Client's Christmas shopping

I find my styling service often expands from client requests. I  am very grateful 
for these requests as it enables me to grow my work and provide more of what my clients are looking for. 

This year I've have requests from client's husbands or partners, to gather ideas, or sauce Christmas presents from a given list. I've done most remotely and some on foot in shops. It's been brilliant, and so far seems to be having very good response. I'll add this to my website very soon. 

This gets me thinking of the most thoughtful present I've ever received, which would definitely be a painting Paul gave me. What's the most thoughtful present you've been given? 

Still life, or get a life?

Go to outfit

Bugs are everywhere in December, almost everyone I know is sniffling or ill. Last week I was feeling pretty off colour, but not ill enough to stay snuggled cosily up under my duvet ( where I was wishing I could be ).  So I soldiered on and it’s at these times I really need my go to outfits. 

These are my current season ( not fashion lead, just what I’m choosing to wear ) tried and tested outfits. I know they will make me feel good, even when I’m not feeling good. They are very comfortable too, I don’t want to wear anything uncomfortable when I’m not feeling good.  My current two favourite go to outfits are..

1. A navy sparkly ( I love a festive sparkle ) moss stitch jumper and matching scarf, navy silk tunic and black jeans with a frayed hem, worn with my silver jewelry and bright pink lipstick.  I’ll use my rich rioja coloured cashmere coat, oxblood red bag and black suede boots.  The richness of the colours together feels very Luxe and makes me very happy ( even when I’d rather be under my duvet).
2. A black aline shape Cos dress with pockets and a cowl neck. I wear this with some tights that look like I’m wearing long socks, black suede boots and accessories, coat and bag same as outfit one. I really enjoy being able to put my hands in my pockets, it feels cosy ( I like feeling cosy in the winter ).

My challenge to you is create a go to outfit today that you can use this week, when you’re super busy, kids been waking you up in the night, not feeling well or are hung over from a Christmas party. Let me know how it goes?

Sports bras

This video will really show you the importance of wearing a good sports bra. ❤
http://youtu.be/olQBAaI-ksI

Givember

This isn’t a post about style,  it’s about being aware my actions have an impact.

The other day I was walking to an appointment and often on route I pass a homeless guy drawing pictures for money.

That day I saw him fast asleep in a sleeping bag, totally exposed to everything, whilst the world just went on around him. I thought, I need to do something..

 What shall I do? Shall I buy him a coffee?  Would he like a latte or a cappuccino?  This is ridiculous right?

I passed, I didn’t do anything, because I didn’t know what to do.  I thought, I know how to do something, it might not be much, but it’s something I can do.

In December I’ve decided every homeless person I pass I’m going to give them a pound, because that is something I can do.

Festive challenge

When getting dressed this morning I looked at my swingy clothes rail ( I may photograph and show you one day ). I say swingy because it’s not cluttered, it’s spacious, I can see what I have.  I felt very happy.  I thought, I’ve everything I need,  I’ve lots of options of things to wear, in different variations of my style.  Those who know me, will know I’m a massive fan of making the most of what you have. Be it your best features or the clothes you have.  There’s a real feel good factor in having an uncluttered wardrobe ( and that is a really good feeling first thing in the morning ). So in the festive spirit of giving, I challenge you to go to your wardrobe and remove 5 items that you don’t wear and give them to a charity. This should take 5 minutes, a minute an item. Don't over analyse it, if you don't wear it and it doesn't make you feel good, it's one of the five... 4 minutes left.

Christmas shopping

A stylish woman knows it’s all in the planning and starts her Christmas shopping early.  And that’s what I did, a wonderful day spent in mid November Christmas shopping with Georgie and a best mate finished off with afternoon tea.  Followed by a weekend trip to London shopping with Paul,  and a few evenings ordering online. 

Then I got busy,  took my eye off the ball.  My friend has finished and i’m not as ahead as I intended to be. Isn’t this what so many people have in common, good intentions and then reality of what we do and our busy lives? Joining the gym springs to mind....

