Shop your own wardrobe 101 part 3: From urban limo to desert camel. What are the odds!

It is fair to say that I do not own a pair of skinny jeans embellished across the bottom with row upon row of diamante-bell-bling. But, my sojourn into the smallest wardrobe in the world over the weekend was so successful that even without a friendly bedazzler, I very nearly didn’t come out! I’m not kidding, I had such fun and created so many outfits I wouldn’t be surprised if I broke the record for the world’s longest glamathon! It all started Saturday night when in the middle of the dishes, it occurred to me that not only had it been over a week since I’d had the chance to post on my blog but the whole reverse saving thing I’m putting myself through is pure torture. Made all the more unbearable by the discovery of the on-line Anthropologie store that delivers to Australia for a small fortunate as introduced to myself by my wonderful, if not evil friend Mel! It was either hit the wardrobe or bust, and with a couple of fabulous friends popping over tomorrow it was a perfect excuse to frock it up for a long overdue chin wag. So I hit the shop...I mean wardrobe with the SATC 2 almanac in one hand and a supportive glass of wine in the other.

I had an idea of what which outfit I wanted to create in my new favourite fashion fantasy...SJP stepping out of a white limo en-route to a camel in the middle of the desert. The overall look is laid back glamour with a zesty infusion of Arabic inspired bling consisting of a kaftan or frock in chiffon over trousers with a peep-toe heel and blazer. Nothing really matches but looks good anyway. Bit of a stretch for me really. I’m a throw back from the 50s and bit partial to top and tailing where my accessories or garments on the top match my accessories on the bottom. Open yourself up to the possibilities of rag-tag with non-mix non-match however, and you’ll be kept blissfully busy for hours. Just ask Dr Love.

Let’s break it down:

Skinny trousers/jeans with ruching and embellishment: Skinny jeans that bunch around the ankle are a great substitute for what I consider to be the signature piece of this look, and far more readily available than the bedazzler.

Tunic or dress in partly transparent fabric: I was completely spoilt for choice with this part of the outfit. As luck would have it, I have a blue tunic in almost the exact same colour and texture. What are the odds! Granted, it’s a left over from my maternity days but it has such a lovely cut and empire detail that I simply could not part with it and well to be honest... if I didn’t tell you...you wouldn’t know. In lieu of this particular gem however (I accidently pulled off one of the ties in my excitement and it requires mending), a gorgeous thigh length tunic dress brought on sale and worn to the opening night of SATC 1, is a fabulous substitute and helps to personalise the look away from SJP and toward MFS.

Blazer: I have three blazers in various shades of brown that I could have used for this look, but you can substitute whatever colour you have at hand. I went with a soft muted brown with a faint pin stripe, which is one half of a suit. Instant ensemble to wearable separates. What a way to make the most of your wardrobe.

Peep toe platforms: The original peep toes as worn by SJP were a stunning pair of ivory Giuseppe Zanottis with diamante heels. Nice! I substituted with a dark purple suede pair I purchased from Betts for $30.

Clutch: Easy peasy Camp easy...I have a selection to choose from and went with the black satin with vintage inspired jewelled clasp my fabulous sister-in-law Carol gave me for Christmas. What a good woman.

Silver cuff: I don’t have a silver cuff, so I decided to match up with the black satin clutch and put a black wooden bangle I brought from Bardot for $5 together with a beige plastic bangle I purchased as part of a set for $20 from a funky little boutique in Anglesea whilst on a mum’s group weekend away. Ah, the memories.

Fan: Yes, you read right. SJP has a fan and guess what? So do I courtesy of a pre-wedding honeymoon to Madrid in ’03. Not that I need carry a fan in this weather, but what the hey...I’ve got it so I might as well use it.

Pendant: For a colour contrast against the blue fabric of the tunic, I went with a gold and burnt orange accessory I purchased from Sussan for about $10.

Lime green hanky with red trim poking out from the blazer pocket: I opted out!

Check it out...I included both variations on the tunic for your viewing pleasure. Love it so much I’m wearing the light blue variation to work on Friday. Doesn’t it look glam!

I went shopping today and didn't spend a cent!

