You bat for Team Black Footwear if you prefer wearing black shoes above all other neutrals and non-neutrals. You bat for Team Non-Black footwear if you prefer wearing shoes that aren’t black. Any style of shoe counts.

All my clients wear black shoes, but some do more frequently than others. When clients have very dark hair and wear a lot of black, black footwear is often their go-to. Others prefer brown, grey, navy, burgundy, animal print, olive or metallic. A few prefer wearing light, blush, and bright footwear, and white sneakers are extremely popular. I am the only person I know who prefers to wear white footwear above all other colours.

I bat for Team Non-Black Footwear. I don’t have any black footwear after passing on my tall black riding boots last year. I don’t plan on purchasing black shoes. I wear black sparingly, and prefer to bookend my platinum blonde hair with light footwear. Black footwear tends to look off with the sour brights, clear mid-tones, pastels, white, dark blue, and earth tones that I like. I have three pairs of navy shoes and that’s it for dark shoes. I’m very into red, blush, watermelon and citron footwear. Occasionally I wear gold and cognac shoes. I want to add a few pairs of light blue shoes with white soles.

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Black or Team Non-Black Footwear? Tell us why, and no batting for both teams. But there are vegan Beyond Burgers with fresh fixings on the bench if you can’t pick a side. I’m willing to bet that Team Black Footwear will win this poll, but prove me wrong.

London-based clothing label Saint & Sofia claims to be serious about sustainability. Their casual yet luxurious items are made of fabrics that are better for the planet. They use biodegradable packaging, regenerated materials, and will ship across the globe. Their items seem more affordable than most sustainable brands. Sizes run from US2 to US18, which isn’t as inclusive as it could be, but it’s a start. I haven’t seen, felt or fitted their items yet, but will report back on the quality when I do. Or perhaps you know the brand, and can share your thoughts.

Their design integrity is for those who like to wear a lot of casual black. It’s sporty and Athleisure, yet remixed with many modern classics and trendy silhouettes. The assortment includes lots of comfy knits, which make the vibe appealing for travel, staying at home, gals and Mums on the go, and very casual settings. The range includes a bit of solid blue, burgundy, teal, blush, white and grey, and a smattering of animal print in a sneaker. But most of their items are solid black. These items can be remixed with jeans and dressier items your way, making them quite versatile.

Here are some easy outfit formulas by the sustainable brand that caught my attention. You can either give the brand a go, or replicate the look with substitutes.

1. Comfy Column of Black

Combine a pair of wide leg black pants with a black tee, moto jacket, white sneakers, and you’re good to go. The pants can be knitted or woven, and are practical at the new shorter full length. The tee can be white or grey, or a turtleneck. Reproduce the vibe in dark blue, olive or charcoal if that’s more to your taste. To my eye the white sneakers make the look by breaking up the black and adding a crisp and trendy touch. Maybe metallic sneakers are more your thing.

2. Rock ’n’ Roll

You can take the top part of this outfit and match it with the bottom part of the first one. In other words, combine a pair of wide leg black pants with a black tee, moto, and statement grey scarf. Or keep it Athleisure with black leggings, or more structured with a pair of jeans. Add black, white or grey sneakers. A white, olive or grey tee or pullover will also work. The volume and two-toned interest of the scarf are what give the outfit its interest and drama.

3. Rocker Western

If you’re more of a skirt gal, try combining a flared midi skirt with a tee and moto jacket. Finish off the look with western combat boots. The blue, black and white palette works well, but you can switch the colours around. A black tee or pullover will work too. A short fitted top can be worn over the skirt instead of tucking it in. The black boots bookend the model’s hair and jacket. How fun are the pockets of the skirt! The jacket and boots give the outfit its structure so that it’s not all knitted.

4. Trendy Classic

Combine a pair of black trendy wide crops or shorter culottes with a tucked or semi-tucked grey or white tee, a black belt, and short black bomber jacket. Finish off the outfit with trendy white Seinfeld sneakers, classic slip-on fashion sneakers, or any other casual footwear that tickles your fancy. A denim jacket or moto can work instead of a bomber, and by all means add a scarf. Add jewellery, watch and headgear as desired.

It’s time for the annual wardrobe essentials post because despite how you feel about wearing, shopping, and purchasing essentials, you can’t get dressed without them. Boring to some, but essential to your style. 

In an outfit creation session with a new client recently, we battled to pull together head-to-toe outfits with her statement-rich wardrobe. She has beautiful wardrobe items that look gorgeous, fit well, and suit her and her lifestyle to a tee. Yet things weren’t working as well as she had hoped. It quickly came down to missing wardrobe essentials. In other words, her wardrobe lacked the “glue” that makes other items in her wardrobe work together to create complete and cohesive outfits. We made a list of the missing essentials, shopped for them, and it made all the difference.

