London Fashion Online
by Linda Potgieter
I LOVE London!
Having traveled to 38 countries and having visited all the fashion capitals of the world, London still rates number one in my fashion books.
London style is current, modern, edgy, classy, funky creative and always interesting and inspiring!
You don’t need to be a punk rocker in London to benefit from the cities amazing versatile fashion.
For example, our very own Marks & Spencer (fondly called Marks and Sparks) has become a flagship go to for me for basic capsule wardrobe items.
I was truly impressed with Marks & Spencer on my recent trip to London.
This nationwide chain store was rather fuddy-duddy when I first visited 15 years ago. Since then and over the years, they have recruited excellent buyers who have updated their culture of comfort with what’s current.
Almost all items are available online, too. So, I thought I would share a short debrief with you of some excellent, good quality, good value finds.
If you travel frequently or if you are just in the mood for a fresh new brand, here’s a little peek into M&S and they’re fresh new look.
The Capsule Wardrobe is something we have been talking about quite a lot these past two years.
Here are some of the major benefits of clearing out your closet and considering a Capsule Wardrobe lifestyle.
- It encourages faithfulness. How? Because it inspires and teaches a ‘mix and match’ creative eye which I have found, over time, has produced some amazing, fun new outfits that I would never have combined had I still had that full (no, bulging!) closet!
- A Capsule Wardrobe is conducive to budget faithfulness. I encourage you to set yourself a ‘fun budget’ for your shopping. As a rehabilitated shopaholic, if I can do it, anyone can. And financial training from my coach and mentor + the LindaPaige Capsule Wardrobe has produced incredible monetary results.
- Clearing out your closet is much more about clearing out your mind. Making space in your closet for a Capsule Wardrobe makes getting up and dressing up every day a lot easier. When you have fewer items in your closet you have fewer decisions to make, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you become a smarter, more organized dresser.
- It inspires my #1 rule of thumb in style: Quality over Quantity. All poverty mindsets around only shopping the sales and buying as much as you can for as little as you can will be squashed. That mindset actually feeds the ‘Fast Fashion’ problem which is literally killing the planet and destroying the professional garment making trade. When you understand the Capsule Wardrobe concept and rid your closet of all the unworn and poor quality pieces, you start looking at different items on the shop floor, from a fresh perspective. Quality clothing looks better on you, lasts much longer and does not get tossed out to large landfills as cheap items do.
- Less to wash and iron!
- Where I used to have too many items in my closet, some still with the price tag on and only wearing about 55% of my wardrobe, I am now wearing a 100 % of my wardrobe. I am loving the creative process and feeling pretty empowered by being faithful with the gift of fashion in my life.
- A major benefit to Capsule Wardrobe dressing is for the regular traveler. Having traveled to 38 countries in the past 16 years, packing was always a stressful activity for me. Investing slowly in my Capsule Wardrobe and ridding my closet and my mind of the clutter that gave me too many options, I have become far more organized than ever before (and that is not a natural preference, mind you). I am now often able to travel with a cabin size bag only, avoiding the check-in process. And I have learned to pack for each occasion, per hanger, with shoes and accessories, leaving zero space for waste and indecision.
- You will find that a smarter, more organized, higher quality and more faithful Capsule Wardrobe lifestyle spills over into how you shop for your kids, too. I have a little girl whose passion for fashion rivals mine, and packing for her was always arduous. Now she has fewer items of better quality – like mine – and we have saved time and money on her wardrobe and when traveling. My son also loves it as he is the minimalist in the family and loves that he was involved in choosing his favorite colors, favorite fabrics and has less to keep tidy!
To shop at Marks & Spencer click here. Beautiful Laundry Moms, if you would like to learn more about the LindaPaige Capsule Wardrobe just hop over to www.lindapaige.com and enjoy our free E-book ‘The Eve of Fashion’ and drop our gorgeous Karla a message and tell her you want more info: karla@lindapaige.com
We would be delighted to write a full Capsule Wardrobe article just for you, for next month’s feature.
Until then, I encourage you to get up, dress up and be that bold, beautiful light on a hill that our world needs!
M& S is fab for basics like this long-sleeved black top – not too loose, not too tight, just right.
M&S is right on trend with their gorgeous mustard pieces dotted around the store, like this silk blouse with drop hem. Perfect with a pair of skinnies, heels & black leather jacket!
I was thrilled to finally find a suit with comfortable, cropped pants that are easy to dress up or down.
Shoes maketh the man! Marks is fantastic for bold ballet flats.
High waisted white skinny jeans! And in 3 different lengths.
Hope you enjoyed some of my fashion tips!
Love,
Linda
Linda is a wife and mother, and Partner & Director of JPA Ltd, a global negotiation training firm headquartered in London. She is also Founder of LindaPaige, a fashion brand that empowers women to be a bold light on a hill in this world. Born and raised in South Africa, she currently lives in the UK with her husband and 2 children.
Linda started working at age 17 and spent most of her career in the corporate arena, often the youngest on the team enjoying powerful on the job training, learning from ambitious, accomplished executives what the marketplace wants.
Linda had the immense privilege of serving on former President Nelson Mandela’s PR team in 1998. As the final member of a team of 5, Linda and her colleagues organized the Vulindlela Water Supply Scheme in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, on Human Rights Day in March 1998. Awarded along with her team members for her performance in this role, she cites this experience as one of her distinct career highlights, referencing Nelson Mandela as her leadership standard in life, and continues her involvement today in fighting oppression and injustice.
After relocating to the UK in 2002, Linda won a national sales award in January 2006 from the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (UK) (ISMM) for ‘Best New Sales Professional in Britain’. She is passionate about sales and loves working with people, a combination that opened up fantastic career opportunities for her across geographical and cultural boundaries, working on negotiation training projects with some of the worlds largest brands such as Adidas, Network Rail, EON, Mercer, Nestle, Pfizer, Nokia, and Vodafone. Her clients cite her training style as “…highly motivational, passionate and performance impacting”.
Linda is extremely dedicated to her own personal growth and attends regular leadership training in the USA which she cites as life-changing. On a personal note, she is an adrenaline junkie continuing her pursuit of the next thrill in adventure sports, she loves travelling the world exploring good food, good wine and when there are gaps, she is home socializing with her family and friends.
