A Scarf Purchasing Tip

You see a scarf that pulls at your heartstrings, and your emotions take over. The pattern or colour is absolutely gorgeous, and you commit to purchasing it right away. You pull off the tags, pack it away, and it patiently waits to be worn with the right outfit. 

You’re excited to wear the new scarf, only to find that the pattern or colour placement doesn’t look as gorgeous when it’s tied around the neck. The components of the pattern or the colours of the pattern that drew you in, disappear in the knotting. Or the shape of the scarf is odd and doesn’t work the way you thought it would. Sometimes the fabric can be overly thick, thin, or slippery.

This has bitten me in the bottom before, so these days I tie the scarf around my neck the way I envisage wearing it and look in the mirror before making the purchase. You should also make sure that the pattern and colours create the same magic on your body as they do when you hold the darling in your hands. If you like the way the scarf looks, lies, ties, and feels when it’s properly knotted or draped on your body, you’re in business.

I’ve bought patterned scarves with borders that are absolute works of art, but don’t look great when they’re tied around my neck. I’ve purchased scarves with asymmetrical ends that don’t knot or drape well at all. Scarves that are too long to comfortably tie around my neck in a neat and tidy way is another common problem. And square scarves can be tricky. Now I know better. Tie the scarf before making the purchase.

Maximize Your Wardrobe Winners

We all make buying mistakes. Our emotions take over, we fantasize about an imaginary life, ignore discomfort, or are seduced by bargains. The result can be a closet of items with little to wear. Avoid this by being picky, patient and practical. 

Patient Picky and Practical

Being selective and waiting, even for years, pays off. Pass on the item if it is beyond your budget, doesn’t fit or can’t be affordably altered, aggravates you in some way, is the wrong colour, shape or fabric, or isn’t in line with your current style goals.

It is possible to be too patient, picky or practical, ending up with an empty wardrobe. Sometimes you need an interim placeholder. Keep place in your budget for occasional spontaneous wild-card purchases. These can become favourites and workhorses.

Punchy Patterns and Fab Curls

Susanne Niermann lives in Germany, and documents her outfit on her blog, women2style, and on Instagram. Her style is on-trend with Modern Classic and Sporty Luxe touches. She loves bright colours, patterned trousers, and menswear-inspired looks. Susanne’s magnificent salt and pepper curls are also an integral part of her style.

Susanne Niermann - 1

Susanne loves a patterned trouser, and these cool-toned leopard print cropped skinnies look awesome with her stunning salt and pepper curls. Our blogger has combined the pants with a slouchy, cream sweater. The V-neck is the perfect backdrop for her arty oversized chain-link necklace that cleverly picks up both the colours in the rest of this casual outfit and the different tones in her hair. The white and taupe platform sneakers with black laces also tie in with the colour palette. A cool-toned red lipstick completes the look.

Susanne Niermann - 2

I stopped mid-scroll when I first saw Susanne’s watermelon suit, what a fantastic colour! Susanne dresses down her sherbet-coloured pants suit with a simple white tee and white sneaks. Both the trousers and blazer are loosely tailored for that on-trend roomy fit. Tucking the tee showcases the high waist and self-belt, and lengthens the leg line from the hips upwards. Rolling the sleeves of the blazer shows the white lining that echoes the colour of the tee and kicks. As always, our blogger’s magnificent curls take up the style quotient an extra notch.

Susanne Niermann - 3

Susanne wears neutrals and bright colours equally well. For this polished casual cold-weather look she’s paired dressy grey straight leg trousers with a taupe Modern Classic single-breasted wool coat and big white athletic sneakers. For extra warmth, she’s layered a grey puffer vest under the coat, and added a cosy ribbed-knit snood and slouchy beanie in matching greys. The large brown crossbody bag with oversized-knit pattern is unexpected, and works well with the taupe and grey.

Susanne Niermann - 4

This is a beautiful example of Angie’s Summer Black outfit formula. Pick a dress with a striking pattern, like Susanne’s black and white dress with oversized leaf print, and you are practically ready to go. The midaxi fit-and-flare dress has puffy sleeves that add playful volume, which is tempered by the fitted waist. Cognac ankle-strap espadrille sandals add a touch of warm colour to the graphic black and white, and enhance the Summer vibe. A satchel in shades of white, black and grey match the colour palette. As do our blogger’s silver and grey accessories, and salt and pepper hair.

Susanne Niermann - 5

With the striped turtleneck and sailor-inspired blazer this is very much an outfit after my own heart! Susanne has tucked the blue and white striped top into trendy mid-wash barrel leg jeans. She’s cuffed the jeans to showcase white sneakers that pick up the white in the top. The side seams ‘balloon’ away from the thighs and lower leg. The hems taper back to the leg, which adds some structure. So does the tailored shoulder on the dressy navy blazer. Its gold buttons add subtle shine. The burnt orange satchel makes the blues pop even more. A vibrant red lip, and Susanne’s signature black-rimmed specs finish off this polished casual look.

