Regular Column - Style Clinic 101

I have decided to introduce a new column that I will blog on a regular basis. Apart from the "what I wear" & "what I did" pieces, I thought it would be nice to give some fashion advice. Now I know a lot of you out there are hijabi fashionistas already and I'm not claiming to be an expert. However I do have a few fab books on fashion and style. I thought I could share the excellent advice that I have on hand. It's really some interesting reading for anyone who likes to improve themselves. So no unfortunately it's not coming straight out of my mouth, but rather from a book!

Style Clinic 101 - Wardrobe Basics

Well this title is pretty self explanatory. I am going to list eight basic pieces that everyone should have in their wardrobe. These eight are like the bare essentials, like the skeleton. Once you have these you can work around them by adding other pieces to create stylish outfits. These are pieces that you will need to wear more often then not.

1. A sharp white shirt in a cut that best suits your figure
2. One very well made, lightweight cardigan in your favourite colour
3. A jacket that works with your skirts
4. Three pairs of trousers: denim, tailored for day wear, and smart (day-to evening)
5. A black dress (the equivalent of the LBD!)
6. A skirt that works for day, in a shape that suits your figure
7. A selection of simple tee's (long sleeved in our case!) (black, white and grey are the best basic range)
8. Three pairs of good shoes, boots, ballet flats and a pair of evening shoes

Two items on this basics list, number one and number seven should look box fresh (as though you have just bought it) every season. The white shirt and white tee does not need to be expensive designer pieces. Buy cheaply and you can easily and happily replace them each year when they start to look yellow and less then perfect.

So there you have it my first style clinic 101! Enjoy!