The Very Best Of Summer!

It's summertime and the living is (or should be...) easy! Here are our BEST Kobomo summer pieces to keep your weekend laid back + your holiday getaway
uncomplicated! Fabulously lightweight + low maintenance pieces made from cool fabrics to make sure the summer heat doesn't get the better of you! 

Piece 1(from left) : Summer in the City Kaftan in tropical print! Easy, cool + casual wear for coastal dwellers and our cruising gals! 

Piece 2: 'Gone Swishing' light + floaty cotton/ poly blend textured fabric. low-maintenance + suitcase friendly! A little coastal chic. 

Piece 3: Cotton Pintuck Blouse, an easy one size style that suits most - a fantastically cool sleeved summer piece you can jazz up or keep casual. 

Nan's The Word!

Christmas buying for the kids is not always a simple task!

If it's not the fact that you don't know how much they've grown this last week, it's wondering what their latest obsession is or that they're relatively reckless little creatures so nothing even remotely breakable will live to see the next day! Cheques are out of the question, they'll likely get eaten or lost, and besides - something a little personal and lovely from Nan is always nicer! Clothes are always a practical gift for kids, but not always at practical prices or in practical styles.

The Perennials

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In this context we're talking about the perennials as a collection of 'add-ons' that will not only enhance your wardrobe but can transform your existing closet from a Summer to a Winter, year after year and all through the shoulder seasons. Planning a new season of clothing can be a little testing, particularly when it comes to practicality vs. style. What we still feel comfortable in from LAST Winter and what really truly needs to go!  Doing the annual clean out means deciding which pieces we love, which pieces we can't do without, pulling out last winter's pieces and seeing what still fits - maybe you loved that tunic, but it has shrunk since last year. WELL we have devised a new way of handling the seasonal changeover, keeping the "umming" and "ahhing" to a minimum... and the secret lies in 'The Perennials'.

There are some garments that solve 'problems'. Obviously covering the knees + arms seems to be high on our list and a constant request from our girls. As is having breathable fabrics, ideally ones that need minimal ironing, layer well and pack easily for travel. Because if there's ever a time you want to be lazy or get out of the cold 'n go on holiday, it's Winter! So here at Kobomo we stock a number of these 'problem solvers' that virtually don't need thinking about and work for your wardrobe season in season out. 

We've road-tested these over the past few years with our customers here in the shop. We know they work. Our customers are repeat buyers, adding more colours to their own collections. So we're thinking the only problem you may have in purchasing one of these is that it may be the beginning of a very strong addiction! 

You can find all the garments by clicking on the hyperlinks below! 

Polished Sleeved Top 

Stretch Cotton Slip

Long Capri Pant

How to care for your twist + pack cottons!

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Using extra care when you wash cotton will preserve the lifespan of your clothing. Clothes will retain their natural softness and vibrant color, without looking faded and worn.

Cottons, can be prone to shrinkage and fading and there is no totally foolproof way to keep this from happening, unfortunately that’s just the nature of the fabric. There are some ways though, that can help your cottons have a longer life span!

Washing in cold water is always best to avoid shrinking, this is particularly important for coloured cottons as they are even MORE likely to shrink. When it comes to our Kobomo 'twist + pack' range, you certainly want to keep those crisp crinkles in! There's a lot of talk about the best methods for keeping your crinkle cottons.... Well, crinkled! A lot of instruction will say to twist them when wet to get that crisp look back instead of that wrinkled look, but the particular way we set our crinkles in (differently to many others) twisting when wet will cause the dye to streak. We say it’s best to twist + knot ONCE DRY!

When it comes to stains, I’ve found a Sunlight Soap bar and spot washing works perfectly well. For general washing 1/4 your regular laundry detergent + 1 scoop of bicarb soda works really well! Also, instead of using commercial fabric softener, you can use half a cup of white vinegar to fully rinse, soften and brighten your cottons! Better for the threads, better for the environment!

And on that note, for those who ARE eco conscious, you should know Sunlight Soap no longer contains palm oil like I know it used to… so YAY for the orangutans!

If you do want to use something different to brighten your Summer whites that is not mentioned above, just try to steer away from chlorine bleach because it can yellow cotton items. Opt for oxygenated bleach instead! 

Air-drying will keep your cottons from shrinking; keeping them in a warm but shaded place is best to hold the dyes. 

SKIP to the BREAKDOWN 

BEST method for washing your Summer twist + pack cottons! (According to us.)

