French fashion has been inspirational for centuries and is best known internationally through exclusive brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gaultier. But there is a lot more to French fashion then unaffordable designer-wear. Another one of my favourite places to shop is Morgan de Toi, which translated into English means “Morgan for you”.

“Morgan offers exclusively creative items for women which are at the cutting edge of fashion, and that are displayed in an up market environment. The Morgan spirit is an identifiable French style that seeks to accentuate femininity and reflect seduction.”

Along with the romantic connotations of anything French, the Morgan label is about “the spirit of desire and seduction.”  Their clothing is sexy, slinky, sensual, contemporary and glamorous. They target confident 18–45 year old women with an alluring sense of style. Their sizes are very suited to petite small frames, which is why the second largest contributor to profits has been the Asian market (France being the first). They offer fully coordinated collections but specialize in knitted tops, knitwear, lingerie and accessories.

The playful and cheeky attitude of the brand is reflected in all of its items. This niche sets them apart from competitors  like Zara and Mango. What is most fantastic about the Morgan experience is their affordable prices. If you are feeling flirtatious and fancy a bit of affordable French fashion – be sure to pop into a Morgan store. You are sure to get an “ooh la la” from someone when you wear any one of their pieces.

The closest comparison to Morgan in the United States is Bebe – but then with an abundance of French flair. You’ll find Morgan stores all over Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and Central America.

Ordinarily I would have suggested that you stop buying summer items and concentrate on getting your autumn and winter wardrobes updated (and vice versa if you happen to be living in the southern hemisphere). This is because the retail cycle forces you to think a season ahead. However, there are three instances in which you should still be sifting through end of season summer rails:

1. If you expect to have at least 2-3 more months of hot weather
2. If you are planning a warm weather holiday in the middle of winter
3. If you can make those summer items work for you in autumn

With specific reference to the last point, find guidelines below on how to make a few summer sale items more versatile and less seasonal:

• Girly tops are great on their own in summer with a pair of walk shorts; and just as sweet in autumn with jeans, boots and a fitted piece of knitwear or cropped jacket.
• Denim walk shorts, despite their breeziness, will be warm enough when it gets colder if you wear them with long boots, a turtle neck and a long sleeved cropped military jacket or coat.
• Fitted collared shirts with sleeves of any length can be layered with camisole underneath, cardigan or pullover on top and any form of jacket or coat over that. It’s an especially good idea to buy white.
• Knitted wrap dresses are sexy with heels, and just as gorgeous in autumn with long boots, a denim jacket or cropped piece of knitwear. Consider wearing a knitted knee length dress over a pair of leggings or jeans if you are a dash more daring.
• Jailbird striped knitted tops are still a big statement next season, and can certainly be layered appropriately for chilly temperatures.
• Any black, cream, grey or red item of clothing is going to keep you current now and in the next 6 months. 
• Jeans are always a good investment!

Reinventing our summer items in autumn outfits is one way to get the most out of our wardrobe.

The versatile walk short (left) and jailbird stripe pullover (right) work for both summer and autumn/winter dressing.

Hopefully you’ve managed to do a thorough closet cleanup and gotten as far as the first part of closet organization. All that remains is to give your closet a system. Regardless of the space you have available, the guidelines below should help you get organized:

• Clothes, shoes and accessories only – try not to clutter your closet with all sorts of other items. The aim is to create a concise and efficient dressing area so that you can shop in your own closet every morning.
• Hanging space – assign each item of clothing to its correct hanger and group your hangers by category (e.g. group all shirts together, then all knitted tops together, and so on)
  • Dresses,  jackets, blouses, shirts should be hung on a simple wooden or thick plastic hanger
  • Skirts should be hung on clip hangers
  • Suits, pants, slacks, jeans and shorts should be hung on suit hangers
  • Fancy knitted tops and knitwear should be hung on padded hangers
  • Heavy coats and jackets are best hung on shaped hangers
• Shelving – fold and stack knitted tops, t-shirts, pullovers and sweatshirts into separate piles.
• Underwear, camisoles, socks and tights –fold and section each category into drawers using drawer dividers.
• Sleepwear – fold and place into a separate drawer or area in your walk in wardrobe.
• Sports gear – work out clothes, ski clothes, cycling togs, soccer kit or any other type of sports gear needs to be folded and kept in a separate drawer or shelf. These items should not be worn as everyday clothing unless you are actually engaging in the sport. If you keep them close to the rest of your clothing, you’ll be tempted to wear them day to day and that’s not stylish.
• Belts and long necklaces – hanging them on a tie rack makes them easy to access. Alternatively, hammering a small nail into a cupboard door for each separate accessory will also do the trick.
• Handbags – if you do not have a separate cupboard for your bags – placing them on shelves will also work. Messenger bags are best hung on hooks, while dainty evening bags and clutches are best filed side by side or stacked in a drawer.
• Shoes – shoes need to be stored either on shoe racks or in canvas shoe files. If you do not have room to keep your shoes in your closet underneath your hanging space, then in the coat closet close to the front door is also a good idea.
• Scarves, hats, gloves and shawls – fold and stack these into boxes or baskets in your closet. If you have a large assortment, then group each category into its own separate box. These items are very seasonal and proper storage will keep them free from dust and moths.
• Jewelry – everyone has their own personal storage vessel for their jewelry. Whatever you select needs to be easy to access and kept dust free. There is little point in storing everyday jewelry far away from your clothes – you’ll forget all about them when it comes to dressing.  Keep your accessory boxes organized – if your jewelry is tangled, you won’t wear it.

You will still be able to use the above closet system if you share a wardrobe with someone else. For the ultra regimented, consider sorting your clothes not only by category, but by colour – it not only makes your closet look even more inviting – but it makes it even simpler when putting together your look for the day.

With a little organization, even those of us with modest closets will be able to experience some of the benefits of a very fancy, custom California Closet like the one above.

I was elated when I discovered Jockey modern briefs (see “Brilliant boy shorts“), but it turns out that they weren’t so easy find in stores. This was disappointing – they weren’t only comfortable, but had passed the washer and dryer test with flying colours (they retain their shape and size well if you tumble dry them on “low for knits”).

The good news is that they are available online in an assortment of colours at Bare Necessities.

These boy shorts truly live up to their promise of “no panty lines” and are extremely comfortable despite their centre front seam. Thanks to Sue once again for sharing her valuable findings with us – I intend to stock up immediately.