*A blast from the past post*

Okay, maybe spark plugs are not what I can help you with, but the question remains; are you ready for Winter?  At the beginning of each new season, the magazines are full of tips of which boot / glove/ dress you need to survive the season. But one of the things I almost never read about is how to make the most of the wardrobe you have from last year!  So instead of giving you a bunch of advice on how to spend your money, today I’m looking at some of the key ways to ready your wardrobe for winter without spending a cent.

Autumn is the perfect time to start preparing and planning for the cold rainy days ahead. We get the odd cold day, but there is still enough sun to fool us into thinking that winter is still far away – until we’re caught out.

1. Boots & Shoes

If you’ve bought well in previous seasons you should already have at least one decent pair of winter shoes. Now is the time to make sure that they are up to another round of keeping you dry warm and stylish.

Check each pair for strained seams, check the soles for wear and check the join where the upper meets the lower.  If any of these areas is looking worse for wear make sure to take them to your nearest cobbler and have the small inexpensive repairs done. A little bit of sealant may mean the difference between wet or dry.

If the soles are worn or just looking a bit slick, have them replaced with a textured rubber to stop the potential for bruised butts and egos!

The upper should always be polished or nourished, depending on the finish.  Rather than carrying loads of different coloured polishes, I rely on “Zanolin”. It is a clear leather moisturizer that you can use on shoes, bags, seats etc.. It is one of my secret weapons in bringing vintage pieces back to life and will give your shoes a new suppleness and glow.

2. Woolens

At the end of last summer you should have washed and packed away your woolens, giving yourself more wardrobe space and protecting them from moths.  Now is the time, while we still have a few warm days, to get them out and get them freshly washed.  Use an eco friendly, eucalyptus bashed wool wash  or alternatively if you don’t have that on hand, a gentle shampoo with a few drops of eucalyptus oil will do the trick.  Make sure that you always hand wash woolens (even if they are acrylic I still recommend it), squeezing as much water you can from them, then drying flat on white towels to help them keep their shape.

Once they are washed and ready, check each one over for any repairs by holding them up in the sun and looking for holes that aren’t a part of the knit.  If you don’t know how to darn, now is the time to learn.  It may look or sound complicated, but it is quick, easy and can save you a small fortune.

Image by Yecatsml via Flickr

3. Gloves.

These guys take a beating each season, yet are so often forgotten when it comes to maintenance. Just like your sweaters, knitted gloves should be hand washed and repaired where needed.  But knitted gloves are also a quick and easy piece to fancy up with whatever your current obsession is.  All you need is a wool needle, things like beads, coloured wool or felt to sew on your own embellishments that are easily changed and removed with each year.

Leather gloves shouldn’t be washed but conditioned with “Zanolin”. Because these gloves are often lined, humidity can be a problem in keeping them fresh and clean.  I save those little packets of Silica that come in lots of products and keep them in the fingers when I store them.  If they get wet, dry the outsides then turn them inside out to air dry, but NEVER put them in front of a heat source or they’ll dry out and crack up.

4. Bags.

You don’t need the latest IT bag each winter,all you really need is a little care, attention and creativity. As far as care goes, the same advice applies here to leather bags as it does to shoes. Check seams, linings, hardware and leather condition.  Cobblers can also fix seams, hardware and split zippers on these.  When it comes to looks you can quickly change the look of your bag depending out your outfit. One of the things I like to do is to use big square head scarves looped and tied around the handle, choosing the scarf to match the outfit.  Then you’ll also have it on hand for rain, wind or any other of winter’s natural hair enemies.

The other one is using key chain clips. There are loads of commerically available charms, but I like to make my own; cannibalising old jewelery, kids toys or even bits of fabric to make over sized bows.

5. Create a uniform.

Now that you’ve made sure that all the critical winter pieces are in good working order, the other thing you’ll need to get you through the season is a uniform. A go to outfit that you can pull on in the dark, in a hurry or when getting dressed is an Everest of a task.  What your uniform is will depend entirely on your own style, but whatever it is make it easy.

The trick is to pull together pieces that are basic, simple, comfortable but in luxe fabrics that can be dressed up quickly with good accessories.  For me, my go to outfit is a long black cashmere dress. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a great investment. I’ve been wearing it each winter for the last six years and it never fails to impress. It feels like wearing pajamas, but throw on some sparkly earrings and you can head out to dinner.  A long, soft scarf and some boots, and it becomes perfect for the school run.

Your uniform should consist of as few actual clothing pieces as possible, relying on accessories to change it up. Choosing neutral colours is the obvious way to go, but you could always go with something like a dark plum in place of black, even chocolate or navy.

Think differently this Winter and rediscover the hidden potential in your wardrobe.

Remember, style isn’t about what you spend but how you wear it!

This beach side outfit, seen on Helena Bonham Carter, for Sweeney Todd has me all a-flutter. What a fabulous movie on so many levels. I love it when Hollywood gets musicals right and you don’t find yourself thinking, “oh, another song? When will they get back to the story?” Tim Burton’s screen adaptation of Sweeney Todd is another triumph of gothic fantasy goodness. But it was this costume that got me thinking….

How does one dress for the tropics when it is only 20 degrees celcius outside?? Here is my dilemma. I take my daughter to swimming lessons once a week in a heated indoor pool, where the temperature inside is often 38 degrees with 99 % humidity. However, with Autumn upon us, the weather outside is often below 20 degrees and will only continue to drop. Now, I realize layering is the simple answer but I never like to be about “simple”.

Perhaps I can channel some of the ‘structure & socks’ look of Helena’s I so covet right now. That should give the ‘old jeans and bad t-shirt brigade’ something to talk about! Let’s see what happens when I open the wardrobe tomorrow.