MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Depending on your lifestyle and where you live, you might need a variety of coats for winter – one for everyday wear (perhaps for work), one for weekends, one for evenings out and one for extreme cold. (ie the big puffy fur lined coat I might wear to the football).

If your work coat, is the same as your going out coat, and your watching kids sport coat, and your go to the snow coat, etc, .. think about building a wardrobe of different coats for different occasions.

Coats can be expensive investment pieces, so start with the one you need and will wear the most. Then continue down the list.

I bought this one (pictured), decades ago in a vintage store. I like to buy myself a new coat every few years – and have a collection that I’ve had for about 20 years. (Which also includes a vintage Dior I found in an opshop, for $40).

Rather than just buying stuff, (and still feeling like you have nothing to wear) think about what your wardrobe needs.

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If you’re petite (anyone under 5ft 3) you may have similar issues to me.

Yesterday I tried this Country Road dress on. 

To someone who doesn’t know what to look for when it comes to fit, you might think it’s ok – but it isn’t.

The neck (front and back) doesn’t fit, the armholes don’t fit, and it also doesn’t fit through the waist. But, from the hips down, it’s quite good.

As you can see in the photo below, it’s too long through the body for me. It’s been made for someone a fair bit taller.

*Don’t buy anything that doesn’t fit you properly unless you can commit to taking it to the tailor to see if they can alter it for you) In this case, the dress can’t be altered, so it’s not for me. 

If there’s one thing you do for your style this year, learn about how your clothes should fit.

I have had clients with beautiful wardrobes full of amazing designer pieces worth lots of money, and many of them don’t fit. Despite the fact that the clothes are lovely, the person may never look great wearing them because of how they look on the body.

Before investing in your wardrobe, know how to tell when something fits you just right and when it doesn’t. (And also know what can and can’t be altered)

*If you’d like to learn about how your clothes should fit you book a Wardrobe Overhaul here

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“70 percent of the clothes you own should be meat and potatoes. 30 percent should be icing and fluff — that’s colour, pattern, shine, accessories. Too many women get the proportions the other way round, then can’t figure out why they can’t get dressed” — Michael Kors.

If your wardrobe is made up of 70% fluff and 30% meat & potatoes, (rather than the other way around)  it could be why you often feel as though you have nothing to wear.

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It was 2000 – 2001-ish and I was looking for something to wear to one of the Spring Carnival race days. 

On my lunch break one day, I spotted this suit in Bettina Liano. While I rarely wear pink it was actually the beautiful color that caught my eye – but, at around $1000, it was way beyond my budget at the time. Nevertheless, I went back and tried it on and looked at it 3 times until I finally decided I had to give up on it. I just couldn’t afford it…

Then a few weeks later I was shopping with my sister and we stumbled on a Bettina Liano outlet store…..and there was the suit – for $50. I couldn’t believe my luck. We both bought one. Some things are meant to be…

I got heaps of wear out of it. To the races, to Christmas parties, weddings, etc – and then I retired it. I think I got a bit tired of it, but also then it felt slightly dated and it became too snug…

Recently I pulled it out – it hasn’t seen the light of day in about a decade – tried it on and had a good look at it. It was too firm across the back (could hardly button it up) and tight on my bum. (I could stand but not sit) It looked silly. Like I was squeezing into it. So I took it to Jose to see whether he thought he could do anything to it. (We worked together. I told him how I wanted the suit to look and what I thought needed to be done and then he looked at it and told me honestly, whether he thought that was possible.) He wasn’t sure how much there was available to work with at the seams, but he’d give it a go. When I went to pick it up, it was spot on. He has let it out in exactly the right amount of places, (in the right places) so that it wasn’t too much, or not enough.

Then next up I replaced the old buttons to update and modernise the look. (The original wooden buttons had been broken at the dry cleaners many years ago and new ones were put on that I was never really happy with) . *I just found these ones at Lincraft. 

…and yesterday I wore it again to Oaks Day. It’s looking a bit disheveled here. I got wet on my way home. If you scroll down you can see what I wore on my head, etc. (The headpiece was bought at the same time as the suit. My sister and I went halves. She’d wear it when she wore her suit and I’d wear it when I wore my suit… 

You can read what styling services I offer here

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