Afterpay Sales are everywhere right now and TBH they couldn’t have come at a WORSE time for me. I am currently participating in a ‘No Buy’ challenge with my members inside the CM Style Squad which means I can’t buy anything new for the whole month of August. Sounds terrible for a stylist & fashion content creator, right?

Well, it actually hasn’t been too bad. As expected, it has forced me to:

1. Wear more of what I own

2. Jump off the fast fashion treadmill. Spoiler alert - There will always be something that you want to buy

3. Plan my purchases for Spring / September really intentionally

One of the best parts about my job too is that I can PLAY in the shopping world, without actually shopping myself and that’s exactly what I’m doing today. I know The BIG Bared Footwear Sale is currently on and although I personally wont be buying anything, there are lots of things I feel great about recommending to anyone who is shopping and needing to update their footwear wardrobe.

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So let’s get into it, here are my 5 recs:

A red shoe is ALWAYS a good idea. No matter if you have a sneaker, a flat, a heel or a Mary Jane, red shoes do so much heavy lifting in an outfit. I love these sweet ones from Bared. They kind of straddle a Mary Jane and a ballet flat. The pointed toe is going to be flattering on the leg and will work equally well with a pant and a skirt.

Another flat that packs a punch is a leopard print flat. The combination of the brown and black print makes them so easy to style. I personally love leopard print shoes with denim and light neutrals but if you’re an all black kid gal looking for a pop of interest, you need a pair of leopard flats.

A boat shoe is so fun! Its preppy, a little masculine but overall less serious than a loafer. This style will transition so perfectly from Winter into Spring. Style them with your socks, jeans and trousers now and then lighten the layers with skirts, shorts and dresses as the weather warms up.

Speaking of warm weather, if you are in the market for some new sandals for Summer, don’t sleep on this sale. I love these multi strap styles and just know they will be so, so comfy. The juxtaposition of a chunky tan sandals and a floaty floral dress is so chic.

Of course I couldn’t do a shoe round up and not include my personal fave - the choc brown loafer. I love this specific style. They feel trendy and timeless at the same time. If you’ve been waiting to invest in the perfect pair of loafers - these are the ones. I personally love a choc brown over black as they feel a little less heavy and corporate.

So, those are my top picks but I have included some more styles on LTK. Full disclosure, this post is not at all sponsored however the links I share are affiliate links.

To shop this full edit + some more of my faves. Click here!

Happy Shopping

CM xx

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For years, I shopped the way most women do.

If a magazine said buy it and it was under $80, it went in the cart. I bought the trends. I bought the “basics.” I bought the thing that was just… fine.

I ended up with a wardrobe full of fine and almost nothing I actually reached for.

I’m sure you know the feeling. A wardrobe packed with clothes and still that 7am panic of “I have nothing to wear.”

That feeling is exactly what pushed me toward styling. I finally worked out what I’d been doing wrong (and all the technical things I didn’t know) and then I couldn’t stop wanting to help other women do the same.

Here’s what I landed on, and it’s the idea this whole newsletter is built on:

Most women don’t have a style problem. We have a buying problem.

We’ve been told the fix for a wardrobe that isn’t working is more. Another top. Another pair of jeans. Another white tee to replace the three that aren’t quite right. So we buy, and we buy. And somehow it still doesn’t feel like ours.

The women I’ve worked with who feel best in what they wear aren’t the ones who own the most. They’re the ones who learned to buy the right things…and then stop.

That’s the whole game. And it’s exactly what I want to help you do.

I’m running a free live workshop: Stop Wasting Money on Clothes.

Tuesday 28 July. One hour. Completely free.

I’ll show you how to break the buy-and-buy cycle for good. How to know what’s worth paying for, what to skip, and how to build a wardrobe you reach for instead of one you keep apologising for.

If today’s post hit a little close to home, this is the one for you.

Save Your Spot

I’ll keep sharing the how right here every week but the workshop is where we go properly deep. So bring a cup of tea and the wardrobe frustration you’ve been carrying for years, and come spend an hour with me. I think you’ll walk away seeing your wardrobe, and your spending, completely differently.

Register For Free Here

See you there 🤍

CM x

Boots are often a piece we replace or repurchase the most.

Every winter, a new pair. The ones from last year just ‘not quite right’. For some reason we didn’t get much wear out of them, or they never felt right, or we put them on just to take off again.

And here’s the maths that stings: a $120 pair you replace every year for five years is $600. $600 spent on boots that never once felt special.

What if you had one GREAT pair of boots though? Maybe more expensive than a quick $100 purchase but if you get it right, you likely wont need to replace them year in and year out.