A funny thing happened on the way to the smallest wardrobe in the world today. That scrumptious monochromatic look that adorned SJP on arrival in Abu Dhabi that I replicated on Monday suddenly morphed into a completely new and fabulous outfit without me breaking a single nail. Not that I should be surprised...my nails aren’t that long and more importantly...it’s what happens when you start to shop your own wardrobe. Inspiration floods your otherwise disregard for anything that isn’t new, while visions of glamour grandeur unexpectedly pop into your head and you can’t get home quick enough to frock up and brag about it to Dr Love. It all started with the brown empire dress from Diana Ferrari. I was lamenting over the weather and how long it would be before I could step out in style in my fabulous new outfit, when in the safety of my style obsessed mind, the dress hooked up with the dark denim skinny jeans I purchased from Sussan a few weeks ago for $39.95. I used to be a huge advocate of the frock-over-the-pants kind of look. Very forward thinking of me if I don’t say so myself because it would be another five years before I discovered Trinny and Susannah from What Not To Wear and learned it was a particular favourite of theirs when dressing those of us with good old fashion child-baring hips. Somewhere along the line however, I lost my frock-pant mojo thus denying myself and my thighs the Trinny-esque pleasure of a lengthened leg until a couple of weeks ago, when I pulled on said pair of skinny jeans under a teal wrap dress because let’s face it, it was frigging freezing and a pair of tights was simply not going to cut it. I added a pair of gorgeous DF shoes that I have been stalking ever since re-discovering the Notebook magazine several months ago, and picked up that week for the grand sum of $28 when all I was looking for was a bunch of semi-ripe bananas and pack of sausages. Go figure! Suddenly, my Moroccan inspired gold cuff (diva special) joined the party as did a pair of plain hooped ear-rings and fail-safe Guess handbag. For a bit of extra warmth I grabbed my banana yellow cardi with the three-quarter length sleeves that I brought for $12 from one of those disposal stores on the ground level of my local shopping centre and for all my shopping efforts, I didn’t spend a cent. Who says you can’t have style in the suburbs on a budget!!!

check out the close-ups:

Shop your own wardrobe 101: part one - what I wore on wednesday

Ok boys and girls before we get started let’s get one thing straight. After two babies and a world class chocolate addiction that immerged victorious from a bittersweet battle with my local Fernwood, it is highly unlikely that you will ever see me parading downtown in a knotted shirt that exposes my mid-drift despite what Dr Love might think! But, this is the look that surprisingly inspired the very first lesson in Shop Your Own Wardrobe 101. I’m not quite sure what it was about this look that sparked the most recent surge of fashion creativity, there was after all, not a single vintage turban in sight. Perhaps it was the straight forward and uncomplicated pairing of a simple shirt with an ever-day pair of jeans that caught my attention. Whatever the reason when I waltzed out onto the street in my own version of this en some today, I looked and felt spectacular, and now you can too. So let’s get started.

1. Getting started – the key to shopping your own wardrobe without activating world war three with your own Dr Love who simply does not get it and probably never will, is to flick through a couple of magazines for inspiration. Take it from me going into your wardrobe cold turkey is a daunting experience and before you know it, you’ll be back at your local shopping centre giving your poor credit card a complete bashing.

What I did: Substituted mags for the SATC 2 almanac that I picked up from K-mart for $35 because I’m secretly in love with Carrie Bradshaw and thinking of changing my name to SJP.

2. Identifying the look – chances are you are not going to have an exact copy of a particular piece of clothing in your wardrobe or possess a similar body shape to your muse, so to avoid the melt that will follow these realisations, consider the entire “look” rather than the pieces of clothing that comprise the “look!” (that comes next).

In this example, it is a casual pairing of a shirt and jeans (or pants, don’t forget you can substitute depending on the occasion) with a pair of high heel shoes, bag and one simple but colourful accessory.

3. You’ve got the look, now what? – Now, break the look down into individual pieces in their most basic format and make a check list.

My checklist: (1) Light, almost neutral pair of skinny jeans (2) short sleeve shirt with collar (3) high heel shoes with embellishment (4) highline bag (5) wrist accessory.

4. Shop your own wardrobe – Using your check-list find items in your wardrobe that can be substituted for the originals to create a similar look, but one that is suited to your own shape, style and occasion.

This is how I did it:

(1) Jeans/pants - I don’t own a pair of light coloured skinny jeans and anyone with an hourglass or pear shape figure probably shouldn’t either (seriously people they will just add unwanted weight to your already weighted area), but I do own a pair of taupe coloured skinny trousers that I purchased from Wittner six months ago for $15 at DFO South Wharf (check one).

(2) Shirt - Ditto with the checked shirt, but my burgundy short-sleeve shirt from Cue will look fabulous worn on the outside of the pants and the front tie feature is a great substitute for the knot around the mid-drift (check two)

(3) Heels – my wardrobe is full of fabulous high heels shoes, but my classic black Marc Jacob heels with coloured leather dots are the perfect addition to this outfit and emulate a simple pair of pumps with some embellishment (check three)

(4) Bag – As I wanted to tailor this look for work purposes, my new light burgundy ‘Lucci’ bag purchased from Strand Bags for $34 a couple of weeks ago will do the trick, and

(5) Wrist accessory – take your pick, bangle, cuff or even a sweat band alah SJP if you have one on hand (no pun intended) will do. To finish off my look, I teamed a cute faux leather cuff with Diva diamante bling that I purchased during a 4 for $10 sale and set of bangles from Sportscraft that had been reduced from $59.95 to $22.50.

As it was a bit cold today – understatement of the world, I added my black tuxedo Cue jacket to ward off the arctic blast. As the jacket is one half of a fabulous suit, albeit in black and therefore helped to adapt the look to a work environment, it is also fitted at the waist, which kept the original silhouette of the look in place.

Check it out: