Colour My Life

October 29, 2025Leave a comment

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

December 29, 2024Leave a comment

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!

Body Confidence

April 16, 2024April 16, 2024Leave a comment

Let’s talk about body confidence, these two words are something as women, we find hard to take on, I am not sure if it was the fault of fashion magazines initially using overly thin models back in the 90’s & now social media, where you are bombarded constantly with unrealistic images of beauty & the ‘perfect’ body & look, young girls also seem to have an uphill struggle coping with this onslaught on a daily basis & I am not surprised that many suffer from low self-esteem & sadness after consuming hours of that sort of content & that isn’t helped, by other girls parroting what they have seen on social media to make other girls feel like they don’t measure up. As women our confidence can be knocked, post pregnancy, by the menopause, or if you have been affected by illness, injury or disability, we can all have a problem with our bodies & our lot & have to silence that little voice in our heads, telling us we are too fat or too thin, or this body part is not as toned etc, etc. And just to add, this negative self-talk is not only reserved for women, men & boys are also exposed to the tidal wave of social media body content, in fact any gender can feel this way.

So here is a short story for you on this Tuesday afternoon, when I was at art college a very long time ago, I was about 17 years old at the time, I would travel to college on the train, & I sat next to a girl who was also on my course, who I constantly compared myself to. The internal dialogue was ‘she looks better in jeans than I do’ ‘her waist is smaller’ & it went on…It was when Levi 501’s were in fashion & I felt this was not a trend that I could do, my bottom was big & I had good thighs on me (as my Gran would say) & 501’s were not made for me. I was fairly obsessed with this girl & once I had moved on from the jeans, I started to compare myself to her in other ways & (as my sister says ‘Compare leads to Despair’) I spent many an hour trying to find a pair of jeans that fit me, but to no avail & I gave myself a hard time. Then I discovered boys jeans, baggy, distressed & secondhand (the ones in the picture below) did not even do up, which is why I am holding them up! But nevertheless, I loved them & felt comfortable in them. I experimented with clothes throughout my art college days, took inspiration from magazines & pop stars & was able to silence the comparisons, because I was enjoying fashion so much & finding my way.

Clothes are important to me, because the right styles for me, have the power to make me feel confident & even though my body has gone up quite a few dress sizes since I was 17, I know the right styles for my shape can transform my mindset & I don’t chase trends, that I know won’t suit me. Little did I know, today in 2024, I would find multiple pair of jeans that I would love. On Saturday I went to an event, where I tried on a few things, the few clothes that fitted me (& not a lot did) did not look good at all, but I walked out of there not blaming myself, but blaming the clothes & this is key! Yesterday there was a post on social media where loads of women commented that they had lost their way with style & fashion & it really hit home how many women feel like this, I know that their current mindset is not fixed & with the right styles for them, they would feel great in clothes again. I know how transformative clothes can be & fashion has the ability to help enormously with confidence, however you feel about your body.

So, remember don’t blame your genes, instead blame the jeans!

Soon I will be introducing an online styling service which is a more affordable virtual styling service. I will do a post about it when it is up & running.

New to you Christmas Knits

December 11, 2023Leave a comment

There is no doubt that fast fashion is having a huge impact on the world & fashion is high up on the list for one of the biggest polluters for producing greenhouse gas emissions. Last week, just before Christmas jumper day, Oxfam shared the news that…

‘ A quarter (26%) of consumers plan to buy novelty clothing for Christmas this year that they will barely wear. The OnePoll study, which surveyed 3,000 shoppers who celebrate Christmas, found that 72% of those planning to buy festive fashion expect to wear their purchases less than five times while 15% said they will only wear them once. This means more than 12.7 million items could be cast aside after just a few wears, Oxfam warned.’

‘The charity calculated that if all UK adults planning to buy festive fashion items this Christmas bought them second hand, it could prevent 66 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere – equivalent to a plane flying from London to the North Pole 822 times’

I find this absolutely shocking & fashion brands need to do much more, but what can we do as consumers? The first thing we can do is extend the life of our clothes by wearing more of what is in our wardrobe & if things don’t fit, we can swap pieces with our friends & family, or sell them on sites like Depop, Vinted or Facebook market place. We can donate our clothes to charities like Oxfam, or use The Salvation Army recycling bins. We can shop on preloved sites like Vinted & Depop, you can find most high street brands on there & you will get great quality for a better deal too. We can also shop in charity shops like Oxfam, if you are on holiday in the UK, check out the charity shops wherever you are staying. If vintage is your thing, head to vintage fairs like Frock Me Vintage.

When we buy new, we can buy from more sustainable shops like Nobody’s Child, Omnes & Ninety Percent or from small independent brands who manufacture their clothes in the UK. We can change our shopping habits & can be more mindful when shopping, always think about whether you can still see yourself wearing your purchase in five years time. I will first look for preloved when shopping these days, but if I can’t find what I am looking for, I still buy from high street stores, but I am much more careful with my purchases, I buy staples that I know I will always wear, I try to buy natural fabrics, & natural recycled fabrics, that wash well & will last. If I see a statement dress or classic coat, again I am thinking of the long term.

So if you are after a knit for the festive season, why not try a preloved knit with a gentle nod to Christmas, rather than the full on Rudolf novelty jumper, that you may only wear once… Here is my selection of ‘preloved’ knits.