Bulky boots can take up a lot of space in your luggage. With the foldable welly, Hunter has now come up with a practical solution to this problem.

Seattle based company Iva Jean has redesigned wardrobe staples like the classic pencil skirt to help women stay stylish while biking to work. On the accompanying blog they often feature innovative and fun cyclewear, so be sure to check that out as well.

If you love to wear brooches, but are worried about poking holes in your favourite clothes, then you might want to give Lexi Beasley’s “magnet tutorial” a try.

Fab Links from Our Members

On The Trendy Purse you can browse an online inventory of over 23,000 items. Isabel is in handbag heaven.

Annagybe recommends this article on the concept of slow fashion that highlights ten brands that are doing it right.

In honour of the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary, Marlene1 wants to share this NYT slideshow showing their style through the years.

If you’re a tartan, argyle and tweed lover, you have to check out Chanel’s pre-Fall 2013 Collection. Although the outfits are far too maximal for Angie’s own style, the mixture of texture and pattern is inspiring. Plus, all the models are wearing flat booties. Hallelujah!

Laurinda found this collection of black and gold images on Habitually Chic a great inspiration for festive outfits.

QfBrenda loved how Sally summed up so much Winter dressing advice in one single post.

Can you imagine owning a pair of shoes or a wallet made from the famed old Russian leather, a high-quality material that nobody has ever been able to duplicate. Talk about rare materials, says Vildy.

Nadya enjoyed reading about American Giant, a startup that is trying to make a better hoodie, and is making it in the US to boot.

Ironkurtin is always happy to come across suggestions for fab maternity wear, as she would have killed for something so comfortable and stylish while she was pregnant.

We spoke about sassy sweatshirts a few months ago. Well, they’ve just become sassier. Hello sweatshirts bedazzled with studs, rhinestones, beads and sequins. Some of them are even coated with a metallic layer for extra glitz. 

Wear a blingy sweatshirt with jeans, leather bottoms, combat pants, trousers or a skirt. I also like them layered over an untucked white or plaid shirt. Of course, some sweatshirts are more embellished than others. Go subtle, hectic, or somewhere in between. 

Most of my clients enjoy wearing soft knitted tops that are “an easy pull on and go” for casual wear. So I’ve been suggesting sweatshirts with bling as a fashionable alternative. Just for fun and to change things up from the casual tops they usually wear. 

Some clients have embraced the blingy sweatshirt wholeheartedly, whereas others are not at all convinced. I understand the latter viewpoint because sweatshirts are extremely casual — why adorn them with formal bling and then wear them both casually or with dressy items? It’s dress code confusion. 

Thing is, juxtaposing very casual with very dressy in one outfit is probably the look of our fashion era. And the juxtapositions become more extreme each year. High top sneakers matched with dressy skirts. Flannel shirts worn under sequin vests. Distressed jeans worn with patent stilettos. Ball gowns worn with rugged boots. Track pants worn with silk blouses. T-shirts worn under tuxedo jackets. Sweatshirts worn with heels. All in the name of fashion. 

Although I am not into wearing any form of sweatshirt because I just don’t wear knitted tops other than knitwear (sweaters), I love this concept. I vote yay for fashionable blingy sweatshirts. What’s your verdict?

I have a leave no retail stone unturned philosophy and I take my clients shopping at a wide range of retailers. But we always pop into Nordstrom and the Rack because they stock many different brands, which means a large assortment of sizes, fits, style sensibilities, fabrications, quality levels, colours and price points — all in once place. We are very likely to find something that works for my client.

Long story short, I’m in Nordies often and I know their merchandise quite well. So over the next six weeks, I’ll be sharing my top picks for some areas of their range that catch my eye. I’m kicking off the series with a list of my favourite fancy jackets: 

• Heed Lace Necklace Jacket: A fitted lace jacket with bling in midnight blue that is every bit as romantic and dandy as it is on trend. It’s avant-garde pieces like this that have high longevity and are always in style. I love the longer back hem and cascading silhouette. You might need to size up a size.

• Bellatrix Lace Print Blazer (Plus): Patterned blazers are fun and different. This flop proof little classic can be dressed up or down with spunk. Tailored, lightweight and flattering. Available in regular and petite sizes too. 

• Topshop Floral Print Open Front Blazer: This one double duties into Spring (and Summer if you live in Seattle). I adore the modern and masculine vibe of the low stance and welted pockets. 

• Truth & Pride Coated Lace Bomber Jacket: Bomber jackets are fringe trending, and this one is on my wish list because of its boxy and boyish cut. Perfect juxtaposition with the feminine lace. Fab over a pencil skirt, leather track pants, slouchy trousers, or jeans. 

• Juicy Couture Convertible Tuxedo Tail Jacket: Dramatic and theatrical. The tails are detachable, which means that you score a cropped tuxedo jacket at the same time. Wear it over jeans, trousers, a pencil skirt or sheath dress with the tails attached.

Jackets transform an outfit like no other piece. To my mind, more so than even a great pair of shoes. Their structure and attitude set the mood of an outfit, which is why I feel powerful and pulled together when I am wearing one. 

I’m sure you have experienced this situation. You wore an item very frequently last season, yet you hardly wear it this season, if at all. The item fits well, is comfortable and is in good shape. You still like the style, the colour, and the way it makes you feel when you wear it. So why has it gone from workhorse to orphan in a single year? 

When this happens to one of my wardrobe workhorses I can usually attribute the change in status to one or more of the following three reasons: 

1. Something better came along: I’ve found other items that make me feel more fabulous than last year’s wardrobe workhorse, so I reach for those instead. The metallic tweed jacket that I wore all Spring and Summer last year, has barely come out to play this year because I reached for my citron blazer over and over again. Wearing citron made me feel happier than metallic grey.
2. Too much of a good thing: I wore this item to death last year, so although I still like it, part of me is also sick of it. I wore my Fiji Mary Janes SO MUCH last year and the year before, that I was a little sick of them this year. 
3. It’s not you, it’s me: My changing style preferences have created a new set of wardrobe workhorses. My floral body con midi dress has been waiting for an outing, but my new trouser-crazy self who prefers looser fits has been ignoring it all year.

The big question is whether to pass these items on since they haven’t had much style action in the last year. For someone who follows a strict one-in-one-out wardrobe principle, passing them on would create wardrobe space for new items. But I’m not parting with these items just yet because I still like them enough to hope that I’m going to wear them again next year. If they go through another year of being unworn, I’ll probably pass on the jacket and the shoes, but not the frock because it’s timeless and sentimental.  

Have you worn something with high frequency in one year, only to see it orphaned the next? Do my reasons for this shift resonate with you? Do you hold onto items that you haven’t worn for a year, or do you pass them on no matter what?