Cold mornings and school runs can be wardrobe kryptonite. It is hard enough to get out of bed on those days let alone plan something fancy to wear; and this is is the reason that I simply adore my knits for Autumn Winter.  They are always soft, cozy and simple to mix and match.  They are as comfortable as wearing your pyjamas, but carry you through the day with infinitely more style.

I found this great knitted bolero on eBay, and it was listed as a rare 1940′s hand knit. But when I got it, it turned out to be a 1970′s does 1940′s machine knit. It didn’t alter how much I loved it, but I did contact the seller to let them know that what they sold me wasn’t what I got. Lo and behold the seller offered to refund half my purchase price to compensate for the mistake! For all the complaints we have about vintage on eBay at the moment, it goes to show that there are still some reputable sellers out there and it always pays to contact people personally if you have a problem.  Thanks Mr Seller.

The dress I bought at a recycle boutique about 7 years ago. Already second hand, it has done me very well with it’s classic cut and pure wool knit. It is an old Laura Ashley dress that has seen me through two pregnancies and is still going strong; always reminding me just why it is important to invest in quality pieces that last.  The little hat is a hand knit from the lovely Greetz from Tiz that I received at the same time as the lovely red 1940′s reproduction sweater, and I’ve clipped on a small red felt flower made by my girlfriend at Something Else Clothing.  I’m not sure if I can give this look a name, but I’m feeling an early 1930′s vibe for this autumn, so I thought I’d start to experiment a bit with bits from the wardrobe to see what I can knock together.

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I love the texture of this bolero. It is a strong chunky knit, but not a loose weave so it is delightfully warm. Oh, and the handbag for the day is a little hand made crochet bag that my grandmother made in the 1960′s.  I loved the way the textures of the bolero, hat and bag all mirror each other.

Outfit Details

Knitted cap – Greetz from Tiz

Red felt flower – Something Else Clothing

Cream knitted vintage bolero – eBay

Black knit dress – Laura Ashley from recycle boutique

Black suede flats – Target

Crochet handbag – Grandmother’s

When I flew out to Hobart last Friday morning at 7am,  the last thing I wanted to do was spend ages getting ready at the crack of sparrows o’clock.  We’ve talked about how to dress for travel before, yet it seems that this is one activity that people place on a par with going to the gym when it comes to what they wear.  So I thought this time I’d give you my real world example from this shot that Mr SKM took on my way out the door at 6am.

Yes, it was a vintage weekend so the outfit did have a serious 1940′s tone going on, but other than that, I can tell you with certainty this this is no less comfortable than wearing a track suit for travel.

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Outfit Details

Dress – 1970′s Perri Cutten woollen knit

Belt – made from vintage buckles and modern band

Stockings – Compression stockings for warmth and comfort in freezing Hobart weather

Petticoat – (unseen) 1950′s silk full slip

Shoes – Lucia Rossi satin finish basic pumps

Gloves – vintage woollen felt

Hat – 1940′s felt afternoon hat

Earrings – 1950′s pearl screw on’s

Hair – Side sweeps with the rest in a net to stop it getting messed up

I also took a coat that I could wear over my knees in the plane and put on when disembarking.

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It certainly wasn’t a difficult outfit to put together. I didn’t have to match colours, worry about many accessories or extra bulk.  Even better, by keeping it streamlined and the fabrics simple it meant that I didn’t have to disrobe at the airport for security.  No big heavy belts or earrings setting off alarms; not even steel heeled stilettos to stop me in my tracks.

So yes, dressing simply, comfortably and well for travel can be done. It just takes a little forethought and the banishment of running shoes!

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Last time we looked at how to maintain a sense of glamour whilst tackling heavy cleaning or dirty jobs. Today’s post is all about how to deal with super chilly weather and not come out looking like a crazed Arctic explorer.  I really feel the cold and finding ways to dress well, especially on those mornings it has dropped to a chilly one degree in my bedroom, used to prove a big challenge.  From the responses I received on Twitter as well as comments on the last post and a number of personal emails, it seems that dressing in cold weather is an issue for many of you.

