Most fashion magazines are pushing pleated pants styling. You guessed it, another revived ‘80’s trend that took us well into the ‘90’s. I know I was not alone in wearing loads of unflattering pleated pants 20 years ago (especially high-waisted styles that were baggy on the thigh and tapered at the ankle). I even wore a bodysuit with pleated paper-bag jeans. Awful.

Most revived trends come with updated and innovative design improvements. For the last two seasons, the “new” pleated pant has been offered in two variations: slouchy and wide, or slick and skinny. The question is, do they look better than they did in the ‘80’s? Can some body types pull off pleated pants with style, or is this look beyond redemption?

I’ve got my own ideas on the recovered trend, but before I spill the beans I’d love to hear your thoughts. Yay or nay for pleated pants?

Wide and slouchy pleated styles.

Sleek and skinny pleated pants styles. The black pair are looking a little genie-ish.

I’m besotted with the grey footwear trend. I think I caught the bug when I saw the abundance of grey footwear in Paris earlier this year. We’re in Hong Kong this week and, if anything, the trend is even more pronounced.

Grey peds are an effective alternative neutral. The colour operates like a metallic without the glitz, which makes it a more versatile choice than neutrals like brown or navy. I’ve found that grey shoes add a refreshed edge to Autumn and Winter outfits. They also tend to soften the look. As much as I adore a great black ped, I’m enjoying and encouraging the refinement and newness of grey footwear this season.

I currently have grey Chuck Taylors and distressed titanium pumps. Both pairs are in heavy wardrobe circulation because they seem to “lift” my current clothing combinations. So much so that I am bringing home a pair of grey knee-high, slouchy boots and round toed, studded pumps from Hong Kong.

I love it when a single item like a new pair of shoes brings life to an existing wardrobe. Try adding grey shoes to your mix. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

An assortment of grey ballet flats, pumps, booties and boots. Those of you that are ahead of the game and own grey shoes, help me to convince others.

Ruffled clothing is a common trend that wafts in and out of mainstream fashion. But ruffled accessories and footwear are a little more fringe. I’m partial to dramatic ruffles so I’m all for this look. It’s a nice way of adding texture to an ensemble.

I started seeing ruffled accessories in London just over a year ago. My stylish sister-in-law who lives there sports a killer white ruffled pleather handbag with black tipping. It creates such a stir! Keri receives loads of compliments whenever it comes out to play. Quite the statement piece.

I was gifted a black, baby version of Keri’s ruffled handbag, tipped with zips instead of piping. The design is a winning combination of rock-chic-biker-tough and girly playfulness. The contrast is attractively eye catching and it always evokes a positive response. Ruffled shoes and handbags are not items I would wear every day, but they’re festive for the odd occasion.

Sport a ruffled accessory the same way you’d sport an animal print – one item at a time. Do not wear a ruffled shirt with a ruffled handbag or shoes because that’s “matchy-matchy” overkill. Less is always more.

My black ruffled handbag is a simpler and smaller version of the cobalt blue style above. Ruffles tipped with biker zips. So Angie. I don’t wear it with my biker jackets. It comes out with equestrian tweeds and modern-classic looks instead.

Long and lean boyfriend cardigans, another revived ‘80’s trend, are a key look for the season. They are fab layered over button-downs, camisoles, blousy tops and sleek sweet pea tops, either buttoned-up, or buttoned and belted at the waist. They also look quite nice belted over frocks. Look at how effortlessly Dani, Tanya and Debbie sport their boyfriend cardi looks.

Although the longer length cardigan is an easy and comfortable item to add to one’s wardrobe and a nice alternative to the more traditional cropped cardigan, I’m battling to get clients into the style. Eyes are not adapting to the tunic-y boyfriend as quickly as I had hoped. For some it’s a bad ‘80’s flashback, and others see it as a dumpy, hippy and unflattering look.

I like the look of these tunic-length cardigans, especially on taller gals. I think it’s a refreshing change and adds variety in stores. I do caution petites to keep their cardi a little shorter to balance out proportions.

Are you going to sport a boyfriend cardi this season? Has your eye adapted to the look? If not, why not?

An assortment of boyfriend cardigans (also referred to a “grandpa” cardigans). They can be worn open or closed, and belted or unbelted. They’re also available in the petites if you’re after a shorter tunic length.

I am impressed with the new Citizens of Humanity high rise amber cut jeans. I’ve had these on a whole slew of body types from slim-limbed inverted triangles, to adorable apples, boyish rectangles and curvy hourglasses. The results have been stellar (pretty pears also look fairly good in the amber cut, but they look better in Joe’s, David Kahn and Paige Premium).

The amber cut has a bootcut hem and is available in a range of washes. It’s higher rise is comfy, flattering and acts like a girdle at 8.5 inches in front and 14 inches at the back. The denim is very soft and does not grow.

Unfortunately you pay premium price for premium denim, so the cost is steep. But I highly encourage the purchase if the fit is fab and you can afford the dent in your budget. At the very least, try them on and compare them to your current jeans. That won’t cost a cent.

These are two of the COH amber cut washes available online. There are more washes available in stores. I much preferred the feel of the lighter denim wash against my skin in this cut because it was soft. You also might like to read this forum thread if you still doubt whether premium jeans are worth their price.

This might be a personal question, but I’m happy sharing the contents of my handbag. I don’t carry very much because I  change out my handbags often. Sometimes twice a day if I need a clutch at night. This strategy allows me to have many handbags, which is my consolation for being unable to have loads of shoes (fussy feet have small footwear wardrobes). Having an assortment of handbags also allows me to have fun with different looks, and sport a healthy posture.

