MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Last night in a cute little cafe in Kingsville, a group of women came together and a knitting circle was formed.  And I was proudly part of it.  And I can honestly say I never dreamed I’d be involved in such a thing – but I really enjoyed it.  Both of my grandmothers were beautiful knitters and they’d each spent time and patience showing me how to knit.   I’d often thought it was such a shame that neither I, or my two sisters carried on the tradition of being lovely knitters, and if it wasn’t for one of my girlfriends who organised the group, I would not really have contemplated picking up the needles again.  Maybe ever.

I arrived with a bottle of wine, but no wool.  I thought I should go along and see if a knitting circle was for me before I spent the money on buying materials.  I have a tendency to get bored easily.  Often half way through a DVD I’ll pause it and get the ironing board out and my family members refuse to play cards or board games with me because no sooner have we set it all up and I’ve had enough.  So I thought last night it might be best if I just observed before I decided whether I’d be a regular participant.

I’d only just sat down and poured myself a glass of red, when one of the girls I’d never met before kindly opened her bag and offered me a ball of wool and some needles.  What a lovely gesture I thought!  Perhaps this knitting circle thing is for me.  Why wouldn’t I relish the opportunity to meet nice new people, share an interest, a nibble and a glass of wine and have a natter about the goings on of the world. 

I was quietly impressed by my ability to take up where I last left off 30 years ago when my Nana’s helped me knit scarves for my dolls.  I thought I might attempt a scarf for myself this time.  Given that my knitting ability is limited to cast on, knit one, pearl one, cast off, with that skill level and at the pace I moved at last night (as evidenced above showing 2 hours of knitting), it’ll be well on it’s way by next winter.  That’s OK though.  For me it’s not really about the knitting.  It’s about the experience.  About the friendships that will be formed.  And about having that shared interest with my much adored Grandmother’s.

Stay tuned for updates..

I’ve had this brilliant fuchsia Bettina Liano pant suit for 8, 10….maybe 12 years.  It’s been one of my favourite trusty items in my wardrobe where I’ve worn it to weddings, races, dinners and Christmas parties.  It’s a very classic cut so although it’s years old, it’s still current.  When I first bought it I took it to my tailor and got him to alter it so that it fit me like a glove – so I know it flatters my shape. I’ve always felt great every time I put it on…until recently.  A little while ago I pulled it out and put it on to wear to the a luncheon at the races and it felt all wrong.  I looked in the mirror and felt blah.  This was odd.  It always worked.  It was my fail safe item I reached for when I couldn’t decide on anything else. This time I had to take it off and put something else on.  I felt like I was over it.   I put this down to two things. Firstly, about a year ago when my jacket came back from the cleaners, two buttons were smashed and I had to replace them.  Despite searching endlessly for something that matched perfectly, I could never find something I really liked.  Secondly, I was bored with it.   It needed to be revamped, I just wasn’t sure how.

So I put it back in the wardrobe and there it stayed, rejected, waiting for me to come up with an inspired idea as to what I could do with it.

I searched…and researched…and researched and one day came across this….

image via vogue and vintage

…so I did this….

I really wanted round gold buttons like the photo but couldn’t find them. These will do for now, until I come across the ones I really want.  When I was sewing these on, I wasn’t convinced it was what I was after, but as soon as I tried it on, I loved it. I felt like I had a new item of clothing, and I hadn’t spent a cent.

People are often surprised when I help them go through and clean out their wardrobe, that I don’t come up with an enormous, expensive list of what they need to buy to have a half decent wardrobe.  Sometimes, once we’ve got rid of what doesn’t need to be there and we can see what’s left, we find some hidden little treasures that can be reinvented.  There are lot’s and lot’s of things you can do to make your wardrobe feel fresh and updated without buying a single piece of clothing.  Here are five things you can do right now.

• Pull all the dresses and skirts that you don’t regularly wear out of your wardrobe and consider whether they might work better on your shape and with your lifestyle, with a different hem length
• Soak all your whites overnight in NapiSan or similar to bring them back to white white, rather than grey white
• Try all your daggy jeans on and think about whether they’re making your legs look fat, when they’re not and if they would look more flattering if they were slimmer in the leg.  If so, take them off to a tailor (or do it yourself if you’re clever) and ask him to run them in down the leg
• Give your leather bags and shoes a clean and polish with Mr Sheen.  Make sure you test a small patch before you do the whole item
• Buy a thick piece of velvet ribbon and wrap it around your waist and tie it in a bow with your blouses and dresses.