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Firstly, let me preface this by saying that my experience with cold weather is mostly limited to the type of weather we have here in Australia.  This means that I’ve never lived somewhere that it snows all the time during winter, and although I have spent quite a bit of time  in the snow it was only for recreational purposes where heels and snowboards don’t mix.  So the advice I can give you on this one is really aimed at anyone who finds that their winters get to lows of about zero degrees and not more.  To check out how to look gorgeous in absolutely freezing conditions check out Freelancer’s Fashion blog from Helsinki ( I have quite the love affair with this beautiful woman).

Back to Basics

Keeping warm on the worst of cold days has forced me to remember things I wore as a child that, somewhere along the line as an adult I forgot all about.  Mum would always bundle you into a singlet and thick woolen tights each day before beginning to add the outfit.  As an adult, wearing a singlet was something I’d forgotten about until a few years back, but their rediscovery was an absolute revelation.

• Thermal underwear. It may sound like the reserve of invalids, old ladies and story book hillbillies; but these are about the best things ever invented. When dressing in winter I always begin my layering with whichever style of thermals will work for my outfit. I keep singlet types and long sleeve tops that are made of a super fine knit merino wool that breathes well but traps that layer of warmth as close to your skin as possible.  One of the mistakes people make when layering in winter is to layer up on the outside only. The best way to trap heat is to keep it close to the skin and thermals are the best way to make this happen (well, short of spending the day wrapped in cling film).  You can buy these pieces everywhere – KMart, Harris Scarf, Target etc.. and each singlet top will set you back $9-$20 depending on the composition and whether they are on sale or not.

• Leg wear. Winter doesn’t mean that you have to live in pants, there are other sneaky ways of keeping chill at bay. I love my opaque tights in winter and mixing up an extreme contrasting colour palette is one of the things I love about the season. The trick to getting the best opaques is not to scrimp on these. Buy the best denier (that is closest weave) you can afford.  Not only will it help stop the chill factor, but the higher the denier the less likely you are to put a hole in them.  Brands I like and wear quite often are Voodoo, Jonathan Aston, We Love Colours (online store with amazing range of colours, patterns and plus size hoisery).  Both Voodoo and Jonathan Aston make knitted tights too, so if you need to up the warmth factor, going for a wool blend, close knit, really works.

• And here is a secret that you will most likely only hear on Super Kawaii Mama – what about if you need to wear stockings that are flesh coloured for your outfit? How do you do that without loosing a leg to frost bite?  My secret weapon is compression tights! I buy the kind of flesh coloured support hose that are worn by Air Hostess’s to keep DVT at bay and their legs from aching.  You can get these in a variety of qualities, colours and grades of compression, but the benefit of these is two fold. Firstly, they are lovely and thick but don’t appear so. They cut the wind chill factor significantly and still look good.  But the best part about these is the compression factor – it keeps up the blood flow in your legs keeping you nice and warm,more so than any other style of tights will be able to do.  They aren’t an expensive option either.  The ones I wear for day to day (only a relatively light compression, you can find much stronger) are found at supermarkets and retail for about $7, “Sheer Relief” and from memory come in a variety of shades including black opaques.

• Hats.  This is pretty self explanatory as we’re all taught that 90% of the body’s heat is lost through the head, so wearing a hat is kind of a no-brainer (ha ha)! Once again though, choose a stylish version that will carry you through each day without the need to remove it indoors.  For me, this means a knitted beret – please no beanies unless you are in the snow.  Choosing something simple like a beret is a good, gentle option for those of you that find wearing a more dramatic style of hat attracts too much attention.  They are easy to customise to your outfit or the occasion – adding brooches for fancier days or leaving them plain for stay at home or simple days.  Note- Berets are also a brilliant ‘I haven’t had time to do my hair’ solution to. Pile it all up in there, pitch it at a jaunty angle and you’re good to go.

