Reader Question: How much of each colour should you wear – what are the proportions when putting an outfit together? Balance and Harmony You want to create a balance between the inner you, your personality, and the outer you, your appearance and natural colouring. You want to feel like you when wearing your colours…
Style and fashion can be overwhelming. There will be days when getting dressed is a struggle when you can’t pick an outfit or you find yourself wearing the same pieces in your wardrobe that you have always worn, in the same combination and not feeling excited about them. Defining your personal style and knowing your…
Reader Question – My biggest challenge is to put together a simple relaxed wardrobe in my colours. I like simplicity and would love a capsule. I work with preschool children and will be retiring next year. My mother was a preschool teacher so I have a good understanding that you really need practicality in your…
Everyone wants to look and feel attractive, even irresistible to that important person in your life. For many of us, there is a difference between being alluring by creating a sense of desire and being sexy by creating sexual appeal. It’s the way a woman moves, talks, body language and the way she conducts herself…
Reader question – When answering style quizzes or determining a personal style, should one do that based on living in an ideal world and make adjustments for our real world? In other words if physical time and budget restraints were not an issue, should we select our preferred style and go from there. I’ve had…
How do I narrow down what works for me? There are so many options in stores and I get overwhelmed by all the choices. My mother says a similar thing to me, “I won’t shop in department stores because I’m just overwhelmed, there’s just too much out there.” The world is your oyster these days…
Reader Question – How do I get to be more adventurous with my styling? Being different, standing out, taking risks—these are things that sound scary and uncomfortable, but are actually really awesome. Since you change your outfit every day, you have a near-infinite number of chances to take risks, both big and small. And if you…
Do you prefer to stand out from the crowd or the people around you (where you work, live) with your style, or do you prefer to blend in and not be so noticeable as you prefer not to get any comments or attract attention? Is it more important to stand out and make a statement…
Reader Question: Often we find blogs about elegance state that we should never wear fabrics that crush. I wear a lot of linen which crushes terribly. Could you suggest fabrics that look pressed when wearing? Linen is one of the best fabrics to wear during the summer. It’s light, it’s breathable, and that helps to…
Wearing black and dark neutrals has been considered sophisticated and chic for some decades. It used to be that black was only worn by the grieving or for a classy night out in your little black dress (first created by Coco Chanel in the 1920s). These days black has become the safest (and honestly, boring)…
Reader Question – Why is it that you advise that those with grey hair wear smoky and more muted colours? Doesn’t this just make us fade away? Although our genetic makeup never changes, our hair changes both in colour and texture as we get older. In the same way, we lose the bloom of youth and…
There are so many different ways to organize your wardrobe that there is no one right way. You need to consider what works for you and your organizational skills and preferences, including your space requirements. Do you prefer to have all your items visible and displayed or would you prefer a streamlined look, where items…
Denim is a staple in most wardrobes, and rightly so. It has many uses, is a hard-wearing fabric, and can be dressed up or down (to a certain extent). As far as cost per wear goes, most people get the maximum value from their favourite jeans. It’s likely that you’ve noticed denim comes in a…
Being able to dress chic and stylish every day is a skill that can be difficult to master. You can often feel frumpy in casual outfits particularly if your personality is a little bit more classic, dramatic, feminine or a little bit more elegant chic where you like a more refined look. These tips are…
In a recent Facebook Live, a reader asked if I could advise the best styles to wear to highlight athletic curves as many clothes don’t fit properly to accommodate a small waist with strong glutes and finding tops to fit over shoulders and back muscles as they tend to have no shape around the waist…
Accessories can be extremely powerful because they complete a look, often taking it from nice to fabulous. Eye-catching accessories can also make a strong style statement. When you are considering accessories for your outfit, you should consider the principles of co-ordination. There are 4 main principles of co-ordination – these are: Levels of Refinement Principle…
Help me find my style! I seem to span many styles and I like to change it up. I can find elements I like in most styles. I have great difficulty determining the true me. This was the question from one of my lovely readers who is struggling with her style. How to Find Your…
I know a lot of people have gone grey in the recent months and I too am embracing my own (trying it out for a test run to see how I like it) since we had been in lockdown with hairdressers closed for over 4 months and not being able to get in to…
Taking the extra step to complete an outfit is where many women fall down. They put on clothes, not outfits. My clients will tell me that they don’t know how to create an outfit. They see other women look put together and wish they could do the same. They don’t know what to wear with…
Reader Question The challenge is reinventing my style without completely replacing my wardrobe for a distinctly new phase in my life. I’m moving from the corporate world to going back to university as a very mature age student. I want to feel comfortable and self-expressive without either standing out too self-consciously so the clothes are…
Everyone knows the key to warmth in the winter months is layering. But, there is a fine art to layering different textures and fabrics of clothing so that you still look stylish and put together. If you find yourself choosing between warmth and fashion, some of these suggestions might help you layer with style and…
