We spoke about sassy sweatshirts a few months ago. Well, they’ve just become sassier. Hello sweatshirts bedazzled with studs, rhinestones, beads and sequins. Some of them are even coated with a metallic layer for extra glitz. 

Wear a blingy sweatshirt with jeans, leather bottoms, combat pants, trousers or a skirt. I also like them layered over an untucked white or plaid shirt. Of course, some sweatshirts are more embellished than others. Go subtle, hectic, or somewhere in between. 

Most of my clients enjoy wearing soft knitted tops that are “an easy pull on and go” for casual wear. So I’ve been suggesting sweatshirts with bling as a fashionable alternative. Just for fun and to change things up from the casual tops they usually wear. 

Some clients have embraced the blingy sweatshirt wholeheartedly, whereas others are not at all convinced. I understand the latter viewpoint because sweatshirts are extremely casual — why adorn them with formal bling and then wear them both casually or with dressy items? It’s dress code confusion. 

Thing is, juxtaposing very casual with very dressy in one outfit is probably the look of our fashion era. And the juxtapositions become more extreme each year. High top sneakers matched with dressy skirts. Flannel shirts worn under sequin vests. Distressed jeans worn with patent stilettos. Ball gowns worn with rugged boots. Track pants worn with silk blouses. T-shirts worn under tuxedo jackets. Sweatshirts worn with heels. All in the name of fashion. 

Although I am not into wearing any form of sweatshirt because I just don’t wear knitted tops other than knitwear (sweaters), I love this concept. I vote yay for fashionable blingy sweatshirts. What’s your verdict?

I have a leave no retail stone unturned philosophy and I take my clients shopping at a wide range of retailers. But we always pop into Nordstrom and the Rack because they stock many different brands, which means a large assortment of sizes, fits, style sensibilities, fabrications, quality levels, colours and price points — all in once place. We are very likely to find something that works for my client.

Long story short, I’m in Nordies often and I know their merchandise quite well. So over the next six weeks, I’ll be sharing my top picks for some areas of their range that catch my eye. I’m kicking off the series with a list of my favourite fancy jackets: 

• Heed Lace Necklace Jacket: A fitted lace jacket with bling in midnight blue that is every bit as romantic and dandy as it is on trend. It’s avant-garde pieces like this that have high longevity and are always in style. I love the longer back hem and cascading silhouette. You might need to size up a size.

• Bellatrix Lace Print Blazer (Plus): Patterned blazers are fun and different. This flop proof little classic can be dressed up or down with spunk. Tailored, lightweight and flattering. Available in regular and petite sizes too. 

• Topshop Floral Print Open Front Blazer: This one double duties into Spring (and Summer if you live in Seattle). I adore the modern and masculine vibe of the low stance and welted pockets. 

• Truth & Pride Coated Lace Bomber Jacket: Bomber jackets are fringe trending, and this one is on my wish list because of its boxy and boyish cut. Perfect juxtaposition with the feminine lace. Fab over a pencil skirt, leather track pants, slouchy trousers, or jeans. 

• Juicy Couture Convertible Tuxedo Tail Jacket: Dramatic and theatrical. The tails are detachable, which means that you score a cropped tuxedo jacket at the same time. Wear it over jeans, trousers, a pencil skirt or sheath dress with the tails attached.

Jackets transform an outfit like no other piece. To my mind, more so than even a great pair of shoes. Their structure and attitude set the mood of an outfit, which is why I feel powerful and pulled together when I am wearing one. 

I’m sure you have experienced this situation. You wore an item very frequently last season, yet you hardly wear it this season, if at all. The item fits well, is comfortable and is in good shape. You still like the style, the colour, and the way it makes you feel when you wear it. So why has it gone from workhorse to orphan in a single year? 

When this happens to one of my wardrobe workhorses I can usually attribute the change in status to one or more of the following three reasons: 

1. Something better came along: I’ve found other items that make me feel more fabulous than last year’s wardrobe workhorse, so I reach for those instead. The metallic tweed jacket that I wore all Spring and Summer last year, has barely come out to play this year because I reached for my citron blazer over and over again. Wearing citron made me feel happier than metallic grey.
2. Too much of a good thing: I wore this item to death last year, so although I still like it, part of me is also sick of it. I wore my Fiji Mary Janes SO MUCH last year and the year before, that I was a little sick of them this year. 
3. It’s not you, it’s me: My changing style preferences have created a new set of wardrobe workhorses. My floral body con midi dress has been waiting for an outing, but my new trouser-crazy self who prefers looser fits has been ignoring it all year.

