real world, you realise that your amazing op shop find (I can't believe it hadn't been snapped up yet?!, what a bargain!) is actually so hideous and unwearable it would make Elle Macpherson look ugly. The best tip when op shopping is to look for quality labels. The upside is, a fashion mistake in an op shop will probably only set you back $7 rather than the $70 they would charge in a 'real' store.

Happy op shopping!