So before you buy the next pair, here are 3 things to consider:

1. Material Start with what they’re made of. Real leather earns its place here. It breathes, softens to your foot, ages beautifully, and can often be resoled when the tread wears down. Synthetic (PU) boots look almost identical on day one, then crease hard, crack at the flex points, and can’t be repaired. Check the material first; if it’s leather, you’re already ahead.

2. Comfort you need to actually walk in these. This is the job boots have that a coat never will. You’re on your feet in them, all day. A boot you can’t walk in is a boot you won’t wear, no matter how good it looks. Try them on late in the day when your feet are at their biggest. Notice the toe room, the heel height you’ll realistically wear, whether the ankle rubs. If you’re wincing in the shop, it won’t get better at brunch.

3. Shape and colour This is where cost-per-wear is decided. A classic shape in black or a good tan goes with jeans, dresses, tailoring, everything. The trendy silhouette, the novelty heel, the colour you’ll pair with two outfits? Lovely but dated by next winter. Buy the trend boot if you want it, just don’t expect it to be the pair you live in.

What to look for

The best boots don’t need an occasion. They work under jeans on the school run and under a dress out to dinner, without a second thought. If a pair only makes sense with one specific outfit, they’re not really boots, they’re an accessory you have to plan around.

A final thought

You don’t need a wardrobe of boots. You need one or two pairs that are comfortable, well made, and go with almost everything. Something you reach for without thinking.

Buy those, wear them into the ground, resole them, and buy them again in ten years. That’s the whole trick.

Before you buy that pair, pause.

✔️ Check the material.

✔️ Check you can actually walk in them.

✔️ Check they go with what you already own.

Cheap boots feel like a saving until they are collecting dust in your wardrobe.

My favourites this winter are linked here.

CM x

Of everything you’ll buy this winter, your coat is the one people actually see.

It goes over every outfit. It’s in every photo. It’s the first thing on and the last thing off.

And yet it’s the buy we tend to get most wrong… usually for one of two reasons.

Either we overspend on a trend coat that feels exciting in the change room and forgotten by August. #Guilty

Or we underspend, choose something that looks a little cheap, wears a little sad, and quietly never gets reached for. #thankfullynotsoguiltyanymore

Either way, neither is a bargain.

A good coat is different. It’s arguably the best cost-per-wear buy in your whole wardrobe. It’s worn most days, for months, for years. Which is exactly why it’s worth slowing down for.

The three things that matter (more than the label)

Before you buy another coat, here’s where I’d put your attention.

1. Fabric Start here -before the colour, before the cut. A coat is really about how it wears over time, and wool does that best. It holds its shape, keeps its warmth, and still looks good in year three. A coat that’s mostly polyester can look fine on the rack, but it’ll flatten, pill and lose its structure fast. Check the composition tag first, and lean toward a high wool content.

2. Fit through the shoulders — with room to layer (this is essential if you live in a cold climate) The shoulders decide everything. If the seam sits wrong, no amount of styling saves it. A coat has a second job most tops don’t: it has to sit beautifully over a knit. Try it on with a jumper, not a singlet. If it’s snug over your layers in the change room, it’ll be worse in real life.

3. Colour and versatility This is where cost-per-wear is won or lost. A coat in a shade that works back with most of your wardrobe gets worn every single day. A statement colour you love but can only pair with two things? It stays on the hook. Nothing wrong with a bold coat, just be honest about which job you’re buying it for.

What to look for

The best coat doesn’t shout. It works quietly over jeans and a knit, over tailoring, over a dress. Pulling an outfit together without competing with it. If it needs a whole outfit built around it to make sense, it’s a costume, not a coat.

A final thought

You don’t need a rack of coats. You need two, maybe three, that go with almost everything and make you feel put-together the second you throw them on.

Spend where it counts, and a good coat quietly pays you back all winter long.

Before you buy that coat, pause.

✔️ Check the fabric.

✔️ Check the shoulders (over a knit).

✔️ Check it goes with what you already own.

The right coat is never the expensive part. The wrong one always is.

If you’re on the hunt, grab a copy of my Warm vs Cool Outerwear Guide here

CM x

If there is one impulse purchase that gets me every time in Winter…its a new piece of knitwear.

Usually the price point is decent, it’s an item that I know I’m reaching for most days and it helps my day to day formula of jeans + knit + coat + sneakers feel a little more fun.

Unfortunately like most impulse purchases, the high doesn’t last that long. And often, the cheaper the knit, the shorter the thrill. How many times have you purchased a $49 knit only to have it shed, pill or lose shape after the first few wears?

Girl, same.

