MixAndMatch

Question: When I go shopping, I usually buy one or two items rather than a whole outfit. They are fashionable and stylish by themselves but when I get home I never know what to wear them with to make a coordinated outfit. Any Advice?



Yours is a common complaint and part of the reason why so many of us never wear half the clothes in our closet. The trick to making your wardrobe work properly is to stock up with good basics; that way you'll always have items to match your new purchases.



Start with good underwear. It goes without saying you need a good seam-free bra in white, black and nude, but it's also a good idea to have some bras with pretty straps you don't mind showing off. That way you can get away with a greater variety of tops and dresses.



Buy a selection of pretty vest tops in a range of colours from Esprit, Zara or Topshop; you'll get a lot more wear out of your cardigans, jackets and jumpers if you've plenty of variety to wear underneath them.



Spend time and, if necessary, money on the perfect pair of jeans. Denim goes with everything and can be dressed up or down depending on the occassion, and now with so many brands and so many fits out there, there's no reason to settle for anything other than the perfect fit.



Buy three new pairs of shoes: a good pair of flats (ballet shoes are cheap and go with everything), some metallic sandals and some suit-all pumps in black or brown for when you instantly need to smarten up your appearance.



Work on your blank canvas. Unless you want to make a real statement, high fashion items work best when worn with plain pieces. This doesn't mean your entire wardrobe needs to be black, but that a few key items in plain colours are a worth investment. Grab a neat pencil skirt, thin-knit sweater and boot-cut trousers, and then fix your more fashion-forward pieces around them.



If you have any question, please feel free to ask Image And Me.