Lifestyle

Streamline your wardrobe for 2023

Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear? You are not alone.

So many of us have plenty of clothes but struggle to put an outfit together. It doesn’t make sense. Surely, if you have more clothes, you have more options? Well, no, the more clothes you have, the harder it becomes. You end up wearing the same things over and over again and leave the rest on the hangers. The answer is a capsule wardrobe. Now bear with me. A capsule wardrobe does not mean you restrict yourself to 10, 33, 100 or any other specific number of clothes. It means streamlining your wardrobe to fit your lifestyle, colouring, body type and personal preference. The result is a collection of clothes that mix and match easily, save you time, money and space and have you looking and feeling your best. And the best bit? It is much better for the environment.

Ready to streamline your wardrobe for 2023?

First, you must find the time to gather all your clothes in one place. That includes everything from the basement, loft, and car, EVERYWHERE. You can declutter your wardrobe in one of two ways; either

go through item by item, for example, shirts followed by trousers, etc. Or, you Lifestyle blitz the whole lot in one go. It depends on how much time you have and how much you have to declutter. To decide what to keep and what to donate, consider the following;

Your lifestyle

Think about what you do in a typical month and break it down from 100%. For example, you might spend 50% of your time at work, 25% at home with family, 10% out with friends, 5% at a yoga or fitness class and 10% on others; this will become the basis of your wardrobe. You

should now have an idea of how many clothes you need for each part of your life. In addition, you should consider how often you do a wash cycle or visit the dry cleaners. If you have too many multiples in your wardrobe, pick out the best options by quality, how new they are, how often you wear them and how comfortable they feel. Donate the rest.

Your colouring

Why should you care about your colouring? Because knowing which colours suit you can make a huge difference in your mood, make you look younger and healthier and enhance your best features. There are three main areas I look at when a client comes to me for a colour analysis:

The depth of colour: How bright or muted their colouring is The temperature of the colour: How warm or cool their colouring is The strength of the colour: How dark or light their colouring is

If you have yet to have a colour analysis, these simple rules can help you make the most of colour.

Firstly, look at the inside of your wrist to determine which colour will suit you best: If your veins are... Green - you are warm-toned Purple - you are neutral-toned Blue - you are cool-toned

Next, if you have a lot of colour in your skin, hair or eyes, you will likely be able to wear brighter shades. If you have minimal colouring, you should opt for more muted shades.

Finally, you want to look at the strength of colour. The easiest way to do this is to look at yourself in a black-and-white headshot. If you are fair and have little contrast between your hair, skin and eyes, you would be better suited to pastel shades and should avoid head-to-toe dark colours. If there is high contrast between your hair, eyes and skin, for example, dark hair and pale skin, you can afford to have contrast in the colours you wear. If you have dark skin and hair, you can afford to wear bright and dark colours and have contrast in your wardrobe, but you should avoid pastels from head to toe.

Your body shape

Next, look at your wardrobe and consider which styles suit your body shape. Knowing which body shape you are can help determine which styles and cuts enhance your best features. The simple rule is, if you are heavier on top, choose brighter, lighter, looser and patterned garments on your bottom half; if you are heavier on the bottom, select the reverse. If you are heavier around the middle, consider one block colour throughout and straight lines in overcoats etc. Avoid frills or anything fancy in places you are trying to hide. And finally, wearing something huge and baggy to conceal an area you are not happy with will only make you look bigger!!

Your wardrobe going forward

Once you have looked at your wardrobe and considered what works and what doesn’t, donate the rest and put aside anything you intend to replace. If there are garments you are unsure about, set them aside for one season, and if you do not use them by the next season, you have your answer and can donate them.

Finally, to maintain your wardrobe, consider your lifestyle, colouring, body shape and budget in every purchase. For more detailed help with your wardrobe, book a free consultation.

www.capsuleclosetstylist.com

1 Easy self-care hacks to integrate into your busy working day

We live in a constant state of change and uncertainty. There are many economic challenges out of our control that can create anxiety.

The good news is our well-being is in

Lifestyle our control. Here are some simple and quick self-care hacks that you can weave into your busy day, to help regulate your nervous system, leaving you feel calmer and happier.

Using your morning routine to set the scene for your day

· Try to avoid starting your day by looking at your phone. Constant email and news traffic sets the tone for the day when you should put your mental and physical health first. Start by taking some deep breaths, enjoy some gentle stretches, yoga, or a quick YouTube workout. The night before have your clothes ready so you can quickly get dressed and work out and start the day by producing endorphins.

· Meditate for 10 minutes. Start with breathwork to feel more focused and calm by simply exhaling longer than the inhalation for 1-2 minutes. Use visualisation by visualising yourself working hard on your goal, making it happen and enjoying the process. Repeat positive affirmations to cultivate a happy mindset (i.e. I can do this, I am good enough, etc). Use meditation to align our busy minds with our bodies, bring ourselves back to the here and now so that we reduce anxiety about the future or the past.*

· Set your intentions for the day in a journal before you start working on your to-do list, and think about how you want the day to go and the energy that you will bring.

· Practice gratitude at the start and end of each day by focusing on what you are thankful for. Use gratitude to help manage the negative bias in your brain. Some of the happiest people practice gratitude daily.

