She’s a Winner!!

I have a surprise for you all this week, my blog is a little bit different…..

If any of you are fans of the Shopnfriends Facebook page you may have seen that we recently ran a competition to win a photo shoot and to be featured in the Threadbare Blog. The competition included hair, makeup, personal shopping, styling and a $100 gift voucher from Belmont Forum. Plus a relaxing and rejuvenating massage, facial and Shellac manicure and pedicure. The lucky winner of this competition was one of our fantastic Facebook fans, Leanne Mullins.

When I first met Leanne she told me that she very rarely got to dress up as she was a mum and was often too busy. Her everyday style was very casual, comfortable and laidback. Therefore for this week’s blog shoot I decided to create a look for her that was a little dressier then her daytime style. We wanted an outfit that would work for dinner with friends or an evening at a nice bar in the city.

With this inspiration in mind, we sent Leanne off to Price Attack in Belmont Forum to get her hair done. When styling your hair for an evening out it’s always nice to have it a little different to your normal do. Therefore the wonderful stylist Natalie at Price Attack chose to create soft loose curls for Leanne. This style works very well for Leanne as it softly frames her face and the looser style curls are dressy without looking OTT. Another fantastic advantage to this look is if your hair holds the curls overnight you can often get a second wear out of them. Simply rake your fingers through to create wavy tussled locks for a casual beachy look.

Price Attack Stylist Natalie with Leanne

 

Once her hair was finished Leanne was off to Priceline at Belmont Forum to get her makeup done. When it comes to doing your makeup it’s all about balance. For example, if you have your hair in a simple up do, such as a bun or ponytail, you can go a little more extravagant for your makeup such as darker eyes or a bold lip. However if you have your hair in a dressier style such as Leanne’s loose curls then it is best to keep your makeup natural and simple. The fantastic makeup artist Renee from Priceline did an amazing job using natural hues such as browns, bronzes, golds and soft shades of peach. The result was a very stylish, elegant and classy look perfect for a night out.

After the hair and makeup was done Leanne and I set off on a hunt for the perfect outfit. Like I said earlier we wanted an elegant and stylish look perfect for a nice dinner or a night out in the City. After creating a few looks from several of the great clothing stores at Belmont Forum such as Forever New and Katies we chose to go with the below outfit.

The first piece that we really fell in love with was this amazing patterned pencil skirt from Katies at Belmont Forum. The classic lines and cut worked perfectly for Leanne’s smaller frame and helped to elongate her body making her look much taller. Longer, slimmer cuts such as this are great for shorter, petite woman as the style really helps to create the illusion of height and length. The geometric pattern is a fantastic statement and helps to keep the look from being too corporate. When wearing items that are traditionally work clothing such as pencil skirts and blazers make sure there is an element that takes it away from that office look. For those of you who feel it’s hard to style a print, opt for neutral coloured patterns such as this cream and black skirt. This mixture of plain shades makes it easy to pair other brighter coloured pieces with it.

 

That’s where this AMAZING turquoise chiffon top from Jeans West comes in. The bold colour pops against the plain hues in the skirt and the blue shade compliments Leanne’s skin, hair and eye colour. Bold tops such as this are a great way to bring attention to your face and when you pick colours that suit your skin, eye and hair colour it really makes you look fantastic. However the beautiful turquoise hue was not the only thing that attracted me to this top. The panelled detailing gives it a classier feel and the looser fit complimented the skirt. When wearing a floaty, blousy piece like this make sure your bottoms are a slimmer fit so your look is balanced and you don’t appear bigger then you are.

 

Once we had chosen the basic foundation of our outfit it was time to accessorise. The first place we headed to was Betts. We were on the hunt for some amazing nude heels. For Leanne’s petite frame I wanted a dainty pair that would help to show off her slimmer legs whilst elongating her figure, making her look taller. We didn’t want anything too chunky, or styles that cut across her ankle or foot as it would shorten her legs, making her look short and small. Therefore, we opted for these amazing suede nude pumps with studded heel detailing. The lower heel made them comfortable and easy to walk in, which let’s face it is necessary, and the nude tone helped to elongate Leanne’s figure. The studded detailing gave them a funkier edge and helped to make the overall look a little more stylish.

Our next stop was Diva for some fantastic jewellery. I didn’t want to overload Leanne’s small frame with oversized accessories and chunky pieces so I opted for just this silver necklace and simple turquoise bangle which created a minimalist yet stylish look. I chose this shorter necklace as it sat nicely with the neckline of the top and the style is dressier than other longer types. Just make sure that when you’re wearing a piece like this it’s not too short as this can create the illusion of a wider, thicker neck. Styles that sit just above the bust line like this one are the ideal length for most body types.

As we only really had one coloured item in this entire look so far I wanted to add something else. This turquoise bangle was the perfect choice as the colour went well with the top and the style was not too chunky for Leanne’s petite frame. When wearing coloured pieces, resist the urge to match your bag, your shoes and all other accessories to each other. We call this a ‘matchy matchy’ look and it can be very dated and boring.