• Scarves. No doubt we all have the woollen, knitted versions of these; but they don’t always cut it in the glam stakes making us look more like snowmen than ice queens.  A big, good quality, square silk scarf (or even an imitation silk of heavyweight) works just as well but has more versatility. There are infinite ways to tie these for extra glamour factor, but if you find yourself out in the freezing wind they can be tied around your hair and ears for a climate chaser of the more stylish variety.  Wrapping your head in a knitted scarf is more homeless chic that Grace Kelly, hence always having one of these scarves around will save you both from the cold and having to carry a paper cup for change.

• Gloves. Oh Winter, how I love you for you opportunities to over accessorise!  Again, this is an easy one with gloves being available everywhere. And once again it is all about making a stylish choice in the first place.  Having one pair of soft red leather gloves is far better than half a dozen acrylic ones from the $2 shop.  If you like the soft, fluffy feel, be on the look out for felt gloves with feature stitching.  The number of place now also making fingerless gloves and arm warmers have also come to my rescue as sitting stationary, typing for hours on end used to cause my hands to turn blue with cold.  If you find yourself in the same predicament, then arm warmers will be your saviour. There are wrist length frilly ones or simple, over the elbow lengths that can be worn underneath your sleeve for extra stealth warmth.

• Footwear. Boots are the obvious winter choice, but as Miss Lizzy who asked me about the cold in the above comment, can’t wear them, I thought I’d offer you another on of my winter secrets. If you’ve followed all of the previous advice and want a little extra something for the feet, lambswool inner soles are magic!  Most of the versions of these inner soles are actually acrylic (aka Vegan) and can be purchased in supermarkets.  You can cut them down and fit them into just about any shoe or boot, providing you allow for the fact that they will take up about 1/4 of the shoe size point. Eg – if you wear a size 8 shoe, adding these will make them feel more like a 7&1/2 to 7& 3/4.  You can find actual lambswool inserts at specialty fleece stores and they have a better wear factor than the acrylic.  So for about $11, you can feel like you are wearing your fluffy slippers about all day and no-one is the wiser!

And there you have it – my secrets revealed!  I’d like to know how these tips work for those of you suffering from cold this winter and if you have any other brain waves to add, please let us know in the comments section. Remember, if there are tips and tricks you’d like to know to help you overcome the roadblocks in your path to living more glamorously – Write to me and we’ll add it to the list.

Next time  in Secrets to Being Glamorous for Every Occassion- So little time, so much to do.

Do you dress for the season you’re in or for the season you want to feel? One of my tricks to surviving the winter blues is by breaking out all the outfits that make me happy. The spring florals, the summer brights and the just because I love them, sparkles. It is only the beginning of June, but already I am feeling the need to perk it up and bit, loose the seriousness of winter and dance in the rain.

Print & Pattern

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Best Foot Forward

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A Date With Winter

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What are your fool proof outfit pick me up’s?

It is well and truly Winter here now. The rain has set in and the sky is grey, it is the perfect weather for big coats and stompy boots. Time to break out my favorite winter “Lumber Jack” skirt! I found this one a good five years ago and it is still going strong, blanketing me with its cosy warmth. Imagine being able to wear a nana rug on your lap all day, digging your hands into the pockets when the wind whips up. That is the beauty of this skirt.  And for something a little different I’ve toned down the usual red lip and gone for something lighter with a smoky eye and bedroom hair. I love having a signature look, but I also hate being too predictable.  A paradox that creates the most unusual fashion moments at times, but keeps me constantly searching for new inspirations.

Outfit Details from the top down

Red Herringbone headband – Equip          Lamb Sweater – Friends of Couture

Lace ruffled shirt   – Entrace                Skulls rings – Diva

Lumberjack skirt – Ralph Lauren Wild        Black boots – RMK

Makeup – Same as usual but with MAC carbon for eyes and Sothy’s Crystal gloss on lips with a rose liner.