Stripes are the new black

We've been wearing stripes since well, forever, but have you noticed that stripes have been amped up a bit lately?

There used to be a "rule" that told us that horizontal stripes made us look wider, and to avoid them at all costs. Fast forward a few years and we've learnt how to make them work for all sorts of body shapes, Hooray!

Don't get me wrong, horizontal stripes can make the eye look across the body, creating a perception that the size of your belly or bust is bigger. However, you don't need to search for vertical stripes, instead you just need to know how to make horizontal stripes work for you.

Stripes have become so popular of late that they can even be overlooked as a print. Stripes have become such a basic in our wardrobe that they can be mixed with all sorts of other prints with ease, as easy as a piece of clothing in plain black. This is why I'm calling stripes the new black! It's now perfectly acceptable and bang on trend to pair a striped blazer with a busy printed dress, shirt or scarf. Take our gorgeous Elouise as an example....

Stripe DOs

• DO pair a striped top or dress with a vest, blazer or cardi if you want to slim your torso.
• DO wear a rib cage length pendant necklace to draw the eye to your waist.
• DO try a collar bone length necklace to keep the eye up and away from your torso.
• DO try stripe t-shirts in a size or two larger than you'd normally wear to give you a relaxed look and prevent adding any unwanted width.
• DO mix stripes with other prints - eg: stripes and plaid!

Breaking up my torso with a vest

Stripe DON'Ts

• DON'T wear horizontal striped trousers (unless your have legs like Elle Macpherson) - vertical stripes are your friend here.
• DON'T be limited to just navy/white and black/white stripes. Try shades of grey and other colours too.
• DON'T just opt for a 'nautical look'...yes, stripes will always be "nautical chic" but that's so yesterday girlfriend!

Stripe-spiration...

Stripes and plaid.
source: amercianprepacademy

Stripes and denim (always a winner!)
source: citygirldiaries

Coloured stripes & mixing prints.
source: justfabonline

Wide stripes & highlighting her waist with a belt
source: sequinsandsarcasm

Stripes and floral for instant glamour
source: vetudejoy

I'd love to see your striped outfit ensembles! Tag @meganpotter_stylist and use the hashtag #chaoticfavourites

Megan x

A chaotic enterprise. Part two

Some time ago I purchased a vintage caravan. I wrote an idyllic post explaining a few of my reasons and recounted the kooky experience getting it home. I was excited/ motivated/ inspired to kick things off and get into the project. I was ready to work. I was also certain that I would have the project complete within about two months.

So, here we are at the two-month mark. And things have somewhat stalled a little bit. To be completely honest, things have stalled a lot. I'm sure you're wondering what has happened that the project is at a standstill? The answer is two-fold really:

1. I have never done anything like this before and therefore don't have a very strong idea what I'm doing.

2. This vintage caravan is a big, fat, rotting mess.

Look at me hard at work - it started out so well!

In retrospect, I was probably kidding myself to be finished by now, especially with the festive season occupying the month of December. However, I really can't emphasise enough how bad the condition of the caravan is (although these pictures are pretty a pretty good example). It's not like I didn't have a plan - and I had help in the form of a wonderful partner who would do all the heavy lifting I couldn't do myself. Winning formula right?

The further in we got, the more damage was discovered

Not so much. Like I said, I was pretty idyllic at how much I would achieve in a short time. I might even be pretty close to completing by now if the impression I had of the caravan was correct. We started by gutting the caravan to a bare shell. My strategy was to remove all the inside fixtures. I wouldn't need them and I wanted to change a fair bit anyway. There were obviously some, ah, cosmetic issues that needed repair, but I thought 'how bad can it really be?'. Removing the fixtures was easy. A little too easy. The more parts fell away, the more problems appeared. It is literally rotting from the inside out. How this thing is still standing is beyond me.

Didn't seem too bad...

Except all the wood is rotting and that wall is barely attached to the rest of the caravan.
Quite the pickle.