Lastly we headed to Colette to find probably one of the most important accessories a woman could own… a bag. Because we had created a dressier evening outfit I chose to go for an envelope clutch.  Its timeless elegance and style makes it the obvious choice for this particular look. Like I said earlier you should steer clear of matching your bag to your shoes to avoid that ‘matchy matchy’ look. This is why I opted for this classic black and silver detailed clutch. The colour works well with the pattern in the skirt without matching too much and the silver detailing ties in nicely with the necklace and bangle. The bolder hue also gives the look a punchier feel and just adds that little bit extra to the outfit. When picking the right clutch for you make sure the size suits your body type. If you have a smaller frame like Leanne opt for smaller to medium sizes and if you have a medium to bigger frame look for medium to oversized styles.

Now before I finish I would like to add that Leanne never liked having photos taken of her, but after seeing herself in this fantastic outfit with amazing hair and makeup she realised that having your picture taken really wasn’t that bad.

It just goes to show that with the right styling and advice anyone can feel and look amazing!

Everything you see in this week’s outfit, including hair and makeup, can be found at Belmont Forum.

Keep your eyes peeled as I have another competition winner who will be featured on Threadbare in the near future.

To keep up to date with the competitions for my blog and to find out how you can win like both the Belmont Forum and Shopnfriends Facebook pages.

Happy Shopping

Ashleigh

xox

Photography by Shirin Cater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The In-between…..

In my experience working as a Personal Stylist I have come to realize that many women find it hardest to dress for a smart casual occasion. I am often told that dressing up is relatively simple and being casual is easy but when it comes to dressing for in-between it’s hard to find that happy medium. How do you style a look that isn’t too casual but isn’t too dressy either?

The answer is to go for the all occasion outfit. If you have read any of my previous posts you will know that I have spoken about the all occasion top. It’s the shirt or blouse that goes with everything you own and is suitable for almost any occasion depending on how you style it. This is the same concept for that all occasion outfit. Weather it is a dress a top and a skirt or a blouse and some jeans an all occasion outfit is one that when styled properly can take you from a casual barbeque to dinner at a nice restaurant.

This week’s look was styled around this concept. The outfit that I have put together is one that I would wear out to dinner or for drinks with friends at the local pub.  However with a few simple changes it could easily work for a casual barbeque or lunch with friends. This Katies batwing top from Belmont Forum is a perfect example of an all occasion top as it can easily be dressed up with a nice necklace and jeans as well as dressed down with a pair of casual cropped pants or some shorts. I decided to go for some dark denim straight leg jeans also from the Belmont Katies as they are extremely slimming and the dark shade is very versatile. These Katies jeans are fantastic as they do not have a button or zipper so you don’t get that annoying bulging bit under your top. If you are looking for a pair of super comfortable jeans at a low cost these babies are definitely one of the best styles and they even come in two different lengths!

When choosing shoes I opted for some chunky black wedges from Betts at Belmont Forum as they dress this look up a bit and the wedge style is super comfortable. The black hue is perfect for this look as it doesn’t take focus away from the amazing pattern in the top. However if you do wish to go for a pair of funky coloured heels try to look for a colour that compliments the pattern. A good example would be yellow or orange.  To create a more casual look go for a pair of flat boots or some strappy flat sandals from Belmont Betts.

As I had decided to keep to a neutral shoe I wanted to bring in a coloured bag to really help the colours in the top pop. This amazing neon yellow clutch from Belmont Betts is a great example of the perfect dinner bag. It’s big enough to fit in all your essentials but not too big that it takes up too much room on the table. Smaller bags are a great way to dress up a simple outfit as they give the look a classier feel and the fact that this one is both a clutch and shoulder bag makes it extremely versatile. However if you are looking to dress down your look then a bigger slouchy style bag is the way to go. Look for ones in neutral tones such as beige, brown or mushroom as these colours create a more casual feel. Strandbags at Belmont Forum have a great range of slouchy bags that are perfect for everyday use.

Last but certainly not least is the accessories. For this look I wanted to go with simple but elegant pieces that would really give the outfit a smart yet casual feel. This necklace from Belmont Forum’s Noni B was probably my favourite find. The style is so simple and elegant yet it works with both dressy and casual, laid back looks. I chose to go for yellow gold accessories as the warmer tones in the top went well with them. The ring was an absolute bargain from Belmont Diva at only $3!! I love the simple design and the fact that it just finished off the look without doing too much. Accessories are definitely the key to creating a smart casual look. You can simply add a chunky necklace or statement ring with very casual tee and some dark wash jeans to create a look that would be very suitable for both a dinner with friends and a casual outing to the markets. These accessories really give this look that smart touch however if you wanted to be a little more casual you could just simply wear the ring and opt for a casual necklace or even no necklace at all. Diva at Belmont Forum has a great range of wooden and earthy toned accessories that have a casual and natural feel perfect for a laid back no fuss kind of look.

 

 

So when it comes to dressing for those in-between occasions opt for pieces that are versatile and can be styled with a variety of things. Not only will it make getting dressed a whole lot less stressful it will also save you money, as each piece will work in a range of different looks for different occasions.

Happy Shopping

Ashleigh

xox

Photography by the amazing Shirin Carter.