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TSM Answered: Tips for Packing Light on Holidays
One of my readers asked me a little while back for tips on how to best pack for a holiday trip and while I could sit here and google the best tips (only pack 50% of the clothing you put in your suitcase … hmmm really?!) and pretend that I always adhere to these rules, clearly I’d be lying as there has been many an occasion where I’ve grossly overpacked (hairdryer AND straightener in Greece, total waste of time. FYI, the sea water ruins your hair irrespective of any tools you man yourself with) and in some cases, BOY have I under-packed (forgot wallet, forgot toothbrush, forgot phone!). So after three years of constant mini European adventures, I now have the art of packing down to 25 minutes each time and refuse to spend any longer on such a mundane task!
Disclaimer: I haven’t had enough time to google best tips on how to pack at all so this is therefore purely a personal T-Styled Me post. If you find this post a little bit rubbish, I don’t blame you. It works for me and I’d more than welcome your tips to share with other readers as well!
T-Styled Me Packing Process (25 minutes)
1. Make a very quick list (or use the previous trip’s list) of standard ‘important’ items that will go in your hand carry and pack them immediately in your hand carry (HC) or check in luggage (CIL). (5 minutes)
My list is always as follows:
- Passport and tickets (HC)
- House keys and Wallet (HC)
- Adapter and iphone charger cord (HC)
- Camera and Charger (HC)
- Toiletries (including toothbrush) (HC or CIL)
- Pyjamas, Socks & Underwear (HC or CIL)
(Tip: Invest in a universal adaptor with USB ports so you don’t actually need to bring the block that connects to the iphone USB cord)
2. Calculate the number of days you’ll be away and the corresponding weather forecast for each of these days and if you’re trip is short (e.g under 4 days) plan your outfits for each days by laying them out visually. (10 minutes)
I’m going on a 4 day, 4 night trip so I’ve put together these travel friendly, low maintenance looks that I can mix and match across outfits depending on the weather and for the plane as well. All in all, I have 3 bottoms and 3 tops and one dress which is actually overdoing it but I just like to have a bit of variety and the satisfaction of knowing what will go with what when I’m there. Note: no heels (honestly who travels in heels except for fashion bloggers? 
)
Then add a jacket /coat (depending on the weather) and a bag that will go with all your outfits that is both comfortable and practical.
3. Compile your liquids (under 100mls) in a clear ziplock bag (if you’re not checking that is which I rarely do) and your make up/ accessories bag (5 minutes)
Bring minimal make up (unless you’re planning or attending a soire of some sort!) and less is more. The items I usually bring are:
- Small bottle of sunscreen / moisturiser with sunscreen
- Mascara & Blush & tinted lip balm
- Make up remover / Cleanser
- Small bottle of shampoo
- Hair ties & bobby pins
(Tip: If you’re out of space, invest in Olay dry face towels which take up minimal room and foam up under water.)
4. Fold your clothes neatly and for all knits and tees, roll them up to minimise creasing. For Blazers and jackets you can fold the arms inside out and place in your luggage (5 minutes)
As you can see below, my camera actually takes up 50% of my luggage space! So I’ve learnt very quickly how to prioritise when packing.
Not bad right?! Considering that camera takes up half my bag, I’ve managed to fit and pack for four days in one hand carry luggage.
I’d love to hear your tips and tricks on how to save luggage space ! Have a great weekend guys and you can follow me on instagram to see where I’m travelling to this weekend @tstyledme
My New Squeeze from Paris: The Celine Trio Bag in Magenta Red
You know how some guys are into their cars, computer games or others are obsessed with collecting the latest tech gadget and once they get their hands on it, getting their attention is harder than prying a smackos out of a dog’s mouth? Well, I was kind of like that this weekend with the newest handbag in my collection: My very first Celine! I was spoilt courtesy of my girlfriends with this generous birthday gift that I picked up in Paris last weekend. Blog readers, may I introduce to you my newest perfect partner in life, I mean, handbag …
We’re currently in the honeymoon phase; I’ll admit I’m definitely the more clingy one in the relationship. But this kind of happens when you’ve been dreaming about having someone like this in your life: vibrant, photogenic, sentimental, practical and most of all, doesn’t give me headaches from heavy baggage (It also doesn’t hurt if they’re romantically French either!) We’ve been inseparable all weekend long… This is just a sneak peek for now as my trio will be surely making more appearances soon xx
Photos by Me and Kylee
Outfit Details
- Old Topshop knit
- Old Zara Slouchy Trouses (new season’s here)
- Celine Trio Bag (In Stores, Similar here)
- Old Dune Tan Flats (Similar here)
Thanks to all my gfs for such a gorgeous Parisian keepsake for my birthday. I hope you guys have a great week ahead. Bring on the Bank Holiday already I say!