Valentino

For a recommended Sunday night film viewing, for a fashion loving female, I’d suggest Valentino. You’ll see, beyond beautiful dresses, artistic temperament, good judgement and steely determination. If viewing it with your partner you might want to check they are fluent in female fashion language. Paul, luckily, is bilingual in communication languages ( I once heard him speaking Star Wars, maybe Trek, geek at a friend’s house ) and enjoyed the film. I’ve recently been embarking on a course in boy language of banging, crashing and inexplicable action films.... A mind that wants to expand must keep open. .. They do wear some good outfits.

The Woodville

Last week I did some styling with Charly from The Woodville.  We found this fantastic jumpsuit in a vintage shop in Lewes, the colours and shape work amazingly on Charly and most importantly it was exactly the style we wanted. It was a REAL FIND.  

But it was too short and Charly preferred a dress instead of a jumpsuit. This is where my secret sewing skill came into practise, turning the jumpsuit into a dress. It was now perfect for Charly.  The moral of my story is, if you find something amazing that virtually suits you in every way, be dynamic in your thinking and imagine what a good tailor could do. Only ever buy things you love and make them your own, otherwise buy nothing at all. 

I’d like to share with you a beauty tip. Recently I’ve been trying to find a new foundation (maybe my skin’s changed as my old one has not been so good recently). I’ve bought a few foundations that seem to work in the shop, but have not worked so successfully on a daily basis. So I decided that I was not going to buy any foundation unless I had tried and enjoyed the sample pot for a few days. Most places give samples, it can be worth carrying a tiny sample pot just incase they’re not set up to give samples. Some samples come in a little package and a tip here is to use a pin prick to squeeze the foundation through, it keeps the product fresh so you can use it for a few days. At the moment my favourite is Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and a feline flick on my eyes which apparently makeup genius Charlotte Tilbury says everyone suits. It’s worth checking out her youtube tutorial. 

New Boots

On Wednesday I spent an absolutely fantastic day in Covent Garden, with my friend Eileen. She’s a super successful woman who loves clothes, shopping and finding new designs. I do two wardrobe edits with Eileen a year S/S and A/W to collate and organise all the finds she adds during the year, also we identify any possible gaps in her wardrobe and edit any multi purchases that may have happened. 

In the evening we went to see Madame Butterfly, my first Opera, I was very excited. The costumes and the staging were magical, I absolutely love a kimono and often enjoy a kimono inspired jacket. The story was very moving, especially the last part where Madame Butterfly is persuaded to give away her son to her husband and his new wife, she then kills herself. At this point my eyes were flooding with tears, I left the theatre rather raw from emotion.

I’ve diverged slightly... We were in London to re-discover Covent Garden, have a really good catch up and have some lunch watching the world go by. I had created an interesting list of shops to explore. We were’t looking for anything in particular but in Agnes B, I spotted the perfect boots for Eileen. I was able to do  this because we’d had a recent wardrobe edit and I knew exactly that these boots would be an improved replacement for her current boots. They were elegant, had attitude, would work with virtually anything and had the perfect heel hight for day wear. Eileen says “Sometimes you need someone else to do the spotting for you, everyone needs a stylist in their lives.” 

After the theatre, to put some fresh air back to those teary eyes, we caught a rickshaw back to Victoria Station. Very thrilling, I’d recommend it. We paid and tipped the man (who’d worked incredibly hard cycling us). Then we dashed off to catch the train. On the train Eileen suddenly realised she didn’t have her Agnes B bag with her old Acne boots in (She had changed into new boots earlier on that day). It was a very late train, she said never mind I’ll let them go it’s not likely I’ll ever get them back. I said no they’re Acne pistol boots, we need to try and get them back. So we jumped off the train and ran back to where we’d left the rickshaw and driver. To my delight it was still there but no sign of the driver. We looked around and two seconds later he rushed up to us with the bag of boots in his hand saying he’d looked for us everywhere. It was a fantastic finish to an amazing day :o)

Outfit planning with Aneesa

Friday, I went shopping with singer Aneesa Chaudhry. She’s got a petite hourglass figure, massive personality, a can do attitude and loads of stage presence. I want Aneesa’s outfit to encapsulate these elements. 