The big question is whether to pass these items on since they haven’t had much style action in the last year. For someone who follows a strict one-in-one-out wardrobe principle, passing them on would create wardrobe space for new items. But I’m not parting with these items just yet because I still like them enough to hope that I’m going to wear them again next year. If they go through another year of being unworn, I’ll probably pass on the jacket and the shoes, but not the frock because it’s timeless and sentimental.  

Have you worn something with high frequency in one year, only to see it orphaned the next? Do my reasons for this shift resonate with you? Do you hold onto items that you haven’t worn for a year, or do you pass them on no matter what?

I’m not embarrassed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Twilight series of movies (I didn’t read the books). So a few weeks ago Greg, Rosie and I took a little road trip to Forks and the surrounding area, which is where the Twilight stories were set and is about four hours drive from Seattle. We had a ball! 

While there I wore this woodsy outfit, which feels to me like a combination of the styles of the main Twilight protagonists, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. We had every intention of shooting the outfit in the Hoh rainforest near Forks, but the rainforest was true to its name and it was just too wet. So we ended up taking these photos back home in our own woodsy arboretum, minutes away from where we live. The sun unexpectedly came out to greet us, which was extra fab.

I am following my own outfit formula for bundling up for a woodsy walk. I wore a flannel shirt Bella-style, which I realize after our discussions about casual plaid shirts last week, is not everyone’s cup of tea. But I fell in love with casual plaid shirts all over again and with J.Crew’s ivory tartan shirt in particular. It’s super soft and very cozy. I like to wear it buttoned to the top with a popped collar and scrunched sleeves. I also prefer a boxy torso fit because the effect is “more boyish”. 

I’m wearing my slouchy skinnies because I prefer that silhouette tucked into mid-calf boots these days. The roominess of the proportions looks and feels refreshing to my eye. From now on, no more purchasing of tight skinnies. I’ll happily continue wearing the ones I already have, but will only purchase slouchier looks.

It’s far too cold to walk around in just a flannel shirt at the moment so I had to pack on the layers. I hinted that I wanted that classic navy and cream striped turtleneck from J.Crew. Well, I got it and couldn’t be happier with it. I often wear it on its own, layered under a jacket or coat. And it’s also fun to wear over a plaid shirt for a pattern mixed effect when the cuffs and hem peek through. The elbow patches are playful and the wool blend is itch-free.

Although I’m no longer into the rugged boots vibe for my own style, I love the few pairs I have, like my 20 eyelet Dr. Martens and these shorter brown Donald Pliner biker boots. You saw them worn with an equestrian jacket and tighter skinnies last year. They are warm, weatherproof, very comfortable and perfect for muddy, wet, slushy weather. An absolute must when you live in Seattle. 

I’ve had an ink blue wool coat on my shopping list for years. It had to be knee-length and double-breasted, with shiny buttons and a military integrity. In other words, quite androgynous. I was not prepared to compromise on this styling requirement because I needed the vibe to be classic enough so that it could be worn with just about anything. After all, mixing up timeless classics with on trend items is the foundation of my style. I eventually found exactly what I was looking for at yoox for a steal. 

Greg calls this my Edward Cullen coat, and quite right, it does remind me of the character’s style in the Twilight movies. I like this coat best worn open because the double breasted fronts hang in an interesting way. It’s pretty lightweight, which suits me fine because I already have an assortment of warmer wool coats. 

I didn’t need a scarf because I was wearing thermal undies and a turtleneck. And actually, I like the more minimal look of no-scarf. Unfortunately I forgot my black leather gloves, which would have been most welcome (it’s no coincidence that my hands are in my pockets in most of the photos). Specs, watch and wedding ring are all I need in the accessory department. No bag required for this woodsy walk. 

This outfit went from looking like I was wearing a pajama top with jeans, to a cuddly look with the layered sweater, to a tailored and strict vibe with the coat. The only girly part of the look is my blush lipstick. In fact most of the pieces in this ensemble look like they might have been bought in the menswear department. Yet I feel feminine wearing this outfit because it’s still girly me underneath the clothes.