Oct 16
I love me a good trend (did I mentioned I’m addicted to statement pants? Ad.Dic.Ted… remember this?). Peplums, neon and floral prints have also all made their way into my wardrobe already this Spring…. BUT there is also something to say for classic style. A well cut blazer, a pretty, girly frock and an amazing pair of heels are ALWAYS welcome in my style books and are often the first things I recommend my clients have in their wardrobe.
The age-old question….
Aug 7
Spring is here yay…. what? It’s still cold and rainy outside? No! But I thought due to the number of ‘new season’ e-newletters landing in my inbox and bright colours and flimsy fabrics appearing in the store windows that Spring is here…..oh….. Spring FASHION is here. EVEN MORE YAY!!!!!
Spring is (almost) here!
This is the best/worst time of year in my fashion calendar. Winter, and all it’s black and grey and black and black is slowing disappearing from stores (and my Pinterest feed) and being replaced with colour! And cotton-blend fabrics! (And whites and nauticals and florals…. oh my! Sorry, inside joke…..)
BUT I CAN’T WEAR ANY OF IT BECAUSE IT’S STILL AN AVERAGE OF 10 DEGREES IN AUCKLAND!!! ehm….. sorry for yelling…. this is the part of this time of year that I don’t like – it’s too cold to wear all the awesome new fashion that is hitting the stores. BUT a girl can still dream (and spend a LOT of money online shopping….wait.what?). There is so much fashion to get excited about coming into Spring so I’m just going to focus on one trend at a time (otherwise this blog post will be as long as my Spring wish list…..)
Sep 28
My new bestie (someone just needs to tell him that now) - Gok Wan
If you don’t know who Gok Wan is, read on my friends, read on!
Gok Wan is officially my new BFF (except you honey), only problem is, we have never actually met. HOPEFULLY this will change in two weeks time when Gok Wan comes to town!
Ladies (and gents) Gok is the gay male version of Trinny and Susannah (but nicer and with cooler hair – no offense T & S). He has a few shows on Foxtel – Gok’s Fashion Fix, How to Look Good Naked (the UK version, not the US version) basically he is your all round fashion guru. He is an expert on women’s body shapes, he LOOOOOOOOOVES boobs (but in a gay man way) and he is great at finding High Street (or what we call Chain Store) options to the latest and greatest fashion trends.
You wouldn't let just any man fo this - but Gok? Sure!
I love how Gok gets away with totally motor-boating women’s boobs (if you don’t know what that is, Google it. On second thought, don’t), feeling up their bums and basically touching them up without them minding. He really makes women feel like he cares about them, and more importantly, he makes women change how they feel about themselves.
Point of the story…. Gok’s mission is all about making women feel good about what they have! (hmmm….. sounds like someone else we know right?). He makes women confront their demons, learn to look at the reflection in the mirror in a positive light and realise that maybe the body they have is not as bad as they think! LOVE HIM! (also, the fact that he called himself Aunty Gok makes me love him even more!)
So imagine my excitement when I see that Gok is coming to Australia!! (I almost wee’d my pants! – too much? sorry, I’m excitable). And if you can’t make Tuesday the 11th October at Westfield Garden City, he is ALSO going to be a Westfield Chermside on Wednesday 12th Oct (do you think it would be considered stalking if I went to both events?! Don’t answer that.)
Here are the details for Gok’s Style Tour
How could you resist a cheeky grin like that!
Westfield Miranda
Thursday 6 October, 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Westfield Parramatta
Friday 7 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Westfield Kotara
Saturday 8 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Westfield Eastgardens
Sunday 9 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Westfield Garden City – I’ll be here
Tuesday 11 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Westfield Chermside – ….. and here
Wednesday 12 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Westfield Marion
Thursday 13 October, 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Westfield Belconnen
Friday 14 October, 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Westfield Southland
Saturday 15 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Westfield Geelong
Sunday 16 October, 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Or click on this link to visit the Westfield page – Gok’s tour dates
Three lovely ladies after they have been "Gokked"
So why should I go along? I hear you say. Well even though Gok is a ‘celebrity stylist’, he really seems to care about women, and his genuineness and passion for making women feel good comes across in everything he does – books, tv or live shows.