Susanne Niermann - 6

This outfit is a Party with capital P! Susanne is rocking this silky patterned co-ords set with groovy ‘60s geometric pattern. The mandarin-collared blouse has an oversized fit and playful short flutter sleeves. Semi-tucking the blouse into the loosely tailored wide leg trousers slightly tempers the volume without losing its nonchalant and breezy aesthetic. Bright red thong sandals echo the red in the print. To complete the look, our blogger has found a crochet-style bag in Kelly green that’s a fab match with the green in the printed co-ords.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of Susanne’s gorgeous outfits. Let us know in the comments and be sure to check out her website and Instagram for more style-inspiration.

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

Read More

Evaluating My Greece Travel Capsule

We vacationed in Greece for twelve days back at the beginning of September. We went to Athens, Milos and Corfu, and had an absolutely magical time! One of our favourite trips ever. It was hot, humid, and sunny during the day, and only slightly cooler at night. We had a few very dramatic thunderstorms too. We covered a lot of ground, walking between 13,000 and 20,000 steps a day across all sorts of terrain. We were up to see glorious sunrises, and headed back to our hotel room close to midnight after a late dinner and stroll. Our jam-packed days were long, and we enjoyed every minute of them.

Our days were generally split into three very different parts, and I needed a different outfit for each part. Generally, I under-packed and could have used at least two more outfits for the first part of the day. It was hot, so day outfits could not be worn multiple times without laundering them. We did not have easy access to laundering facilities.

Here’s the capsule in more detail. You can also see many of my vacation outfits on the YLF Instagram channel.

Instagram Outfits

1. Morning and Afternoon Excursions

I wore this outfit for most of the day. To combat the heat, it was a lightweight summery outfit made of natural fibres. I finished off my look with ankle-strap flats or gladiators, a dressy crossbody bag to match, eyewear, and sun hat. I am very sun-unfriendly, and wore a hat whenever I wasn’t in the shade. I packed a sun hat, and bought another with an even wider brim in Milos. An absolute wardrobe essential.

These are the items that I packed for this part of the trip. It excludes my travel outfit, underwear, and jewellery.

Everything worked beautifully except for the sleeveless dresses and shorts. The relentless beating sun is VERY strong, and too strong for my bare skin despite the liberal application of sunscreen. I developed a terrible sun rash on my exposed arms and legs during the day. My skin needs the protection of very light and loose cotton and linen layers to feel comfortable. The sleeved midi dresses, co-ord tops and bottoms, white cropped jeans and long-sleeved shirts were ideal. I should have packed more cotton and linen long-sleeved dresses, my super thin white cotton pants, another long-sleeved shirt, and another covered cotton co-ord.

My ankle-strap flats and gladiators were the absolute stars of the capsule. You can read more about these unexpected wardrobe winners here. Surprisingly, I only wore my sneakers on planes and at airports.

2. Late Afternoon and Early Evening Beach and Pool Time

These outfits came from my refreshed beach and pool capsule, and were a slam dunk. I was under the umbrella in the shade the entire time unless I was swimming. I tried to swim in the shade too. The items worked extremely well, with no swimsuit malfunctions. I wore the white gladiators for shoes, which you can see in the above collection. I forgot to pack my beach bag, but the hotels provided them, as well as beach towels. Sorted.

3. Dinner and Evening Activities

People in Greece dress up for evening drinks and dinner. At the resort in Corfu, I could have worn my dressiest Summer clothes and fit right in. I loved that! I could have packed a few more evening outfits since I wore the two you see here frequently. Yes, bags are my thing, and I packed and wore a smaller bag for evening activities.

Since it was hot at night, and I learned that I couldn’t wear sleeveless dresses during the sunny day, I wore them to dinner instead. No sun! That worked out perfectly.

My travel capsule worked well, although there was room for improvement. I felt pulled together, comfortable, polished, and energized. Next time I vacation to a place like Greece in the Summer, I will know exactly what to pack.

Fashion News Roundup: October 2023

A EU ban on glitter,  Prada spacesuits, and more news from the style trenches in October.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that the first Mackintosh rainproof overcoat was sold in October 1823 in Glasgow? “Charles Macintosh, a Scottish chemist, had patented the novel material, described as ‘india rubber cloth’ four months earlier. Previously waterproof clothing had been made of heavy oiled cotton with a characteristic unpleasant smell; the new coat was lighter, odourless, and completely waterproof. Macintosh’s secret was to use naphtha to soften the rubber before sandwiching it between two layers of fabric. This meant that even when the rubber became sticky with heat it did not affect the wearer.”