1. Wash on gentle cycle with 1/4 your regular laundry detergent + 1 scoop of bicarb soda. Instead of using commercial fabric softener, use half a cup of white vinegar to fully rinse, soften and brighten your cottons! 
2. Wring out and drape / hang on a drying rack that is out of the way of sunlight! Keep your colours vibrant!
3. Once the garment is completely dry simply twist tight until it kind of knots itself up, throw a rubber band around it and toss it in your draw.

Sassy work basics

Yes, it's important to look good at work, but not at the expense of comfort! Certainly it's more ideal to first and foremost be comfortable at work and then just happen to look fabulous doing it, no? For busy women of the workforce, there are many demands on our lives from virtually every angle! If there's one demand we should be making of ourselves, it's to keep comfortable; because comfortability is surely the key to sanity and therefore SUCCESS!  

There's plenty of black + white work basics out there, lovely tailored pieces that, if we're being real...are about as comfortable to move in as an eighteenth century cage crinoline; and WE ladies, are modern women! In the spirit of comfortable, sane, success, here's some fab pieces you might just fall in love with. For the workplace, for the social scene, these basics will serve you well in multiple aspects of your life. Slimline cut with a tailored look to keep the bosses happy! The most fantastic thing about these pieces is they are double-stretch rayon, they don't pill and they hold their vibrancy of colour! They look good on, they feel good on and you don't have to do that mad rush to get out of your work clothes the second you get home... you may just want to stay in them a while longer! ;) 

Follow this link to see the collection >> http://kobomo.com.au/collections/back-to-work-basics

or click on the hyperlinks of the above featured garments! 

Tube Skirt

Sleeveless Jersey Dress

Square Stretch Plain Tee

Let It Be Dress 

Does your costume jewellery suit your shape?

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Believe it or not, jewellery can have a significant impact on your appearance, in that it can manipulate the shapes of your face + body. By choosing the right jewellery you can balance your face shape, slim down roundness or help to fill out areas that need a little plumping! As much as we dress for our body shapes with clothes, we can dress for our shapes with fabulous accessories and accentuate our best features! 

Jewellery + Face Shape

Suppose you're Angelina Jolie and you want to subtlety tone down strong square lines and bring a softness to your face, looking for round, maybe teardrop earrings that will deflect squareness of your face is the go! Same goes for if you have a lovely round face, diamond shape or sharper shaped jewellery will compliment you best! Ultimately, go for the jewellery styles that are opposite of your face shape. 

Enhance the parts you love with jewellery in light/bold colours, and the parts you love slightly less, leave bare or just wear something simple that doesn't scream out, like all good costume jewellery does! 

Jewellery + Body 

When it comes to length and size, it's all about scaling to fit your own frame. Your jewellery should be balanced with your body size and proportions.  

So if you're Adele, relatively tall and voluptuous, a small dainty piece will simply go unseen on your frame and ultimately make you look bigger in comparison. 

If you're Sarah Jessica Parker though, large bulky jewellery will overpower and even emphasise your petite frame.

Jewellery + Facial Features 

Same goes for facial features... scale baby, scale! If you have large facial features, select larger earrings + necklaces to balance it. Small fine features - daintier jewellery will balance best. And if you're somewhere in the middle like me... medium sized jewellery is what you're looking for!

If you've got a large, wide shaped face like Cameron Diaz, you don't necessarily scale to face size... Rather select jewellery that will help elongate and draw the eyes down rather than across. So longer dangly earrings will suit you best!

Medium length dangling teardrop earrings are great for adding width on the bottom of your face (if you consider yourself to be a bit of a Toni Collette) while chunky studs will help add fullness and width to the whole face (perfect for the Scarlett Johansson's).

Jewellery + Bust Size

Generally speaking, a large bust needs larger necklaces to avoid making it look bigger, so chunky beads or collar-style necklaces will suit nicely! While a small - medium busted woman would be served best by a simple thin necklace with smallish pendant or a necklace that cascades (multiple thin necklace strings). Again, it's all about balance!

Jewellery + Neck Size

If your neck is your concern you can slim it down with long earrings, helping to create those vertical lines, drawing the eye up and down rather than across. The trick is just to make sure they don't fall below your chin (we want to avoid anything that creates width at the neck). Also try to avoid earrings that add bulk in general, like chandelier earrings.  

Avoid anything that draws a horizontal line at your neck. Best to go for faceted stone studs rather than large round button earrings and stick with long necklaces to add length to your neck region. The ideal length for a necklace is as long as your face from the chin down. Otherwise, you can also select low necklines that open up your chest.