Our start base was to create a fantastic silhouette. We found this Vivienne Westwood dress at Walk In Wardrobe on Western Rd Hove. I was interested in using a Vivienne Westwood dress on Aneesa because the cutting is just amazing and creates such a beautiful silhouette. If you are a Westwood fan I’d recommend watching her S/S 2014 show online, I like watching fashion shows through Vogue.co.uk

I’m now thinking of ideas how to shorten and lengthen this dress, so Aneesa can wear it longer with heels and shorter with boots - to get maximum wear out of the dress. Then I’ll be planning on rocking this dress up... more pics to come.

Body Shapes

As part of my styling sessions we look at body shape and explore techniques on how to flatter your shape. I use 9 different body shapes, apple, hour glass, slim, tummy, buxom bottoms, inverted triangle, busty, petit and pear. Paul drew up some beautiful illustrations to demonstrate these body shapes and I researched for ages how to flatter them. I see with my clients the results can be amazing. 

Dressing for your body shape is only an element of dressing well and one I sometimes ignore (it's boring to always follow rules). For example my new vintage winter coat is an oversized one (yes a truly fashion lead decision). It's so huge it completely covers my figure so you'd never know what was underneath. Convenient for a working from home day school run or emergency trip to the shops - a scruff underneath and externally glamourous. I love wearing it, it makes me feel sexy and luxe (much down to the rich berry colour and cashmere content). 

I've thought a lot about the names of the body shapes I use. I'm not entirely happy with them. I'm thinking people may not want to define their shape by a fruit or a tummy label. I'd love to know what you think about body shape labels? 



.

My bag organisation

I have about six bags that I rotate according to what I'm wearing and where I'm going. I probably have two to four bag changes a week, so I want to make changing them as quick and efficient as possible. 

A technique that really works for me is having things in their own pouches, or a strong case for my ipad and iPhone, that protects the screen from other things in my bag. A make up bag for essentials, a beret because often a sea fret comes in and makes my hair curly (I did try a fashion lead beanie and realised I beret better than I beanie), a brolly as rain will make it even curlier, sunglasses, keys (with a beer opener for impromptu summer picnics), purse and an essentials bag. This has in it compeed, pens and small pad, tape measure, tweezers, tissues, nail file, tea bag, mints and plasters - you never know when you may need any of these things unexpectedly.

I'll edit any of these things according to whether its a day or evening bag, or a big or small bag day. Whatever bag day it is I can edit really quickly and feel organised. 

Everyone has fat days

A client phoned to say, could she reschedule her consultation as she was having a fat month. Although I'm a believer in being your best self as much as possible, I know we can have days when we just want to wear a tent (I get mine monthly). So we rescheduled her appointment till after she'd got back to her 5-2 diet.

I never really understood needing to be your ideal size before dressing well. I'm of the thinking of dress well always and you'll want to look after yourself as you'll enjoy being you. Oh... I forgot to listen to my own advice. I'd ordered some leather trousers online in a size 10, they arrived and I could barely squeeze myself into them. I thought maybe I've been eating too many rich dinners with wine and pudding recently. I decided to keep them and fit a few more runs in. Well, they did get a bit more comfortable, because the leather stretched. But I don't really enjoy them, as they don't make me feel good - and who needs that from a pair of trousers?

I know I'm not fat, but I do have my days. And on those days I don't want to make myself feel worse by trying to wear something that doesn't fit me or a bad outfit. So give away anything that makes you feel bad immediately, or store away. Only have in your cupboard what you love.

The above client phoned me last week for a phone consultation, saying she was feeling bad about her clothes as again she'd gained a bit of weight. I assured her that there was more to love, she'd loose the weight again but in the meantime go and do a haul and get clothes that you feel great in on those fat days. She can then have clothes that she loves whatever her weight.  It will totally make you want to exercise and look after yourself more if you're kind to yourself. Two days later I got a buzzing text saying she'd got her mojo back. 

I'm planning some workshops on how to do your own wardrobe edit. I'd be very grateful if you could message me and tell me what you'd like to know. 

