I often talk about the silhouettes of tops or toppers creating a flattering effect on shorter or longer necks. I assume that you knew whether you have a short, regular or long neck because it’s quite easy to tell. If you’re unsure, check out Imogen’s video on Inside Out Style on how to figure it out.

Basically, you take the widths of your hands without your thumbs and place them down the length of your neck until you hit the base of your collar bone. If you can place one hand down your neck, you have a regular length neck. If you can place more than a hand, your neck is on the longer side. Less than a hand, and your neck is on the shorter side. Make sure you sit up straight when you’re measuring.

This is not an exact science, but it does give you some idea. I know I have a very long neck because it’s easy to spot when I look at the proportions of my body. Imogen’s quick test confirms this. I can comfortably fit TWO hands AND an extra finger down the length of my neck until I hit my collar bone. My long neck looks even longer because it is exposed by my short hair. That’s why I like to shorten the length of my neck by wearing high necklines, and why V-necks are one of my worst necklines. The higher the neckline on my body type the better, and structure at the shoulder neck point is important.

Do the measuring test when you have a moment, and let us know in the comments what the test results yield. Does the test confirm your neck length suspicions, or are you surprised?

I like earth tones, but they are not a wardrobe staple. Every so often I add a small dose of them to my style because I am drawn to them, and thoroughly enjoy the change. SMALL is the operative word because I don’t fancy earth tones enough to make them part of my signature style. Over the years I’ve added wardrobe items in cinnamon, toffee, olive, tan, oatmeal, burgundy and cognac. The cinnamon and oatmeal components are gone, as is most of the toffee and tan, and some of the cognac. The burgundy and olive capsules are intact, although I’m not in the mood for them quite as much this season. So they’re happily hibernating in my wardrobe with the rest of my things until my mood changes.

With earth tones at the forefront of retail this season, I thought I’d be adding back in a small cinnamon component. Instead I’ve unexpectedly added mustard. The decision is based on emotion and not logic. It’s nothing more than feeling mustard more than cinnamon at this stage of my style journey. Mustard is a form of yellow, and I find yellow very versatile for my style. My late Mum loved mustard, so it’s nice to have a bit of her palette running through my style.

I’ve had very small components of mustard in my wardrobe for a while. A patterned velvet jacket with mustard flowers. A polo pullover with mustard trim, and a pair of mustard velvet pants. When I’m in a maximal mood — which happens frequently these days — these items can be combined in one outfit because the mustards match and the silhouettes are complementary. Here are the exact OLD items.

I recently saw the Converse Gore-Tex Waterproof Lugged Sole High Top Sneaker and had to try them because leather hi-tops are my go-to casual footwear option for six months of the year. They looked yellow in the stock photo, but are more mustard in person. I hadn’t planned on embellishing my mustard capsule, so the colour caught me by surprise. Keeping these hi-tops meant that I would ideally need to add a couple more mustard components to my capsule in order to create a wider range of outfits that I could wear them with. It was at this moment that I needed to decide whether I was going to keep the hi-tops, and continue building my mustard capsule.

I waited two weeks for my intuition to tell me whether I should keep or return the hi-tops. I liked the way they looked, felt, and moved, and they’re a slam dunk for my climate and lifestyle, so that part was sorted. I woke up one morning, saw them in my dressing room, and it felt right to keep them. So I did. I’ve worn them a few times already and I LOVE them.

I don’t need to wear mustard in an outfit to wear the hi-tops because I’ll happily throw them in as a stand-alone statement shoe. But it’s nice to have the option of matching the mustard with items in my outfit. Since I had a patterned jacket and pullover, and solid pants covered, I was after a couple of solid mustard items to wear on top. Tops that match the mustard hi-tops would allow me to create a wider range of interesting and layered outfits.

