Leigh Campbell Found The Best Blazers That Can Be Worn All Year Round
Personal style can often feel overwhelming, more like an aspirational goal that gets bogged down in Pinterest boards. In this episode, we have a very simple formula for finding our personal style. So simple, it's almost basic. In fact, it’s all about going back to basics!
Leigh Campbell is joined by Penelope Cadzow, a fashion expert with over 20 years of experience who shares her top style and shopping tips to help you build a wardrobe you love, making it much easier to get dressed in the morning.
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CREDITS:
Host: Leigh Campbell
Guest: Penelope Cadzow
Producer: Grace Rouvray
Audio Producer: Lu Hill
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
You're listening to a Mamma Mia podcast. Mama Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast is recorded on.
Whoever said orange is a new pink with seriously.
Disturbed laurels for spraying groundbreaking?
Oh my god, you have to do it. You live for fashion.
Hello, and welcome to Nothing to Wear, the podcast that solves fashion problems and levels up your wardrobe. I'm Lee Campbell and every week I chat to an expert who helps us work out how to get more out of the clothes we already own and tells us exactly what is and isn't worth adding to our wardrobe. Personal style is an interesting phrase. What even is personal style? It can feel overwhelming and like an aspirational goal rather than something achievable within our own wardrobe. But today's guest is able to break down the formula for finding our personal style and in a surprisingly simple way. Penelope Kadzo has over twenty years of experience in the fashion industry, sharing expert style and shopping tips to help women shop with confidence and build a wardrobe they love. And that's what this show is all about. She even says shopping is her cardio, so Firstly, Penelope, welcome to the show. Secondly, may I call you Penny?
Yes, definitely, Penelope is a work name, is a business name. But yeah, I always when I meet people, I always say, please call me Penny.
Well we're fashion friends. Now, look, I start the show with the same questions before we jump into the topics. So can you, my friend, Penny, describe your style in three words?
After working in fashion for over twenty years, I did consult with some fashion girlfriends that I used to work with and said to them, like, help me, what's so hard to narrow down to three? But I actually came up with their help.
Hi.
Loo, I genuinely always love to dress a bit of something that might be an investment piece back with some fat fines.
Love it. I'm the same. My shoes today have five dollars desires.
And I do think that you can make affordable pieces look fabulous by just adding in that investment piece.
Agreed.
Second one would be cool casuals. So I've found, after working with clients for years going into wardrobes women sort of between anywhere from thirty five to sixty five, that they find it hard to find that in between in between corporate life, to mumlife casual can just be a bit like you know whatever. Now casual is like cool trousers with a great T shirt and sneakers, adam blazer or jeans put it here with it, but just a basic tops.
So and you do that very well and we're going to talk about that more.
Yeah, in between.
Immuta triangle of where all our styles gone missing? What's your third word?
So my third word is considered and this one is a little bit different. One of my girlfriends said, oh, you're always sort of effortless and casual and cool casual, but I actually my outfits are considered.
Love it. Okay. Now, the next theory that we always talk about at the start of the show. People have a wardrobe full of clothes, it's the ninety ten percent theory that we reach for a certain ten percent of everything we own ninety percent of the time because it's how trusty items, accessories, shoes, whatever, what's in your ten percent that you often reach for.
One hundred percent. Go for jeans, a good top and blazer, great sneakers. We're both wearing the exact sames I know exactly, and of course and winter that's boots. Yes, in summer at sandals, in winter AT's boots, jeans all year round. I'll even wear them in summer with a tank and I just throw on a blazer to feel great love it.
I think we could share a wardrobe. Now, Listen, your journey to becoming a stylist is quite an interesting one. Can you take me back to the beginning of how you got to hear and what you identified on your own journey and how that could help women.
