“Buy less, choose well, make it last”
Wise words from Vivienne Westwood which increasing numbers of us are buying into. Rather than blindly embracing fast fashion and acquiring ever more clothes, my clients are more interested in building a curated wardrobe of outfits that they look and feel their best in.
Fortunately, the fashion world seems to be buying in to this approach and, this season in particular, the key trends focus on great, well-cut basics that will last you for years to come. This makes them very wearable for the mature woman. Even better, you probably already have some of them in your wardrobe so, before you rush to the shops or start filling your online basket, it pays to take stock of what you do have. We stylists like to call this “shopping your wardrobe”. Put aside some time to work through your wardrobe, trying things on and seeing if you can find different, stylish new ways to wear them. Take selfies to remind yourself of which of the “looks” that you put together you particularly like. Going through your clothes in this way will not only give you new outfit options but will also help you identify any gaps you could look to fill this season in order to give it a bit of an update.
Here are some of the key items you might like to consider:
The Long black coat
Long black coats are very much the style of the season. If you don’t already have one and you have cool and/or deep colouring, this could be a good investment buy as it is unlikely to date. HOWEVER not everyone looks good in black (actually, most of us don’t!) so if you have warm, soft or light colouring, you might want to give this one a miss and opt for coat in a different neutral such as brown, navy, camel, which is more flattering to your colouring. Or at least wear your coat with a scarf in a good colour for you. Fortunately scarves/shawls are very “in”.
The white shirt
This is of course a classic and you probably already have at least one in your wardrobe. Whether you ike a crisp, fitted shirt or a more feminine floaty one, there is plenty of choice. Unless you have cool colouring though, try to avoid brilliant white and go for a softer white/cream as this will be more flattering on you.
The big scarf/ shawl
Blanket-sized scarves/shawls that are designed to be thrown over your coat are a big feature this season. Especially good on statuesque women; petites might want to opt for a smaller scale scarf so they don’t look swamped. A great way to add some colour to your black (or other neutral) coat.
Tailoring
This season is seeing a return to pared back, minimalist styling which will be particularly appealing to the City Chic and Classic style personalities. A nicely tailored dress or jacket can be surprisingly slimming but the fabric is key. If you’re quite curvy, go for a softer fabric with some “give” and avoid the slimmest cuts.
The waistcoat
Whether you want to look sharp for a business meeting or add a bit of sass to your jeans, the waistcoat is everywhere this season. There are neat, cropped versions that will be ideal on petites and longer line versions that will work well on those who are a bit taller or who have a bit of a tummy they’d like to hide. Combine your waistcoat with jacket and trousers for a business ready look or wear with jeans and a tee shirt for a cool and casual look. For a sexy, evening look, wear it without a top underneath.
Dark florals
The fashion world has moved on from the pretty ditsy florals of the past few seasons and is embracing dark, gothic florals with a slightly subversive edge, most likely as a result of the success of Wednesday, the Addams family spin-off.
Final thoughts
Whilst it’s good to keep abreast of new trends, don’t feel you need to go out and buy anything just for the sake of it. You can happily wear what you’ve been wearing for the past few seasons and not look at all dated. Sometimes though just the addition of one new piece can be all you need to give your wardrobe a new lease on life.
Take a look at my catalogue for some examples of these key pieces.