Look Book : How To Style Peg Leg Trousers For Summer

A few weeks back, one of my lovely clients got in touch asking for some advice on how to style a couple of pairs of peg leg trousers for the summer.

"I’m looking through my wardrobe at the moment to get ready for Spring/Summer and I’m not feeling inspired! I have loved all the pieces I bought with you in October but there are two pairs of trousers I haven’t worn yet. I’m planning on wearing the two pairs of cropped Oasis trousers I bought with you now that the weather is going to (hopefully) warm up, but I’m not sure what to put them with as they 
are a new style for me."

Peg leg trousers are a great item to have in the wardrobe, they’re perfect for work, home and evenings out so they really will get a lot of wear.  But while they might be versatile, there are a couple of things to bear in mind when pulling together your outfits.  Firstly, if your trousers have pleats around the hips or waist then make sure you tuck your tops into them.  If you don’t, the pleats will add bulk under the top and will be unflattering.  And secondly, keep an eye on the length of the trousers; cropped trousers rarely come in leg lengths so you may find they need shortening (or lengthening) a little to fit properly.

My favourite look with trousers like this is teamed with brogues and a little blouse, but as you can see there are plenty of great ways to style them up!

NW3 / French Connection striped top / Mango slacks pants / Evening shoes / ALDO block heels / Hobbs ballet shoes / Mint Velvet / Raffia handbag / Zara handbag / Triangle jewelry / Square scarve / Metallic belt / Ted Baker / Topshop waist belt / Polyvore Clipper

Striped top / Drape cardigan / Warehouse / Oasis pocket vest / Oasis ankle pants / Sequin camisole / Peeptoe shoes / Office shoes / Jigsaw travel tote / Fiorelli / Pendant jewelry / Accessorize heart drop earrings / Jigsaw silk shawl / Converse All star ox low double tongue wild dove grey steel exclusive

As usual, if you have anything you'd like me to help you with then email me here, I'd love to hear from you and to feature your question on Hip Shapes!

Shopping Habits

(source)

Lately I’ve been thinking more about how we shop for our clothes.  I can’t deny that the recent events in Bangladesh have been the catalyst for this…how about you?  Did it make you stop and think?  Did you make a connection between what happened and the clothes you have in your wardrobe?  Maybe it was a combination of living in India and my profession that created the link for me?

I like to think that I’m a careful shopper who makes considered purchases, and in my role as a personal stylist I encourage my client’s to think about their purchases too.  Not only do I build my clients confidence but I also make it my mission to change their shopping habits as it saves them money in the long run and enables them to pull together a strong collection of clothes that lasts.

I have always championed a smaller, more concise (and no, that doesn’t mean boring) wardrobe, that’s a healthy mix of long lasting investment pieces and cheaper high street pieces (as well as second hand and vintage pieces - after all, these are the perfect way to showcase your individuality!).  I have never been and never will be someone who’s into fast, disposable fashion – it’s a false economy.  People end up with far more clothes than they know what to do with and to top it off, the clothes that do get worn barely last one wash.  I’m not against purchasing cheap clothing; I actually think we’re lucky to be able to have so much choice with such limited budgets, but what I am against is buying SO much of it, wearing it once and binning it.  This disposable luxury is coming at such a high cost.  People are working in indescribably awful conditions, many recently lost their lives, all so we can afford to have wardrobes bursting with clothes, half of which we don’t need and probably won’t wear.

Hip Shapes and Bristol Fashion has been running for a few years now, and I have always wanted it to be a source of inspiration to encourage you to make the most of the clothes you already have and to make informed decisions when making new purchases…and I hope that’s what I’m managing to do. While I insist on educating my clients about changing their shopping habits, I wonder whether I do enough on here to encourage my readers to follow suit?

Over the next few weeks I’m going to do a series on the blog that I hope will inspire you to think differently about your wardrobe and the way you shop.  I want to prove to you that a hard working capsule wardrobe, built on a foundation of great fitting staple pieces doesn’t automatically mean it’ll be boring or expensive.  I want to encourage you to pull out an item from your wardrobe that you’re not wearing and challenge you to make it work.  I’m also going to illustrate how spending more money on fewer items won’t leave you with less outfits to wear, and will potentially cost you less in the long run?!

We need to see an end to this culture of disposable fashion but to do this; our shopping habits have to change.   So, what do you think?  Are you with me?? 

