Do You Think Women's Cardigans are Stylish or Dowdy?

Halloween is already over, and even bonfire night has passed us by, which means that Christmas will be upon us before we know it. Some people are eagerly counting down, and others think it is far too soon to be thinking about Christmas, but you can’t deny that after an unseasonably warm October, it is quite refreshing to have a spell of season-appropriate weather.

With this new chilly weather setting in, it is the perfect excuse to hunt for some new cosy items to keep you warm. As women, we seem to favour cardigans more than men, and there is nothing easier than throwing on a comfy woolly cardigan that goes with everything, so you know you have a few reliable options for colder weather.

Cardigans are a popular cover-up throughout the year, but some people still feel that women’s cardigans can be a bit frumpy or dowdy. As with most fashion items, the choice is so wide and varied that you are sure to find a style or shape to suit you, leaving you feeling stylish rather than unfashionable.

Long Wool Mocha Cardigan – made in Italy

This thick wool cardigan is perfect for keeping you warm, but long waterfall style is also on trend at the moment, along with the seasonal mocha colour. This cardigan is certainly far from frumpy and firmly stylish and could easily be thrown on over jeans and a t-shirt for some weekend errand running, or it would look lovely with black trousers and a blouse for the office.

Fluffy Grey Cardigan – made in Italy

This women’s cardigan could not be anymore cosy. This is perfect as a festive addition to your wardrobe, and will certainly add interest to any outfit. It is the perfect piece to show off a bit of glamour on a night out or a festive party, and would look great paired with a black jumpsuit and stand-out heels.

Plum Floral Kimono Cardigan – made in Italy

Kimonos really made a splash in the fashion world this summer, but that doesn’t mean they have to be relegated to the back of the wardrobe for the winter. This plum colour kimono lends itself to the festive season, and the fringe adds another level of interest. This might be a cardigan choice for milder days that aren’t so frosty, but it would look great with almost any outfit, and you can continue wearing it when the weather warms up.

Grey Wool Stripe Gilet Cardigan – made in Italy

This is not a cardigan in the traditional sense, but it will still provide warmth and comfort on colder days. Similarly to the kimono, the gilet has become an increasingly popular item of winter clothing, and this particular piece will lend some classic elegance, without feeling ‘puffed out’ or frumpy. This gilet would look great paired with a long sleeved top, jeans, and knee high tan boots, for a perfect winter outfit. 

How to Use Accessories to Change the Look of Any Outift

Most people have a few favourite items of clothing that they love to wear more often than others - those go to outfits that are thrown on when you can’t think of anything else to wear. Some people even have a ‘capsule’ wardrobe made up of a few different items that they can mix and match. But how do you stop yourself from becoming bored? There is only so much you can do with just a few items of clothing.

However, this does not mean that you need to stop wearing your favourite top and jeans combination, or you need to go out and buy 50 new outfits. There are other options that can bring to life boring outfits, or add a bit of personality back in to over-worn pieces of clothing.

Ladies’ accessories have such an incredible range and variety, you can find so many different pieces to suit any occasion, style, or mood. The right accessories can help you bring life back to old outfits, and even adapt them to certain occasions that you never would have thought of before.

Adding a necklace to an outfit can instantly change the entire tone and purpose. If you have a faithful black top that you wear often, try choosing a necklace that stands out against the black. Statement necklaces are extremely popular at the moment, and adding a beautiful, oversized necklace, with a bit of sparkle, against a black top would be perfect for a night out or special occasion. Additionally, add a long, simple, pendant-style necklace for a touch of understated elegance suitable for weekends or the office.

Similarly, other jewellery and accessories can create the same effect. Try wearing larger, brighter, and more ostentatious necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, when you are heading to a part or a night out, and simpler, plainer pieces for day-wear. However, try to remember to balance out your look – don’t wear large necklaces, bracelets, and earring all at once, it could be too much!

