These pieces were great on a few of my clients last week and are well worth a look. They also work well together in one outfit. 

The Gibson Equestrian Blazer is knitted, comfortable and great for casual settings. It has a fun back pleated detail and stay-in-place scrunched sleeves. I found that the back detail looked especially good on those who could fill it out. The curved hemline is flattering. For the most part it fits true to size. Surprisingly, the regular size works quite well on petites. It also comes in maroon and blush, but unfortunately those colours are not available online.  

The Sam Edelman Lisle Bootie comes in four colours but the red gets my top vote because dark red is the colour of the season. The rose gold zipper is a nice finishing touch. Its stacked low-ish heel is stable, and the footbed quite comfortable. They might run half a size big. These are Frye look-a-likes at half the price. 

The Halogen Ballet Neck Stretch Model Tee is super soft, long and ideal for ladies with shorter necks. Its length allows you to scrunch the sides so that it does not cling. It’s a super casual layering piece and fab pattern mixing tool. The tee is also available in solids, but the micro stripe has more personality. You might need to size up. 

Autumn is on the way which means layers, boots, scarves and jackets. Summer in Seattle is far too short, but I’m excited to wear my Autumn clothes again. Are you? 

Did you know that you can use a salad spinner as a sweater dryer? That using lip balm will help keep your shoelaces secure, or that spraying starch on white sneakers will keep dirt and grime at bay? Real Simple lists 75 clothing care tips and tricks that might come in very handy one day.

If you are looking for greener alternatives to dry cleaning, then check out these nine ways to wash your delicates from EcoSalon.

Do stretched-out cuffs on your favourite sweaters drive you batty? This easy three-step video shows us how to reshape pullovers and get them back in shipshape condition.

Fab Links from Our Members

Nadya in so many ways admires this enterprising bride and the dress she knitted for her special day.

Even though Annagybe is not on Team Polka Dot, she would happily carry one of these Yayoi Kusama for Louis Vuitton bags.

Laurinda likes these fashion accessories made from skateboard decks and recycled skateboard materials. She hopes that the eyeglass frames will be available for purchase soon.

New York Magazine did a round-up of the 50 most scandalous dresses in history (warning: some are quite graphic and probably not suitable for work). Angie thought the mix very interesting.

Joy reports that Interactive Product Group recently released “Fashion Hazard”, a new videogame set in the fashion world. It is described as a sort of Indiana Jones meets the runway, and the developers believe it fills a gap in their industry: action games with feminine appeal.

As a former plus-size MaryK is always happy to see lots of options in all size ranges. She points us to this Los Angeles Times article about how clothing lines are finally waking up to the plus-size market, and also enjoyed this feature about JilRo, a new Los Angeles plus-sized line.

This is an easy Fall and Winter smart casual outfit formula that is super practical in wet weather. The strength of the outfit comes from wearing three items in the same colour. In this case the trousers, jacket and shoes are all black. The black components, both on the top and bottom, instantly pull the look together by bookending the outfit. Furthermore, although the colour is the same, the textures of the black items are different: leather, wool and nubuck. This adds further outfit interest. 

I bet some of you already have the wardrobe components and could put this look together in two ticks. They are:

Black tapered trousers + sweater + black moto jacket + black booties

Tapered trouser hems showcase cold weather footwear in the best way, AND prevent your hems from getting soggy when it rains. These trousers are pleated, but you could wear flat fronts, cigarette pants or straight leg jeans. 

The sweater can be basic, although this one shows a bit of stitching interest. Choose any colour. You could also opt for a blouse, button down shirt or tee instead of the sweater.

The moto jacket is quite cropped, which lengthens the leg line. This outfit shows the sweater shorter than the jacket, but you have options. You could tuck in the top and add a belt. Or leave it untucked, thereby allowing the hem of the top to fall below the hem of the jacket. 

The booties are the third black item in the outfit, and they further strengthen the leg line by keeping the colour of the footwear the same as the trousers. 

Add a scarf and bag to finish off the ensemble, and wear jewelry as desired.

As with all the formulas, I sow the seed of an idea. The next step is to substitute the components so that they are more suited to your style preferences. For example, wear brown trousers, moto jacket and booties instead of black. Or keep the colour contrast between the three items low instead of the same. Wear brown trousers and booties, but throw in a burgundy leather jacket. Leave off the scarf.

Will you be basing outfits on this formula in Autumn and Winter?

There is fabulous merchandise to be bought throughout the year, but as a general guideline, the best merchandise is available in the first three months of a new retail season. 

There is good reason for this. Fashion buyers have budgets called “OTB”, which is short for “open to buy”. When buyers have OTB, it means that they have money to spend. Buyers will spend more of their OTB at the beginning of the season because they would like to give items as long as possible to sell at full price. If items are unsold at the end of the season, they go into sales at a heavy discount, which means lower margins and lower profits. Since buyers are front-loading their spending, the beginning of the season is where you will find the biggest variety in stores.

Buyers are also likely to spend their budget first on the items they think are the best. So if the buyer has a good eye (and is targeting your style preferences) then you will also find the best merchandise in store at the beginning of the season.

Although it is a decade since I worked as a fashion buyer, my interaction with people currently in the trade suggests that in most buying departments this is still true today. And I find that I have a much better experience in stores, for myself and for my clients, in the first few months of the season. Note that some companies work on a completely different model that is much less dominated by seasons. Zara, for example, makes decisions about things like fabric at the start of a season, but during the season they rapidly respond to what they think is working best in stores and change the collection as they go. Unlike most retailers, their almost completely vertical operation allows them to react to customer purchasing trends in close to real time.

For new Spring and Summer collections in the Northern Hemisphere, the best merchandise is available in February, March and April. For new Autumn and Winter collections in the Northern hemisphere, the best merchandise is available in August, September and October. 

If you are a die-hard bargain hunter, you’ll prefer to wait for end of season sales no matter what. If you shop eBay and discounted sites that sell season-old merchandise like BlueFly, Yoox, the Rack and Gilt, this shopping timetable does not apply. You have to scour those sites daily and snap up your size when it’s available.