Less clothes = the need for better shapes

The reality is that when it is hot, the best idea is to keep things really simple.  The problem with simple is that without a little care and due attention it becomes boring, really boring.  So let's discuss options through shapes and fabric.  Most people have a selection of clothes appropriate to hot weather holidays but have no idea how to translate those into a work outfit that doesn't look either too casual or a little bit silly.  The reality is you can't stroll into a work environment in a t-shirt and some shorts that you'd wear to a BBQ, but you could wear these...
and still look professional.  By choosing items in higher grade fabrics, you have more options, instead of the summer staple of linen, consider silk, which isn't going to offer the same problems of stretching out of shape and creasing that linen can and does.  A few of my clients express the opinion I may have lost the plot when I suggest shorts for the office but actually they are a lot smarter than some of the skirts I see on the train in the morning and more demure too.  As an alternative go for a crop trouser, you'll be amazed at the difference it makes to your comfort level and they look damn good too.

So on to that t-shirt, instead of the block colour, box option which is really only appropriate for the gym, from now on.  Let's consider some more interesting items that accomplish the same job but in a much better and more attractive way.
By choosing colour and focusing on shape you can achieve an outfit look with far fewer pieces, if the clothes are more interesting they don't need to be upgraded through accessories.  You have the option to throw them on and run out of the door, looking cool and stylish in a relaxed and easy way, without feeling as Southern Belle as wearing a dress can sometimes lead to.

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Sometimes I wonder...

Ok so I know things happen the weather changes unexpectedly, it's hot and no British woman ever expects it but having said that it happens every year, so why the panic and the total wardrobe miss fire? Today I went for a little wander as I needed to see the sun and my eyes were assaulted by a selection of car crash fashion decisions.

Lesson 1 and I say this with love short, shorts are for the tanned and tiny! *They are not your friend*
Lesson 2 in smaller clothes if you bulge out of your bra top, bottom and side, get thee to a fitter stat!
Lesson 3 suncream people nothing looks good with burnt slices of skin
Lesson 4 doubling your natural size with baggy clothes top and bottom, to steal a phrase I heard this week, will make you look like, "a ship in full sail!" descriptive and accurate!
Lesson 5 I can see your underwear and if you had to check because you had not already checked it's time you did!

Sorry please excuse the rant but it's not rocket science to dress for summer and feel cool and elegant, never mind about on trend.  So here is a few really simple ideas that I suspect you know.
1. Natural fabrics make life more pleasant
2. Well fitting underwear is a fundamental need, as it is more likely to show
3. A bit of colour, be it soft pastels or vibrant neons. Just give it a go, for me! Navy, white and linens should not be the British summer uniform!
4. Be comfortable in your choice, if you are constantly trying to adjust your clothes and hide a body part, you'll just look unpleasantly itchy.

The sun won't last long it never does but just in case maybe it's time to add a few pieces to your wardrobe mix that mean you can be comfortable and stylish. The good news is that anything you buy can be incorporated into your more usual wardrobe by using it as a layer, so consider it an investment. You don't even need a lot just one thing that really works for you. You can do it or I'll help.

Shoe storage

How many people profess to loving shoes and then store them a little like this?
A pile of mish mashed shoes in a corner somewhere or by the door, unprotected, unloved - I feel like an RSPCA advert, so I'll stop now.  You come in from work, take off your shoes and throw them on the pile by the door, it's almost understandable.  I know there are days when I would like to come in, take my heels off and throw them out the window, let alone into a corner!  However here's what happens by doing this you are fundamentally undermining the integrity of the shoe, which means they won't last as long or be as attractive.

Did you know that even electric light can alter the colour of natural fabrics, like leather and suede.  I remember having to Write off (shop speak for destroy) a particularly lovely pair of Christian Louboutin shoes because one had been on display too long and by the time it was reunited with it's significant other, they were completely different colours.  I know that the pile by the door tend to be trainers, wellingtons and flip flops, but they are still items that you spent money on, so why diminish their usefulness?  It's like those women who click clack because their heel tips have fallen off and they are walking around on a screw, wondering why they a)slip b)break the heel and c)ruin their floors.

On another note isn't a bit of a waste of time?  Indulging in the 'left shoe hunt', because you can guarantee when you are running late, the shoe you need will be on the missing list!  Shoe racks can be attractive and they can be cheap, sometimes both at the same time.  It's always nice to know what you have exactly rather than an abstract sense of what might be in the pile.  I'm a fan of being organised, as in general I find that it saves a great deal of time but it also helps you to protect your things and ensure that you get the most from them.

Dust is the decider...