A/W What I've got my eye on...

I've got my eye this season on a huge coat, some rebel leather, a bit of tartan, lots of reds and burgundies, a dirndl skirt and possibly a bit of animal print. 

A/W TRENDS 2013

I'm very much still enjoying the sunshine, but it's this time of year I'll start planning my A/W wardrobe. Soon I'll go through my truck and start pulling out my winter pieces. I also like to plan which trends I'll put a bit of a nod too. Here's this seasons trends, I've starred the ones I'm interested in. Although I have my own individual style (I encourage this with my clients) I finds trends a bit of fun I sometimes like to indulge in. 

Photoshoot for Secret Store

Dare to Bare

Yay, summer is hear. At this time of year I hear people say “I can’t get my legs out, they are too white or fat or veins etc...” and I totally understand that. If I thought about my legs too much I’d never get them out, but like with most things in life it’s all in the preparation. Goes without saying that summer legs need to be keep smooth, regular body brushing does wonders too and throughout the summer if you don’t tan easily (like me) I would suggest using a tinted moisturizer daily instead of your usual body cream. Nude wedges, nude boots and metallic sandals are very flattering on legs. Then the most beautiful thing you can do is wear a great outfit and be proud of your wonderful legs whatever shape size or colour they are.

Seeing the Beauty and Making Beautiful

I was watching the Man Repeller on you tube the other day. She’s very engaging to watch and talks about clothes that men don’t get. Seems most men don’t get high fashion, although I know some that do. In one video she talked about how stylish her mother is and showed a beautiful Channel bag that her grandmother had given her. This got me thinking that I’ve read about many stylist’s who talk about there glamourous mothers (I hope Georgie does one day ;o). However for me I had more tofu munching, circle dancing, rather hairy type of mother, she didn’t believe in shaving, wearing makeup and washing hair very much. Its safe to say, clothes weren’t her thing. Although they were very much mine, at 4 I carried handbags with me with spare changes of clothes in, this meant I was always running late as I couldn’t shut my bag.

Growing up I didn’t have anyway near as much access to clothes and fashion as I would have liked. My first day at school, I didn’t go until I was eleven, I turned up in a primark royal blue coat (very uncool at that time) over my school uniform  and national health milk bottle top glasses. Hmm, I wasn’t quite living in the world of fashion I hoped to one day. I managed to get a weekend job that enabled me to earn money and have more access to clothes. One summer holiday I was able to get a perm (very popular in Swindon at the time) and contact lenses, this made me feel a lot better about myself.

So I guess the point to my story is that you can learn to make the very best of yourself regardless of your situation. You don’t need a lot of money, the perfect figure. You just need to believe in yourself and be the best you can. Life looks brighter this way. 

Eye Makeup Remover

I find that &Other Stories eye makeup remover is fantastic at removing waterproof eye makeup :o) and at £5 a bottle it's a bargain.

Can Anyone Draw 3

I found drawing a whole body quite hard, I felt I didn’t know where to put the lines on the paper. When I put them where I thought they should go, it didn’t look right. So I asked an expert where to put those lines, drawing looked so easy when they did it. But everything is easy if you know how. Here’s my attempt at a woman’s fashion body, more practice needed but it was fun to give it a go. 

Moth Prevention

I'm a meditating vegetarian (when I'm not being a wine sipping lush) and you'll never find me killing a spider, I'll put it in a glass and pop it out the window. So when I see a moth sitting munching away on my jumpers, I'm faced with a moral dilemma. To kill the moth and save my clothes or not? 

I prefer not, so being a clothes nerd I go to extremes in moth prevention. I do all the normal remedies, cedar wood, sticky strips, mothballs, regular hoovers, packing away clothes I don't wear regularly. Because of the changeable weather and a rather huge gas bill, my jumpers are still out.  So I've started storing them individually in medium sized clear plastic bags, this means that if a moth gets to one, it won't infect all of them. 