I worked in retailing fashion when I was in high school. When I was at university, I studied fashion and I went into work in fashion. I was in design for many years. I worked for some great Australian companies and brands like Oraton and Sportscraft. I worked in accessories, but I worked alongside the designers in fashion, both men's and women's, so I got a very good understanding of garment construction and fabrics. And I also traveled to suppliers and got to see how things were made. So when I eventually was married, we moved overseas. My husband worked overseas. I had my first baby, and I stepped back from that sort of work lifestyle and obviously launched into motherhood and I still had my foot in the door with a couple of little things that I was doing, consulting and things like that. But I just found that I missed it so much. And I know that this is a conversation with parents and mothers. All the time I missed working, I missed that passion. I wake up to clothing and I got a bit to fashion and clothing and picking about I just I can't help, but that's me. So I just found that once we moved back to Australia, I had my second and I actually did go back to work in the industry, which I loved, but I found it such a juggle, juggling daycare. My eldest started at school, and then I found out I was pregatyant with my third and that was a real surprise. And I knew once I had a third, I wasn't going to be going back to that. I knew that it wouldn't financially, wouldn't work either. And I'm the one that's on call. I'm the one that gets a phone call from daycare. So my girlfriends sort of said to me when my daughter was about six months old, I was in the debt and I literally just felt pretty lost. I felt there wasn't that work site. I step back completely. I wasn't doing any consulting or anything part time. She goes, just wear your good clothes, just wear good stuff, and she's some I works with it.
You had lost your own in fashion, but had you lost your own style in the trenches of motherhood one hundred percent.
I'd gone to that really really casual style. So when I say cool casual, I'd gone into that genuinely.
Like really ca so so maybe no call.
It's really comfy. And you know what, there was no difference between week day to weekend.
I was.
It was all blending in seven days a week. Motherhood is seven days a week.
Seven. I think that happens to a lot of us, and that's okay. But if you are feeling a bit blah and you're so into fashion and that was who you were before, I get that.
I was just in jeans and a T shirt and active wear, and that's not a bad thing, but it definitely someone coming from fat that, you know, that's my industry. I really missed it. So she said, put on your nice things and just get out. It was great and it was a really nice bit of advice. She goes, done an Instagram account. I go, no one's going to follow me, and she goes, well, I will, And I'm not joking. That's how it started. And literally the next day and I woke up and I put on a black Maxi dress, which is one of the things I always say is a go to for summer. And I remember at school pick I've had the pram with me. This lady came up. She said, you look amazing. Have you been You look like being in a magazine shoot. And I was just like, I was like, oh my gosh, someone has seen me. Someone it's me, And this was me. This was me feeling like myself again in what I'd always studied and the industry had always been in. But I was just in the school yard and I didn't care if I looked dressed up, and it come from something. I just felt better and I felt myself and that became my motto is really, if you look good, you feel good, your mood's better.
I totally agree. I went through the same thing postpartum, and then I was like, oh, well, I put in a teeny bit of effort just for me, for no one else, and I just I felt a little bit better now. Listen, today's topic is the perfect formula for finding your personal style, and that is what you do for people. So you are the right guest. So who are the women coming to you for help?
Yes? So I have found they have just lost their sense of style, lost their way with their wardrobe. They probably have a full wardrobe, but just don't know how to put it together, what to shop next, what's missing, what's missing, and just how to feel good. Sometimes they've had a lot of pieces they've owned for a really long time. That's what I talk about when a lot of women have their corporate wardrobe or their work wardrobe and it's just gathering dust and they're like I don't know what to do with it, and I'm like.
Get rid of it.
Absolutely someone else can wear it. And I just find also they are definitely women that are busy. I've had a couple of men as well, but you know, it's that real feeling if they just want someone to help them with a category. They just can't get their head around.
We've outsourced everything, like you can get you uberretes and you absolutely can online shop, but then you it into your war driving and like oh, now what do I do?
Absolutely?
Now you talk a lot about the in between void, the clothing void. Yes, explain what this is.
So what I found in the beginning was every client was different, and I treated it that way. I always have a style questionnaire, but every client different lifestyle, different age, different taste, different body shape. And as I went along a couple of years, I started to see the same thing. I started to do workshops and online workshops and things like that because I started to see the basics were missing, and often they had them, but they weren't wearing them because they didn't fit. And I'm going to say straight away a pair of genes. It just was so obvious that I found it really hard to go in people's wardrobe like where's your genes? So they're like, oh, I've got these five pairs, but that doesn't fit that one. I'm just not sure about that one I bought on sale, and I'm like, where's your fab jenes? Where are your genes that you put on and you feel amazing in because if you don't have a great pair of genes, I'm like, that's where we're starting. Yes, And sometimes they'd be be like, oh, just genes. They want that basics equals bor but it doesn't. It doesn't it equals everything else goes with it.
