Fashion is a complex melting pot of sartorial choices, where almost anything goes as long as you add an intentionally on-trend component to the outfit. Individualism is the most important trend of all, and it’s extremely liberating. Now more than ever, we’re celebrating style diversity and the many, many ways to look stylish. Take the PERSONAL in personal style to heart because you have the power to pick and choose from the trend buffet, and sport it your way.

After a well-received trend report, here are my suggested must-haves for the cold-weather season. They cut across all body types, ages, price points and lifestyles.

1. Rock Earth Tones

Rock them heavy or rock them lite. Think colours like all shades of tan, cream and chocolate brown, toffee, cinnamon, olive, burnt orange, cognac, harissa, mustard, camel, sage, forest green, taupe and a very brown shade of burgundy. Wear earth tones across any clothing item, pair of shoes or accessory. Stick to brown leather or wear earth tones in a pattern if that’s more your thing. And feel free to wear earth tones with your favourite colours.

2. Enjoy Animal Print

There’s an animal print for everyone. There’s classic leopard and cheetah that goes the distance, but don’t forget giraffe, pony, cow and snakeskin. Think animal print in neutrals AND non-neutrals. Any colour of animal print is fab, and in any wardrobe item. Wear it as a statement clothing item, or stick to accessories and footwear.

3. Bring Back Full-Length Bootcuts

Bootcuts that are NOT cropped are back with a vengeance. Wear them with a higher rise and showcase the rise with a tucked, semi-tucked, or shorter top. Sport them with sneakers, flats, or very low heels for an updated look.

4. Nod to Western Wear

Think Western boots in any way at all. Cowboy boots are having their fashion moment, although they’re an iconic classic. Think belts with western buckles, tiered skirts, ruffled shirts, prairie dresses, fringed jackets, suede, and cowboy shirts.

5. Release Red

A true Christmas red is THE red of the season, but feel free to sport any shade of red across any wardrobe item. It’s a versatile colour that works with just about any neutral and non-neutral to my eye. And if you dare, sport it with shocking pink.

6. Create a Maximal Effect

It’s about wearing “it all” together to create a harmonized whole. That means remixing patterns, textures, colours, layers and silhouettes, because the only limit to the aesthetic is your own tolerance for the combination. Sport multiple accessories, combine a range of colours and patterns, dress in multiple visual layers, and don’t forget dramatic nail polish, rainbow hair, and make-up. Feel free to interpret maximalism as fully as you see on the catwalks, or tone things down considerably.

7. Add Structure to Your Outfit

Structure is about accentuating the actual shape of your body, like defining the waist and hips, the shape of your arms and legs, or the shape of your shoulders. So think TAILORING. Sport beautifully tailored jackets, dresses, trousers and skirts. Sport form-fitting tops. Add a waist-defining belt to outfits. Wear jackets and coats with waist ties. Tuck and semi-tuck tops into bottoms to showcase waistlines and high rises.

Remember that a structured outfit needn’t be structured or body-con from head to toe. A fit-and-flare dress is structured up top, but voluminous from the waist down, creating a balance of tailored movement.

8. Lengthen the Blazers

It’s a jacket and cardigan season, and not a pullover season. That means that knitwear is simple and basic so that it can be layered under a jacket like a blazer. Remind yourself of the beauty of the blazer, and sport one. A longer length ‘90s inspired blazer looks the most trendy, although short blazers look awfully good with flared dresses and skirts. Blazers don’t need to be stiff, corporate and conservative. They can be fun, festive, and a nod to the Structure trend. Blazers can also be layered under coats so that you can wear them through Winter.