New Zip in Cardigan

I had an old black cashmere twinset type cardigan, that was sort of useful and really soft but a bit too twee for me. I decided to stitch a heavy duty zip into it, over where the buttons were, to give it a more modern edge. Here’s a picture of the results, I was delighted and I’m wearing the cardigan loads now. 

I love sewing and find it really relaxing, so my machine is often on my desk next to my computer. But if you don’t like sewing, I recommend all my clients to find a really good tailor as so often it’s the little tweaks to clothes that make them fit really well to your body. Or a little tweak that makes something original and really special. 

Christian Dior Quote

"There is no such thing as an ugly woman - there are only the ones who do not know how to make themselves attractive." - Christian Dior

Arrgg, my hairdresser is moving to Luton

I’ve just had a call from Caroline, my hairdresser of 4 years. The woman I go to ever 5 weeks for a cut and who’s made my fear of hairdressers go away. She phoned me to tell me she’s moving back to Luton. On a personal level, it’s a great thing for her to do.

But bringing it back to me and my bob, I feel fear and worry about finding a new hair dresser. When I go to Caroline I can sit in the hair dressers chair relaxed knowing that I’ll always love what she does. I can take clients to Caroline because I can trust that she can interpret any cut I’m describing.

Oh no, now I’m going to have to find a new hair dresser, I’m going to have to sit in the hair dressing chair and feel fear until I know whether they can cut my bob well, or not. You see my sleek bob is really a mass of thick wavy frizz. So it’s not that easy to cut, if it’s not layered properly it can turn into huge triangle hair. It’s funny how reliant on your hair dresser you can become.

I hope I find a new hair dresser as good as Caroline. In the mean time I’ve booked my last appointment.

Who Says You Can’t Wear Black and Navy

This is an outfit I wore to Sutra at the Dome in Brighton, an amazing performance demonstrating what the body is capable of, performed by Shaolin Monks. 

It’s a head to toe combination of navy and black, black Jigsaw vest top, navy Whistles jeans, Lucy in Disguise Kimono top and a necklace I was bought for my 18th birthday. This is the first time I’ve ever worn this necklace it just perfectly finished off my outfit. Actually I was really pleased about this as when mum bought me this necklace 
for my 18th birthday I was so disappointed. I hope I don't sound ungrateful, but I was hoping for a significant piece of jewelry that I’d always wear. Well I didn’t get that but 18 years later I do get the perfect necklace to finish my outfit. 

It’s probably a dated view now not to wear black and navy, but one I still hear. I think they are beautiful colours together and a combination that I saw Audrey Hepburn wearing in “Sabrina”. The main thing really is there is no right and wrong in what you wear if it makes you feel good then wear it!

Wet To Dry Hair Straighteners

At the weekend I spent the afternoon sauntering around Selfridge’s. I was having wonderful fashion palpitations at the beauty in the Designer Galleries. It’s like a museum where I felt lucky to look at the beauty talented designers create. The prices are similar to that of my car or a couple of months rent so I just enjoy looking.

Downstairs in the more affordable street wear section, a hair straightening demonstration was taking place. I walked past a few times, getting more and more curious. Did they have a better hair straightening technique that I wasn’t aware of? 

They seemed to, wet to dry hair straighteners. This made me a bit nervous at first as with normal straighteners hair has to be bone dry. So I gave it a go. I was astounded at how easily my hair became slick and smooth and really excited about the possibility of skipping the hair drying stage - slinky hair and time saving... This is sounding good to me.

I really wanted to buy them but they were quite expensive for me so I decided to walk away, get a coffee and read the reviews online on my phone. They were very good reviews and I also bumped into a friend who said how nice my hair was looking. Feeling like I’d done enough research I went back to buy them.

I’ve had to get used to going from towel dried hair straight to the straighteners, which I’m getting down to a dab hand. I’m so happy with the results, my hair feels much healthier considering how much I straighten it. The benefits too, are I don’t have that very frizzy stage I used to get just after I blow dried it and before straightening. I have never been able to manage the kind of straight blow dries my hairdresser does. 

