Colour My Life

At the beginning of this month, I hosted a colour event at Bluewater for five competition winners, each winner had a taster of what a Colour Analysis would be like, we went through what season they were likely to be, based on a few factors, we spoke about wow colours, (these are a selection of colours perfectly tailored to you, for your individual skin colour, eye colour & hair colour) We talked about how to know if a colour suits you & how to wear colour if you are not used to it.

The right colours have the ability make your skin glow & make you look like you have had a good eight hours sleep & this is something I have discovered & (learnt) as I have got older. I wore a lot of black when I was a moody teen, but even then I realised the power of colour (my electric blue jumper dress & emerald green faux fur coat from Topshop & Miss Selfridge were much loved & worn)

During a colour analysis you will usually fall into one season, but when I do a Colour Analysis, I do not want you fixated by one season & usually I find you can borrow some colours from another season related on the colour wheel. I want clients to use Colour Analysis as a helpful tool to enhance their wardrobe. If you really love a piece of clothing & it is not in your seasonal palette, do not let that put you off…always buy what you love.

Sometimes even if we know our season or what colours suit us, we might not know how that converts to what is out there in the shops. Well I can report, whether you are a Winter, Autumn, Spring or Summer, there are loads or clothes currently, in all four seasons.

Before the colour event, I pre-selected lots of clothes from different brands at Bluewater, & most of the following pieces I picked in person (not online. The selection is from White Stuff, River Island, Fatface & Oliver Bonas, there is something for everyone, whatever your season.

If you want to book a personal shop or have a colour analysis with me at Bluewater please get in touch.

The Warm Seasons (Spring)

From left to right, Oliver Bonas, Blue Pointelle Short Sleeve Cardigan £60.00, FatFace Hove Blue Denim Wide Leg Crop Jeans £59 Oliver Bonas, Yellow Ribbed Crew Neck Knitted Cardigan £65.00, FatFace Carmel Dark Vintage Blue Comfort Straight Jeans £59, Oliver Bonas Gola Grandslam Trident White & Orange Trainers £85.00

Top Row White Stuff Kelsey Wool Blend Coat in BRIGHT RED £160.00, White Stuff Tara Texture Tank in Blue Multi £55.00, White Stuff Sophie Organic Cotton Shirt in Pale Ivory £49.00, FatFace Jeans as above or (White Stuff do some great cords in Navy) Bottom Row White Stuff Silvy Lock Crossbody Bag in Blue Multi £65.00, White Stuff, Willow Suede Ankle Boot in Mid Tan £75.00

The Warm Seasons (Autumn)

Top Row FatFace Ina Dark Teal Broderie Blouse £59, FatFace Shenley Washed Black Slim Jeans £55, FatFace Emma Teal Blue Short Faux Fur Coat £110, FatFace Chocolate Brown Knee High Suede Boot £125 Bottom Row FatFace Skye Tan Brown Animal Spot Midi Skirt £55, FatFace Connie Ecru Henley Top £29.50, FatFace Mae Olive Green Boucle Jacket £89, FatFace Margot Chocolate Brown Leather Boot £95

From left to right FatFace Violet Gold Prom Tulle Skirt £89, FatFace Elsie Brown Fluffy Cardigan £59, Oliver Bonas Gold Pointed Kitten Heel Slingbacks £40.00 FatFace Emma Teal Blue Short Faux Fur Coat £110.

The Cool Seasons (Summer)

From left to right River Island Blue Satin Tie Detail Long Sleeve Shirt £34.00, River Island Black Faux Leather Wide Leg Trousers £44.00, FatFace Aubrey Blush Pink Structured Coat £160, River Island Black Satin Embellished Bow Slingback Heels £39.00, River Island Silver Bag £39.00. River Island Blue Diamante Trim Stripe Shirt £52.00, River Island Blue High Rise Wide Leg Jeans £52.00, River Island Brown Mid Length Faux Fur Coat £89.00, River Island Black Point Toe Kitten Heel Boots £32.00.

The Cool Seasons (Winter)

From left to right FatFace Lara Dark Purple Sparkle Knitted Tunic £62, FatFace Polly Black Ponte Legging £35, FatFace Bianca Grey Longline Teddy Coat £120, FatFace Black Knee High Leather Riding Boot £125, Bottom Row FatFace Em Dark Purple Regular Velvet Mini Dress £69, FatFace Chocolate Brown Knee High Suede Boot £125, White Stuff Karla Velvet Coat £140.00

From left to right Oliver Bonas Blue & Pink Checked Collar Shirt £60.00, Oliver Bonas Bibi Lou Burgundy Patent Heeled Loafers £150.00, Oliver Bonas Chocolate Brown Wool Blend Wide Leg Trousers £70.00, Oliver Bonas Dark Green Sparkle Eyelash Knitted T-Shirt £60.00, Oliver Bonas Gola x OB Exclusive Viper Chocolate Brown & Leopard Print Trainers £85.00, Oliver Bonas Green Corduroy V-Neck Tie Waist Jumpsuit £95.00

NYE Style

Happy Beetwixmas! 

You may be all partied out & enjoying your elasticated waistbands & slippers or you may be keeping your festive dressing going by wearing sequins or a sparkly knit from morning to night & everyday to NYE.

I have done my second Christmas of mostly buying preloved, so even if it’s gifts from my family, I will ask for vintage or preloved first. Some of the gorgeous things that I received this year are a vintage Laura Ashley velvet dress, a boho style preloved Monsoon top, a preloved pink cashmere jumper & a vintage St Michael tank top.

If you are not fully convinced about buying preloved & you have a huge NYE party to go to & you want to shop high street, then there are some amazing partywear pieces out there from lace to fringe to sequins! A serious note about sequins though, here are the not so shiny facts about sequins…

Sequins are not biodegradable, they are made of plastic, they take thousands of years to break down, they are not good for the workers that make them, they produce lots of waste & they are often discarded after wearing them & end up in landfill & in our waterways, which marine life will ingest. High street stores do not need to make any more sequins, we have enough in circulation already, so firstly, it is always better to buy vintage or preloved sequins & secondly if you do buy new sequins, really think about your purchase. Ask yourself these questions…

Is it such a statement piece you fall in love & will wear it year after year? Or something that you could pass on? 

Is it a classic piece, which you could style differently, so you get lots of wear out of it? For example, a sequin vest could be worn in winter or summer, just add a faux fur or a velvet jacket for winter or pair with palazzo linen pants & sandals for summer. 

So if you are looking for party outfits or NYE inspiration, read on…

Pic 1 Silver Dress M&S X SIENNA MILLER £60, John Lewis Shoes Silver £85.00, Tights John Lewis, Silver Bag HUSH £105. Pic 2 White Shirt Nobodys Child, Shoes Mint Velvet. Pic 3 Dress M&S X SIENNA MILLER £90, Tights M&S, Sandals Dune £90.00. Pic 4 Dress Mint Velvet, Tights John Lewis, Shoes (as above) Bag (as above) Pic 5, Top Fat Face Ebb & Flow, Jeans Nobodys Child £79, Cardigan French Connection £75, Shoes M&S (was £39.50) Pic 6 Top Mint Velvet, Jeans The Wide Leg Jean M&S £35.00, Bag (as before) Silver boots John Lewis. Pic 7 Top Mint Velvet, Jeans The Wide Leg Jean M&S £35.00, Shoes Dune Choices Snaffle Slingback £35. Pic 8 And Or Dress £109, (Boots & Bag as before)

Happy New Year!