Mindfulness during your working day

· Integrate mini mindfulness moments throughout the day when you are brushing your teeth, making a coffee, etc all you need to do is notice how you are feeling, come back to the present moment, take some deep breaths and scan your body for any tension. You can place a small sticker on some of your belongings, for example your phone as a reminder to do this

· In your lunch break try to get out for a walk-in nature and mindfully use all your senses to take everything in and recharge your inner batteries.

· Do some chair yoga and benefit from gentle neck rolls and stretching your shoulders which helps prevent poor posture, and potential health issues.

• Before you send an important email or deliver a presentation take one or two minutes to think about your intentions, and shift from being reactive to being present in the moment. How will your message via email or presentation be received? · Start meetings by giving everyone one minute to connect with the present moment, take some deep nurturing breaths, then do a check-in to find out how everyone is feeling. You will have a far more productive meeting.

· Set intentions for when you attend a meeting and be fully present by using active listening. A report by Business

Insider highlights that apparently only 2% of the population can properly and effectively multitask.

· Where possible can you have walking meetings? Avoid back-to-back meetings, if possible block out short breaks in your calendar and protect that time.

· Utilise the power of visualisation. Some of the happiest and most successful sports professionals use visualisation to achieve their goals. If you are feeling nervous then try visualising the process, what you are going to say, do and wear etc.

· Focus on positive quotes and affirmations. Tune out of the negative headlines in the news and focus on inspiring quotes and affirmations that you really connect with you. Have your favourite affirmations or quotes stuck to your laptop as a constant reminder.

Evening

· Leave work at work/home office and try challenging yourself to have a time of day that you must switch off by, to reclaim your evening for yourself.

· Focus on self-compassion, do you speak to yourself in a compassionate way? The most important relationship you will have is the one that you have with yourself.

Forgive yourself for any mistakes, look at ways to develop and think about how you want to show up tomorrow and what you want to achieve.

· Go to sleep by reflecting on what you are most proud of and grateful for.

· Use music to help you to get yourself into the right mindset and create the right energy for whatever you are working on.

· Use visualisation to help you relax and drift off to sleep by imagining you are in your happy place.

· Prioritise sleep

Please get in touch if you are interested in learning more about developing a bespoke wellbeing programme including mindfulness or yoga in the workplace. I share lots of tips on Linkedin.

Telephone: 07841108460 Website: themeditationeffectwithcara.com

* If you have any health conditions prior to participating in breathwork, please consult a doctor.

Sources of inspiration: Jay Shetty, Brene Brown and Mel Robbins

County Business Clubs’ Wine of the Month January 2023

Limited release sparkling red from Plumpton Estate is this month’s top wine buy.

Happy New Year! As we start 2023, we see the vineyards in a bare dormant state waiting for the vines to be pruned in preparation for the forthcoming season. The low arch of the sun creates a mistiness on the vineyards first thing in the morning.

Plumpton Estate Vineyard

For this month’s Wine of the Month, we have chosen our friends at Plumpton Estate, near Ditchling Beacon, in East Sussex, who typically produce around 40,000 bottles of wine covering a range from the traditional Champagne grape varieties - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - but also more popular English varieties, such as Bacchus (essence of elderflower and citrus) together with lesser know grapes such as Ortega and Riesling.

The estate’s college is a centre of excellence, offering degree-level education for students across the world. It is one of the only institutions in the Northern hemisphere to offer degree level academic and vocational education taught in the English language. The students work with the lecturers to create the wines each year.

Plumpton Sparkling Pinot Noir 2018

From Plumpton’s wide range of wines, we have chosen the newly-launched Sparkling Pinot Noir which is quite unusual due to it being a sparkling red wine instead of sparkling white pinot noir.

The key difference is that most Pinot Noir is pressed and immediately removed from the skins, providing a clear liquid which is used to make traditional sparkling wines. In this instance, the reason the wine is red is due to extended contact with the skins of the Pinot Noir grapes.

Having a sparkling red wine is unusual but not unique as, in Australia, there is a tradition of sparkling red wines such as a sparkling Shiraz.

There are only around 600 bottles of the Sparkling Pinot Noir 2018, so this is a limited release from Plumpton Vineyard.

How the sparkling Pinot Noir is made

As a single varietal Pinot Noir, the wine is pressed lightly to extract flavour and complexity then the base wine is fermented to 9%.

After a primary stabilisation, the liqueur de tirage is added to the wine then it is bottled. The wine is aged for two years, then riddled, disgorged and labelled, making this a traditional method sparkling wine.

Wine makers tasting notes

Raspberry and cherry take centre stage whilst the nose touches on notes of shortbread and toast. Pairs well with white meats when chilled and cheeses too.

Food pairings

Pairs well with white meats when chilled and cheeses too.

Michael’s tasting notes

For me, what I love about this wine is the lightness and fruitiness that comes through. It has lovely bubbles coating your tongue with lashings of cherries. This is a perfect wine to accompany BBQ’s with smoked meats.

Wine specifications

Grape Varietals - Pinot Noir (100 %) Wine Style - Traditional Method Sparkling Red ABV % - 12 %

Where to buy?

You can buy directly from Plumpton College, Brighton and Hove Wine Club or local specialist vintners. Get it whilst you can as these 600 bottles will not last the year!

Michael Yeoman, Founder

Brighton and Hove Wine Club and Spirit of the Downs – Great Taste Producer, Winner of Great Taste 3 Star Award and IWSC Bronze

www.spiritofthedowns.co.uk