9. Add the Flair of a Fashion Era

Individualism means that it’s thoroughly modern to be Modern Retro. The most universally stylish, and probably your favourite silhouettes date back to fashion eras gone by, which we can remix today with a good dose of Current. Pick an era(s) and weave its sensibilities into your style. The ’70s, ‘80s and ‘90s are particularly popular at the moment but if you’re a ‘60s gal, or love the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s — go for it. I’m hopelessly devoted to the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

10. Wear Midi Skirts & Dresses

Longer length skirts and dresses are the most on trend. Choose heavier weight dresses with sleeves, add fun hosiery, jacket/gilet, any length of boot, a scarf and statement coat. Or combine Winter skirts with knitwear, hosiery, boots, oxfords or pumps. Throw a blazer, jacket and/or coat over the top.

IMPORTANT: You do NOT need to be tall to wear midi lengths. Wear the lengths in proportion to your height and you’re good to go. My 4ft 9 friend rocks midi skirts with flats with the best of them. Enough said.

11. Lengthen the Rise

It’s all about showcasing a high or very high rise in all sorts of pants and jeans, which means tucking or semi-tucking tops. You can also wear a shorter roomier top to showcase more of the rise if you’re not a tucker. Go for a mid rise if you’re short in the waist.

Showcasing the high rise of jeans and pants is part of the Structure trend, but you don’t need to wear tight bottoms or a form-fitting top. You can indicate the rise and waist by semi-tucking a fluid top and wearing bottoms that are a relaxed fit on the thighs.

12. Tick off Tartans & Checks

Think any type of check, tartan or plaid in any neutral or non-neutral, and in any wardrobe item. Pattern mix the checks with animal print, if you dare. If a plaid scarf is the only way you sport checks, that’s fab too.

13. Play with Puffers

I can’t think of a more practical and popular coat than some sort of puffy topper. Short, long, neutral, non-neutral, tailored, classic, cropped, sleeveless, avant-garde, thin, thick, sporty, equestrian, sleek, voluminous – there’s a puffy topper for every climate and fashion persona. These days you can wear a puffer over a ball gown with sneakers and look fashionable.

14. Wear Flats & Low Heels

Gone are the days that you were at a stylish disadvantage if you couldn’t wear high heels. In many cases flats and low heels look more current paired with outfits, and are more practical and authentic too. The very low heel in particular – between an inch and an inch and a half – is having its fashion moment across ALL heel and toe box shapes. Sneakers can be worn with just about anything these days too. May this trend last forever.

15. Flirt with Florals

We think of floral and botanical patterns as a Spring and Summer vibe, which is a dated way of looking at the pattern. Wear florals in Autumn and Winter and have fun pattern mixing with them. Wearing florals with dark backgrounds, in moody colours, or in earth tones might help break the seasonal stereotype.

16. Add a Wild Card

A wild card is an item that is atypical for your style persona, but that speaks to you in some way. Adding a wild card to your wardrobe is an excellent way to evolve your style, making it feel extra refreshed for the season. They can be a way to solve a style and fit challenge, or to temper your poison eye for a look. Wild cards can be new colours, vibes or silhouettes. Or a new way that you wear your hair, your make-up, or put together your outfits. Wild cards always make my must-haves list because nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Remember that these items have to mesh with the factors that affect your style. Pander to your style descriptor, whether that’s rocker, avant-garde, boho, preppy, arty, corporate, casual, urban, dressy, trendy, folksy, sporty, girly, rough-around-the-edges, moody, elegant, polished, sophisticated, classic or hard-edged. Find the renditions that best express you and your style.

Personally, I’m all over ALL sixteen must-haves, and apart from long blazers have all of them represented in my wardrobe. I will continue to refresh along these lines and enjoy the small and larger shifts in my style. I’m grateful that trends are diverse, that size ranges are extending, and that individualism reigns supreme.

Which trends are featuring in your Fall and Winter wardrobe refresh this season? Are there any surprises?

If you’ve had an exceptional run with some Summer purchases, now is a good time to duplicate some of the workhorses and wardrobe essentials of the season. It might be an indispensable white top, amazing pyjamas, an extremely comfy pair of shoes, the best set of insoles, exceptional yoga leggings, or a brilliant accessory. The items are probably conveniently discounted because Fall 2018 collections are in full swing.