A Chanel Inspired Birthday Party at The Wolseley London with Colour & Twine
Image
I’m anything if not predictable. I enthusiastically plan a birthday do with friends each year and without fail, as the date approaches, the worries associated with guests not having a good time and all that focused attention gets the better of the introvert in me and I curse myself for being too organised with save the dates (I mean really, were they even necessary for a birthday?!). I mentally note to never organise a party again and I, of course, have a fantastic time celebrating with loved ones to then proceed to quickly forgetting these pre-party mental promises; the whole cycle thus repeats itself.
This year was no exception. Being one year older (and obstensibly wiser!) the plan was to downsize to a small celebration with close friends out for breakky (my favourite meal when dining out!) – somewhere picturesque with decent flat white coffees that would enable us to watch the slow and non-existent Summer sun rise over London … Slowly, somehow, like the fiancee that promises never become a bridezilla, that casual laid back breakfast morphed into a decadent Chanel Inspired Champagne Breakfast at the Wolseley, a beautiful and rather classy restaurant in Green Park next to the Ritz in London. Perhaps it was my plan all along and who was I kidding, getting guests to come at 6am to watch the sun rise on a Saturday OR a perfect flat white in London? Wasn’t going to happen and doesn’t really exist
With help from Winnie (remember, here), a talented and aspiring event stylist, we worked on a simple, classy and fun theme for the Champagne breakfast that incorporated my love for shopping and slight obsession weakness for Chanel. Gone was the simple laid back image of rockin’ up in jeans and a tee and in its place was a sharp black and white dress code and table setting (I really must stop watching those reruns of the KimHumpries Kardashian wedding) combined with creatively styled happy yellow tulips and vibrant fuscia gerberas.
These gorgeous custom hand made decorative bottles/vases below were created especially for my Chanel themed Champagne breakfast by Vanessa, creator and owner of Colour & Twine (from Melbourne), who uses twine to lovingly hand craft these vases. Colour & Twine have a range of different sized bottles in an array of simple traditional twine colours with pops of neon pink and yellow (the signature look) to an assortment of soft sherbet hues in various shapes and sizes. It’s truly amazing how they instantly brighten up a room, a tableside or desk on their own as well as functionally house blooms for wedding table arrangements or add that unique touch like they did for me at a lunch or dinner party. Check out Colour&Twine’s gorgeous range of photos via Colour&Twine on FB.
I was really pleased with the service at the Wolseley. The staff were courteous and accommodating and the quality of the breakfast speaks for itself from the photos. It’s a slightly posh place to have breakfast in comparison to the usual casual cafes we’re used back in Melbourne but for a special occasion, it doesn’t disappoint. The specialty coffees were surprisingly decent and my favourite dish was a proper fruit salad which contained exotic fruits like Dragon fruit that I haven’t seen in the past 3 years since coming to London. Continue reading
T Styled Me’s Best & Worst Styled Picks: Met Ball 2013
Aside from the Christmas themed party last year, I’m still yet to be invited to attend a full on, hard core, take-the-car-instead-of-the-train themed costume party (Hmm perhaps time to question my popularity?). Have you attended any fun themed parties recently? I love seeing the creativeness in everyone’s efforts and this year’s Met Ball photos felt like I was flicking through FB friends’ (ok, randoms’) dress up party photos seeing as this year’s Met ball was themed – PUNK: Chaos to Couture. I love commitment when it comes to a dress up theme. Go hard or go home …
- T-Styled Me’s Vote for Best Styled goes to …
Cara Delevingne in Burberry
Why?