Yes, okay, I'm with you. I fell into that exact trap. I went on to matt Leeve. My job before was very glamorous on lots of events. I'd heels and dresses, yes, and then i had you know, bonds tracksit pants from six hundred years ago, and there was nothing in between. In between was missing.
Absolutely, That's what I really noticed. And I found some clients, you see, they're disheartened a bit. Because I had one client in Melbourne and she was a lawyer. She was in corporate, but she had so many colored tops and prints. She wore skirts and tights and dresses, which I found really surprising for Melbourne. I'm like, where's your trousers? And she didn't have a pair of black trousers. And I could see her face just drop when she was doing the zoom with me, because I'm like, you really need a good pair of black trousers.
That's boring.
It's like, that's boring. You're a stylist and you're telling me that, And yet she messaged me. A couple of weeks later, I gave her a detailed email she missed me A couple of weeks later, she said, I've bought a pair of black pants. I bought them in navy, and I cannot believe how much it's changed my life.
How many combinations are sitting in her wardrobe.
All of those colored tops could then be worn over and over and over again. And I also said, a really really good coat.
In regards to people finding their personal style, when people say to you, I don't have a personal style, how do they find it? It's one of those things that's missing. Do they not have it or do they just not know what it is.
I just think women don't prioritize it. I have some women message me and say, oh, like your style. I'm like, but what about you? What's your style? You know? And when I've had the style question, and I've actually had on there like who inspires you or who do you look up to? And sometimes they leave it blank. Sometimes they put myself or someone similar, and sometimes they put it is lovely And I suggest, you know, I say all celebrities or people on TV or someone on Instagram, I want to know more, and they struggle. And I've actually had a lot of replies that have been Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, And I'm like, but they've got wardrobes, they've got budgets, they've got stylists.
But I guess I mean, if they're into like feminine, it's an interesting thing because you because.
They always look really put together.
Yes, overall vibe. It's funny because you and I have prolific on social media. It's part of our jobs. But I've got a lot of friends who are lawyers and doctors and they don't spend any time on social media. They go home at night and watch period drama. So then I'm like, oh, did you see what camesworth? And they're like what. But we're talking personal style. So do you believe everyone needs a pair of jeans? What if they are a Kate Middleton? I mean she does wear a geene.
She does wear jeans, she rocks that T shirt, jeans and ballet flat. Yes, But again I think it's having the right jeans that suit you, that you feel fabulous in, and then you just put all the pieces around it. Okay, so you put a pair of sneakers if you're super cash, you put a pair of ballet flats if you want to elevate it and then you put a heel if you're ready for nighttime. But if someone doesn't want to do jeans, I'm always a huge fan of elastic waste trousers and so many options. Now there's a new sporty stripe sort of styles in that are so comfy, but also lots of beautiful linen trousers.
There are a pastor that's a bit more feminine.
Absolutely.
Okay, So clients, for you are overwhelmed by what's in their wardrobe, but then you take them shopping. What part of that is overwhelming? I'm a sponge. I go, oh to cube a window. I want to look like her that I oh, see the window, I'll look like her. And you know, I've got a rough idea about fashion. Yeah, So do they find that overwhelming?
I just have women that just don't like shopping at all. People also get stuck in their ways. They have their makeup routine, they have their outfits, and they have maybe their work or their lifestyle. So they're stuck in their ways and I have to push them a little bit. And sometimes that's where they get so excited and it doesn't work every time. I always say to them I'm not going to nail this, but I want you to try something different on. I want you to try to.
Force your credit card on the county you don't have it to buy it.
And I've had a woman say I'll never wear a jumpsuit. Well I found one for her next thing. You know, she loves a jumpsuit, you know, But it was just finding the right one and getting her to try it on and don't give up. I also sometimes say to people it's like a fridge. If you kept buying the same things in your fridge and cooking the same meals, you'd be so bort And.