No one has ever accused me of being a domestic goddess, there are many things that come naturally to me, one of those is making a mess, usually in the kitchen, occasionally when having a melt down about what to wear - yes, I have those too.  This isn't about mess though this is about a good rule of thumb for 'cleansing' your wardrobe.

Remove and recycle every single item with dust on it.  (You just got nervous didn't you)
I'm not referring to a couple of flecks that a lint roller would contend with, I mean the 'pale shoulder', where there is a definite colour change between the exposed edge and the rest of it.  There is only one reason that a garment would have dust on it like this, you haven't even twitched it for a couple of months and you didn't care about it enough to protect it.  So why leave it to take up space?  Ooh harsh but none the less true.  I'm hoping that this post will inspire one of 2 reactions either you'll blitz and purge or go out and buy some decent garment bags to stop your clothes from being ruined or at least helping your dry cleaner to afford a second holiday this year.

It's time to put away your heavy knits and coats, however much the weather fluctuates things are generally on the up, well the temperature is anyway.  So when storing them also protect them, this is also a great opportunity to have a little cleanse, why store what you don't need or want.  Think about it what didn't you wear all Winter, was there a real reason for that?  If so the time may have come to say goodbye.

Empty wardrobe?

So I was sitting here staring at a blank page for a few more minutes than normal, when an idea finally rattled it's way out of my brain.  What would happen if you did have nothing in your wardrobe?  Many new clients express the 'fear' that I will tell them that nothing works and they will have empty wardrobes after I leave.  This has never been the case, everybody has clothes they love or staples they need, no matter how limited they are in their knowledge of how to wear them, my service is not about destroying what you have but adding to it and making it more useful.  More often it's also about changing peoples attitudes to clothes, and their preconceived notions of what will or won't suit them.

However hypothetically if you had to start again from scratch what are the key pieces needed to build a capsule wardrobe that can take you through your week?  What a totally impossible question to give a blanket answer to.  There are so many factors to consider, from who you are to what you do, and all sorts of tiny nuances that surround those.  I could spend the next year answering this question, using different clients as case studies but that still wouldn't answer the question for you.  The reality is that you can be inspired by the items and outfits that work for other people but your style has to reflect you, in order to become a comfortable and natural fit.

What I can do though is point you in the right direction of how to make selections, so that you get the most from shopping (even without me).

1.  Spend the most on tailoring
2.  Never buy the same piece in different colours
3.  Any new item should add at least 5 different real possibilities to your wardrobe in order to be of value to you.
4.  If you don't love it in the shop, forget it.
5.  Don't forget to add a few accessories to your wardrobe arsenal.
6.  Be prepared to stop and think.

No. 6 seems a bit odd, I know and you may never have experienced this but it is so easy to get carried away.  To move into the I want mind set and forget about your real needs and occasionally your budget.  The ideal situation is to achieve a capsule wardrobe that has no guilt attached to it.  People have enough sticks to beat themselves with, their wardrobe should not be one of them.

I possibly should have let this rattle a little longer....

I don't know why

Sometimes clothes just reach out and grab you, there is no discernible reason.  They don't fit with your usual style, they aren't practical and in some ways you are sure they shouldn't suit you and yet you end up with a terrible case of the wants.  You hope by trying them on the love affair will end and you can reclaim your classic, elegantly simple style.  Well if you try them on and the love affair doesn't end, I have advice for you - Buy it!!  What's happening is, in a small way your mind is opening up to opportunity, removing you from the fashion rut you were in.

My second piece of advice is go home and put it on, immediately, so that it becomes a part of your recognisable wardrobe, these confidence windows can be small and the last thing you want to do is waste the opportunity and end up with a newly purchased stick to beat yourself with.  It may not be the best shape, style, colour for you but it's fresh and different, there is beauty in that.  It'll start the ball moving and as with all things once you break the inertia you are on the road to getting to a better place.

As with wardrobe, so with life!

Items shown available from www.anthropologie.eu

Making a trend work for you.

Being trend aware is pretty easy, just pick up a magazine or look in a shop window and you'll get a general idea of the colours and shapes the fashion industry has decided you should be wearing, but implementing that on a personal, let alone a professional level can be a bit of a mine field.  Particularly as the majority of models used are 12 and styled for an after school party, I very rarely see a stylist produced magazine shoot that I look at and think that's something I could wear, just like that.

Some people though seem to have a natural understanding of how to incorporate the new without loosing who they fundamentally are, which is the way it should work.  Fashion should not be about being dictated to, it should be a method to illustrate, who you are or want to be in a fun and no stress way.  Trends are a guideline that allow you to Cherry pick what will work for you and to discard the unnecessary.  This is my friend, Linda's what can only be termed an achiever, I believe she's aware of the word no, but sees it as a challenge and she absolutely knows how to make everything work for her. 