Aside from the smizing gone wrong in these photos, I do love the way “The Brows” rocks this sleek studded Burberry gown. It’d be my personal choice as an interpretation of Chaos to Couture: Black, studs, Silver hardware you’d expect to find from Camden markets and dark, broody ‘piss off will ya!’ make up. I never understood the fuss around Cara Delevingne as a model (I still remember her from her ASOS days) but respect that she’s stayed true to her London roots wearing Burberry and what can I say, I’ve always been a sucker for long sleeved elegance over side boobage. The look is not overly Punk (I’d expect some leather) and is more on the couture side but I do love her interpretation.
- Runner up: Anne Hathaway in Vintage Valentino
I love that Anne Hathaway is not afraid to reinvent herself and take risks (no bra two times in a row now Anne!). I personally think the platinum cropped locks, inspired by Debbie Harry looks amazing on her
- T-Styled Me’s Vote for Worst Styled goes to …
Kim Kardashian in Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy
Why?
It’s the glove. It freaks me out. I’ll probably get clubbered over the head for admitting this or at least get a couple of eye rolls but I’m actually a Kim Kardashian fan. I think she has a fantastic body and well, while I struggle to come up with more convincing reasons, I just do. She has a fabulous figure, even whilst pregnant but I’m sorry – I’m just not forward thinking enough to appreciate it because I think this gown looks horrendeous on her. It doesn’t ‘fit the brief‘ and when you are highly pregnant, with an extremely ample bust, a high neck, floral print is kind of the thing you AVOID wearing right?!. Thank goodness for that thigh high split from preventing her like looking like an 80s couch I hear you exclaim? Well … no, not when it reveals an overly tight strapped matching shoes. I think she could have redeemed herself with a different pair of shoes but *shudder,* it’s that creepy matching glove. I.just.don’t.get.it
Other fun looks of the night that I loved …
Jessica Alba in Tory Burch
Jennifer Lopez in Michael Kors
Miranda Kerr in Michael Kors
Rooney Mara in Givenchy
Photos from Getty Images, Socialite Life and Daily Mail
What was your favourite look for the night? What did you think of Sarah Jessica Parker’s and Madonna’s outfits?
T-Styled Me Answered: Which type of boots suit me if I have short legs ?
Anonymous Asked:
Can you do post a how to style a petite size 6 figure with short legs and broad shoulders please? In particular how to overcome the short leg problem! And, what ankle boots would you recommend to elongate short legs! Ta! x
T-Styled Me Answered:
Among friends, I’m notorious for proposing hypothetical situations and one for the girls is always ‘If you could have plastic surgery on one part of your body, what would it be?’ You’d be surprised how often the answer is ‘Umm… Can I get my legs done so they’re longer?!’ Unfortunately leg extensions aren’t common like lipo/botox and there’s a much more simple way to create the illusion of being taller. A styling session on the inverted triangle body shape (broad shoulder and slim hips and bottom half) is still on my to do list but here are my top tips on how to balance out that inverted triangle shape for a petite figure and how to best elongate your pins:
To balance out broad shoulders …
- Lean towards dresses and skirts which are full or have an A-line shape. This will create a fuller bottom half to balance out your shoulders. Add a belt to create an illusion of an hourglass shape.
- As you’re petite, the skirts and dresses should end at least above your knee. Simple advice but you’d be surprised at what a difference this makes!
- For Trousers, try a boot-cut denim or wide leg trouser pant that is dark in colour (visually this will create length).
- Stay away from strappy heels that can cut off at at your legs or at least pair them with a shorter than usual hemline.
- Nude heels are really great way of visually elongating your legs.
Boot recommendations
- Any ankle boots which have a stacked heel will instantly make you look taller.
- Keep the ankle boots the same colour as your jeans help elongate your legs.
These are my favourite stacked heel boots which I would recommend to help elongate your legs:
I have these (in black) and not only are they comfortable but they go with everything!
Topshop Mighty Black Zip Boots
Topshop are great for more affordable ankle boots so have a browse and look for a pair that has height (that you’re comfortable with), that’s classic and easy to wear.