This is it:

• Wallet
• Keys
• Cell phone
• Tissues
• Lipstick
• Small notebook and pen
• Business cards
• Travel-size tin of Nivea hand cream

I don’t need to carry books, gum, snacks, make-up case, sunglasses, medication, a camera, kids toys or a bottle of water. Greg’s wallet often ends up in my handbag when we go out, but nothing else. How is the contents of your handbag different to mine? Let us know in the comments if you are comfortable sharing this info.

It makes a big difference to the overall look of an outfit when you wear a white camisole under a white or cream button down, blouse, knitted top or piece of knitwear. It makes your white top look richer, crisper and whiter. The result is a more polished appearance.

I see many women wearing nude or white bras under their white tops and nothing else. Although the color of the bra works, it doesn’t look so fab. White tops are usually more transparent than other colours and the addition of a white cami gives the top the appropriate coverage and extra visual interest.

I’m all for creating contrast, but I don’t fancy the look of other colours under white. It never looks quite as magical as the crisp, clean impact of white on white.

Wallets should be stylish accessories just like specs and watches. It’s great when they reflect our fashion persona because we whip them out many times a day. They are also an extremely functional accessory that carries things of great value to us. All the more reason to make our wallets a wonderfully visual and sensible choice.

This is what I look for in a wallet:

• A bright colour. This is the first and most important requirement. I have never owned a wallet in a neutral shade. I need to identify my wallet in my handbag in an instant so that I don’t have heart failure. At the moment I’m sporting a tomato red, textured patent wallet that I absolutely love. It makes me smile every time I pull it out.
• A lightweight style. I do not like to carry heavy things in my handbag, so a plain style with little hardware is a must.
• Functional compartments. I need sufficient card compartments for my credit cards, driver’s license and other identity cards. I also need a large coin compartment that’s easily accessible. Unlike many people, I like to carry change and I do use it.
• A small size. I usually like a compact shape (3×4 inches) because I do not carry a cheque book and my wallet must fit into a clutch. However, a dear friend recently gifted me with a larger wallet shape that I would never have previously considered (3.5 x7 inches). But it’s only a quarter of an inch thick, and being so sleek keeps the wallet “small” and efficient. It’s still lightweight and fits into my clutches.

Wallets needn’t be branded, leather or expensive. They can be cheap as chips and just as fab. A client of mine sports a great white cracked patent wallet that she bought at Forever 21. It fetches a compliment each time she takes it out. But if you’d prefer to buy an expensive wallet that will see you through for 5-10 years than that’s great too.

I see loads of sad, boring looking wallets that are overly stuffed and completely dysfunctional with broken zips, torn corners and loose stitching. Retire those poor wallets and opt for a better wallet system. I’m willing to bet that it will make a difference to your day.

An assortment of fun and practical wallets. I am currently using the red Lodis on the top left. Thank you Lori for making me try something new. I love my red wallet.

I was given a beautiful white ceramic Michele watch for my birthday a few months ago. I could wear a black dustbin bag with my new white watch and still feel fabulous. That’s how much I love this statement piece.

As I was hastily putting on my watch yesterday morning, I fumbled with slick hand-creamed fingers and it fell hard onto the tiled bathroom floor. The ceramic strap shattered into a hundred pieces. I felt ill at the sight of my smashed watch on the floor. I wondered whether I’d be able to get a new strap, or whether it could be fixed at all. I could scarcely believe what had happened.

I gathered the pieces and went immediately to the Nordstrom watch counter where the watch had been purchased. I told the sales attendant that I had a watch crises and explained how I had clumsily dropped my watch. I asked whether there was anything they could do and went on further to say that I would need my watch back by Wednesday because I was going on a trip on Thursday. I knew that I was pushing my luck.

The sales attendant replied: “Oh! I’m so sorry! Please don’t worry. If we can’t get you fixed up with a new ceramic strap by Wednesday, we’ll give you a brand new watch today”.

I gasped. “Really? Nordstrom would do that? But I dropped the watch.”

“Of course we’ll do that”, she said. “We want you to have your watch on your trip.”

I was speechless.

It turned out that my watch would take six weeks to fix, so I was wearing a brand new Michele watch a few hours later. I thanked the sales assistant profusely and she said: “Sure! I’m glad you’re happy. That’s a great watch and you should not be without it”.

This must be the best customer service in the world. I can’t imagine it happening in any other retail store. There would be little empathy and certainly NO replacement. I’ve been a loyal Nordstrom shopper for a long time, but this experience takes my loyalty to a new level. Thank you, Nordies.

Do you have a great customer service story to share?

As you have probably noticed, we’ve made some small changes to the site. First, Lisa Henderling updated my look to reflect current reality. Cropped hair, new specs and my typical uniform of skinnies, a girly woven top, tailored jacket and chunky pearl necklace. Even Jasmine and Rosie had a collar change. And although I’m wearing my red patent Kate Spade heels, I’m kind to my feet when I walk our girls. I’m either in flats or Converse for sure. We let Lisa have artistic license on this one.

Second, we’ve added some functionality to the forum.

• Profile links: Wherever they appear, the names of forum members now link to their profile page. Here you can find information about the member (whatever they choose to include in their profile) and see a list of their recent posts.
• Online members: The list of members currently online is displayed in the forum sidebar. These are also linked to the member profiles.

We love the sense of community in the forum, and we hope that making the profiles more accessible will allow members to learn a bit more about each other. It is very easy to add more information to your profile: just click “edit” alongside “Your Profile” in the forum sidebar.

As always, let us know if you have any comments or notice any bugs.