Another accessory that ladies can’t seem to be without is a handbag. Again this accessory varies wildly in style and quality, and can be used to make a significant change to any outfit. We all have a favourite handbag, one that we take with us wherever we go and is full of our daily essentials – as well as a lot of non-essentials – but as your styles and occasions change, it might be worth mixing up your handbag habits. A large black handbag is great for carrying around every day; it can fit your lunch in for work, and gives you plenty of room to carry around an umbrella, a hairbrush, and anything else you might need to survive the winter weather. However, you could try just changing the colour of your regular handbag if you are looking for a subtle deviation. Brown and tan colour bags are always on trend through autumn and winter. If you are heading out the evening, step outside of your comfort zone a little and opt for a glittery or sparkly mini clutch bag. This will instantly add glamour to your outfit, and the upcoming festive season is the perfect excuse.

Necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, handbags, as well as scarves and hats, can truly change the look of any outfit, and carry your style through day to night, and many other different occasions. When you are next putting on that same old outfit, take a moment to consider your accessories – change something, mix different elements up, and be creative – you could have a whole new outfit without buying a single piece of new clothing.

New Goose Island Store Opens in Swansea

Goose Island is extremely pleased to announce the opening of our brand new store in Swansea.

The grand opening was held on November 1st, complete with champagne, nibbles, and a whole host of lovely new customers. Princess Jasmine and Alibaba, from the upcoming Aladdin pantomime at Penyrheol Theatre, also attended the opening and helped us welcome new customers, and even gave out their own personal fashion and style advice. Alibaba particularly liked our long red jumper dress.

We will be stocking all of our regular Goose Island favourites at our new store, such as our very popular shirt jumper and magic dresses, as well a whole host of new stock ready for the festive season. Look out for our new sparkly, glamorous clutch bags, soft tartan scarves, crystal bracelets, subtle tie dye dresses, dainty necklaces, and much, much more. We’ve even got a range of Christmas gifts ready to go.

Our new store is located on Plymouth Street in Swansea city centre, opposite the Eli Jenkins pub. This now means that we have three stores across south Wales, in Mumbles, Swansea and Cowbridge, and we look forward to meeting all of our new customers, as well as other exciting ventures in the future.

Goose Island Fashion Apprentice Wins Training Award

Helen Brickley, our fashion apprentice, has won the Young Achiever of the Year category in the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru held at the end of last month at the Celtic Manor, Newport.

Helen was nominated for these awards by Talk Training, the training provider supporting her during her apprenticeship. Helen has been working for Goose Island for a year and has put her Textile Degree to good use by assisting our design and buying team both in Swansea and Italy. She also assists with photo shoots and on top of that she travels 80 miles a day from her home in Blackwood, Gwent to work in Swansea.

The Awards, organised by the Welsh Government and National Training Federation for Wales (NTFW), celebrate excellence and outstanding achievements by showcasing excellence in skills development in Wales. A record number of apprentices applied for these awards and there were 36 finalists shortlisted in the different categories.

This event brings together the best of learners, employers and training providers, who have shown total dedication and commitment to skills development and business improvement.  The awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of learners, employers and providers involved in the delivery of quality Apprenticeships, Traineeships and Jobs Growth Wales programmes across Wales, which are funded by the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund.

Commenting on her award, Helen, said, “It feels great to win this award. It’s a huge confidence boast for me and it a fantastic achievement to put on my CV.”

Helen at the Apprenticeship Awards

How to Wear Ladies Shrugs

You may ask – what exactly is a shrug? Essentially, a ladies shrug is similar to a cardigan, but is usually much lighter weight, and cropped so it only falls across the upper back. It can be fastened at the front, usually loosely with a tie, or not at all.

Shrugs can be a great addition to any woman’s wardrobe. Not only do they come in such a huge variety of styles and colours, so that you can wear them with almost anything, they are also a great way to cover up. A lot of women are self-conscious about their upper arms, and a shrug allows you to cover them, without having to wear a heavier jacket, or choose a different outfit, and would definitely be worth adding to your wardrobe.

If you have never owned or worn a shrug before, then you may be at a loss of how to wear one. The short answer would be – however you want to if you feel you want to cover up, but you can read on for a few more tips and advice on how ladies can wear a shrug.