He has the same kinds of ideas about women that I do, he is all about empowering women with clothing, getting them to focus on the good parts of their bodies (because we ALL have them) and teaching them how to distract from the not so good parts.
His advice is smart, easy to understand, and I just love that he called boobs “bangers” all the time!
Ok, enough of the mindless gushing (how many times have you rolled your eyes, come’on, three? four?) just make sure if you have a change, you go and learn a little bit from this fabulous, fashion fairy! (and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me calling him that… who wouldn’t want to be called fabulous…..)
Are you already a Gok fan? Or are Trinny and Susannah more to you liking? Or do you all think they are a waste of time?
Sep 20
Well ok, do. But don’t judge a store by who you think their customer is supposed to be! My mother often jokes that I can find something to spend money on no matter what shop I go into! This is a habit of mine that distresses her but I think it’s a great skill to have! (One that has led me to become a stylist as a career in fact!).
If you don’t want to look like everyone else on the street then this blog is for you. The stores that you never walk into are a treasure-trove for finding those unique and interesting pieces that help you make up your own personal style so here are a few stores that I bet you never thought to check out!
Ok, if you are under 30 (or a size 6) maybe you have visited Supre recently, but for many of us that have crossed the 30-barrier, the though of walking into Supre is daunting! The girls working there are so tiny! If you are size 10 or bigger you end up going into the L and the XL sizes plus the music is sooooo loud! (am I sounding like a nana yet?) BUT there are still some great basics and work pieces to be found! Supre also will fit up to a size 14-16 (just don’t look at the XXL on the tag!) As a size 12, I can normally wear a M – L depending on the garment.
This pussy-bow blouse is one of my favourite finds from Supre recently. It is classy, covered and totally work-appropriate. Pair it back with one of the basic camis underneath and a HOT pencil skirt from Cue, Witchery, Saba or the like and you have a smoking, feminine look.
I know right?! Total opposite to Supre, but I just bagged some great short for summer, much to my surprise! The same also applies to Katies, Millers and Sportscraft – shops you think your mum might shop in, but there are some really nice styles that are actually cut to fit women! High rises on the jeans and shorts, enough darting in the bust on shirts, and hems that cover what you had for breakfast that day!
How hot is this tailored dress? It has enough shape to flatter an hour-glass or pear shape (the cap sleeves are puuuuuufect for our pears our there) and the belt with help define a waist for a column shape or our lovely apples!
My style guru Sarah Wilson looking as classy as ever in a pair of Buddy Holly frames
Unless you are shopping with your man, I bet you walk straight past there stores when you are indulging in a spot of retail therapy right? Well don’t! Mens stores are great for accessories (and if you are a lucky column shape, you could even pick up a pair of jeans or a fitted button-up shirt!)
So I can be a bit of a slave to fashion and my new favourite look is the wayfarer frames as glasses…know what I mean? (Here is one of my fashion-idols Sarah Wilson rocking the look)
I looked everywhere for these frames and stumbled upon them in Roger David when shopping with my boy. Yay! Trend-piece sorted after looking in every, single girls shop from Sportsgirl to CottonOn to Target for a pair!
So the moral of this little tale ladies, I can spend money ANYWHERE! No, sorry, that’s not it. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort-zone when you shop. If you can’t find what you are after in all the usual haunts, visit some un-usual ones.
Until next time, happy shopping!!
Have you found an amazing piece somewhere unexpected? Where is your ‘secret’ place to shop for something different?