To recap, wardrobe essentials are indispensable staples without which your wardrobe would not function. They are not to be confused with wardrobe basics, which are items like panties, bras, camisoles, socks, sleepwear, loungewear, hosiery, thermals, and simple workout wear.

Here are some characteristics of wardrobe essentials:

• They can be clothing items, footwear or accessories.
• They are versatile, current and simple in design.
• They can form part of your signature style.
• They are SPECIFIC items within a wardrobe category, and not the entire wardrobe category. For example, in your boot capsule, the simple heeled black booties might be the wardrobe essentials, rather than the bright red ones ones that make a strong visual statement.
• They are NOT statement pieces, but often create a pulled together look by complementing a statement piece.
• They are PERSONAL. What is essential to one person is not to another.
• They are often wardrobe workhorses.
• They are fabulous items to duplicate in the same or different neutrals.
• They are not usually the interesting part of the outfit, despite being an important ingredient.
• They make the rest of your wardrobe more wearable.
• They evolve over time to accommodate your changing sartorial preferences.

Your list of wardrobe essentials might be long or short, depending on your style. Some have styles that are rich in essentials, while others prefer a closet full of statement pieces. Either way, wardrobe essentials deserve your attention because they transform items into outfits, and make the outfit creation process a lot easier. Essentials are also excellent landscapes for showcasing statement jewellery, scarves, belts, footwear, rainbow hair, bags, and body art.

I’ve changed my essentials list quite a bit over the last twenty years. Blazers, moto jackets, black trousers, trench coats, button-down shirts and riding boots were slam dunk essentials in the past, but only one of these items makes my list for 2020. These days I wear as many blouses as shirts, and they tend to make a statement in a pattern or bright colour. I wear a large assortment of coats and jackets, but not just the classics. I don’t like wearing black footwear, and black trousers are more of a statement piece than an essential for my style. I’m down to one moto jacket in a statement shade of seafoam.

Here’s my current list across all four seasons with the exact pieces from my wardrobe represented in collections. There are changes to last year’s list, which is interesting and exciting to me. The changes are a result of an evolving style and lifestyle shift. My style is more colourful, bright, maximal, and pattern-rich than ever, which means that it’s heavy in statement pieces. I live in downtown Seattle and Salt Lake City which means that I commute on foot most of the time. This has made me even fussier about comfortable footwear, so I wear fashion sneakers and hi-tops very frequently. Most items are workhorses, so much so that I sometimes have duplicates of exactly the same colour in rotation.

Dark Blue and Black Knitwear and Knit Tops

I deliberately have more dark blue tops than black because I prefer them. I am done with solid black tops, but will continue to wear the few that I have. I like wearing turtlenecks because they keep me warm, and create flattering proportions by enclosing my long neck. I like wearing close-fitting crew necks because they work well with my pearl necklaces and shorten my long neck. The fine-gauge classic versions with a fluid, tailored or body-con fit are my “tee.” They layer well under jackets and coats. They also look great with skirts, jeans and trousers. I feel set in this area.

White Knitwear and Knit Tops

I wear cream in the Autumn and Winter, and white in Spring and Summer. The optical white crisp cotton yarn is perfect for warmer weather, especially in an open-knit weave. Again, these types of tops are my “tees,” so I wear them with all sorts of bottoms and as layers under toppers. I passed on four white wardrobe essentials last year, and will be looking to replace them. I’m always looking for simple and versatile solid white tops. I hope to throw some Summer wovens into the mix.

Blue Striped Knitwear and Knit Tops

Striped pullovers across a range of weights in shades of neutral blue and white have become year-round essentials. I have more Spring and Summer versions at the moment but that might change. I passed on four old striped pullovers last year due to bad pilling and might replace some of them. I enjoy their graphic classic vibe and their ability to add punch to a simple outfit. I like their versatile pattern mixing and layering ability under toppers too. I have a nice collection but am open to more because I do not tire of a classic stripe.

Trendy Blue and White Jeans

I’m wearing blue jeans less frequently as I opt for trousers, casual pants, white jeans, dresses and skirts instead. That said, blue and white jeans continue to form a large and trendy part of my style. Some of them are statement jeans, and others I view as essentials. The silhouette of my essential jeans changes with the trends. For this leg of my style journey, my essential jeans are high in the waist, cropped, and straight or wide in the hems. The thigh fits are tailored or roomy. My white essential jeans capsule needs a refresh as I move to wide leg silhouettes, and pass on some tapered styles. I don’t want to purchase more essential blue jeans this year because statement jeans with bells and whistles is my focus. I might demote my Levis Wedgie Jeans to “trail and gear” jeans because they don’t look trendy enough for my style anymore. My jeans style is happiest when I sport trendy and fashion-forward silhouettes, and I must keep on remembering that.

