Things are hotting up for the chance to win a $300 TJ Maxx gift card. Multiple outfits have already been posted and things are looking good! You have until midnight tomorrow (Friday 6 November) to post pictures of your outfits. Go, ladies! Many of you have flawless Maxxinista style.

In my neck of the woods, Winters are long and Springs are cold. As much as I would like to sport light weight items in Springtime, I end up wearing Winter clothing and footwear for a good part of the season. But I get bored, really bored, with my Winter wardrobe after wearing it for months on end. Most of all, I get tired of wearing black boots, black frocks and jackets and dark outerwear.

Because I desperately feel the need to refresh my look for Spring, I’ve learnt to build up an assortment of Winter weight wardrobe items that don’t look overly Wintery. The following items use colour to say “Springtime”, but will keep you warm:

• Light and brightly coloured footwear: You’re after shoes that you can wear with socks or hose, but that aren’t black and heavy. Think of boots, booties, loafers or oxfords in colours like grey, red, blue, chestnut, taupe, tan, cream and white.
• Light or brightly coloured coats, jackets and trenches: I wear a bright blue wool coat, a cream leather jacket and a quilted cream trench coat in Spring time. I hope to add a citron wool coat to my Spring outerwear collection too. Unless it’s really cold, my heavy wool grey coat and long black puffer will rest up until the following Winter.
• Light or brightly coloured knitwear: I actually wear brightly coloured pullovers and cardigans alongside their black and grey counterparts all through Winter. But bright knitwear is all I wear at the start of Spring. They are great layering pieces and signal to the world that warm weather is on the way.
• Textured nude tights: As far as possible I like to say goodbye to black and grey hose in Spring time. I prefer to substitute the look with flesh coloured micro fishnets or polka dot hose instead.

I sport brightly coloured scarves and handbags all year round, but consider introducing these in Spring if you normally stick to dark colours and neutrals for Winter.

Why post about this in Autumn when Spring seems so far away? Well, it might affect what you purchase for Winter right now. If you try looking for the perfect pair of tan boots in February, you probably won’t find them. And you might think twice about adding another pair of black boots, black frock or a black jacket into your Winter wardrobe mix.

Today we continue to work through the 10 casual Autumn formulas I blogged about last month, devoting a separate post to each outfit formula. With formula #1, formula #2 and formula #3 down, it’s on to formula #4. This formula is all about boot cut jeans so if that’s your favourite style of denim, this one is for you:

Jeans + tunic sweater + leather or pleather jacket + ankle boots

Here are the components of this formula in more detail:

• Jeans: You’ll need boot cut jeans, but straighter legs and trouser cuts will work just as well. Choose any wash and remember that black-black and grey jeans are great options too.
• Tunic sweater: Opt for knitwear that’s longer in length. Mid-thigh is best but you can go shorter if you’re petite. Form fitting tunics are lovely, but voluminous styles are more forgiving on the midriff area (think empire cuts and banded styles). If tunic sweaters are too warm, opt for tunic button down shirts, tunic T’s or tunic knit tops. Remember that you can belt a tunic to rein in some of the volume so don’t dismiss the idea yet! Of course, wearing a normal length top with pants is always an option if tunics aren’t your thing. But I’m encouraging banded 80’s style tunics because the look is “new”, forgiving and very comfortable.
• Leather or pleather jacket: It’s the jacket that adds structure to this formula and there are countless styles of leather and pleather silhouettes this season. Think beyond black leather and try colours like cream, caramel, burgundy, teal and blue. If you don’t like biker jackets, opt for bomber styles, classic blazer and peplum looks, or groovy belted 70’s vibes. The jacket can be short to add a dramatic layering effect over the tunic, or longer for a more streamlined look. After dressing many women in this formula, I’ve found that empire cut tunics look best when matched with longer length jackets. A cropped jacket tends to look best over a streamlined tunic that tapers in at the hem when worn over jeans. If leather and pleather are not your preference, complete the outfit with a corduroy blazer, military jacket or retro trapeze jacket instead.
• Ankle boots: Casual flat ankle boots are a no-brainer, but you might like to try cowboy boots too. Short Dr. Marten boots will also work and so will styles with a low heel or wedge. Once again, think beyond black and try footwear in colours like tan, blue, grey, red, eggplant and burgundy. We tend to wear lots of black, brown and grey tops in Autumn and Winter so adding an unexpected colour with footwear makes a refreshing change. Ankle boots are not your only option here. Swap them out for converse sneakers, flat oxfords and loafers if you want to wear cozy socks, but ballet flats are also great when it’s warm enough to go sockless.

Notes on the accessories for this formula:

• Scarf: Scarves are not essential, but they’re always visually appealing. Versatile pashmina wrap-style scarves are my top pick because they look great both indoors and outdoors. Silky scarves are just as fab, but not as casual. I’m not particularly fond of neckerchiefs because they cut your long lean line, but they can work if you have a long neck. Scarves are best when tied vertically (like this, this and this).
• Handbag: A flat tote is the obvious choice, but if you need both hands free to attend to little ones, a cross body bag is the solution.
• Accessories: You know the drill, attend to your specs first and your watch second, because they’re the most important accessories on your body. A statement necklace is a nice alternative to a scarf and earrings add a nice touch.

And now some examples. The first is an interpretation on the daring side of modern classic, the second is more trendy and urban, while the third is bohemian and earthy. Remember that this is a formula, so you can substitute the items in the visuals for those that that are more to your taste. Also, clicking on the pictures will take you to Polyvore where you can see the individual items, but take the specific items I chose with a grain of salt. I selected the items purely based on what was easily available and what made the right visual impact. So I am not suggesting that you need a $21,000 Cartier watch to make the modern classic look work.

Modern Classic

Trendy & Urban

Bohemian & Earthy

I like to sport formula #4 with converse sneakers and loafers because I don’t own flat casual ankle boots. But I’ll sport a smart casual version of the formula with dressy heeled ankle boots or booties and a silky blouse instead. Mums on the go, I’d love to hear your suggestions on how to improve this formula.

A $300 gift voucher from TJ Maxx is up for grabs! All you have to do to participate in the competition is show your Maxxinista style. According to TJ Maxx “a Maxxinista is a confident, savvy woman, who knows that she doesn’t have to break the bank to wear designer labels and look fabulous”.

Here’s how to enter:

• Find a fabulous outfit that represents your best Maxxinista style. Note that the items you wear in the outfit don’t need to come from TJ Maxx.
• Upload a picture of yourself in this outfit to Flikr or Photobucket. You can shoot a photo especially for the competition, or use an existing one. Be sure to post a good quality photograph because it will make your outfit shine.
• Tag your photo “Maxxinista”.
• Link to the photo in the comments below and be sure to tell us why you think it epitomizes Maxxinista style.

We’ll accept entries until midnight Friday 6th November. You may enter as many times as you like, but each outfit must be different.

I’ve asked Dianna, the super stylish Budget Babe to pick the winner of the competition. I had the pleasure of meeting penny-wise, ultra lovely and well put together Dianna at the TJ Maxx event in Boston last year and I trust her style sense implicitly. Good luck lasses! We can’t wait to see your outfits.

Update: Thank you for the fantastic entries! The judging is underway and the winner will be announced on Tuesday morning.