3 ways to wear....a biker jacket

a biker jacket is on my list of things to buy for autumn/winter. i am seeing them all over the place at the moment. i did order one from dorothy perkins but was quite disappointed in it so it went back - usually their quality is really good, but it was thin, cheap looking didn't look anything like leather (it was faux, which is fine, but i expect it to at least look vaguely like leather)

however, new look have some lovely ones, this one is on my list to get:

so - some ways to wear leather jackets as part of your autumn/winter wardrobe. i think a leather biker jacket is a really versatile piece and can go with so many things! firstly you could go wtih a full on punk rock chick look, like this:

the same leather jacket would add an edge to a basic casual outfit like this one:

finally, an interesting way to wear a biker jacket is with something really floaty and feminine to add a tough girl edge and interest. like this.

autumn 2013 work capsule wardrobe

i started this blog with the intention of documenting the creation of a mix and match wardrobe, all of which fitted me well, and would have plenty of outfits suitable for work, casual, and special occasions.

i started pretty much from scratch as after having 3 babies my wardrobe was full of stuff that didn't fit me properly and you know how bodies change after having a baby even if you are the same weight - things just don't go back in quite the same way as they were before. so, a change was overdue.

i have discovered that i really like the idea of having a capsule wardrobe. that doesn't mean that i only have a tiny amount of items but to me, means that my wardrobe isn't overflowing, that most of my stuff will go with other stuff, and that i don't have items in there that never get worn. if something isn't working - i purge it. i'm not completely done yet, but am a good way there!

of course, it isn't feasible to have a wardrobe where every single item will work with everything else and that would feel quite limiting. so, what i do is have loose capsules, i group them in my head for workwear and casualwear and then i have others for different colour schemes etc.

so this is what i came up with for a workwear capsule for autumn/winter. i kept an overall colour scheme of black, white and tan as neutrals with colours of coral, pink and burgundy.

from these 9 items i can make the following basic outfits:

1. black trousers + coral top

2. black trousers + black and white spotty shirt

3. black trousers + white wrap top

4. black trousers + black and white stripy top 

5. black trousers + terracotta long sleeved tee 

6. black skirt + coral top

7. black skirt + black and white spotty shirt

8. black skirt + white wrap top

9. black skirt + black and white stripy top

10. black skirt + terracotta long sleeved tee

11. berry pencil skirt + coral top

12. berry pencil skirt + black and white spotty shirt

13. berry pencil skirt + white wrap top

14. berry pencil skirt + black and white stripy top

15. berry pencil skirt + terracotta long sleeved tee

16. leopard dress

17. leopard dress + coral top

18. leopard dress + black and white spotty shirt

19. leopard dress + white wrap top

20. leopard dress + black and white stripy top

21. leopard dress + terracotta long sleeved tee

22. leopard dress + pencil skirt

23. leopard dress + black skirt

of course you would need to be cool with some pattern mixing with the dress and tops. but i think they should all work together nicely as they are all in the same cohesive colour scheme.

then you add in 2 toppers and accessories - i chose a pleather bomber jacket and a smart heather jacket, two contrasting scarves, a black belt, and a gold necklace.

once you factor in all the different looks you can create using these accessories on top of the basic capsule, you can end up with over a month's worth of different looks without repeating any!

black trousers - ebay

black skirt - dorothy perkins

berry pencil skirt - next

coral blouse - next

spotty shirt - marks + spencer

white wrap top - pepperberry

black and white stripy top - next

terracotta long sleeved tee - next

leopard dress - dorothy perkins

monochrome and leopard scarves - next

berry necklace - next

black ankleboots - next

tan riding boots - DUO

pleather bomber - new look

heather jacket - next

burgundy skater dress - day to night

on the topic of skater dresses - I had a play around in polyvore to see what i could do with one similar to the one i posted earlier on. 

skater dresses are very versatile and can be dressed up or down and look fab. this one looks lovely as part of a work ensemble (link to the polyvore set). i teamed the rich burgundy with gold jewellery, a neutral cardigan, and nude flats. understated and gorgeous! 

a quick change of accessories - add a scarf and gold cuff, put on a biker jacket and killer boots to change the vibe entirely from demure to rocker chic :)  polyvore set here.