It is here that I share with you a very important lesson, dear readers. Never, ever, agree to buy or spend money on a massively imposing, heavy, awkward item that you haven't thoroughly inspected and/ or had someone inspect. If I impart no other wisdom, please let this message be your takeaway. (Side note, why do no other blogs come with this public service announcement? They make DIY look  so easy!)

Where do I go from here?

HOWEVER. All is not lost, lovely readers! I'm a 'glass half full' kinda gal and currently exploring my options. I've even had an experienced renovator and personal consultant visit and give suggestions on the best course of action. Ever the consummate professional, he advised that I demolish the whole thing and try to recoup money by selling the chassis (a word I had never heard before - click here for definition). Thanks Dad.

So that's option A. Cut my losses. My dad, who is very pragmatic, helped me understand that the structural issues are too great to attempt a quick repair - if I'm going to keep this caravan, I need to start again. Rebuild from the bottom up. This is option B. Option C, try to piece together what is left, hope it looks respectable and doesn't fall apart on the road whilst travelling. 

Immediate plan though? Have a cup of tea and feel sorry for myself. Chat with husband. Trawl through Pinterest and convince myself I'm not a complete sucker. Take a breath. Either way, at least I gave it a go. Right? Guys??

What do you think readers? Is this too tough a task, or should I crack on? What would you do?

Taking stuff out is the easy part - putting it back together is a different story

Elouise x

Printed Pants: Wear them like a stylist!

Printed pants have been around for a few seasons now and I simply love them! They add a punch of personality to your outfits, they're comfortable and if you follow my simple tips you'll find them easy to style too.

First things first: It all comes down to your relationship with your pins - this will determine the shape and style of printed pants for you.

Long, lean, slender or toned? Would you use any or all of these words to describe your legs? If you answered yes then WOW you lucky gal!! I am slightly green with envy! The key to making printed pants work for you is to make sure their enhancing your lovely legs! Try skinny and straight leg pants especially cropped and "cigarette" styles that show off your ankles. And now that we've reached the summer months try printed tailored shorts too.

1. Necklace: Rare Rabbit $39.95
2. Loose tank: Witchery $34.95
3. Printed jeans: Sportscraft $119.95
4. Satchel bag: Fossil $279.00
5. Shoes: Witchery $99.95

And for the rest of us mere mortals whose legs resemble stumps rather that stilts there's the loose, baggy or harem styles. The plus side is that this style of printed pant is trending right now so they're easy to find and you can really take your pick from an assortment of colours and prints.



1. Necklace: Thousand Island Dressing $26.00 (on sale)
2. Tank top: Seed $99.95
3. Printed pants: Country Road $52.46 (on sale)
4. Tassel cross-body bag: Colette Hayman $29.95
5. Sandals: Country Road $37.46 (on sale)
 

Now that we've determined the two distinct types of printed pants you now need to know what to wear with them...and this is super simple! Just think "opposites attract" - that is, if you're wearing a skinny or tailored pair of printed pants opt for a loose, flowy or relaxed top or shirt. OR if you're wearing baggy printed pants its crucial that you keep your top half fitted or tailored.

There's a few other tips to keep in mind too so here are my DOs and DON'Ts:

DO wear the best style for your body shape
DO choose prints in colours that compliment your skin tone
DO choose the fabric carefully: Polyester will hang nicely and smooth over curves whilst cotton is light and breathable for Summer.
DO accessorise! Try a necklace which repeats one of the colours in the printed pants to really pull the whole outfit together.
DO try mixing prints: This might seem scary so ease into it by sticking to black and white.
DO rock them in Summer with slides, sandals and thongs and in Winter with boots and ballet flats.
DO add a blazer to take them from casual to corporate.

DON'T wear baggy printed pants with baggy tops because your frame will just be swamped with fabric.
DON'T allow onlookers to wonder if you're wearing your pyjamas! Follow my dos and don'ts!

Your stylist,
Megan x