To wear a shrug casually, you could choose almost any colour that matches your outfit; whether it’s jeans and a top, a dress, or a skirt and boots. Shrugs are great to carry with you in the summer, as they are small and lightweight enough to store away in a bag, and then easy to throw on for a little cover when it cools off in the evenings. They would also make great bikini cover-ups for summer holidays.

Shrugs are also great to add some personality to work or office wear. A lot of people will mostly wear black to the office - black trousers, black skirts – and wearing a coloured shrug will add some vibrancy and lift to your everyday wardrobe.

Don’t like taking a jacket on a night out? Shrugs can be the perfect answer to the eternal dilemma of taking a jacket to keep warm at the end of a night on the town, or taking one and just ending up carrying it around and leaving it somewhere. Lightweight shrugs lend themselves perfectly to a glamorous ‘night-out’ outfit, as they can often be sheer, with a bit of shimmer or sparkle, and would definitely not detract from your style. They are small enough to fit in the smallest of bags, but sufficient enough to offer comfort when the evening gets a bit chilly.

Similarly, if you find yourself attending a glamorous party or event, and your favourite dress shows too much of your back or upper arms, a shrug can help you feel a lot less self-conscious by adding a little something extra, and seeming like a part of your outfit itself. Which is a lot better than someone nagging you to ‘take your jacket off’ all night.

Long sleeved dresses can be the perfect winter style fix

It’s that time of the year again, and as winter rushes in, many women will find themselves at a loss for what to wear to keep warm and smart at the same time. There are a huge number of knitwear styles available, but knitwear isn’t for everyone; some find it itchy, and wearing several layers can make some people feel extra hot and uncomfortable, especially when ducking in and out of shops.

But winter dressing can be extremely fun for some people, particularly those who love layers and getting cosy with their style choices every day. But others get fed up with pulling drab or dark clothing out of their wardrobes every morning. Of course, winter clothing doesn’t have to be drab or dull at all, but often, people are just missing the summer months, and how easy it was to just throw on almost anything, and know it would be weather suitable.

Summer dresses are always a popular choice, and are essentially a whole outfit in one piece of clothing. However, that doesn’t have to stop as the weather cools off.

Long-sleeved dresses could be the answer to your problems. Just like summer dresses, long-sleeved dresses can be the all-in-one outfit for winter. There is such a huge variety of long-sleeved dresses available, that you can find one to suit any need or occasion. Work wear? Weekend wear? Evening wear? Long-sleeved dresses might be more versatile than you think, and Goose Island has a variety of them to pull you out of a winter style rut.

Grey Long Knitted Dress

This two-layered dress is a great option for everyday or weekend wear this winter. The long sleeves will protect your arms from the cold, and the knitted material will also provide an extra bit of warmth, the lace inserts add a sophisticated style to suit almost anyone.

This dress would look great styled in so many different ways; wear it with black tights and ballet flats for a smart casual look, wear with leggings and boots for a true winter look, or you could even wear it over jeans. It even comes with a matching scarf!

Pink silk embellisheddress

This beautiful dress will add an element of style to any outfit or occasion. The pink is a perfect colour to warm you up, along with the long sleeves and nipped in waist.

If it’s not too cold, you could brave bare legs with a pair of black heels and black jacket for a night out, or you could team it with flat, knee-high, black boots for a pretty Christmas shopping outfit.

Mocha fitted lace dress

The lace on this long-sleeved dress really lends itself to a glamorous Christmas party or a night out with friends. The long sleeves will keep out the chill as you enjoy yourself, and the double layers will even add an extra bit of warmth. 

You could wear it with a long pendant necklace for a bit of winter sparkle, or you could wear a waterfall cardigan soften the look for day to day wear.

Long Jersey Magic Dress

This navy dress is a great winter colour, and its long sleeves and ruched skirt mean that it is extremely flattering for any shape and body size. It will also suit every style and occasion, and can be accessorised to work for the office, a night out, a day shopping, and the jersey material makes it extremely comfortable to wear all day long, or even to travel in.

There are almost unlimited options when it comes to buying or styling long-sleeved dresses, and you are sure to find something that suits you this autumn and winter, whether you just want something to make outfit planning easier, or your wardrobe is missing that essential long-sleeved piece.