We have a variety of clothing in our wardrobe that is often built up over a period of time. We have garments for wearing on different occasions, different seasons, clothes set aside for weekend wear and perhaps even holidays and honestly some that we are never going to fit again - ever! However, while we are working, we need a successful working wardrobe, but this can often get the “that will do” approach even though we spend possibly most of our time at work.

Making your wardrobe work better for your work day starts off with what you need - and this comes into where you work, of course. I am either at the office or out and about in our Caroline Eve stores, but in the summer months I am mostly at my own business making and serving homemade ice cream. No matter where I am working - I find life so much easier having a working wardrobe for both jobs which takes into account wardrobe requirements for each position.

You want to make your daily chore of getting ready to go to work the least stressful thing of the day, perhaps even an enjoyable experience. By choosing your wardrobe wisely, you can get your dollar working better for a very successful wardrobe. A successful wardrobe is when you start putting together a palette of colours that work well together, whether they are existing garments or new. Start with a base colour, this is often black, navy, green, brown or charcoal for example - then you have a highlight colour, this is often white, ivory, soft grey or taupe, then you choose a fashion colour - this is a new colour of the season that you love, this helps to create a palette colour range for you, suiting your personal style. Get started with the first three colours and you can mix and match to your heart’s desire.

The next step to creating a great wardrobe is versatility. Versatility does not mean having to be boring and wearing the same thing day, after day. It means being able to change one item for another and creating a whole new look.

For example:

‣ You may need two pairs of trousers - make one classic black pant and the other a fashion colour culotte.

‣ Do the same with knitwear - with one a classic cardigan and the other an on-trend vest?

‣ Dresses are a great wardrobe staple as they are one garment, then you are done! Have a black classic style that can take you many places and then a right-on-trend printed dress for a game-changer. Add a denim jacket to the game-changer dress in the weekend and you have instantly doubled the usage.

‣ You need basics like Merino for warmth, so a couple of merino tops with different necklines in different colours will work well.

‣ A shirt - whether its plain or patterned

‣ A jacket or two would be nice, but certainly one

‣ Accessories, add a scarf and a fashion belt to change things up.

Even though you are going to work, make getting dressed an enjoyable experience. Ask yourself, what look do I feel like today?

If you look after your garments well they will get you from year to year and the following season you can add to it. You’ll have your basic merinos, the jackets and pants and you can build a new colour theme the following year, this year it might be that Khaki is your favourite fashion colour and next…who knows it might be hot pink and with these few tips… you can make it work.