I have had this leather look top for almost a year, and have never worn it before today. Mostly I think because it is not very forgiving (read it shows my fat rolls) but also because I don’t get out in the evening much anymore, and I thought it was a bit too tarty for work.

So what made today different? Well I was reminded of something on the weekend whilst attending another fabulous Defined Image Workshop! Karen and Nat talked about balancing outfits.

For example if you are wearing tough Doc Martin boots, then balance the outfit by pairing them with a feminine dress. If you are wearing a feminine dress, for heavens sake don’t throw on a sweet little cardi! Masculine boyfriend jeans look great with a pretty print blouse. And in my case if I want to wear a fiery (read tarty) faux leather peplum to work in a conservative engineering firm, then I had better wear it with a pretty feminine necklace, conservative heels and casual white jeggings. The military jacket is the piece de resistance as the cut of the jacket highlights the shape of the peplum, the stripes distract the eye from the oh so shiny material and most importantly it covers up the very low back which is not work appropriate (according to the ‘how to dress’ memos that float around the office from time to time).

So if you have an item of clothing that just isn’t working very hard for you in your wardrobe, and you don’t want to discard (’cause you are a hoarder like me). Think about how by pairing it with an opposite you may be able to salvage it from the salvos pile and create a surprisingly confusing and yet fabulous outfit!

G xx

– Animal print everything;

– Harem pants with a drop crotch;

– Leather skirts, tops and pants;

– Faux fur vests;

– Plaid shirts; and

– Booties, booties and more booties.

I picked up these drop crotch, leopard print, harem pants, there this weekend and I couldn’t wait to show you all!

Now because I’m a ‘Summer’ (my complexion) I suit cool colours, and generally find warm colours like this leopard print hard to wear. In order to pull these pants off, I need to separate the pants from my face by wearing a cool grey top. (Grey is a fantastic colour for balancing outfits, it works a treat for settling really bright colours too.)

The top is a little ill fitting so to give me some shape I have tucked a fraction of it into my pants and worn a couple of necklaces to draw the eye in to my chest.

Finally I have book-ended my hair with a pair of blonde suede CR booties.

Will you be rocking a pair of drop crotch harem pants this winter?

G x

I love this cardi/shawl/wrap thingy, because it goes with just about anything and fits me and looks good no matter my size! Case in point, I bought it in Rome a couple of years ago when I was heavily pregnant and I can still wear it now.

I can wear it with almost anything because It is in my hair colour. I’m sure for many of you black is your go to colour, but unless you have dark brown or black hair, black can be a lot harder to pull off, especially with an item like this where there is a lot of material.

So if you are looking for a big comforting cardi/shawl/wrap thingy for the winter, I suggest either getting it in your hair colour, or in a fabulous print (providing its in colours that you have repeated within your wardrobe!)

Ps got totally photo-bombed by a cheeky monkey!

G x

Nat from Defined Image inspired me yesterday with her jumpsuit, so I decided to wear my new French Connection one as well.

Now this leopard print, chambray jumpsuit won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but I love it; mostly because it is one of the few jumpsuits that doesn’t make my but look saggy (because I’m too short to fit in them properly)!

Having said that this jumpsuit doesn’t fit me perfectly, as really ithas been designed for someone much taller. Consequently it hangs too low, and would show my bra if I let it, to mitigate this I have worn a dark grey crop top. The legs also bunch up at the ankles so I have twisted and cuffed (like I do with all my pants).

I am still working on how I could put a corporate twist on it and wear it to work, so will get back to you on that one!

G x

I don’t know about you but I love winter clothes: knits, coats, opaque tights, boots, gloves and…..drum roll…..capes!

This trend started last winter, but it will be in full force again this season too! I picked up this cape last winter for $55 from a FB site (don’t ask me which one, ’cause I can’t remember).

It is fantastic, because not only does it do the most important thing, keep me warm. It also dresses up what otherwise would have been a pretty casual outfit!

I will be looking to expand on my cape collection this winter, perhaps along the lines of one of these beauties!

Which one is your favourite?

G x

In this instance I am repeating my hair colour through the necklace, the belt and my boots.

This repetition of accessories and shoes, has allowed me to wear three completely different coloured items of clothing  together, and yet still look really put together!

This “trick” will also make it possible for you to wear all the same colour, i.e. I could have worn a navy blazer and navy pants with my navy tank, and the blonde necklace, belt and shoes would have broken up the monotony.

So if you have just bought yourself a new pair of brown, tan or blonde ankle boots this Autumn and you want to put together outfits with ease, grab yourself a skinny belt and necklace (or scarf) in the same colour. Remember you can use metals as well!

G xx

Leather/pleather is going to be big this winter, as are asymmetric cuts!

I picked up this super soft genuine leather asymmetric skirt from Tu Yu in North Adelaide last winter and am very excited about all the ways I will be wearing it this autumn/winter.

If you have quite a bit of black and white in your wardrobe from last seasons monochromatic trend, a touch of brown leather is a great way of giving the outfit a bit of warmth for the cooler months!

G x

We probably haven’t seen the last of the warm weather, but these slightly cooler days really does make it feel like Autumn is really here.

As Nat (Defined Image) as mentioned in previous posts, don’t pack those print pants away, there will be so many ways to continue wearing them in the cooler months. Today I opted for a monochrome, mixed print look.

There will be so many print knits, cardigans and shirts this Autumn, all you need to do is ensure they have one colour in common with your print pants, and you are set to go!

Alternatively if you find mixing prints in this way a little too much you can always go for a knit/jacket/cardi in a plain neutral or complimentary colour.

G xx

I wore this outfit to our second cousin Alex’s 3rd Birthday Party at Wacky Warehouse on the weekend. We all had a ball, especially my little girl, who was not content with the under 3’s area, and insisted on being with all the big kids!

Despite, desperately wanting to wear my new white jeggings, common sense prevailed and I wore my other fav CR chambray utility pants.

These pants are so versatile and act as a neutral item in my wardrobe. I have teamed them with an orange tank ’cause blue and orange are absolute best mates!

I know you must be sick of me wearing these shoes, but they are so comfy and go with everything, (plus I am cutting back on my spending as we are looking to buy a new house this year). They go with everything because they have blonde in them, which bookends with my hair (they also have dark brown on them, so will do the same for brunettes!)

The scarf (which you can pick up at Serafina’s) has so many colours that it ties in with the tank, both necklaces as well as my shoes and hair!

The necklaces are important for breaking up my chest, especially as I didn’t wear the scarf for a lot of the day, due to all the climbing and sliding etc!

You wouldn’t think a neon pink blazer would work so hard in my wardrobe, but it does! Because it is a blazer it smartens up most outfits for work, but its colour makes it fun enough to wear at night or on the weekend too!

Today’s post was just going to be about showing how fab it looked with my navy and white striped dress, blonde booties and necklace. However, it occurred to me that I always tend to wear this blazer with blue and white!

I did a little research and yes, navy loves bright pink, provided you combine with a significant amount of white!

Do you have an unusual item of clothing that goes with everything?

G xx