Stop. Right. Now. Do not add one more item to cart or throw another cent towards items you will only wear once. Before purchasing anything new, consider that your wardrobe might be in need of a serious audit, both financially and emotionally before you proceed. Is your closet overflowing with waste, regret, excess and overwhelm? You deserve better!

Your wardrobe can and should be a place of well thought through decisions, financially sound choices and confidence enhancing outfits. To put it simply, your wardrobe should work for you not against you and should be a place of joy not angst.

There 3 simple style tips for the year ahead will help you start to break those style mistakes holding you back from your perfect wardrobe...

1. THE MAGIC 5

It is time to get mathematical when it comes to your fashion spend. Each season allow yourself a Magic 5, this is 2 investment pieces and 3 fillers. Ensure that you do your research here, compare brands, compare prices and select colours that go with the wardrobe you already have. Limits are so important when it comes to shopping and styling, endless options equals endless confusion, so by sticking to a number and a system you are forced to make the very best choices.

An example of this could be:

Investment Piece 1 - Trench coat

Investment Piece 2 - Quality Handbag

Filler Piece 1 - Camisole

Filler Piece 2 - Fresh White Tee

Filler Piece 3 - Updated Denim Jean

2. AUDIT YOUR COLOURS

This is one of the very best places to start when it comes to nailing your style and building a wearable wardrobe. Getting your colours right means you will look fresh, alive and vibrant and your wardrobe will be cohesive when filled with tones which not only compliment you but compliment each other. You can get your colours done by a stylist or do some research of your own to determine your colour season, either way, it is so important to know whether you are better in warm tones or cool tones and how much depth of colour you can carry.

3. LEARN HOW TO FILTER TRENDS

Not all trends are created equally, so being trend adverse might sound like a powerful stance to make, and in many ways it is, but understanding the difference between trends puts you in the powerful position of being able to analyse what collections are released each season and how to navigate the inevitable overwhelm. It is time to learn the difference between Micro Trends and Macro Trends.

Micro Trends: These are fast changes in fashion that typically have a shelf life of just one season and seem entirely new or entirely repeated, they tend to be colours, details such as faux fur or sequins etc and based not on shape but texture.

Macro Trends: These trends stick around for roughly 5-10 years and can be almost imperceptible year to year until something comes back from a previous era and you realise "ahh Mom jeans are back in". These tend to be based on shape, cut and silhouette.

We will all buy into Macro Trends, this is impossible to avoid as they make up the bulk of what is offered in stores and you can rest assured that there is nothing wrong with purchasing from here as the shelf life is good enough to be justified however it is best to avoid Micro Trends as much as possible. If you feel the need to jump in on a micro trend, then try to do so in a circular way to avoid waste - get creative and trawl op-shops, revisit your clothing archives from previous seasons that you have stored away, get on E-bay or Etsy or keep an eye out for sales. Simply understanding what you are purchasing when it comes to Micro v Macro helps you make more conscious decisions so ensure you ask yourself what the items life span is before buying!

What are your 2023 style goals? If you feel ready for a helping hand when it comes to getting your style on track this year, register your name for the Style School or reach out to book in a consultation! x Kimberley