Make Do Motivation

I figured you needed sums to motivate you to not fritter for a few months.

12 weeks of Grazia = £23.40
Daily cappuccino over twelve weeks = £117
No weekly little clothes or other purchases at say £20 a week = £240

A no spend on these items would give you £380.40 to buy one quality item with.... food for thought.
What would you spend £380.40 on?


UPDATE - the example of cost saving measures above are just that, examples. The No Fritter Challenge is simply as thus: all you have to do is not buy a single item of clothing from now until March 31st. Save what you might have spent or were tempted to spend and then go an buy yourself something truly fabulous.

Ski Monday

When it comes to ski clothing that won't break the bank I have two top tips - TK Maxx and M&S. For 3 years I worked a pair of sale salopettes from M&S that cost me £25, and I only replaced them when I got a new pair of reduced Helly Hensens from the old discount ski shop at Bicester which no longer exists.

It just pays to look in the high street stores before the specialist shops for reasonable costing ski wear, particularly if you've blown the budget on the holiday. Both M&S and John Lewis do great thermals and even Topshop have a few good items. Snow & Rock also stock cheaper versions of high performance ski clothing but you do run the risk of wanting the best when you set foot in there!

M&S Cotton Rich Ski Salopette Trousers £95



Helly Hensen woman's Vega Pants £89.95 at Snow & Rock

New Year Style Challenge

There's no place for waste, there's no place for waste....okay not as catchy as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz with her red shoes but it might be a handy mantra for you to adopt for the first three months of 2010.

Normally one's new year resolutions are quite self centred in the sense they revolve around self improvement, endeavouring to do more, be better at x or y. However it is hard to do this in isolation and often the focus brings no visible reward (unless on is aiming for slimmer hips!).

I've noticed and noted how many of us on the fashion blogs without a disposable income worthy of our fashion fancies often lament not being able to buy an item that is more expensive....YET there is much evidence of FRITTERING. Therefore the resolution I'm proposing you to adopt is 'The No Fritter Challenge 2010'.

It is essentially very easy to undertake. All you have to do is not buy a single item of clothing from now until March 31st. Save what you might have spent or were tempted to spend and then go an buy yourself something truly fabulous.

Basically you have to make do until the 31st - there are no exceptions even £2 on an item from a charity shop could count towards your fab fund.

I want you to savour the moment you purchase the item you love in April.

If you want to be part of the Make Do Style resolution just use the image below and put it on your blog to show you are participating and remind you of your goal. Then in April all you have to do is post you and your purchase!


**UPDATE** essentials are allowed i.e socks, tights and underwear if you are really desperate but it has to be an emergency!

Felicitations

May you all have a Happy New Year with much health, wealth, good fortune and happiness. Thank you for reading Make Do Style over the years!!

My latest video

I've just made a video to showcase the work of my MA course. It's not all about me but also my lovely fellow student chums. It will be revised, this is the full length version before the cuts are made. I will also wait for La Belette Rouge to email me with her suggestions for botox for my forehead. I've had a wrinkly forehead since my early twenties - I'm too expressive, but that's all the damage to date!

Just click here to go to the Fashion and Film blog to find out more about the MA outputs, if you've got a spare moment or suffer from insomnia!

PS update - I realise my throw away remark about botox is potentially a sign that I'm considering it. I'm not! La Belette is a big fan of botox and always tells me to get some as a top tip for skincare. I just don't think I'll ever succumb because a) cannot afford it and b) a fringe will do instead!

Inject colour or quality with sale items

Now if you do fancy a flutter with an internet sale purchase then please go for colour and quality. You'll need a little pick me up for the long, dark and drab weeks of January and February.

A great jumper to wear with your jeans - Sonia by Sonia Rykiel striped bow sweater now £118

A cardigan to take you from now all the way through to the summer. Until the sun shines and the flowers spring from the ground, just wear this cardi over a skinny polo neck or over a white shirt. See by Chloe gold cropped cardigan now £181Or this neutral but beautifully pale toned tunic dress from Antik Batik now £199 is embellished enough to add sparkle day or night but easy to wear with tights or leggings layered with boyfriend cardi. Then come summer time wear with flats and a good piece of jewellery.

Thought for the week - quality v quantity the 2009 top ten list

In November you all responded to my question of what top 5 quality items you would buy or desire. Of course most of you moaned that 5 is a tough call, however it did keep you focused and the result is a resounding top 10 list.

In no particular order this is the Make Do Style top 10 quality items as determined by you the readers (can you tell I'm missing X Factor!) from the items that got the most mentions.

1. A watch - the suggestions were Cartier, Tiffany tank, a gold Rolex and an Omega constellation
2. A bag - the brands cited were Bottega Veneta, Chanel, Mulberry to name a few
3. A scarf - Hermes and Louis Vuitton were mentioned
4. Pearl necklace
5. Beautiful jewellery - this included heirloom, diamond studs and a Wendy Brandes Empress Wu ring (forthcoming)
6. A beautiful or timeless coat - the list range from Max Mara, a shearling coat and a Margaret Howell Trench plus I'm adding a Moncler!
7. Great pair of shoes - Christian Louboutin, Prada and Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik all got a vote of confidence but Chanel ballet pumps and also a couple of boots were mentioned
8. A gorgeous dress - Roland Mouret, vintage Ossie Clark, a beautiful black cocktail dress got a mention
9. White shirt
10. Great pair of jeans

And the nearly there... a pair of black trousers, a pencil skirt, a Chanel suit and a cashmere sweater...

