New season looks exciting!!

It was great going shopping last week. But then I always say that! LOL. However I was really excited to see the new season clothes flooding into the shops. It always makes me happy when fashion starts to align with real woman's actual body shapes.

For instance. While the tunic/over dress is still huge, the shape is not so billowy or full. I am seeing lovely cuts, with more nipped in waists. And for those dresses that are still generous with fabric that you can loose your body in, there are gorgeous tailored blazers everyone that you can throw on over the top and instantly create a great shape. Which is YOUR shape! Boobs, waist, hips - hooray, the perfect womanly hourglass shape.

Lots of great colours for both warm and cool tones. Double Yay. Another thing I am loving is the mix of fabrics. Gorgeous cotton cardigans with satin sleeves, or knit tops with chiffon or see-through draped sleeves. Sigh. Its bliss!

Enjoy this season, its going to be great. More news to come with some more specific bits and pieces that I really like. Stay tuned - stay colourful!!!

Trudi www.wardrobeflair.com

Combining colours with confidence!

Did you know that by combining interesting colours together, your outfit takes on a whole different look? In the simplest form, adding colours to base colours like black, grey and brown can give amazing results. For instance, if you are wearing all black, then a bright, chunky necklace in a fabulous colour will make others stop and say 'gosh, you are looking great today'. Even if you are wearing the same old clothes you have been for ages.

People can become obsessed with matching. So often I see a woman walking down the street wearing say a black and white patterned skirt, with a black top and black shoes. Well co-ordinated you say, but to my eye I see TOO much matching and zero added colour. I would have her in the skirt, a coloured top and maybe silver sandals with matching or colour contrasting jewellery.

What colours go with what you ask? Cool colours with cool, warm with warm. Lets take burnt orange. A safe combination would be with brown, a daring partner would be with the sludgy light green that is currently out in the shops. I wear these two colours together often and always have people say 'wow, I wouldn't have put those together but they really do work" in a very bemused voice!

Wearing colours does take confidence, but the key is to start slowly and work up to combining your colours together. I helpful hint is to look at the colours on patterned skirts, dresses and accessories. Often these are well combined - but not always! So if you pick up that dark purple skirt with bright lime green swirls, then yes, you can see the colours together look amazing. If the skirt scares you, think about buying a purple T-shirt and a simple long string of lime green beads with a pair of jeans. Easy, but a fun and interesting outfit.

Trudi www.wardrobeflair.com

Clothing Swap parties sweep the nation

I love fashion phases. The ingenuity of people who realise that they still need to buy clothes, but the recession or even fear of the recession has made people a lot more wary of spending lots of money on clothes.

The second-hand clothes market boomed last year. Savemart, Sallies and Trademe were the main benefactors of people's hard earned clothing cash. I was totally in my element! I LOVE second-hand shopping and being able to show people how to do it effectively and breaking down some stigma barriers was great.

However, we are now riding the wave of the NEW phase of Clothing Swap Parties.! Whoa ho!! Let's swap!! I think this is a great idea. However, being just a tad 'anal' about getting it right I do however think there is a whole lot of swapping going on, but swapping of bad clothes, for more bad clothes?

Unless you have had your colours and shape analysis done, how do you know the new '5' items you picked up will not sit in your wardrobe like the 5 items you gave away? hmmmm, a bit tricky. My suggestion is this. Either invest in getting a one-on-one with someone, and finding out this info so you continue to save money on clothes irrespective as to whether you buy second-hand, new or swap. Or check out my website for the newest option, a colour and clothing swap party all in one! www.wardrobeflair.com

Colours done, consultant on hand to run the show to make sure its fair AND to make sure what you pick up, is right! Two and a half hours of fun, colours, clothing, trying on and basically having a consultant on hand like your own personal shopper. Plus some new items for the wardrobe.

Jump on the swap bandwagon. What a great way to recycle, pick up some new bits and pieces and get rid of all that stuff you just don't wear. Key things to remember when organising a swap party. Think about who you are inviting. If you are all roughly the same size it does help. But if not, then make sure everyone brings LOTS of clothes and ask them to bring pieces that are too big or too small so you cover as many sizes as possible.

Trudi www.wardrobeflair.com