Sign Your Name

Well, I need to start with an apology for my long absence. I struggle with winter. A lot. The cold weather and grey skies seem to sap all my enthusiasm and creativity and I spend my time dreaming of summer and wishing I could hibernate. I will attempt to fight the urge to spend the next two months wrapped in a blanket in front of the TV, because I actually feel really excited and happy about my winter clothes this year.

Do you have a colour that you wear as part of most of your outfits? Along with the idea of uniforms, I have also been fascinated by the concept of a "signature colour". Angie at YouLookFab often mentions her love of bright, sour colours. Deborah at Stylish Murmurs corners the market in black and Janice at The Vivienne Files uses the idea of a signature colour in many of her capsules. My own approach has always been a bit haphazard, but planning and building a winter wardrobe has allowed me to step back a bit and realise that I love to incorporate a bit of tan into my outfits. I like the muted richness that the shade brings to the mostly neutral outfits that I wear. I love the way it plays with navy, my new favourite dark neutral base. And I enjoy the way it allows me to repeat my hair colour in my outfit.

                                                        Knit:Uniqlo
                                                        Top:ScanlonTheodore
                                                        Pants:Country Road (with Uniqlo leggings underneath!)
                                                        Boots:Wittner
                                                        Bag:Oroton
I bought this top at the beginning of winter, and have only just managed to get a picture. It is definitely a straight style, which I have mostly avoided in other tops as they feel too masculine. Surprisingly, I have found that I really enjoy the slightly boyish look this top imparts when I wear it with bottoms that have more volume. Paired with slouchy pants or an A-line skirt, the straightness of the top is offset by the curviness at the bottom, so it still feels playful and feminine. Isn't it interesting how often things come back to proportions, and how we feel in our clothes?

                                         
The bag was a birthday gift from my husband about 5 years ago, and I still love it and carry it every day. It is the perfect shade of tan. I also have a belt and a scarf in the same shade. I'm not sure if I can commit to one colour as my signature, but if I decide that I will, I think tan will be it!

 Do you have a signature colour? How did you arrive at it?

Sign Your Name by Terence Trent D'Arby

Que Sera

One of the posts I always look forward to over at YouLookFab is Angie's take on the trends of the upcoming season. One trend she has noted made me very excited, namely the return of waist definition. I love the femininity of outfits with a defined waist, although as I have mentioned before, I struggle with the competing priority of having volume over my chest.

Today, I thought I would experiment with an obi belt. I bought this through an Etsy vendor, Elizabeth Kelly back in 2012, and much as I loved it, I struggled to style it. Part of the problem was that large breasts do not leave a lot of real estate available between the shoulders and the hips, and so I could never get the proportions right. One of the fashion wins from my mastectomy is that there is now lots of room for a wide belt and it allows me to cinch in roomier tops giving me both volume and definition! It feels good to give an old love a new lease on life.

                                                 Top: Veronika Maine
                                                 Shorts: Country Road
                                                 Shoes: Wittner
This is a casual, day-at-home outfit, but I would also feel happy to wear this to work with a pencil skirt or skinny pants on the bottom. The nice thing about a wide belt is that is is actually very comfortable, especially the obi styles that tie up, rather than buckle. I am planning to spend my February clothing budget on another belt like this in tan, as I think this is a style I will wear more of in the future and I like the idea of repeating my hair colour in my outfit.

Winter fashions have not yet hit Australian stores, but I am looking forward to seeing  the pretty new things when they do. Over summer, I have developed a number of silhouettes that I feel comfortable wearing and confident putting together, which I will share with you next week. I hope to be able to develop some winter silhouettes that I feel equally happy with, as I spent most of last winter feeling dumpy and frumpy! 

Que Sera by Justice Crew