Classic with a Twist

Are you looking for a fresh take on the classic suit?  Let’s look at how to take that tired work outfit and give it a new lease of life. 

Ever wonder if you can stand another day in ‘that suit’? Now you don’t have to worry about hefty price tags or the stress of finding a new staple office set that fits you quite like your old faithful. Instead, make small changes to what you already have and watch your classic work wear transform into something more individual, exciting and stylish.

Banana Republic

Add a bit of quirkiness simply by turning up the sleeves on a blazer to reveal a bit of colour or silk underneath. Or wear a 7/8 length as opposed to the predictable boot leg to reveal a trendier you. This can also draw attention to the smaller parts of your body (wrists and ankles) and have a slimming effect – bonus!

Boden

AK Anne Klein

Bored of being too matchy-matchy with your jacket/pant combo? Tweed is here to help you out. One of the biggest trends this season, tweed is just perfect because it can be done in small doses or to excess and still tick the ‘fashionable’ box. A country-living style tweed blazer in grey, brown or navy will give your one-tone trousers the life they’ve been looking for.

Theory

Banana Republic

Massimi Dutti

Use Tweed as an accent piece – even if that just means adding a bag. These tweed and herringbone flats are the perfect playful way to add style to your look.

Johnstons of Elgin

Libby Edelman

Stay on-trend with wide-legged soft trousers. Available in an array of beautiful colours, these trousers will jazz up your blazer and add that feminine touch. Make sure your jacket is fitted and cuts in at the waist slightly, though. An A-line or straight cut will cause you to loose your shape and make you look bigger than you are. 

Zara

A really easy way to make the most of your workplace blazer is to cut it free from the skirt or pant it’s usually attached to. Set it free at the weekends and pair it with coloured jeans and a simple top. You’ll look trendy even while you are running errands, doing the weekly food shop or meeting the girls for lunch.

Zara

Men can do it too. Pairing a traditional herringbone or tweed blazer with your more fun 'weekend pants' will bring your smart stuff down to earth. With a colourful shirt underneath, too, you can go from polo shirt caual to dinner date cool. 

Boden

Last but not least (and if anything the most important), comes the blouse. This season has found a genius new approach for this staple item. We can now wear a deep-V secretary blouse that doubles as a blazer with a pastel tee underneath. A silk or chiffon wrap can slip smoothly under a blazer on colder days. 

Sophie Theallet

Stella McCartney

Massimo Dutti

Take this catwalk Sophie Theallet silk blouse. Tone it down by getting rid of the less flattering sheen. Keep the brighter colour. Tuck it into a pair of work pants and watch the soft fabric work its magic over your shape. With a jacket over the top, you still won’t lose identity because your colour will shine through.

There you go… try a few of our tips for getting a bit more life out of those workwear outfits. 

Have fun and stay Savvy!    

Scarf Off

Let’s take a look at this season’s scarf trends and see how each one can be worked into every style, shape and colour.

The choices are endless when it comes to scarves this season; this isn’t a bad thing, though. Make the most of the choices out there because let’s face it ladies, scarves are our most essential and flattering accessory.

Bring people’s eyes to your face by choosing a brightly coloured scarf wrapped a couple of times around your neck.

Our very own Colour Me Beautiful Pahminas

Getting all in a muddle with wrapping? Opt for an infinity scarf (or snood). These circular bundles are so quick, convenient and fun. You can wear them in the style of a collar or vary the length depending on the neck line of your top. Cover up the gap of your round scoop neck or elongate a high-necked top - so versatile, so easy, so snug.

Tarnih Infinity Scarf

Steve Madden Infinity Scarf

The above colours are great for those with light colouring who should reach for pewter, taupe and stone colours. 

Feeling confident? Add a splash of colour. This can streamline your body in two ways. The accent colour will create a focus and draw the eye up. Also, hanging one of our pashmina once around your neck makes the loose and flowing fabric glide gracefully over anything you want to hide. 

Lafayette

Ruffle Wrap Scarf

Sofia

Keep up with the hottest animal print trend of the moment and add a splash of safari to your look. We were inspired by this Michael Kors leopard print infinity scarf. So too was Banana Republic, it seems. This high street range caters for warmer and cooler days with light-weight and knitted versions of this must-have item. There’s even a more muted colour for those with cool and soft colouring!

Michael Kors

All Banana Republic (first: knit)

Wrap up warm with this season’s cable knit trend. The beauty of this one is that you don’t need to wear a big bulky sweater to look fashionable. Wear something smoother underneath to minimise lumps and bumps and simply add the chunkier scarf to draw all the attention to your beautiful face!

Gap

H&M

If you have soft or cool colouring, a striking blue or teal will lift your features and again, make people’s eyes dart straight to your fabulous facial features. Use this colour almost as a top to disguise the more tired looking pieces in your wardrobe.

Teal Pashmina

Missoni Casmere Scarf

The pashmina will never let you down and will even double as a shawl or wrap when you want your colour to stand out.

So chose one style or bag them all to mix and match. For a rule of thumb, though, pashminas will change your outfits from one day to the next. You will get much more wear from your wardrobe if you wear accessories. It’s that easy!

Stay Savvy!

Rusty Chic

Take a walk on the wild side this month and be daring with orange. You can rediscover and play with this versatile colour whilst knowing your limits. Remember, it’s all about getting the proportions right so that you use just the right amount of orange for your body shape.

Bright and muted tones both work, so be as daring or subtle as you please. We want to show you how easy it is to work orange into any and every outfit, whether you have warm or cool colouring – just watch us work our magic!



Dries Van Noten

Take this sophisticated ensemble by Dries Van Noten, for example. Orange can be muted when paired with blacks and monotone prints. We doubt any of you are without black so there’s no excuse to dive straight in!

Suede skirts and tailored trousers with more rigid fabrics will sculpt even the plainest black tee into a completed look. Nip in at the waist with a belt to achieve professional and sexy, two-for-one! For once, you are allowed the pleasure of wearing the most versatile of all colours (black, of course!) without looking dull. 

ASOS



ALDO

Splash your orange about to lift your outfit and compliment your skin tone. Throw on an orange and blue belt, grab an orange leather bag or toss a vibrant orange pashmina over your shoulder – it’ll work wonders!

Couple orange with a complementary colour such as purple or blue to bring out blue eyes and cooler skin tones; much like Michael van der Ham this autumn:



Michael van der Ham

To find out more about which shades of these colour trends suit you best, contact us for a consultation. A simple faux pas regarding the hues you choose can be the difference between an intriguing, rustic outfit and something that looks like it’s stepped straight out of a spooky Tim Burton film shoot. 

In the meantime, trail the rails on the high street for an ingenious take on this trend. Skinny jeans for casual wear don’t need to stick to convention. Swap denim jeans for bright skinnies if you’re looking for the wow factor.


Zara (orange jeans)

Alternatively, stick to your trustworthy denim staples with add burnt orange knits instead. Or jazz up your jeans with suede ankle boots. 


Christian Louboutin

Remember - experiment and discover because no colour on the wheel is exclusive to one type of woman.