What should I wear

This week we are excited to bring a new feature to the community!  It is all about staying in the conversation and not missing out on others’ replies.

You can now get notified by email every time another member replies to your comment.  The “email me when someone else comments” box is under the ‘comment’ box in every section of the site.  If you tick it you will receive any other comments that apply to that particular photo or question.   So you can now stay in the loop easily and you won’t miss anything!

You can also choose not to get notified of others’ comments by unticking the box that says “email me...” under your comment.  Or you can ‘unsubscribe’ at any time to emails on that question/photo just by clicking a link at the bottom of emails that come in related to that topic.  

This feature was created thanks to your input!    We’ve noticed that the community is now engaging in more detailed conversations on each photo/question.  Some people are coming back to say thank-you, to ask for further advice or to clarify the feedback.  Others are returning to the page to elaborate or to reply to extra comments.  If you don’t happen to return to that same question/photo, then often you miss out on the new information or conversations happening.  So we figured that this would make it easier to stay in touch with others and get all the style tips on offer!

We hope you enjoy this feature.  Give it a try and let us know what you think.  We plan to add this feature to the App very shortly too!

Are you enjoying summer, now that the sunny weather is here to stay?  Do you feel like you’ve got your summer wardrobe sorted now?  I know that I have a few favourite dresses on high rotation.  I love warm weather and the chance to throw on a dress and sandals for simple style.  But I also find that I run out of ideas and stick to the same old things at times.  Showcase some of your looks to keep us inspired!  Or ask questions of our community to make the most of your summer wardrobe!

What an amazing month we’ve had so far on the ‘What Should I Wear?’ site and App.  A BIG thank-you to for joining our stylish community and sharing your photos and feedback.  We’ve had some great photos, comments and questions during January.   

We’ve seen a few fabulous fashion trends emerge, as the summer rolls on.  Some of the key trends we’ve seen are neutrals, patterns and prints, summer brights, polka dots, florals and the timeless little black dress. 

Here’s a snapshot of the last month in style, created by our very own members.  See our style!

Neutrals

BlueySam’s laid back style, combining neutrals and polka dots:

Tasha’s Calvin Klein heels, the nude heel is a wardrobe essential!

Animal prints

Olivia’s very stylish  lace up shoes:

Glamour Girl’s heels that speak (roar?) for themselves!

AshleyJudith’s lovely leopard leggings!

Florals

Lorenmaree’s super cute floral jumpsuit:

Dolphins98 sweet summer floral skirt:

Michelle’s stylish combination of a simple floral top and cobalt jeans:

Summer brights

Katy looking cool in coral:

Charmaine in her popsicle brights:

Little Black Dress

Mandy’s elegant LBD with vintage clutch:

Sevan’s stunning style in the LBD, with a statement bag:

What a stylish community! Finally, we’ve had lots of great questions in our ‘Get Answers’ section.  There were questions about styling vintage items, summer staples, what to wear to the tennis (lucky things!), on hot dates, to concerts and to a bluesfest.   We’ve also had discussions about how to dress to make the most of your body shape, which we plan to cover more in the coming months.  And finally we’ve helped with some wardrobe decluttering too!   A great start to 2012 in style!

We are continuing to improve the site and App to ensure it gives you a great way to find fashion ideas, inspiration and answers!  We always welcome your suggestions and feedback.  Feel free to send through any thoughts to me at delia@whatshouldiwear.com.au.

Do you have some questions about your wardrobe? Our amazing January style panel, Bernadette, Penny and Michelle, have been providing fabulous advice on the site and App this month.  So make the most of their professional skills by asking your questions and uploading your photos!  Or simply get online or on the App to share your feedback to others seeking help.

Thanks again for giving and getting such great style advice on ‘What Should I Wear?’.

We are thrilled to announce our Member of the Month for January -- Katy Devers from Katy Potaty. Katy has been a wonderful participant in our community over the past months. We love her supportive, friendly feedback to others on our site/App. So we thought we’d find out more about Katy, the girl behind the blog!

When I wake up... (which is often at 4:45am) I'm up, dressed and ready for a walk in 3 minutes flat. I've recently started a new exercise regime using a couple of different iPhone apps. (Apps for exercise, apps for fashion advice... I love my iPhone!)

Before I go to bed... I brush my teeth. I can't sleep without the fresh minty taste of toothpaste.

A well-dressed woman... wears clean shoes! I can't stand a gorgeous outfit ruined by scruffy-looking heels. (Don't worry though, I'm not perfect; I have some VERY shabby shoes tucked away in my closet, I just don't wear them when I need to impress.)

A man should always... wear well-fitting clothes. If you've lost weight, lose the baggy clothes and dress in slim-fit jeans. The reverse applies too, so make sure those trousers aren't pulling across your butt, fellas - not a good look! Guys look so much sharper in the right sized clothes.

My style is inspired by... This is the hardest question, by far! I'm constantly looking for fashion inspiration, but compared to the stuff that I love on the runway, my style is very conservative. All the fashion bloggers wear brilliant pieces in incredible ways, but I'm not really an outside-of-the-box fashionista. I like to know that I can walk through the supermarket without people wondering what the heck I'm wearing!

Funnily enough (I'm amazed, and I'm sure she will be too), as I get older, I'm inspired by my Mum. I've grown up wearing very similar clothes to her, and our body shapes are the same. She often finds AMAZING op-shop bargains to wear with higher-end pieces, and wears natural fibres, so she's always comfortable. I just wish she'd wear dresses more!

