If you can lounge in style, you can certainly work from home with style. Whilst staying in your PJ’s or wearing funky sweats might be all that you can manage from time to time – it’s not a good daily habit. Dashing off to take a meeting, run an errand or to see a friend for tea in the middle of your work–at-home-day cannot be done in sweats.

What you’ll need is a comfortable and relatively casual yet put together look that you can wear every day, and easily dress up when you leave your home office and go into the outside world. 

The foundations (while you’re at home):

• Dressier knits – there is nothing more comfortable then a soft knit against your body. Think further than just a plain cotton cru neck t-shirt and select jersey knit casual tops with a bit more detail (e.g. sleeve or collar detail, rushing  and all over prints).
• Stretch shirts or tunics – wear woven stretch collared shirts for comfort and a bit of extra chic. A shaped collarless tunic is another dressier, yet casual alternative.
• Layers – create interesting layers with longer length camisoles underneath your dressier knits. Add fitted cardigans and pullovers to the top of knits and woven shirts.
• Stretch jeans and walk shorts – opt for wonderful walk shorts or jeans with a bit of stretch instead of work out pants.
• Socks and slippers – keep those feet cozy while you are at home and wear a pair of cute slippers or socks with your put-together casual look.

The finishing touches (when you step out):

• Fabulous flats – add a pair of fashion sneakers or funky slip-on clogs if you are wearing jeans.   A pair of thong sandals or ballet flats will work best if you are wearing walk shorts (you can wear these options with jeans as well).
• Trench, jacket or coat – invest in a nice trench or coat to wear when it gets colder, or pop on a cropped little non–denim jacket for those in between days.
• Accessories – add a belt and jewelry to your outfit if you have the time.
• Best bag – make sure that you carry a wonderful bag – whether it’s for holding your lap top, your wallet or nappies, there are plenty of options out there. A right bag finishes off any outfit.

When you return home, your shoes, coat and accessories come off and socks and slippers go back on. You never took off your casually stylish work-at-home clothes – you just dressed them up and down. This formula is equally effective for stay at home Mums who are constantly on the go with children – after all, that’s extremely hard work too! 

Zip-lock bags are a marvelous invention. I have a few alternative uses for them that you might find useful for your closet:

• Store clothing receipts – customers in America are given a mind blowing amount of latitude when it comes to returning and exchanging items. It’s therefore a good idea to keep your recent clothing receipts in a safe place – like in a big zip-lock bag in one of your dresser drawers.
• Store spare buttons – our clothing often comes with spare buttons that are not sewn into labels, but in plastic sachets that are attached to the price tag instead. Keeping these is important. Prevent losing these spare buttons by popping them into a zip-lock bag every time you purchase something new.
• Store to keep things dust free – the top shelf of a walk-in-wardrobe often gets dusty. It’s on this shelf that we tend to store items that we use infrequently like ski goggles and ski gloves. They won’t get dusty if you seal them in a zip-lock bag.

Keeping your closet space accessible and organized is a wonderful feeling – make sure that those cupboards are culled before you start buying your updates for the new season.

It has taken almost 20 years for red to come back as a major fashion colour. It’s just what the doctor ordered to brighten up a dark palette for autumn and winter. The revival of red goes hand in hand with the revival of ‘80’s urban punk chic this season. It’s the colour of power, love and good fortune – and a lot more versatile than you might think.

Everyone can wear red – and that includes redheads! Nicole Kidman was breathtaking in Moulin Rouge when she wore red. It’s a question of finding the correct shade and intensity, which depends on the undertone colour of your skin. Your skin can either have warm or cold undertones; and shades of red can either have yellow or blue undertones. It’s easiest to determine which undertone you tend towards by looking at the inside of your hands.

• Skin with warm (yellow) undertones should select tomato reds 
• Skin with cold (blue) undertones should select richer cherry reds. 
• Some people have both sets of undertones and can therefore wear both.

I have always thought of red as a basic colour, along with black, white, grey and tan, despite its ability to be bright. If it’s a colour that you are not used to wearing – consider it as an accent or accessory instead. Stay tuned for how to wear it with style.

It’s fabulously feminine to show a bit of leg, so hiding less-than-shapely ankles under long pants is not always an option. If you are going to show them off, it is best to avoid certain shoe styles and stick to others.

Avoid…

• Pointy flats – the thinness of the point makes your ankle look stumpy.
• High ankle straps – enclosing your ankle will draw attention to it.
• Kitten heels – the daintiness of the heel is not in proportion to the size of your ankle and gives you that “falling over” effect.

Choose… 

• Loafers or clogs – the more substantial the shoe, the more in proportion it will look.
• A simple thong – the detail is around your toes, thereby drawing attention away from your ankle.
• Shoes with chunky heels – wedges and stacked heels will help balance the broadness of your ankle.

Finally, avoid tapered pants and pants cropped at the ankle – they are like spotlights on an area that you would prefer not to highlight.

Examples of footwear that will slim down thicker ankles – loafers, chunky heeled Mary-Janes and a pair of espadrille wedges (all from Zappos.com).