It's true, because you're in a rush. You go to the shop, so you shop online and you go, oh, that's safe. I know that style suits me. But then you've got more and more of the same. So you believe that the key to personal style is back to basics. Absolutely, let's talk about that, because for me, I agree, But basics aren't all basics the same. And then we're talking a capsual wardrobe.
You know, people sometimes get really put off by those words because they find it just so limiting.
Also, the word basic is so basic. We call it like quality foundations.
Or foundation pieces. I love that, or I call them my top picks. If you have these, then you can style so many outfits with your little pieces that you add in.
So are your personal statement? Okay, talk me through some options for that.
So when I'm shopping with someone, or when I'm talking to someone and giving them tips, I don't necessarily want to shop print with them or color, because that's something you can do yourself. You're attracted to and you put it on. I want to make sure they've got all those basics, all those foundation pieces, because once they've nailed those, sure go out and shop that fun piece or that fun color.
So you put up the walls in the roof and then they do the cushions. And I like it, and it's so true thinking about it now. And some gaps in my wardrobo friends who they have a very distinct style. Some are super feminine, some are super sporty. They know their personal style. They just can't pair forty with forty with forty shorty because they don't have those foundational pieces to the correct Okay, so talk to me about foundation pieces. What do you recommend that kind of works with most people's personal style. Is it a white shirt what are we buying as our foundations.
Again, I'm going to go back to jeans. That's obviously because I think also work lifestyle, work from home, even work office. It's become more casual. Like my husband's wearing. Chinos are not a suit anymore. We're just a button shirt, you know. So I think jeans you really do need to have at least one really good pair, if not more. I also think of white tops. Some people find that a T shirt. I am actually moving more towards a tank because I don't know, I mean my forties, and I'm finding I get hotter really easily. So I actually just love like white sleeveless top, but that could also be a white button down shirt. So I always say jeans and a white top. You just can't go wrong. It's just clean, classic. And then you could add any color blazer, any color knit over the top. I always say a blazer. I think a black blazer because some people might find black a bit harsh, but you know what it elevates, and that's where you add your accessories. You know, you just add your great jewels, a fabulous lipstick, great handbag. You can do that really affordable as well. So if you have that great blazer, and I would recommend black. I also think a black trouser if you can get the matching set, because you can actually wear that evening style. You could wear that black tie if you need it. You put on a fabulous to a wedding, put on fabulous black heels with trousers and a black blazer earing exactly even do like a little lace cami underneath or bra like you could dress that up with the most incredible earrings and you know.
No man hair one hundred percent.
And I've onely mentioned four pieces, so five faces so and then of course I would definitely add in a sneaker. And again the sneaker goes with jeans, a white sneaker, but then you could do this sneaker with the black blanks and the black trousers. It's epoyed.
But with someone with me born without ankles, I'm still trying to experiment of sneakers outside of active wear. But I get it. Maybe it's a classic or comfy flat shoe.
Yes, yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely.
This is the trap I see a lot of people fall into, and I wonder how you feel. Don't have to spend a lot of money. But I think there is a difference between a home white T shirt and I wear outside white teachers definitely, even if they're both thirty bucks.
Oh absolutely. And I actually say to people, like, if you're wearing that white T shirt, get to style it with your jeans. But then have you one that's just with your active wear, Like I have a couple of those things. When we talk about those basics, as I say, you might have a few of each of those.
Items, especially if you really love the cut. I downgrade mine from the outside the house, in the house, in bed exactly. They start to deteriorate, exactly.
And I always consider people's budgets. So obviously you know Haymart, Target, they have fantastic items you can get if you want to go a little bit higher in price point. What you do find higher and price point is you do start to get high quality. And I talk about that a lot because I love talking about fabrics, and I think that's something that really comes strong in knitwear and coats.
Particularly coats, because if you look after them while you have them forever, if you have.
Wool in your coat, you are so much warmer. And the same with knits. I find having wool low hair alpacker cashmir. It does add price, but it's gonna last longer. And I actually don't buy knits now without wool in it because I just I hate being cold.
