I see closets full of beautiful skirts and the tags are still attached. These skirts are often closet orphans because their owners don’t have tops to accompany them. As a result I end up doing a lot of “skirt-top-matching” when I shop with my clients.

So I am proposing a new rule: Don’t purchase a skirt unless you purchase the accompanying top at the same time, or you already have a top that will work in your closet.

Retailers are also at fault. They don’t seem to offer sufficient top options alongside their skirts. Unless they are belted and blouson’ed, tops must be shorter and more fitted to work well with skirts. Retailers often cheat on mannequins by pinning, tucking and layering the wrong type of top with skirts to create an attractive ensemble. We’re lured to the outfit, try it on, love the skirt and loath the top because it’s not a “skirt top”, but leave with the skirt and welcome another orphan into our wardrobe. Sound familiar?

Stop this from happening by following the skirt rule. Do not be tempted by gorgeous skirts unless you know how you’re going to complete the ensemble by the time you get home. If you don’t, chances are high you’ve wasted your money.

This top is available in regular and petites and has just gone on sale at Banana Republic for $29.99. It looks pretty good with skirts and is better in the flesh, so don’t judge it too harshly from these pictures. It’s very short and fitted, but not too clingy (look at how short it is on the pant-wearing model). It might be your solution for an orphan skirt.

Outfit variation is a controversial point in the fashion and style world. Some stylists feel that sticking to one ensemble formula is great, whereas others believe you don’t have style unless you wear an assortment of silhouettes. Nicole raised an interesting question on the forum:

“Should someone stick to one pant style because it’s the most flattering?”

For example, should you stick to straight leg pants because they look best, or is it better to throw in boot cuts and wide-legs once in a while? Nicole went on further to say that if you decided to stick to one pant style…

“It would be like eating chicken every single night, but using a different kind of dressing”.

I thoroughly enjoyed this analogy, but I think you can have your cake and eat it too. I’m all for uniforms and diversity. No one should feel like they’re in a clothing rut; but wearing something less flattering or less comfortable for the sake of change is not the solution. Style rule number one is that we wear clothing that flatters our body type. If you happen to look great in many silhouettes, I say go for it because variety is the spice of life. But by the same token, you can maintain a stylish appearance when you stick to few silhouettes and wear them well.

I personally feel in a rut if I stick to one ensemble formula. I like a menu change and prefer to mix it up with different denim silhouettes, pant styles, dresses, skirts and a rainbow of colours. Throw in a different heel height and handbag combination and you’ve changed the entire flavour of your ensemble.

I encourage newness and ensemble variation with my clients because I fear that people get bored wearing the same silhouettes day in day out. But people don’t seem to get as bored with their outfits as I do. Some people are happy eating chicken every night. Are you? Do you wear a uniform, or do you change your outfit combinations daily? What are your favourite outfit combinations and why?

We’ve been saturated with colourful footwear choices this season and it’s a breath of fresh air. Pink, blue, green, yellow, red, purple, orange, turquoise and lime. Name the colour and you’ll find the shoe. So how do you integrate bright shoes into an ensemble?

• Pick up a colour in a top with your shoes. This is the obvious way of wearing bright shoes and my least favourite because it’s predictable. I personally prefer to mix it up. But matching in this way continues to make a stylish statement, so don’t feel obliged to mis-match if it’s not your style.
• Match bright shoes with the same colour handbag. This rule is flop proof because a matched shoe and handbag pulls an outfit together. Some stylists feel that this type of matching is passé but I believe it works, as long as you don’t try to match anything else of the same colour in the outfit. “Matchy-matchy” ensembles are not stylish.
• Wear bright shoes with a neutral ensemble. You don’t need to match shoes with your handbag or pick up another colour in your ensemble. Bright shoes make a statement on their own. They pack extra punch if you’re wearing neutrals like black, brown, white, cream, grey, tan or navy.
• Wear several brights of the same intensity. I’d limit an outfit to 3 brights at a time. A pair of jeans worn with an emerald tunic and cobalt blue handbag works with a pair of yellow shoes, if the brights are of the same intensity. Throw in a pair of baby pink shoes and you’ve lost the harmony.

Multi-coloured bright shoes complicate matters so stick to a single toned bright shoe. Red shoes are a particularly good choice because they’re bright, but operate like a neutral. And I’m beginning to have the same opinion about yellow.

The first example is matching the shoes with the bag, which pulls together an outfit with multiple brights. The other examples show a purposeful mismatch, where the brights make a statement of their own. This topic originated as a question on the forum. Go there for more discussion on integrating brights.

Nothing shouts Spring and Summer quite like the perfect pair of white jeans. It’s an absolute must in your wardrobe if you enjoy wearing denim. White jeans are the perfect bridging piece because they instantly make black and brown tops look Summery. Ensembles look fresh and contemporary when you add a white pair of bottoms and it’s one of my favourite warm weather looks. Buy white jeans and you’ve increased the ROI of your wardrobe.

You don’t need to be ultra slim to wear white jeans or pants. This is a fallacy. A flattering pair of pants or jeans is not about the colour, it’s about the fit and fabric. Denim is an especially good choice of fabric for white pants because it’s thick, 100% cotton, easy to launder and doesn’t require lining. Standard 5-pocket denim detailing is also easier to wear than side-entry pocket detailing because they don’t add bulk. I’ve popped loads of plus sized ladies and pretty pear shaped gals into white jeans and they look incredible.

White jeans are everywhere right now. Brands like Elie Tahari, the Loft, NYDJ’s, Joes, Hudson, Old Navy, Diesel, Gap, Seven for all Mankind Levis, David Kahn, Esprit and Mango are to name but a few. White does get dirty quickly, but that’s what washing machines are for. It’s worth it.

An assortment of white jeans in different cuts. Wide-legged white jeans are fun, but dramatic and eye-catching. Be prepared to stand out. I have two pairs of white jeans: bootcuts and skinnies. I wear them all Summer long and they feel magical each time I put them on.