As it turns out, I had mustard on my mind because I’d earmarked a mustard button-down shirt and cabled pullover from Boden before I’d committed to the hi-tops. These were exactly the right two solid tops to add to my capsule because I’m into classic tops on this leg of my style journey, and I want to layer shirts under pullovers again. The puzzle pieces fit, and it was all meant to be. Coincidentally, four of the five mustard components are from Boden so the mustards match perfectly AND match the mustard of the hi-tops. Here are the exact NEW items:

I did a quick outfit creation session with the old and new components of the capsule to make sure I was happy with the silhouettes, styling, crisp factor, and their mix-and-match ability. YES, this takes time, but it’s so worth it. I can wear mustard from top-to-toe, wear it as a top and footwear, just as footwear, just as a top, and as bottoms and footwear. I can also remix mustard with the dark blue, red, fuschia, orange, and white components of my wardrobe, which I have in abundance. There are plenty of exciting-to-me new outfit options here with the addition of three more mustard items. I can also remix the old with the new. I’ve worn all of the mustard items already, and am enjoying earth tones my way. My small and versatile mustard capsule is complete.

These items have been winners on clients and forum members recently precisely because they are clean and quite basic. Don’t underestimate the need for simple items that don’t have interesting bells and whistles. They can become wardrobe essentials and make statement clothing, footwear, and accessories shine. Some items are classic, some trendy, and there are lots of colours to choose from.

1. Franco Sarto Luca Bootie

These booties are very soft and quite comfortable on a low and regular volume foot. Personally, I found the slanted stacked heel a little unstable and too high, but no one else did. They are the type of sleek and simple bootie that can work with just about any outfit. They work well partially exposed under flares and bootcuts, or completely exposed under dresses, skirts, cropped pants and shorts.

2. Everlane Cotton Mockneck Crop

This trendy little pullover is 100% cotton, and looks awfully crisp, neat and tidy. It’s fluid and short thereby working well over trendy high-rise bottoms WITHOUT the need to tuck or semi-tuck. I don’t know why they’ve styled every colour tucked into bottoms, but it’s unfortunate. The full-length sleeves layer well under coats and jackets.

3. Boden Elina Sweater

This is an extra soft, classic pullover that is gently fluid and very comfortable. It works well untucked and partially tucked. The contrast tipping is playful and adds a sporty integrity. Take your pick between a crew neck or V-neck, and layer under jackets and coats with ease.

4. Lululemon On Repeat Dress

This dress is great on a curvier petite. It’s very comfortable, casual, and easy to launder. The boxy cut makes it practical and easy to move in. It has a cowl collar that is removable, so click on the link to see the dress with the collar. It comes in cream and grey, and can work over leggings or jeggings. Great pockets.

5. Eileen Fisher Eddy Derby Oxford

Platforms and flatforms are trending, and these chunky oxfords are very comfortable. The soles are quite flexible. The cognac suede is the softest of the options, and the most striking with the striped sole. They work well for a higher volume foot, and look great worn with cropped pants, full-length flares, skirts and dresses. Super cute with any type of black hosiery.

6. Everlane Soft Cotton Crew Sweater

Another 100% cotton pullover that is longer than its mock crop cousin. Fab if you’re allergic to wool. Gently fluid with a clean and crisp fit. It has a subtle high-low hemline that looks great worn UNTUCKED, so ignore all the tucked styling. Layers well too.

7. Blondo Elvina Waterproof Bootie

Almost every one of my clients who tried these on, has taken them home. Waterproof, classic, comfortable, and versatile. Make sure you can manage the heel height, which is stacked and stable. The bootie had quality issues in the past with what was probably a defective batch of the repeat style. But there are too many rave reviews to ignore how well the bootie can work. And this season, there have been only raves from clients.

A Ralph Lauren “Friends” collection, an online class from Anna Wintour, and more news from the fashion trenches this month.

• Victoria Beckham is branching out into beauty with a make-up collection.
• Here’s a peek at the Fall 2019 Keds x Kate Spade collection.
• Anna Wintour is teaching her first ever online class, covering “creativity and leadership.”
• Photographer Peter Lindbergh, whose work appeared in magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, has passed away.
• Rebecca Minkoff is teaming up with Stitch Fix for a size-inclusive collection.
• Luxury conglomerate Kering, which owns Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, and Balenciaga, is committing to become carbon neutral.
• Giorgio Armani will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2019 Fashion Awards later this year.
• ASOS now has a responsible edit section on its website, which they say is “your one-stop home for all the environmentally-conscious clothing, accessories and living items at ASOS.”
• For the 25th anniversary of “Friends”, Ralph Lauren has created a a curated collection of items celebrating its role on the show.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that The Gap was founded in 1969 by a real estate professional, and started out as a one-store location in San Francisco. And that during the first three months they sold Levi’s jeans and records.