Making the Right New Season Choices

 & Wow on Wednesday 

Dear friends. Are you always eager to see what the new season brings in terms of latest drops at the fashion retailers?

I used to be, but now that I've experienced the advantages of having been colour analysed, my approach is more guarded. 

A brief look at M&S, John Lewis, Boden and Oliver Bonas shows that hardly any of the colours appearing in the shops for autumn are my favourites.  

There's plenty of moss and sage greens, ochre, dark oranges, black, burgundy and navy blue,  a sprinkling of brown and some red, but usually blue based reds.

The Pantone colours for the upcoming season are also a disaster for those coded Spring:  with the exception of cherry tomato and neutral almond milk, the colours are mostly muted tones. 

So what's a girl to do?

Plug Wardrobe Gaps with the Right Colours

Any new buys this autumn will be mostly from Kettlewell as I continue to build and curate my tonally analysed Spring wardrobe.  I didn't buy a tank / vest last year because I couldn't find one in the right colour.  Today the new Kettlewell Marnie tank top arrived, in Bright Navy.  Below: a quick sneak peak, although I wouldn't wear it with a t-shirt but wanted to show the impact on my skin of a good colour - even when I'm not wearing makeup! 

Bright Navy colour was a surprise wow colour for me and it's difficult to find.  I've had to think carefully about how and when I would wear the tank. Ideally I'd like to wear it with a brightly coloured shirt, preferably in a silky material. If I wanted to wear it more tonally, I have a ribbed shirt in Chinese Blue that works perfectly and is also a wow colour  (puzzled as to what this is? Check out my post on wow colours).

One thing I've learnt is that I don't need to have several pieces in the same colour.  The lure of a new garment is hard to resist, but if I already have a sweater, say, in a similar colour, there's no point. 

To that end, I counted up how many jumpers (sweaters) and ponchos I have, and in which colours.  The tally included the three shown below.  Honey, far right, was another unexpected wow colour. 

I ordered a Cora cotton sweater from Kettlewell in French Violet, but having remembered I already have a Ziggy jumper in Jewel Lobelia, the most sensational purple ever,  I don't need a similar colour and will be sending it back.

I was keen to try Kettlewell's gorgeous new colour Peony Coral and the Cora cotton sweater is a lovely fit, but the colour is too warm for me, as I've discovered previously with coral shades. So, in my new ruthless mode, I will also send it back. 

Keep Looking for Vintage Winners

Most of what I bought this summer was very old.  I've found that short retro dresses and pinafores suit me, as do knee length skirts. The shops are still laden with long midi and maxi skirts and dresses, so I'll be doing my shopping at Etsy, eBay and retailers like Joanie and Voodoo Vixen for the cute gamine looks I love. 

Find More Looks in My Own Wardrobe

As I mentioned, I've built quite a good wardrobe of clothes for the colder months which feature my favourite colours and the styles I like to wear.

The challenge is to find new ways of wearing them, to avoid boredom setting in. I'll be showing you some new looks for my old pieces to try to give you some inspo. Accessories can be fabulous for this, a new necklace, new tights, a hat, or new boots.

Shine Bright!

Winter can be quite grey in the UK which is why it baffles me when everyone wears black, grey or navy. Why stop wearing bright colours in a grey season?

As I proved last winter, it's entirely possible to carry on wearing bright colours throughout the season. And coats and trenches can be be found in wonderful colours, if you look hard enough.

If you are relentless in stalking retailers online, and searching for, say, "turquoise raincoat,"  eventually you'll be rewarded. 

Last winter I bought a poppy red coat in a charity shop, a turquoise trench and a yellow wool coat in the sale at Asos,  a gorgeous cobalt blue coat from Oasis and a coral puffer at Barbour.  These buys added up, but the coats are timeless and I find myself looking forward to wearing them.  See more at my post Technicolour Dream Coats.

What's your approach to new season fashion?  Hard to resist, or do you keep a tight grip on your purse?  Do tell in the comments. Scroll down below the link-up to find the comments box.

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WOW ON WEDNESDAY

Now it's time for the weekly Wow on Wednesday link-up, where readers can find new blogs to read, and bloggers can find new readers. 

LAST WEEK'S FAVOURITES

Debbie from Deb's World is not impressed with being told what not to wear by fashion bloggers. She shares 9 things you'll always find in her wardrobe   (and 8 of them in mine!). I share the same view by the way, I loathe those click bait articles telling us what we should and shouldn't be wearing. It's up to us!

The Power of Grooming: The Foundation of Looking Good by Iris at La Moumous

Goodbye for Now by Veronica at Vronni's Style Meanderings.  She is off to Ireland on holiday. 

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