But never fear, below I have an edit of great knits for 2026 that are worth your money and some that are not (and why). Let’s get into it.

The knitwear cheat sheet I wish someone gave me years ago.

I’ll be honest. I used to shop purely on colour and price.

If it came in my season and was under $80? Into the cart it went.

Now, before I even look at the colour, I flip straight to the fabric composition.

Because the label tells you almost everything you need to know.

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The white tee is often described as a wardrobe essential. I for one am A BIG fan ;).

Simple. Reliable. Easy.

And yet, it’s one of the items I see people buy over and over again, rarely with satisfaction.

Most women don’t struggle with white tees because they don’t own one.
They struggle because the ones they own never quite feel right.

Too flimsy.
Too boxy.
Too sheer.
Too casual.
Too “meh”. - This is a big one!

So? We buy another.

White tees feel like a safe purchase.

They’re familiar, affordable, and sold to us as the foundation of a good wardrobe. When an outfit doesn’t work, or we just want to buy something the white tee often feels like the answer.

But the problem is rarely the idea of a white tee.
It’s that we’ve been taught to see them as interchangeable, unimportant, any old thing will do.

They’re not. And it won’t.

The three things that matter (more than the brand)

Before you buy another white tee, there are three things worth paying attention to.

1. Fit

Start with the shoulders.

If the shoulder seam sits too far off your natural shoulder line, the tee will look sloppy rather than relaxed. Length matters too, especially through the torso. A tee that’s too long can drag an outfit down, while one that’s too short can feel unfinished (or simply wrong if you’re a tall gal like me).

Fit sets the tone for everything else.

2. Fabric weight

This is where most white tees go wrong.

Lightweight fabrics often look fine on the hanger but collapse once worn. They crease easily, cling in the wrong places, and can feel more like sleepwear than an outfit base.

A slightly heavier fabric holds its shape, skims the body more cleanly, and immediately looks more intentional, even when styled simply.

When in doubt, choose structure over softness.

3. Neckline

The neckline frames your face, your shoulders, and your bust, yet it’s often overlooked.

A crew neck, scoop, or V-neck will each create a very different effect. The right one should balance your proportions and feel comfortable when you move, sit, and layer.

If you’re constantly adjusting it, it’s not the right cut.

What to look for

A good white tee doesn’t need to stand out.

In fact, the best ones don’t draw attention to themselves at all. They support the rest of your outfit quietly working with jackets, knits, denim, tailoring, and accessories without competing.

If a white tee needs constant styling tricks to feel “elevated”, it’s probably not doing its job.

Oh and the second it stops being white? It’s time for a new one. The only thing worse than an ill fitted white tee is an old, sad ‘used to be white’ tee.

A final thought

You don’t need a drawer full of white tees.

You need one or two that truly work for you.

The goal isn’t to keep searching for the perfect basic - it’s to understand why the right one feels so easy when you put it on.

Before you buy another white tee, pause.
✔️Check the fit.
✔️Feel the fabric.
✔️Notice the neckline.

Clarity will always save you more than another purchase ever could.

If you enjoyed this post, you might want to save it for later —and if you are looking for you’re new ‘holy grail’ tee, my favourites are linked here!

Caitlin 🤍

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But somewhere along the way, getting dressed started to feel more complicated than it needs to be, and shopping began to feel like the solution to problems it rarely solves.

I created Before You Buy That as a place to pause.

A space to slow the conversation around fashion, strip away the noise, and focus on what actually helps women build wardrobes they enjoy wearing… not just buying.

Over the years, working with women one-on-one, I’ve noticed a pattern.

Most wardrobes don’t feel difficult because they’re lacking.
They feel difficult because there’s been no framework for choosing.

So we buy things that should work.
Things that look good on someone else.
Things that feel safe in the moment.

And then we wonder why they sit unworn.

This publication isn’t about trends, hauls, or must-haves.

It’s about:

• understanding fit and colour

• learning how to evaluate clothing before it enters your wardrobe

• building confidence in your own decision-making

• buying less, but with more intention

Because when you know why something works, everything changes.

You’ll see a recurring series here called Before You Buy That…

Each post focuses on a common wardrobe purchase - a white tee, a black dress, a blazer … and explores what actually matters before you commit to it.

Not rules.
Not restrictions.
Just clarity.

I’ll be publishing here weekly.

Some posts will be practical.
Some reflective.
All of them written with the same intention: to help you build a wardrobe that feels calm, considered, and truly yours.

If you’ve ever thought, “I should love this, but I don’t” , you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

I’m glad you’re here.

Caitlin aka ‘CM’ 🤍