Her wardrobe is not an Homage to one designer or shop it is a mixture of items that make her feel good, because of that she is able to mix in new trends, with her more established wardrobe staples.  By varying price points and mixing high street with high end, Linda's wardrobe fits the occasion, whilst being true to who she is, in a guilt free way.  You don't have to look very far to realise that the most difficult way to dress stylishly is casual, it's too easy to reach for comfort but by adding colour you upgrade a very simple outfit to something with a lot more cache.  One of the keys to looking great is understanding who you are and striving to work with that instead of against it.  Why have a wardrobe full of suits if you don't lead a corporate lifestyle?  Remember it's about functionality as much as fashion.  I hope she won't mind me saying, but Linda runs an aspirational and inspirational business, it's about seeing what you want and achieving those goals and then setting bigger goals and achieving them.  Her wardrobe works for her and she makes it look effortless.

Your life, your wardrobe, your style.

Why I'd choose a great jacket over anything

Easy, effortless and smart.  I know that I have a tendency to take things to the extreme on a personal level, I don't have one great jacket, I have 20+ my excuse is my job and the fact that, I buy timeless classics that never go out of style.  The truth is that I just love the look of a tailored jacket, in my opinion they are the ultimate 'bridge item'; smart to casual, winter to summer; work to the pub, the list goes on.  A jacket hides a multitude of sins and transfers a sense of confidence, it is the ultimate wardrobe armour, with out ever feeling over or under dressed.  Yes if you make the wrong choice, you are going to look like a "Yummy Mummy" cliche, so I'll start with the caveat of avoid Tweed or tartan, they are no one's friend and that is as true for boys and girls.  A tailored jacket is the easy way to Upgrade any look, without having to think too hard, which ultimately should be the goal for everyone.

However the word I would like you to focus on is tailored, I am not referring to some cover all box that makes you resemble a line backer.  When making a purchase the key points to focus on are that the waist and the hem are sitting in the right place, if they hit you wrong - walk away with your credit cards untouched.  I've said this more times than I care to think about but I'm happy to go on reminding everyone and myself, that with the number of brands and stores available - The perfect item is waiting for you.  You may just have to put in a little effort or call in a professional (I know one, if you want) to find it, there is no reason to settle ever.  Tailored jackets aren't a cheap throw away item, you should invest in them, as they inevitably become a corner stone wardrobe item.  That will enhance other pieces, helping you form a wardrobe that can work for you in any situation.

When you make the decision to upgrade your wardrobe, the best piece of advise I can give you is to think of it as a project.  Start with pieces that enhance, what you already have rather than trying to completely start over, as this is restrictively expensive and exhausting.  As with any project if you try to achieve everything in one day, you'll confuse yourself and end up worse off than when you started.  If you make the decision to never buy anything again unless you feel amazing in it and have no questions about it, you'll get to the point where everything enhances the way you feel and your wardrobe will work for you.

Busy, busy but back to it...

We all know that when you get busy something gives, it has to!  There is no way of maintaining every single facet of your life at a 100 miles an hour - particularly when life adds a few more balls to your juggling mix.  At that point in my experience you have a choice you either choose to drop something or you achieve less in everything than the level you would normally consider producing.  I sadly dropped the blog for a month, it was a struggle coming up with something fresh and even vaguely insightful and if you're willing to read it, I should at least be writing something worth sitting down to slog through.  So my sincere apologies to those of you who noticed my absence.  The good news is I missed it like my arm and now feel refreshed and inspired.  I've got some great stories to share, not to mention the fact I went off on a little trip to Vegas and actually had the chance to buy a few bits just for me, whilst meeting some great women, who were inspired by what I do as they saw it working in a very informal way.

It reminded me that the core of Upgrade Me is the simple changes that make the biggest difference, to how people feel both about themselves and the way that changes how the world responds to them.  Feeling confident gets you places, it gets you there faster and with less questions.  I'm a big believer in when you can fake it, you will make it - I'm not talking about pretending to be something you're not, what I'm referring to is getting out of your own way.  Silencing the voices that make you feel shy, or unsure of yourself so that you can walk into a room and achieve your goal; as when you know you deserve it - life tends to give you more than you bargained for (in a good way).  Give yourself the tools to achieve your goals, confidence and the sense you deserve it, is the first step and if working from the outside in helps, why should you apologise for that?  If you don't feel great, making sure you look great can be a step on the journey to feeling differently and a simple change could be all you need to Upgrade.

I tend to be pretty lucky, I tend to get what I want but as people say, "The harder I work, the luckier I get"