Friday 4 August 2017

5 DAY CHALLENGE


Men are savvy shoppers in comparison to their female counterparts. Men tend to buy items that they know are timeless, easy mix and match pieces that are value for money, and a true investment. You know I enjoy my unusual prints and pieces that stand out, but I do like to be savvy in my purchasing and know that I will wear something more than once, and it was worth the money.

Last week a large black velvet bow tie met a fella in the Flinders Lane, Melbourne Jack London store. It was love at first sight. The feeling of beautiful black velvet and Pat Benetar singing passed through my mind. I have a major rule when shopping(there is always an exception to a rule, it normally involves leopard, sequin or fur) immediately I must be able to wear the item 3 different ways with items I already have.

 How to change your style
Day 1:

Shirt & bow tie: Jack London

Sunglasses: Gucci


This brings us to a stylist challenge. A stylist challenge is a fun and easy way to stretch your wardrobe to new limits, try new trends, and make old items look new again.  A stylist challenge will inspire you to re-style your existing items in fun and exciting new ways with new items. One of the great benefits of a challenge is rediscovering items that you forgot you had or have not showed much love to recently. No need to overhaul your entire wardrobe completely. 

This challenge is centred around a 5 Day, 5 outfits with my new oversized bow tie.

Day 2:
Blazer & bow tie: Jack London

Sunglasses: Arockonalens


Tweaking your ensemble with a bold colour can highlight the simplistic details and draw attention to a new item. For instance above, the yellow blazer draws attention via its cut and fit drawing your eye in. You then follow the shirt fastening up to the the bow tie. The bow tie in comparison to the brash yellow is simple, elegant but a complimentary piece to the ensemble. Other details of the outfit are actually the sunglasses from Melbourne designer Arockonalens. The details in the gold and the wide frames are balanced by the oversized bowtie, the velvet is complimented by the richness of the gold chain (textures are both luxy), the black and white pocket square is the same colours as the shirt and bow tie combo. 

Dressing is exactly like a painting, what draws your attention, navigates your eyes around the canvas. Everything is proportioned and balanced. Am I starting to sound like an art teacher?


Jack London Bow tie
Day 3:
Sunglasses: Arockonalens
Blazer:Oxford

Shirt: James Harper

Pants: & bow tie: Jack London
Shoes:Moschino

On day 3 I remixed old pieces with new, which forced me to think outside of the box and dig into the back of my wardrobe. Old suit blazers or shoes became my favourites again and instantly revitalised my passion for why I purchased them in the first place. Here I have reversed the bold outerwear with the complimentary bold colour underneath to highlight the bow tie. A blazer in a lighter shade will also draw the eye to the bold colour and move the eye up and down the ensemble. The pant pattern  will then lead you down to the footwear. 


 5 day style challenge
Day 4:
Jacket: Roger David
Shirt: H&M
Sunglasses: Dangerfield Clothing
Bow Tie: Jack London
Gloves: Karl Lagerfeld


When the sun came up on day 4 I felt like I was back in full creative styling mode. As much as I adore a good shop and can come home with 20 completely different pieces that do not match each other, there is something about working a piece into your every day life in a creative way with pieces you already have. I enjoyed the rich textures and combining leather and velvet. Transition new pieces in with old and think of yourself as a walking piece of art that struts the streets.



Style challenge for him
Day 5:
Shirt: H&M
Pants & bow tie: Jack London
Sunglasses: Le Specs

As the sun set on day 5,  I felt like I knocked this stylist challenge out of the park by wearing my trusty ruby slippers ( I also have them in yellow) and red blazer. Both items were a favourite of mine and took my outfit from boring to bold, pay attention to the details and how you put things together. It was great to slip back into them and feel energized. The black bow tie on black shirt was all about textures and volume and somewhat softened the look.

A stylist challenge is a great way to prove that you don’t have to spend a heap of money or buy a whole new look to feel great. 

Give it a try and report back on how your challenge stretched your wardrobe to its limits.






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