Say what?! Hello ladies – now that I’ve got your attention, I want to share a cunning plan with you. I have a problem – I have a huge drawer of White Elephants at home. That’s not to say that I have a horde of pale pachyderms imprisoned against their wishes. What I’m talking about is my collection of much prized but completely unworn shopping faux-pas’.
 Picture this – you’re shopping with a bunch of girl-friends, or alone and in need of a happy-fix, or with an impatient partner… and you fall in love with something completely gorgeous, say a pink velvet sleeveless top with a lot of lace (not that I’m being specific or anything!) You get your prize home, hang it up lovingly… and proceed to never wear it.
 The love you initially felt gets tinged with guilt. In the end the sensible solution is to send it to the charity shop to get it off of your conscience, but the initial impassioned love you felt for the item just won’t let you part with it- and so, gradually you end up with your collection of White Elephants. I can almost hear the nodding, the silent recognition at the other side of your computer screen, on the other end of the cyber-stream. As far as I am aware, this is a collection that we all have in common.
 My cunning plan therefore is to you all wearing your White Elephants. No… don’t shudder! No dissension in the ranks – there are a few secrets on how to go about this –

Secret 1 - Change of Style
If you bought your item for a formal look, (like I did with my pink top – it was meant to go with tailored trousers and a jacket but that never quite happened!) team your item with casual pieces instead. Go for jeans rather than tailored trousers, slouchy cardi rather than suite jacket. This works equally if your White Elephant is skirt or trousers. If your problem item is a more casual piece, try this idea vice versa and dress it up with formal or party wear.

Secret 2 - Layering
If you bought your item to go under something, try it as the top layer instead, e.g. If it’s a short sleeved top, pull it on over a long sleeved layer in a contrasting colour. If you bought it as a top layer, try it under things, e.g. Jackets, belted cardigans, wraps… the possibilities are endless. With skirts and trousers, try varying the length of the tops you team it with – tuck something in, layer something over, try tunics, try crop cardigans, try jackets open, jackets closed…

Secret 3 – Accessorise

Necklaces are excellent for changing the neckline of a top. Long ones can break unflattering lines, short ones can change the focus, and obviously the weight and colours you go for can change the feel of an outfit completely.
Belts can cinch in waists, break heavy block of colour and give a quirky, elegant feel to an outfit. They can give definition to a silhouette and can also work as the item that ties the top half and bottom half of n outfit together.
Shoes and boots. Elegant dress? = Chunky flat boots. Sloppy trousers? = glam heels. Play with colour, height and style and you may well hit on an unheard of combination that makes everything work perfectly.

The above is just the beginning! The key is to completely shatter the ‘unwearable’ image that’s grown up around your White Elephant. This requires you to be bold and try new combinations…
So bag up your White Elephants and bring them in. Let us help you play with them, enjoy them, rekindle the love and banish the guilt.

FREE THOSE ELEPHANTS FROM THAT DRAWER! (and you never know – they may be the hidden key to your perfect party outfit)

See you soon
Laura x