In With The Old

I love flowers (I’m a textile designer so I guess it’s to be expected) but while I love photographing and drawing flowers, they don’t often feature in my outfits - I tend to stick to graphic prints or the animal variety instead.  But when the sun is shining and I’m surrounded by beautiful (and exotic!) flowers, I do find myself being more and more drawn towards florals.

I know that the high-street is bursting with clothes and accessories covered in gorgeous florals so it would have been really easy to go out and buy something new to fill the floral gap in my wardrobe, but I always like to remind myself what I have before hitting the shops and it’s just as well...

This top (well, actually it’s a dress that I’m wearing as a top) is about five or six years old and I haven’t really worn it much in the last couple of years.  It’s been stored out of sight along with some other clothes that I didn’t want to get rid of, but knew I wasn’t going to wear again for a while.

Sometimes I wear something so much in the first year or so of its life, that I find I get bored of it.   It still fits and I still like it but I just get tired of wearing it; in instances like this I just store them and re-visit them later.  I carry this mantra through to my job too.  I’m not the kind of personal stylist who says you must get rid of everything you’ve not worn for a year.  If something doesn’t fit anymore, or is way past repairing, then fair enough.  But throwing out perfectly good clothing that you enjoyed wearing?  No chance.

Dress - Warehouse. Maxi skirt - Whistles. Belt - Topshop. Jacket - Topshop. shoes - office. Ring - Republic Of Chic (Bangalore)

It was actually kinda cool to re-discover this old favourite and re-styling it with a new skirt has definitely earned a spot back in my wardrobe.

What about you?  Do you religiously sort out your wardrobe each season, binning things you’re no longer wearing?  Or do you prefer to hang onto them just in case?

Pretty Inspired : Tranquility

A couple of months back a friend introduced me to The Yoga House in Indiranagar, housed in one of Bangalore’s (sadly depleting) bungalows (more on that another time).

Yoga is a new thing for me, it’s something I wanted to get into when we moved here, but other than a few classes here and there I haven’t really got round to doing it much yet.  Despite this being the perfect spot to try it, I’m so head over heels with the setting that instesd of going inside to do yoga, I'd rather stay outside...I think I've just found my new favourite place to blog!

I hope I can re-create a little of this tranquillity when we return to the UK!!

Look Book : Going Out Tops For Katy

I’ve been really enjoying pulling together these look books for you, and it’s just as well as I have a few to do!  This one’s for Katy…

I really want a few nice tops that I could wear in a number of ways.  So, when I go out I don't always want to wear dresses, but I struggle to find an alternative. I have casual, quite plain tops, or smarter work shirts, that I don't tend to wear out because I associate them with work. So could you recommend something that it is funky and a bit special (not too covered up!) That I could team with some trousers and heels for going out but that I could throw a cardigan on top of and wear with jeans and pumps for a day out. Is this possible or am I asking too much from one little top!

No, you’re not!  I think it’s such a shame to keep clothes for best, so I'm all for helping you find tops that you can wear on a night out but dress down for day when you want to.  I’m sure some of your work tops would be great for nights out, but I totally understand you not wanting to wear ‘work’ clothes out of work.  I have a few items that I keep just for work and if I try to wear those out of work, it just doesn’t feel right...somehow I’m not in the right head space. 

I’ve pulled together two sets for you, the first one illustrates three suggestions styled for the evening and the second one below that, should give you some ideas on how you might want to dress them down.  I hope it helps!

Evening

Warehouse block top / River Island black shirt / French Connection halter top / River Island sleeveless top / Oasis / Topshop / Oasis highwaisted jeans / Zara lining shoes / ALDO shoes / ALDO shoes / Zara leather handbag / Triangle jewelry / Yellow gold jewelry / Kurt Geiger silver earrings / Zara real leather belt

Day

River Island peplum tank / French Connection silk halter top / Warehouse / Hennes h m cardigan / Oasis flared denim skirt / Topshop petite boyfriend jeans / Warehouse / Topshop suede moccasin / Office lining shoes / Office leather shoes / Joules green shawl / Straw hat / Topshop western leather belt

Don't forget, if you have a fashion dilemma that you need a little help with, or fancy getting your own lookbook then email me here!  And if you need a little more help then get in touch here. Niki x