I was asked by a reader the other day for help choosing winter coats. Here are a few tips. Clockwise from top left: Show off a defined waist with a belted coat like a trench – great for X, A and 8 shapes. If you are petite, keep your coat knee length or shorter and…
Following on from my post the other day about matching jewellery, I received this reader question: I see that the larger earrings are paired with ring / bracelet, not a necklace. How do I tell when my earrings are “too much” to be worn with a necklace? My general advice for this question would be…
Today I’m off to speak to a group of business women, and my topic is accessories and how to choose them. One topic I will talk about is how to match jewellery, without being matchy-matchy (unless you’re very classic in your personal style, matching sets tend to look old and fuddy-duddy). I’ve done up a…
Reader Question:Also, is there any rules with shoes and body types? Particurarly thinking about boots, as it’s getting colder here in Europe 😉 Thanks again, Maija When thinking about what are the best shapes of boots and heels for different body shapes, consider your shape and what will balance it. Stiletto heels with their long…
Tania Many people wear eye glasses, but how many people really take the opportunity to find a frame that expresses their personality, that are not just practical, but are jewellery for the face? Irene While I was in Manila, I met a lovely image consultant Irene, who had a selection of fabulous frames, and I…
If the face is the ‘communication centre’ it’s really important to think about how to draw attention there. Finishing off getting dressed so that you look ‘put together’ and stylish is helped immensely by what happens above the bust as it is close to the face. Using a piece of jewellery in this area or…
Many people feel that if their neck is short or thick (or both) that it excludes them from wearing jewellery near their face, but this is not so. Look for necklaces that are to your first balance point or longer (double that length is great too). Avoid your second balance point (the high one). Look…
I was alerted to this study done at the University of Yorkby one of my lovely blog readers. Apparently some scientists have found that horizontal stripes are slimming and verticals are fattening. This is true, but horizontal stripes can also be fattening and verticals slimming, the study is flawed. The participants were asked to look…
Some people are jewellery people, some people are scarf people, I like to wear both, but more scarves in the winter and jewellery in the summer. Spring and Autumn, I go both ways Here are a few ideas about how to wear different shapes and sizes of scarves, and of course, you can also look…
I have to wear office-appropriate but warehouse-safe shoes, so I have close-toed brown slip-on flats. Even with my longest pants, if I sit down and cross my legs my socks show. I’ve long since moved to black ankle socks (as opposed to the white socks that were long enough that I folded them over from…
With my kids being school and pre-school age, I get to spend a bit of time at the school gates and see how the other mums (moms) dress. Yes I know when you’ve got kids your life changes and it’s not so much about you anymore. Your focus becomes your kids, you end up being…
A reader asked if I could write a post on when and how to wear necklaces. Well, I think when – anytime, all the time, whenever you want! So how is another question. How to Choose Jewellery to Suit Your Personality Style Some tips. Really long necklaces look best on those with a small bust,…
After the post I did on What To Wear to Look Smart in a Casual Environment the other day I received some interesting comments, one of which, that I loved was from Duchesse: Anonymous: Be your beautiful, well-dressed self! Let them look, they might learn something. As Marianne Williamson says, Your playing small does not…
I’ve had requests about ideas for capsule wardrobes, here are some ideas that I used in a travel capsule. I spent my Saturday afternoon helping one of my lovely clients pack for her trip to Europe this week. She is spending a week in Berlin at a conference which will have both day and evening…
I was lucky enough to spend the day yesterday with Jan Fisher, AICI FLC a New Zealand based image consultant who you have met before here and here with her ideas for dressing women of a certain age. We went out for lunch and dropped into a local boutique and discovered this great necklace, which…
So often I will hear from a client that they have a wardrobe full of clothes but still nothing to wear. Why is this? The reasons are plenty You haven’t thrown out any items for years, so even though that safari tube skirt from 1986 or those leather pants from 1989 are in their wardrobe, taking…
On the weekend I spent a number of hours with a lovely client who when we were figuring out her personality style, realised that she had been ignoring accessories, thinking that they were less important than the clothes she was choosing, resulting in her not expressing an important aspect of her personality. She told me…
. . As rightly mentioned in the comments by readers, Cybill and Duchesse, not only is there the formal or casual element as previously posted, there is also the matter of season. Colour – lighter and brighter colours tend to suit warmer seasons, darker and richer colours suit cooler seasons (and we’re talking seasons…
I was in the supermarket the other day and noticed that many women carry the same handbag everywhere, to work, to the gym, to the supermarket, out for an evening, never stopping to consider that this one-size-fits-all solution may be doing then an injustice. So is it time you thought about your handbag, and whether…
I’m an H shape, not waist to speak of, and sometimes I wish I could wear a belt, but they just show off my lack of waist. So what are my options? Option 1 is to wear it low down on my hips rather than at my waist. Preferably with a curved belt that sits…
Reader Jill asked me for some help finding a Mother of the Groom outfit: I am quite thin with a bony chest and torso (only 47 kilos), small bust, average height, rectangular body (carrying a little more weight below the waist) and am 60 years young. My hair is jaw-length brownish red (a similar style…
