Your clothes need to speak the same language

A wardrobe full of expensive garments is not very practical if nothing will mix and match. Foundation pieces help you create new outfits.

I recently helped a woman with her wardrobe. She had an amazing wardrobe full of exquisite and expensive clothes, her wardrobe wasn't working effectively for her - her clothes weren't talking to one another.

Talking to one another? Each outfit stuck to itself and didn't mingle with the others. She would buy new outfits for different occasions with little wear beyond that. Not ideal, especially when she loved the pieces she'd bought.

We also found she didn't have enough "foundation pieces" that would enable her to mix up her clothes more. Stylists refer to "capsule" or "base" wardrobes - these are key items, foundation pieces that can be used to help create lots of different outfits. Everyone's ideal capsule wardrobe will be different but some of the key pieces might include:

- a pair of dressy pants and/or skirt

- a pair of casual pants, e.g. jeans

- a blazer/jacket

- footwear - flat shoes (casual and/or dressy) and heels

- occasional dress - something that can take you to those special events, and ideally with a change of accessories or accompanied with other garments, can be worn to work.

Opt for classic, versatile styling for these pieces in colours that will work well when you mix'n'match them with other items in your wardrobe.

It needn't be black. Navy, khaki, chocolate and stone work well with lots of colours.

Within the quick amount of time we had, we mixed and matched a lot of my client's garments to create new outfits and identified some gaps in her wardrobe, foundation pieces, that would help her create a whole lot more.

A few key pieces of jewelry also helped to change the look of some outfits.

Lisa Lyford is the founder of Gorgeous Me, free DIY personal styling and makeover advice. www.gorgeousme.co.nz

Send your questions for Lisa to regionalfeatures@apn.co.nz.