A few weeks ago I was featured in The Ottawa Citizen as one of six of the city's top fashion bloggers. This was a huge honour for me, especially because I was in such good company with women I think are quite fashionable in the nation's capital.
As the only mom of the bunch, I am limited with how much time I have in a day to get myself looking presentable for work, meetings, and events. You know how it is in the morning—even sitting on the toilet without your little people in the bathroom with you is an impossible task, let alone putting together an outfit in five minutes, while doing your hair and make-up!
Generally, I plan what I will wear the night before, and shower the night before, as well. Any time I have in the morning is for making sure my children are ready for their day and for eating breakfast with them, when I can. I don't need the stress of outfit planning for myself when I've got no time. Of course, we all have mornings where we scream into our closet: "I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR! WHY DOES THE WORLD HATE ME SO?" but generally speaking, it is not like that on a day-to-day basis.
As much as I love shopping for clothes, shoes, and purses, I am not big on accessories. 90% of all my jewellery is from Tiffany & Co., because I love silver and the simplicity of their pieces. I am not one to wear a statement necklace, or a big elastic belt in a bold colour. However, the fact that I don't have a lot of accessories limits my outfit potential!
In fact, I don't even own a belt. (I am totally hanging my head in shame...)
When I was in Toronto a few weeks ago for BlissDom Canada, I met with Erin Nadler. Erin is a fashion consultant and the owner of Better Styled. I really wanted to bring her home with me so she could go through my closet and help me put together different outfits because I know there are combinations I haven't figured out yet. We talked about how I already have everything I need in my closet—from classic black pants, to a go-to sweater and a LBD—but that I am missing a few statement pieces in the accessories department.
Within a few minutes, she had me convinced that the next item I should own is a belt. She said: "Add a fabulous belt to your outfit. Thick belts go with everything, and if you invest in one that has an elastic back to it, you can easily move it up or down, depending on what you are trying to highlight. Belts help take any boring sweater and pant to the next level!"
I told her that I sometimes worry about how belts will look over a sweater, and she was quick to reply that "If the positioning of the belt worries you, invest in an interesting chunky necklace. The layered chain look is very popular and a detailed necklace can help play up even the most boring of necklaces. Also, don't be afraid to mix silver and gold together! Playing with colour and texture makes the outfit more interesting."
Want to know what Erin's must-have piece is this season? Leather. Yup. It can be a leather jacket, a leather skirt, or even a leather-trimmed cardigan. Leather is edgy and fun and it's the hot look for season, my friends. (I'm totally putting a little leather bomber jacket on my "Santa, I've been good!" list!)
So if you need help planning your outfits, you should totally contact Erin. In the few minutes I got to spend with her, I was inspired to try new things I otherwise wouldn't have thought of doing before.
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