Make sure if you are overcome with enthusiasm and inspiration and you race off to update your wardrobe, that you share some of your revamps in the comments section.  I’m sure we can all benefit from hearing how others freshen up their wardrobes without buying any new clothes.

image via alltheprettybirds

I love everything about this look.  I think the colors and the fabric of the dress are amazing. I can just imagine how, when this girl struts down the street her hair and her dress would be beautifully swishing and swaying as she walks. I’m definitely going searching online for a vintage version of this dress. Notice how she has not over-accessorised this look. The dress alone is the feature.  Not need for anything else.

image via refinery29

I like this for the crisp, clean lines of the outfit.  No frou-frou, no fuss.   This would be a nice casual look for dress down Friday in the office. Check your wardrobe and see if you have any blazers in there that could be worn as a separate, rather as part of a suit, with the sleeves rolled and the collar turned up.

image via alltheprettybirds

This is one of those outfits I look at and think, I wish this was my style.  Unfortunately, it’s one of those looks that I admire and feel envious of the person wearing it, but know that I would feel all wrong wearing it.   Take notice of the beautiful beaded flat sandals and painted toe nails.    The look becomes sophisticated and chic because of the gorgeous shoe and manicured toes.

image via fatshionable.com

I know many people would say wearing horizontal stripes is not necessarily the most flattering style, but I like this look a lot.  I may not have gone for an ankle strap – I don’t think they’re the best option here, but I really like everything else about this outfit. I like the low neckline, I like where the dress hits the knee, I like how the jacket is exposing the wrists and I like where the jacket finishes, accentuating the waist.  It works for me.

image via orlandosentinel

I like Elle’s casual, hanging out with her kids, look.  Why does a pair of cargoes, a white singlet and a pair rubber thongs look so good?  Aside from her amazing body and great hair, it’s the attention to detail that’s making this look work.  The cluster of gold bracelets, the man style gold watch, the boho bag and the manicured toes.  And, although most of us wouldn’t even contemplate exposing our stomachs, I guess that tanned, flat tummy adds to the over all effect.   I like it because Elle has put this outfit together in a way that, something that could look sloppy if it weren’t for the detail, looks stylish.

image via karlas closet

Again, this look has been transformed by the elegant feminine shoes and the amazing jewellery.  The pants are from Zara and the top is a men’s shirt.  The focus is on the gorgeous green vintage necklace because the shoes and bag are nude and therefore not fighting for attention with each other.

image via stylebistro

I’m not always mad about patterns, but for some reason I think this works.  I think what makes it look so good, for me, is the sparkly shoes and the large chunky, jewellery around her neck. If you like your pants cropped, this is a good length to wear them, rather than (eek!) three quarter length, which unless you have very slender ankles, will make your legs look like stumps.

image via advanced style

I think yellow and white is a great, fresh combination for spring/summer.  This lady has exquisite attention to detail- from the sunglasses, to the jewellery, the shoes and the nail polish on her fingers and toes.

Gorgeous dress!  Perfect for a wedding, graduation or a day at the races.  For day I’d wear a nude shoe and for evening I’d love it with a pair of silver shoes like this. Buy it here

Replace some of the daggy colored beaded necklaces you bought years ago at the local market, with a sophisticated piece like this.  I’d wear this with my black suit if I wanted to take it from day to night.  Buy it here

I love this color.  I’m mad about vibrant blue and green together at the moment.   In fact, I’ve made a pact with myself to inject some color into my wardrobe this spring/summer.  I’d wear this with my jeans and blue suede shoes or with an electric blue pair of cigarette leg pants I have my eye on at Zara.  I’m not sure about the buttons.  If I were to purchase it, I might consider changing them to something a little plainer.   Buy it here

If you’re experimenting with color and not completely comfortable at this stage to do it with clothes, think about adding a stylish, colored bag to your accessory collection.  Coach’s leather is beautiful and soft and gets better with age.  This is a classic piece that will never date.  Buy it here.

This is a piece I’m selling (hence the dodgy photos).  I purchased it a little while ago, knowing it was too big, but with the intention of having it altered.  I never got around to it and have since bought another LBD that fits perfectly, so I thought I should give someone else the opportunity to add it to their wardrobe.  When I bought it (online from the US) I thought it was so beautiful and classic – very Jackie O or Audry Hepburn – which is very much my style.  I imagined wearing it with my very simple, very high Jean-Michel Cazabat black suede pumps and simple pearl studs.  I do really love it. It’s just too big and requires too much work for me to be able to wear it.   Please shoot me through an email (here) if you think it might look lovely on you and if would like further details.  Unfortunately, at this stage I am only shipping within Australia.