Yes, and also the bawling, and you know it's you do get what you pay for to a degree, I want to be comfortable to hate an itchnit exactly. Okay, So we have bought our let's not call them basics. We have curated foundational pieces and we take them home and we're hyper feminine or were like masculine, or we're classic. Then do we play in our wardrobe to find our personal style combinations?
Yeah? So I always like to where even if I'm just doing someone's wardrobe, all doing a shopping session or just discussing someone's style, I always like to see their wardrobe. So I always get them to do it by FaceTime because they take the phone or the iPad. I want to see it straight away. I'm not joking. As soon as I see someone's wardrobe, it's like this magic trick. Often that there's just so much black. I'm like, okay, I know exactly what we need to do here, just overloaded with black. Your board so we need to adding color in a bit of pattern, or they might just have a lot of neutrals, or they might have pieces they just need to delely clutter a little bit. Sometimes it's just that feeling of someone else telling you move it on. And also, I don't have a U what do they do? Do they enlist a friend? Do they set aside three hours in their diary to actually just put on undies and a bra and try on all the combos? So I actually suggest doing it in smaller parts. Okay, I actually think cull a couple of pieces every month or every couple of months, because it's so doable. Yes, just get three things out and go you know what, time to move on? Okay, and then you're not standing in your wardrobe getting flustered.
Totally overwhelmed, decision fatigue.
Even if it's three to five pieces every couple of months, whatever you decide to do, put it in a bag and put it under your kid's bed, or in the back of your husband's wardrobe, even in the garage. And right it's the maybe pile. So rather than having in the back of your car and dropping it off and then going, oh, might regret that, or having any car for three months if you never drop it off, what can happen? Just hide it, yes, and if you haven't missed it, yep, it's time.
And you'll probably forget about. It's funny you say that I recently did a clean out and I found my maybe pile from a year ago, and I was like, well, I forgot that was there, and so went straight into donation.
What also helps with removing things is you find things. So many times people have done a little declutter, and I don't say pull everything out, put it all back in. Every time you do it, you find something. I do it myself. I'm like, oh I missed that top. I love you. Yeah, you've been hidden hidden, can't all of it exactly? And all of a sudden we become friends again and I've just found something that I always owned, I just had forgotten about. So decluttering, I think is really in the shop your own wardrobe, and also you might do a little bit of reorganizing. So I'm really big on moving your wardrobe through seasons. So have your winter wardrobe front and center when it's really cold, because that's what you're going to be outfitting, and you can reach for quickly and you can see how it all works together.
Yes, particularly if you're overwhelmed with getting dressed every morning. If you've got less to look at, it's easier. It's very expensive.
How wondred these percent?
Now on Ta Bougie and Budget, you are going to talk about two blazers because you said a blazer is a foundation piece for everyone. I'm going to bring two long skirts because I'm obsessed with long skirts going into spring summer, and I've been wearing them all winter with a knit and so they're going to be one of my new foundation pieces because i was very androgynous and masculine for a long time and now I'm kind of getting a bit more feminine but still with an edgy top.
So I definitely love an investment piece now. And then I would say a Camilla Remark blazer would be high on that lead. They just do the most amazing tailoring. It is a little bit higher in price point, but I feel like the quality they use, the shoulder pads, the structure just powersuit blazer but still works fantastic with your white T shirt and jeans.
Yes, Okay, tell me about this one that you like.
So they've got the Tania blazer online and it just has those shoulders that I think, I don't know. I feel like if you've had a bad night sleep, you put that you put that blazer on with those shoulders and you just like cream feer outfit.
It's like, I'm here, absolutely.
And you know you just put that little bit of makeup and you just no one knows you've had no sleep. You just have that shoulder pad and that that strip, like.
You say with your T shirt, and you haven't had to Absolutely, how much.
Is she she's eight fifty?
Okay? A couple of the sample sale that was still expensive. I say that was years ago and I still wear them and they brand yes.