I hope this short post helped!
Tien xo
TSM Travel: Weekend getaway to the Keukenhof flower fields in Holland
I’ve been feeling slightly homesick recently (When it snowed a few weeks ago mid April, I cracked it and was really ready to call it quits) but the tail end of April has redeemed itself with the temperature hitting 20 degrees today and for the first time in 6 months, I contemplated leaving my black opaque tights at home (I chickened out last minute for fear of OESK – over eager skin exposure). Many of my friends from Australia are visiting and travelling Europe which has made the weeks fly by so much faster and it always helps to have company and that little piece of home over here.
Crashing our friends’ honeymoon, a group of us hopped on a quick 45 minute flight to Amsterdam over the weekend to relax, ride our bikes through the picturesque canals of Holland and one of the highlights of the weekend was visiting the Keukenhauf Tulip Festival. Did I hear you just yawn? Well, I know it doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing to do overseas but I actually had it on my ‘Amsterdam to do’ list given the festival only runs from March to May each year and Holland is famous for their tulip fields (amongst other things!) and tulips are one of my favourite flowers.
Sure, there was a moment’s hesitation when we rocked up to the entrance of the flower festival surrounded by at least 20 tour buses full of more mature aged visitors but as soon as we started wandering through the park with our freshly made StroopWaffels and hotdogs, we became mesmerised by the sea of such vibrant and beautiful colours…
The tulips above were so unique; they looked like tulips made out of frayed fabric! I love vibrant colours – they bring such a sense of happiness and life to pictures and I found a lot of inspiration for my wardrobe from these colours.
What are your favourite flowers?
Tien xo
TSM Styling Session: How to style an Apple Shaped Figure
When I started this blog under a year ago, I wanted to differentiate it from other popular fashion blogs (by drop dead gorgeous model-esque bloggers) by featuring, well short legged non model-like me and other gorgeous everyday women who Tyra Banks would describe as ‘fiercely real’ with varying heights, body shapes, personalities and nationalities. What I’ve found along the way, however, is that most of my friends and clients either fall into the boyish straight body type or the pear shaped category (Recaps here) who are generally petite and super fun to style but not equally representative of the population or my vision.
I was therefore really excited to work with and style Zuzu who has a different body shape to mine and previous clients. What I loved about the sessions was that we started from the very beginning: In Zuzu’s wardrobe and worked our way up to the second shopping and styling session. Despite trying to find a suitable date for what seemed like forever (okay, just over 6 months), the timing could not have worked out better given Zuzu recently moved houses and de-cluttering to make room for more pieces to add to her existing wardrobe was a priority.
As with all my styling sessions, let’s get to know Zuzu a little better:
Zuzu’s Profile Stats
- Zuzu’s Height: Approx 5 ft 3” (1.6m)
- Skin tone: Fair
- Build: Medium
- Body shape: Apple. Refer to this post if you need a reminder
- General Clothing size: Size M-L depending on cut, UK/AUS 10-12.
- Lifestyle: Busy with work and furnishing her newly purchased home and this young lady has a BIG weakness for designer handbags!
- Shopping preference: Wants basis
- Shopping frequency: Regular, every few weeks
- Style Preference: Casual, preppy, work orientated
- Personality (in three words): Career driven, bubbly and & positive (All in my opinion!)
Zuzu’s Styling criteria
- For this wardrobe refresh and styling session, Zuzu wanted to discard items in her wardrobe that no longer fit her, having lost weight gradually over the past few years and identify items which required updating or that were missing altogether. For the shopping session, Zuzu wanted outfits that were different from her usual style and was open to a slightly edgier look.
And so the culling and list-making began …
Now, guys, I honestly thought I shopped a lot … but let me tell you something, this young lady could give Rebecca Bloomwood a run for her money! :P She had a lot of clothes and one of the recurring themes we discovered was that she had multiples of the same garment in several different colours and safe shades and items that only matched one or two pieces in the wardrobe. We talked this through and removed pieces which no longer fit Zuzu’s changing shape and lifestyle. One of the items we got rid of was her leather jacket.