I did my usual thing of duplicating winning footwear. I walk a lot, am hard on shoes, have fussy feet, and don’t have that many pairs. I therefore wear out the shoes quite quickly, especially when they’re white, light or suede.

I duplicate footwear by purchasing a second pair that is identical to a pair I already have in my wardrobe. This can be a risky strategy because your style preferences might have changed by the time you’re ready to bust out the second pair. There is also the budget impact to think about. Still, the strategy has worked very well for me over the last eight years. I have not once regretted a footwear duplication. On the contrary. I’m much relieved when I can pass on the first worn-out pair and haul out the exact brand new fresh pair by shopping my closet. I wore my white Franco Sarto Jolette Penny loafers into the ground, but luckily had a back-up pair to sport mid-season. Now I’m on the hunt for the next pair of white flat loafers to duplicate.

My climate changed this year, now that I spend a third of my time in Salt Lake City where the weather is more extreme than Seattle. Hotter, drier and longer Summers, and cold, snowy Winters. As a result, I needed extremely comfortable flat walking sandals both for my urban Utah life and our hot and humid holiday in Italy earlier in the Summer. I bought a pair of wild-card white huaraches back in May. They saved my feet, fit like a dream, and go the distance. I LOVE these sandals and duplicated them in July. I’m grateful that Naturalizer makes them in a narrow width to fit my feet.

I was wearing out the white huaraches very quickly, so to share the wear I purchased another style of white Naturalizer sandals. They’re one of the few brands that offer a narrow width. I loved them equally much and duplicated them last week. Now I have two pairs of hard-to-find, brand new versatile, comfy and classic white sandals waiting in the wings for next year.

By chance I found a pair of watermelon dressy pointy-toe ballet flats at Banana Republic that fit perfectly and feel fab. I’ve wanted ballet flats for a long time, but stopped looking because they fall off my feet and feel unsupported. Of course, when you stop looking for something — you find it. These were on sale and I gave them a chance. I’ve put them through their paces and, to my surprise, I can walk miles in them. I LOVE their dainty integrity and the way they dress up my outfits despite being flat. They’re a great substitute for the heeled ankle-strap pumps that I no longer wear. I duplicated them in red and have worn both pairs equally this Summer.

If they still had my size in the right colours, I’d have duplicated my metallic blush loafers and while mules that I’ve also worn into the ground. The mules were a narrow size so very hard to find. Oh, well. I tried! On to something else next year.

Who else is duplicating smashing Summer items that went the distance?

I used to wear pointy-toe ankle strap pumps with a two inch heel a lot in warm weather (sometimes without the ankle strap). The pointy toe suited my narrow feet, the dainty style suited my narrow calf, and the heel lengthened my leg line. The pumps also added what I perceived to be a dressy, elegant and refined polish to my outfits. I wore them with skirts and dresses, cropped pants, cropped jeans, a jumpsuit, and harem pants. They were a very versatile warm-weather shoe for my style. Here are the exact pumps from my wardrobe.

Sadly, I passed on all the pumps two years ago because I can no longer comfortably wear the heel height. Switching up the heel shape to a block heel makes no difference because I’m happiest in heel heights between half and one and a half inches. I walk and travel a lot, and therefore do not compromise on foot comfort. So I temporarily lost quite an integral part of my warm-weather style when the pumps went bye-bye.

I left things for a year and simply wore multiple pairs of modern classic loafers with a one inch heel because I was all too happy to have found covered Summer shoes that went the distance. As much as I adore flat loafers, they are not a substitute for pointy-toe ankle strap pumps. Too casual and not as refined or elegant.

It seemed obvious that I look for a flat version of the ankle strap pumps as a replacement, but that’s easier said than done. The strap of ankle strap flats usually cuts into my skin, and regular ballet flats are hard to fit. Round-toe ballet flats are too wide and short for my low-volume feet, and not dainty enough for my tastes. The pointy-toe styles fall off my feet. Ballet flats can also be hard and unsupportive.