And to be honest, they had a cult blazer called the Dimmer Blazer. They would sell out. They would just sell out, and they did it in so many colors and it just was this certain cut and it's sort of faded a bit. They've obviously got different styles and that oversized sort of style is coming in. It was more of a fitted style.
It'll always be back. Hold onto those Oh and people had it for years. Yeah. My bougie is from cause it's the silk bias cut maxi skirt and it's au exclusive. This color they call it mole medium dusty. It doesn't sound great. It's like a pew turey CHAMPAGNEE Bag's gorgeous. It's beautiful silk. So I'm going to what hand wash it? Very carefully? Should I purchase? It's two hundred and fifteen dollars And look, you can get long flowing Maxi skirts in a satin for thirty bucks. But this is just beautiful. And because of the color, you could do a black blazer, like you were saying, in a boot. You can get a white tank and a sandal. It is very foundational.
Absolutely, and it's also silk. I actually think that's an amazing price for silk. Me too, and that kind of color, that's the sort of piece I would say, spend the money on silk because of satin, you're going to be a little bit more hot. I got it.
I love it.
I actually think that is an amazing price for silk. I'm going to be looking at uprooved. Ye.
Now you've got a budget blazer. Tell me about your budget blazer.
So Air is a brand on the iconic. I absolutely love what they're doing. They go up to I think it's size four to six, maybe size eighteen to twenty, and I have bought a few of their pieces and just cannot recommend them enough. The blazers are amazing. And I talk about this one blazer I've had. I bought it in the oatmeal, and I always recommend it in the black as well, because it's one hundred percent linen external and then one hundred percent cotton on the inside the lining. That is the most breatheable blazer I think I've ever come across, because often you'll get a polyester lining. So you have this beautiful linen fabric. What's the point You've got the polyester up against your skin. I've actually worded a lot, even through winter, and it's got beautiful shoulder structure, and I've just had so many people message me and say thank you. I love this blazer. It's great. So I have been recommending it for probably about a year.
At time of recording. It's a thirty percent Often, yeah, it comes in the black. Oh no, I'm going to buy yours now I know.
And so yes, the neutral is like an oatmeal sort of color, so it's got a little bit of texture to it, and it has the black button so it also then can be dressed up a little bit, like you know, you put it with your black trousers and it just looks a bit chic because of the black buttons. I look at all those features and details so much.
That's why you're good.
But honestly, the fabric is and I actually think a black linen blazer is the easiest blazer to buy if you don't have one, because it works with your linen dresses in summer, yeah, laurels.
Because the color is automatically a bit dressy, but the fabric's automatically bit casual.
Sometimes I have women where they're like, I've got the corporate wardrobe, I've got the blazer. Can I just wear that with the jeans and T shirt? And I'm like, no, that goes with the pencil skirts what we sort of moved on from. So if you buy the linen, you can wear it to work and dress it up. You can also just easily dress it down.
Now, my budget skirt is not silk, so prepare yourself, but it's cheap and it's cool. It's from H and M. It's called the long flared skirt and it's in a light dusty yellow being in London recently. We'll link in the show notes. I did an episode of what all the women are wearing in summer and they're light. Pastors were everywhere, the blue, the peak and the yellow. And this is fifty nine to ninety five. It is not silk. It is tensil and lyosoult so it's synthetic, but it's flowy and mermaidy.
Yeah, intensil drapes really beautifully elasticated waste. This is a really good way to invest in that pastel, but not spend too much.
Agreed, And look, I do love a silk, but I'm not great at laundry, so this one will probably survive. Penny, you're a wealth of knowledge. Thank you so much for joining us.
Thank you for having me.
We'll have you on again soon.
Sounds great.
Thank you for listening to Nothing to Wear. Don't forget to sign up to our free newsletter. There's a link in the show notes. And if you loved this episode and want to shop the best basics out there, we've done a whole episode on that too. There's a link to that in the show notes as well. See you next week. This episode was produced by Grace Roobray with audio production by Lou Hill. This podcast is powered by our subscribers. If you believe in independent women's media and want to support us, the subscription to Mumma Mia cost less than the price of a coffee each month. There is a link in the show notes and a big thank you to all our current subscribers.