Something you don't know about me is... When I find a song I like, I’ll listen to it on repeat until I get sick of it. Then I’ll sing the lyrics in my car until my car gets sick of it too. My car has a lot of patience though...! 

If I weren't doing what I'm doing today... I honestly am loving what I'm doing at the moment. I work part-time in a school, and it's fantastic. I'm looking at further study in education, and between that and writing my blog for fun (which was supposed to be a baking blog, but quickly turned into random rambling about my life, my style, and my inspirations) I'm really enjoying what I do. However, if I could do anything, I'd love to be a Bookstore / Cafe / Pâtisserie owner.

My guilty pleasure is... Gingernut biscuits. I am SO in love with sweet biscuits that everyone in my family calls me the Cookie Monster.

If I had a magic wand I would... create gorgeous weather all the time. Life is better in the sun...!

The person I'd most like to meet (dead or alive!) is... I'd love to spend time as an adult with my paternal grandfather who passed away when I was a child, he was an incredibly smart and creative man, and I'd love to hear his stories.

The soundtrack (or song) of my life... I'm a music-aholic, so I have a different favourite song every day. Yesterday it was Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera, today it's 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum (a country group that I adore), tomorrow it could be Stevie Nick's 'Edge of Seventeen'. I love love love country music, but anything I can sing along to will usually keep me happy.

Happiness is... good wine, great friends, my wonderful fiance and relaxing near the water. 

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!  

Many thanks to everyone for uploading questions, photos and comments about New Years outfits! We loved seeing what goes in your ‘survival kit’ for a night out, as part of our giveaway competition. There were some very clever kits including waterproof mascara, eyedrops, foldable flats, lipgloss and lollies! Amazing what a girl can cram in to a clutch! Congratulations to AshleyJudith who won the gorgeous Zara handbag.   We look forward to bringing you more fabulous style advice and fun competitions in 2012!

To start 2012 in style we are thrilled to introduce our very talented January style panelists. This month we have a couture designer, a professional stylist and fashion blogger join our ranks!  What better way to start the year with some style advice from industry experts like these three amazing women...

Firstly we have Bernadette Green who runs enrobe-moi couture (French for ‘dress me’!), located in Tamarama Beach, Sydney. We are so excited to have our very first couture designer to join our style panel.  Bernadette tells us that has always loved making clothes and finds it such a gratifying thing to do... “to whip up something fabulous and then run out the door in it and get compliments; and later make beautiful pieces for others, get paid and more compliments (lucky me!)”!!   Bernadette’s mother and maternal grandmother were both excellent dressmakers. A sewing machine was always set up at home and Bernadette started whipping things up on the Husqvarna at the age of 7!  Her early career was spent in marketing and advertising, before Bernadette began making clothes for a living.  She started out making pieces for TV commercials, but quickly moved in to producing couture items.  Over the last 24 years Bernadette has created couture pieces for many (very fortunate!) Sydney clientele.   She tells us she loves “being involved with clients at milestone events in their lives, it can be very exciting and I have attended many a beautiful wedding and special function in my capacity as designer and maker of ‘the dress’”.

The professional stylist on the panel this month is Penny Pykoulas, of J’adore Styling, in Melbourne. I love that her web-site features the quote “Do you wake up and say I have nothing to wear?”. Guilty.  And “Do you have things you have not worn for seasons?” Guilty. Penny tells us that she has always loved fashion.  After 5 years in the fashion industry Penny started J’adore Styling in December 2010 to provide Personal Fashion Styling and Wardrobe Consultancy services.  She has a true flair for fashion and an eye for detail that she uses to assist everyday people with practical fashion advice and guidance to feel good about the way they dress and the image they want to convey. Penny believes fashion should be fun and aims to take the stress out of what to wear by assisting people to find their own personal style. Penny says, “Let your wardrobe do the work and embrace your shape to feel confident everyday”.

To complete our panel we welcome back the very stylish Michelle Ruth from Michelle’s Style File! Michelle has been a fantastic contributor at ‘What Should I Wear?’ since we launched.  We are always SO inspired by her street-style photos that grace our “Get Showcased” pages.   Michelle is the owner of one of Australia's hottest emerging fashion blogs. Since launching Michelle's Style File in January 2011 (one year ago!), Michelle has shown her flair for easily accessible fashion that is classic with a modern twist. Michelle has a knack for pairing High St brands with every day retailers to create a gorgeous outfit. Michelle's sense of style has already been recognised by features in online fashion magazines and she was also the winner of the 2011 Bardot Street Style competition.  Michelle has a special love for high heels and tells us that a fabulous shoe can add so much to an outfit, as well as a boost to one’s self confidence!

We feel so fortunate to start the New Year with this amazing Style Panel!

Did you take advantage of the Boxing Day sales?  Feel free to upload photos of your haul in “Get Showcased”!  Or do you have questions about styling outfits for the new year?  Get on the App or site to get the answers in “Get Styled” or “Get Answers”!  ‘What Should I Wear?’ is all about giving and getting great style advice from the amazing community.  So upload your photos, ask your questions and share your thoughts with us at 'What Should I Wear?'

p.s. We’ve been thinking about New Year’s resolutions.  I love the idea of creating a vision and setting goals for the year ahead.  Whether it is about travel, fashion, work, study, family, health, hobbies...I always like to write down a few things I want to aim for.  What are your goals for 2012?  Share them with us here!