Like most classic apple body shapes, Zuzu carries most of the weight in the middle region around her waistline and has enviously, slim legs, arms and hips and these were the areas we wanted to focus on and show off. The current leather jacket that Zuzu owned was both too large now and very boxy which didn’t suit her body shape and actually created extra weight around the mid-region. We decided that an updated leather jacket with simple detailing with a slimline silhouette, amongst other items, would make its way onto our shopping list to help create that definition around her waistline.
Tips for dressing for an Apple Shaped body
- Wrap dresses which define your waistline and lower rounded and V necklines help create definition and highlight your bustline
- A-line and full skirts will make your waist look smaller.
- Show of your legs with skirts and dresses that are just above the knee
- Opt for single breasted tailored jackets that create slimming torso
During our shopping and styling session, I chose a dress for Zuzu which cinched her waist (and added a thick belt to emphasise this) as well as a patterned v-neck dress with a full skirt which really gave the illusion of a hour glass shape. If you’re apple shaped, avoid cropped boxy jackets and gravitate towards the slimming single buttoned simple tailored jackets.
Great minds think alike and we both found the perfect leather jacket for Zuzu which was more current, suited her body shape and was both comfortable and within her budget. Here are few of shots post shopping session…
TSM Outfit Post: Horizontal Stripes in the Zara Striped Dress
Do you have those days where you really can’t be bothered thinking about what to wear? Sometimes I just want to throw something on without spending more than 10 seconds thinking about what to pair with what and there’s nothing easier than a dress to do that on days like these. I bought my recent go-to casual Winter/Spring dress from Barcelona last December and I’ve worn it over a dozen times now; it is perfect for running around town on the weekend and I can also get away with wearing it in the office on casual Fridays too. It’s also, might I add, the perfect dress for pigging out at dinner!
I love stripes. If there are stripes in a store, I’ll make a beeline for them and usually have to stop myself from buying too many of the same type of tops and dresses. Horizontal stripes can visually make you look wider than you are and if you are particularly conscious of a certain area of your body, avoid wearing tight fitting horizontal stripes in that area or add longer cardigans or necklaces to balance out the stripes. My striped pieces are usually looser fitting or overized/slouchy tops that remain comfortable to wear and in darker slimming hues. Continue reading
T-Styled Me Tip: DIY belt holes (Silverline Leather Hole Puncher)
Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the extended weekend and didn’t indulge in too much chocolate like I did (Easter may be over, but I’m still going! Damn those two-for-one deals; they always get when the eggs go on sale after Easter!). This came up on my FaceBook News feed which made me giggle (and sing off tune) as I usually eat one or two of these each Easter so thought it’d be funny to share it with you guys …
One of my friends gave me an Amazon e-voucher last year for my birthday and I’ve been slowly using it up over the past 12 months buying e-books on my Kindle (FYI Currently in the middle of reading ‘Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea;’ a collection of stories about real life North Korean defectors who escaped to South Korea; a real eye opener!) but what I’ve also managed to buy with the voucher which has proven to be super handy is a Leather Hole Punch Plier.
I have about 20 belts hanging from my belt rack, 10 which never get to see daylight as they’ve been mentally ostracised, deemed unsuitable for wear because they’re too large and require extra holes. Roughly every six months I either pick up another belt at the sales in a similar state or and continually convince myself that I’ll get around to taking those 10 belts to cobbler’s to get those extra holes added. The last time I did that was probably four years ago at a shoe repair place where the guy charged me $2/hole or something silly like that. So I bit the bullet recently and purchased my own belt hole puncher and I am particularly chuffed that it has now punched holes in all my belts, my friend’s cross body bag and her boyfriend’s belt as well!
The punch pliers are really simple to use, however the only disclaimer I would bolt onto that is that it helps to have a guy around to clamp the hole puncher and swivel it with significant force.
Step 1: Mark with a pen where you require the hole, taking particular care to evenly space the desired hole in relation to the others.
Step 2: Select the right sized hole on the plier wheel (It’s always better to go for a smaller hole first). This particular plier has 6 different sized holes that range from 2 – 5mm.
Step 3: Clamp down firmly and swivel the belt / leather
And Viola!!