Denim Jackets

I have five denim jackets across a variety of lengths, washes, fits and silhouettes. Light, dark, fluid, tailored, short, long, blue and white. I wear them a lot in Spring and Summer with dresses, casual pants, skirts, and enjoy sporting the denim-on-denim trend too. I’ve had one of them for ten years, and it’s still going strong. I feel set in this area. I will add a statement denim jacket if I add another to my style this year.

Modern Classic Dark Blue Outerwear

I didn’t think of my dark blue coats and jackets across a range of thicknesses as essentials, but they are. I reach for most of them extremely often, just like you might reach for black or grey outerwear. They are versatile classics across casual and dressy silhouettes that work with most of my outfits. The long navy military coat is the most worn coat in my large outerwear capsule, and in its tenth year. I hope to add another ink blue military knee-length coat to my wardrobe this year.

White and Blush Footwear

I love wearing flat and very low-heeled footwear in shades of white because it bookends my platinum blonde hair and adds a crisp, graphic, interesting, and modern element to my outfits. When others choose black footwear, I usually choose white. I have a large assortment of white footwear, and am open to adding to my collection because it’s my thing. My go-to white footwear styles are white fashion sneakers and hi-tops, booties, shooties, loafers, ballet flats, and I have duplicates of many of the styles. I’ve also added my blush footwear into the mix because I wear blush footwear like white footwear. I wish I had a pair of blush booties.

Light Straw Hats and Beanies

I wear hats a lot more frequently than I used to, so they’ve become essentials too. I like to keep them light and low contrast to my head and hair to keep them versatile, and a good match to my essential white footwear. A classic and packable straw hat in white and tan for the Summer to shade from the sun. Cream beanies and a beret for the colder months because my ears get sore when they aren’t insulated against the cold. I’m open to more hats because my small head is hard to fit, so finding a great fitting hat is like finding treasure.

White Pearl Necklace, Monogram Necklace, Pearl Bracelets and Pearl Ring

I am a jewellery minimalist. I have custom-made real pearl necklaces, bracelets, and a wedding ring and that is all I wear in the jewellery department. Sometimes I wear all three items at once, or I choose between the necklace and the bracelets. I always wear the ring, and am adorned with white pearls daily. I also wear a gold monogrammed necklace that I layer with the pearls from time to time. I’ve just had a new pearl wedding ring made, and am excited to add it to the mix. I am set in this area.

White and Gold Apple Watch

Surprisingly, I started wearing a gold Apple watch with white strap at the end of last year, and love it. I managed to make the sporty look work with my white pearls and dressy style, and haven’t looked back. I love what it can do, and got used to the way it looked in five minutes. I am set in the watch department.

I have a large collection of handbags and dresses but they make a statement and are not simple essentials. My eyewear and small collection of scarves make a statement too. I’m off wearing most belts now that I wear tops tucked into high-rise jeans and pants and many with exposed button flies. It’s too much together with my pearls, specs, patterns, and high-contrast outfits.

You can successfully build a statement-rich style as long as you have the right essentials in place to make them wearable and versatile. A wardrobe full of essentials can lack excitement, sass and verve unless there are statement pieces to add interest, drama and personality. Find the balance that works for you, and make sure you update and adapt your curated essentials list as your style evolves over time.

Have a go at compiling your own wardrobe essentials list, and feel free to ask for help on our forum.

When knitwear pills, you have three choices. You can wear the pilled knitwear with little concern for how it affects the visual integrity of the garment. You can pass on items as soon as they show pilling. Or you can try to remove it. 

There are tools you can use to remove the pilling, or at least reduce the amount of pilling so that it’s not as noticeable. Brushes, shavers, combs, pumice stones, fuzz removers, and even a dead simple razor blade. Clients, friends and our forum members have had mixed results using these tools. Success rates range from okay to great depending on how much time and effort you’re prepared to spend. You need time, patience, a gentle hand, and good light.

I’ve passed on items that have pilled badly, and kept wearing slightly pilled knits. I used to send our knitwear to dry-cleaners who removed pilling with a brush and comb, and it was fabulous. Unfortunately, I haven’t used their services since we moved. Our new cleaners are very conveniently in walking distance from our home, but they don’t remove pilling from knitwear. So I’ve bought a bunch of tools and am going to give it a go at home. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

What is your knitwear de-pilling strategy?