Sales and Fox hunting go together

image The Guardian

I have two consistent dislikes queuing for sales on boxing day and fox hunting, which was always a boxing day event. I consider both past times barbaric. The latter, fox hunting is obvious in the fact the thrill of the chase is to scare a creature out of its wits and then when eventually it dies of a heart attack or is caught, the hounds are allowed to maul the creature and rip it asunder.

I know you thought I was talking about the sales, the thrill of the chase and the grabbing of an item out of another human beings hand.

In fact it wasn't that long ago a Wal Mart employee died as bargain hungry humans stampeded into a store. The opening of Primark on Oxford St also took casualties as gathered crowds pushed open the doors because they were tired of waiting for it to officially open.

I know there will be those of you who indulge in or support one or the other. Mainly sales participation I suspect but for those of you who support fox hunting I have to say before you think I'm some lefty city dweller, I would like to point out I grew up and lived on a farm. I've pulled calves out of cows, hunted for new born lambs who's mothers have died in the night to save them and hand rear them. Equally, I've fed pigs to be slaughtered and bred grouse to be shot. It's all in a days work. When it comes to pest control i.e. rabbits and rats then the guns come out and the same goes for a fox. If the farm dogs ran off and caught something then so what. But we never ever went native and barbaric - looking for the kill, savouring the chase, riding in a wild frenzy wearing red and blowing horns, yuk! It always struck me as undignified to be a hunter in a group all brazen and vindictive pursuing just one poor lowly fox.

I don't miss living on a farm, it was a hard life in the wild west of Wales as is farming anywhere. I I do love the countryside but I cannot reconcile eking a living from the land with bunch of folk chasing a fox. It is those same folks who turn their nose up at city folk as they queue in a pack to run and bag a bargain.

Moi, you'll find me on boxing day with a glass of red wine or two, a book in hand and some family and friends. The only hunting we'll be doing is for the remote control when we've tired of conversation and eating.

Tinsel and Champagne

Well what a year ... I would do a post on the end of the noughties but... I think this might be covered, except in one respect, making do.

Basically if we view 2000 as a year of excess in respect of partying, money and the day all computer were going to crash (remember that), then the latter end and 2009 is the bit where it all came crashing down figuratively. I would say that the excess of the decade was typified by Tom Ford and Gucci, with the greed and consumption of the developed nations typified by the rise of Primark. Gosh, I'm a cheery soul aren't I.

I loved the Tom Ford era at Gucci but in retrospect it was like a lot of tinsel and too much champagne - you can have enough of a good thing.

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record and retailers aren't going to thank me, but please remember these three things.
1. Make do with what you've got from now until March 2010 and save every penny you would have spent on a frivolous buy.

2. Make your own quality list of things that would add WOW to your wardrobe - not just clothes think jewellery (shout out for WendyB here!). Look how great Queen Michelle looked with just the addition of swear rings. Don't compromise to fill an emotional hole on an off day.

3. Save a little each month for a rainy day (or year) trust me this is a wise move. If all else fails eat cake and have a nice cup of tea - wouldn't you agree Queen Marie!

Over at Fashion and Film blog is my top three chick flicks for this holiday season.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Dress a blogger for a wedding

A request has come in from Angie Muresan to provide her with an outfit for her sister's wedding in Hawaii next month.

Angie wants to look beautiful not trashy. Now my first view is that it is always important to remember that it is the brides day. Regardless of anything it is not your day it is the bride and bridegroom who matter. So, the best thing to achieve is a look that is fitting for the day, fitting for you and not too showy.

Angie has told me she is taller than her sister and she adds a bit rounder but she has had two children! Her sister is opting for a Grecian white dress. I've decided that for Angie to feel at ease she needs to wear flats and a dress with colour. I've opted for blue as the setting will be quite gorgeous and in my opinion it will be calming for the wearer and won't be attention seeking and will allow for understated and gorgeous accessories.

I've selected items from the forthcoming season and gone for designer, as Angie can potentially buy the dress, and then find cheaper flats or a necklace (choose one expensive item and sub any cheaper version but don't compromise on style). Or she can source similar items as new stock arrives. The dress is clever in that the shape is in the bow, and a shift dress is more forgiving than anything body con. The shorter length will allow longer legs to be shown but will be balanced by pretty flats. The items are respectful of the Grecian theme but are not imitating or trying to compete. Just add perfect manicure and pedicure - be daring go for a dark midnight blue or black nail varnish to avoid a prissy look. Hair up or down depending on the bride.

As for a bag... well hand your lippy to husband and be hands free for easy elegance and a glass of champagne!




Moschino Cheap and Chic bow front crepe shift £335 Net-a-Porter



Oscar de la Renta Gold plated chain necklace £525 Net-a-PorterStella McCartney Metallic braid detail flats Net-a-Porter £195