By chance this Summer (because you find things when you’re NOT looking for them) I found a much better visual substitute for the pumps. They’re Banana Republic’s pointy-toe Robin ballet flat in watermelon and red suede (above). I took a chance with the watermelon, put them through their paces, and was delighted to discover that they work wonderfully well. I’ve walked Velp, Seattle and Salt Lake City flat in them, and they’re great. I promptly repeated the style in red.

With the addition of the flat substitute, I’ve been able to haul out old wardrobe favourites like my black harem pants and wear them with the same affection as when I wore them with pumps. For example, I wore the old outfit on the right in Salt Lake City last week, but with watermelon ballet flats instead of pumps. I added pearls, a denim jacket, and light blue crossbody bag. I was very comfortable walking and working, and sometimes with our Yorkie Sam in tow.

Here are the exact components of the 2018 outfit. I enjoy remixing old wardrobe items with new. The pants are ten years old, the jacket and blouse five, and the shoes and bag are new. The pants, blouse and jacket are exceptional quality items that it’s no wonder they went the distance. They look as good now, as the day I bought them despite frequent washing and wearing. I’m hard on shoes, so I don’t know how long the flats will last, but the Furla will go the distance too.

There is a lot of excitement for this year’s Fall & Winter trends. A lot of that has to do with the enormous variety and a general affection for Fall fashion, but maybe the strong ‘80s influence is a particular drawcard. And of the many examples of ‘80s influence, white boots are top of the list. 

I think of white footwear as very ‘60s and ‘80s. Apart from sneakers, white footwear disappeared from fashion in the ‘90s when just about everything was black. Since the ‘80s, white footwear has been scarce at retail, especially white boots. It’s only been over the last few years that white Summer footwear has become widely available. White boots, on the other hand, have been elusive until this year when fashion decided to give them their moment.

The white boot trend is for the most part short, although shaft and heel heights vary. The shades of white vary from bright optical white and off-white, to bone and cream. Go for warm cream if cool tones aren’t your thing. White boots can be trimmed with colours too. There are chunky and dainty styles, dressy and casual looks, polished and rugged vibes, and combinations of these aesthetics. Take your pick.

Most of my clients and friends are not into white boots… yet! White Spring and Summer footwear has grown on them, but many draw the line for Autumn and Winter. Some feel it can look gorgeous in the right outfit, but is impossible in rainy and icy Seattle weather. Others don’t like to see high contrast on their feet when they wear dark bottoms. Some feel it looks dowdy, jarring, or have bad flashbacks of ‘80s fashion. And some enjoy the look but not the practical challenge of keeping white boots clean. That said, some clients are willing to give white boots a go for special occasions, or when they commute by car to the office.

Where do I begin with my love for white footwear? I’ve worn it for as long as I can remember. My Mum put me in white shoes as a towhead child. Apart from brown school shoes and black equestrian boots for horse riding, most of my footwear in the ‘80s was white. I wore white footwear into the early ‘90s until I had to switch to black and brown because that’s all you could get. I found white footwear and boots again in the early ‘00s and haven’t looked back.

My nostalgic ‘80s gene keeps white footwear alive in my style, and so do four other reasons:

1. Effective bookending for platinum blonde hair
2. A Modern and Graphic visual effect
3. Crisp and fresh in the extreme
4. Unique

White footwear is a versatile wardrobe essential for my style. When all else fails, I wear white shoes! It helps that I wear a lot of white clothing and accessories, which complement the white footwear. That way white boots do not look out of place in an outfit. White is not the most practical colour, especially when you pound the city pavements like I do. Yet, I do pretty well keeping white shoes clean and pristine. It helps that I have multiple pairs that share the wear.

I have many pairs of white shoes and boots across multiple shades of white. I have happily and gratefully duplicated white boots a few times too. Here’s my current white boot collection that I wear nine months of the year. The silhouettes are clean and simple, and flat or low-heeled.

I will definitely be adding to my collection, since pickings aren’t slim for a change. What’s your verdict on white boots?