MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

That’s it!  I need a colored leather jacket.

I bought this one and this one last year (investment pieces that I intend to have and wear for 20 years – at least) and thought perhaps this year I could add either a maroon/burgundy, red or navy.

When I came across this photo of Jane Fonda in Net-a-Porter’s magazine, I decided immediately to start the search.

I think she looks fabulous, don’t you!

In case you’ve been wondering, you’re never too old for leather.  (Like everything, it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it)

UPDATE:  I’ve since added this one and this one to my collection.

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Not everyone will have classic pieces in their wardrobe – and that’s ok.   Not all of us like to dress classically.

But for those of you who do have classic style, (ie traditional, tailored, clean, simple)  with a wardrobe of pieces to complement it, the thing to keep in mind is that while classic clothes are often described as being timeless – realistically they are not.

Classic clothes date like everything else.

Here’s your homework…

Pull out all of your classic pieces and throw them on the bed.   They might be…

Classic blue jeans

Classic white shirt

Classic navy blazer

Classic black pants

Classic grey pencil skirt

Classic beige trench coat

Classic blue sweater

Classic tailored dress

Classic black pump

Now, one by one, try them on and assess whether they are still current.

Give away’s will be, the size and width of the shoulder, where they sit on your torso (ie low or high waisted), the size of the collar and/or lapel, the width of the sleeve, where the pants finish on your leg, the width of the leg, the shape of the skirt, the length of the armhole and the shape of the toe of your shoe.

*If you have a suit you bought in 1992 from Armani or Anthea Crawford, despite it being beautiful fabric and quite possibly still in impeccable condition,  it’s more than likely out-dated.  Before you decide to toss it consider whether it can be reinvented by a tailor.  Don’t however, keep hanging on to it, wearing it, just because it cost you a lot of money 20 years ago.  Revamp or let it go!

While you certainly don’t have to wear clothes that are trendy, you do not want to wear clothes that are outdated.  Tired and outdated is aging.  Modern and current is youthful.

If you’re unsure and having difficulty determining what has and hasn’t dated in your wardrobe, consider booking in for a Wardrobe Overhaul and I will help you.

You can read what styling services I offer here

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A versatile, hardworking wardrobe should have at least one casual jacket – ideally in a neutral color that works with everything.

That jacket should be a step up from a knit, (i.e., a cardie) not a coat, nor something you’d wear hiking, exercising, or feeding the chooks on the farm.

It should be a piece you can dress up or down and wear anywhere from a picnic to school pick-up, to going shopping, watching your kids play sport, to lunch, to work…to dinner. Each time, changing and adapting its look.

The khaki jacket, or parka (Army green jacket/Military jacket) fits the bill.

You can read what styling services I offer here

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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, the 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 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….

…so I did this….

I really wanted round gold buttons like the photo but couldn’t find them. (Still searching!) 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 gotten 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 bigger than you are 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. (I often just use 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. Attach a vintage brooch.

**I wrote this back in 2011.  It’s now five years later and this suit is still alive and kicking.  I’m about to reinvent it yet again by having the pants cropped.

READ: “What’s Hiding In Your Wardrobe That Could Be Reinvented?” Here

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