I purchased this particular Silverline Heavy Duty Punch Plier from Amazon and if you browse around you’ll find that there are a variety of brands you can choose from at various prices. You can also use this handy tool for other leather DIY projects (leather clutches, travel tags, personalised key rings etc) so also check your your local hardware store too.
Hope you found this post useful! It’s just one of those things that only one person in the family needs to invest in and everyone can benefit from it rather than making that trip, procrastinating in my case, to see the repair man.
Thanks Michelle for being my hand model Have a great week guys!
Tien xo
TSM Styling Session: Layering Cropped knits & sharing accessories from your mum’s closet
Um, can somebody please tell me how it’s Easter this weekend already? Because according to me, I just came back from a quick holiday home to Oz in Jan and Easter, well that was meant to be ages away! Now they say that time flies when you’re having fun and I agree to some degree but I believe the more realistic saying is: ‘Time flies when you’re busy’ and a busy bee I’ve been lately indeed! I’ve been holding a few styling and shopping sessions with clients on top of the usual 9-5 and am now in the midst of planning European travel adventures with friends for Summer (Note ‘Summer’ is a mythical concept at this stage as it’s still snowing right now, what the?!).
My good friend Kaz’s brother and his girlfriend have moved to London recently from Melbourne too so it has been lovely having company and helping them transition their lives to this crazy cosmopolitan city that is London like we did those years ago. Chatting with them actually prompted me to post photos from a day where I did a fun little shoot in the ‘burbs with Kaz’s family with the intention of showcasing the fact that styling doesn’t stop once you have kids and get older but stays with you for life and I love the fact that Kaz and her stylish mum share an interest in fashion and get away with sharing clothes, accessories and designer bags.
Kaz and I often text each other lamenting over our shared curse of shopaholicalism and that we have friends who are lucky to have been born sans the shop lusting gene (hmm, apparently they term it self restraint). Kaz and I met years ago working in fashion retail at Saba so it was inevitable that we bonded over clothes, sneaky back room coffees and venting about cray cray customers. Kaz has a fantastic eye for fashion and is a style inspiration herself so when we went shopping this day, we both immediately agreed that this top, albeit from a high street store we hadn’t shopped in for ages, would be the perfect little knit for Autumn. I’d also just picked up this bright fuchsia scarf on sale at Country Road so using her existing wardrobe, I put a little casual, walk your dog and meet friends for brunch outfit together for the post.
Tobes was just so handsome after a recent haircut I just had to add this pic in too!
T-Styled Me tip: Sometimes the thought of wearing a cropped knit can be a little uncomfortable for fear or emphasising the stomach area but a neat idea to overcome this is to pop a longer collared shirt underneath or a loose, longer tee like I did here with Kaz to create length in the torso and to create a casual layered look that emphasised the split black detailing and to break up the monochrome look, always pop some colour via way of a scarf or statement necklace to draw attention to the face.
I love dropping by Kaz’s place for dinner. Mama Kaz teaches me everything I need to know about Chinese cooking and we often have an after dinner tea, gossip session and discuss the next handbag we’ve got our eye on 
My Balenciaga from here was actually inspired by Mama Kaz’ vintage Balenciaga city that I have drooled over for years.
Although Kaz’s mum is more petite framed compared to Kaz, they can often share tops, shoes and handbags which I think is a great way to expand your own wardrobe if you both have similar tastes. Love these picture below of these gorgeous gals! Thanks for letting me play dress ups with you both
Outfit Details (Kaz)
- White Saba Tee
- Saba Coated Black Jeggings (now on sale)
- Seduce Bluejuice knit (similar here)
- Rag & Bone Classic Newbury Booties
- Alexander Wang Rose gold Diego Bucket bag
- Country Road Scarf (similar here)
- Old Nicholas Heels
Outfit Details (Mama Kaz)
- Ambercrombie Jeans
- Saba Cropped Blazer
- Coach Ballet Flats
And with Mama Kaz’s permission, I took a few snaps with the gorgeous vintage Balenciaga bag!
Hope this may have inspired you Aussies for your upcoming Autumn and to also have a nosey around your mum’s closet for any goodies too!
Thanks for reading,
Tien xo