This post was originally written for WeHeartLife – ChasingCait is the fashion and beauty writer for WeHeartLife. Click here to visit the site
Sep 5
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago in ancient fashion history (like the 50′s), fashion trends dictated the hem-length of skirts. Below the knee, about the knee, pencil-skirts, dirndl skirts – whatever the trend was at the time, was the skirt you wore. Thank goodness nowadays, practically everything is in (except maybe for those bubble skirts with the bike-pants attached….c’mon, you know you had them…. I did!). Thank goodness too because we all have different body-shapes and different types of skirts work best of certain shapes and sizes.
So in honor of Spring (yay!!) I thought I would talk about the three skirt lengths around at the moment, who they suit, and how to wear them.
Mini
Defining the ‘length’ on a mini may have some variations but for us ‘old codgers’ like me, anything about the knee is mini (anything where you can see what you had for breakfast is a belt, and you need to put on some pants!). There are a couple of ways to rock a mini skirt; wear it with some cute little sandals, a fun top and some playful jewellery for a summertime “I’m just heading to the beach, or the shops, or the bar – whatev’s” look. Like so:
Or, rock a mini out at night – high heels are awesome with a mini (they make your legs look longer, ergo, skinnier) but you need to balance out showing off all the leg, so the chunkier the heel, the better. Add a structured blazer to the look to give you a little inch of covered skin (it’s legs or breasts ladies, this is not KFC) and hey presto! A hot nighttime glam look. Like so:
Midi
So the midi length has just started to make an appearance back on the fashion scene. This is a hem length that you really have to wear with a heel (or at least a wedge) because it tends to break one of the rules of flattering your body: hems should sit just above or just below the knee. A midi length skirt will usually sit just below the knee or on the calf. If you are tall AND thin (well, we hate you) you can probably get away with wearing your midi with a flat, but for the rest of us, a wedge or a heel is that way to go.
So how do we all look so effortlessly chic? (Good question, when you work it out let me know, yeah?) No really, it’s easy!
1. Find a midi skirt that you love
2. team it back with a fitted t-shirt or singlet/cami (this is all about balance – volume on the bottom half, fitted on the top half). A bodysuit (see image below) is also another good option for a skirt – generally you should tuck in whatever top you are wearing, and a bodysuit just saves you having to do that!
3. find some gorgeous wedges or sturdy heels to elongate you leg ( notice how all three girls are wearing a nude shoe – this makes EVERYONE’S legs look longer – invest. Now)
4. Stroll around the streets of NYC looking effortlessly chic (see, I told you it was easy)
Maxi
Hands down my fave kind of skirt. (It helps that I am almost 7ft in heels, well not quite but I am taller than your average bear). Same principles apply with the fit of a maxi skirt – fitted on top, loose on the bottom.
Now when I say maxi, I mean MAXI – none of this ankle-skimming ‘oops my skirt (dress) looks like it shrunk in the wash and it’s just not long enough now’ business. Maxi skirts should touch (or almost) touch the ground.
If you are a little more challenged in the height department, find some good wedges, or a good tailor, or to be honest, find a nice midi length skirt. I hate to say it ladies but maxi skirts are not for everyone, I’m just being honest with you, you do have to have a little bit of height to pull one off.
Now before you pull me over hot coals, let me explain: if you are shorter than the average bear you want to make yourself look taller, by wearing a maxi skirt, you are cutting your frame in half, when you really want to give the illusion that your torso, legs, and everything in between is longer than it really is.
The way around this problem? A maxi DRESS can be your new best friend. Find one that is all one colour, and quite fitted (too much volume with swamp you) and you are on your way to maxi heaven.
But if you do have the height (average height is fine, you don’t have to be Giselle) here are some of my favourite maxi skirt options, in fact, I already own two of them. Can you guess which two?
Phew! Sorry, that was a long one! I guess I just have lots to say on choosing the right skirt (actually, I have a lot to say on most things, so that shouldn’t surprise you….)
What is your favorite length skirt? Will you trying a different length this spring? If so, which one?
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