My fringe tends to need a wash more often than the rest of my hair.  This morning I found another benefit to these straighteners, which is fantastic news for my hairstyle. I can just wash my fringe and straighten it leaving the rest be, a quick and easy way to freshen up. I love my new wet and dry hair straighteners :o) Cx

Ordering New Colour Samples

Colour consultations have been busy recently :o) Today I managed to grab a moment to sort through and order knew colour samples.

Single Parent's Rates

I was doing some filming last week and met a lovely makeup artist who'd recently split from her husband, she had two young kids. She felt a bit confused about what suited her and felt she wasted money on clothes that weren't quite right. She was interested in booking a consultation, I said I'd do her my single parent rates. It totally got me thinking that I definitely want to do discounted rates for single parents, because this is one of reasons I became a personal stylist.

I'd been a stylist in my London life before and after my daughter was born. Then I moved down to Brighton when she was seven months. Six months later it was clear the marriage was over. Divorce is never a nice thing, so at times I felt like total rubbish but I thought I don't need to show this to everyone, so I made a big effort to wear a fabulous outfit each day and as always do my hair and put lipstick on. I started to feel good, my confidence returned, I started to meet new people, life started to get really good, and I met a fabulous man. I think this all happened because I took control of who I was and how I wanted to be. My way to do this was through clothes. 

I've decided to do special rates for single parents, because I want to help empower people when times are tough and money is tight. Please contact me for details of those rates and I'd be extraordinarily happy if you'd share or retweet this, thank you :o) 

Interview with Michelle, owner of Tramps in Brighton

Q. What makes someone stylish?
A. Not being afraid to take risks. How they mix and match, the freedom of choosing what they want to wear, not what they think they should wear.

Q. Do you think clothes are expression, armor, to flatter you or utilitarian?
A. They can be all that and more. It's important to feel at ease and great in what you wear.

Q. Do you have favourite go to looks/outfits?
A. Denim skinnies or flares. 60's pea coats or military style coats. Heels and a 60's/70's blouse.

Q. What's your trademark feature?
A. Boho hippy chick and rock chick thrown in for good measure.

Q. Do you have a style/decade you have an affinity with?
A. Late 60's, 70's and early 80's.

Q. Do you have regular clear outs?
A. Yes I have a big turnover of clothes, I'm a fashion junky.

Can anyone draw 2

Yesterday I had my first drawing lesson from Paul, we started with a face. Paul drew an egg shape and showed me where eyes, nose and mouth should go. I was very surprised and it felt strange drawing the eyes in the middle of the egg shape. We looked at Holbein's sketches and Paul showed me the importance of an individual's significant lines, like where your lips join and your eyelid line. I realised I just needed to focus on certain lines. Paul told me that if I draw the pupils bigger people will look kinder. I loved my first drawing lesson, I liken the small details that make great paintings to the small details that make fantastic outfits. In my first lesson I learnt that drawing's like life, it's all about where you draw the line. 

Can Anyone Draw?

There's always been an assumption that I can draw, but I really can't. Faced with a blank piece of drawing paper and a pencil, my mind freezes and I feel frustrated and blank. So I hardly ever draw. Whist at the Biba Exhibition, Georgie wanted to do a drawing and was very insistent that I draw too. 
"Come on mum, draw!"
"Yes, I'm going to, just seeing what everyone else has done" PAUSE
Captain sub text, "oh F***, blank, how do people know what to put on the paper? Help,"
Calm self reminder "You know how to put makeup on, put it on the paper"
A remembered a reminder from Paul "You don't have to draw every line"

A basic drawing ability would help me with styling as another form of visual communication, so I've decided to take my basic one dimensional drawing and expand it, I'm not sure how but I have an idea.... 

Yesterday we visited Charleston Farmhouse. It's been on my radar as a place I'd like to visit for a while. It completely exceeded what were already high expectations. I felt energised by the creativity of the Bloomsbury set. It seemed not only were they very talented they just did stuff. Constantly painting and creating. I loved Vanessa Bell's make do and mend attitude, creating lampshades from old blouses and a macramé radiator cover in the sitting room. The impression I got was they just had a totally fabulous creative time. 

The visit reminded me of how touched I'd felt when Paul painted this portrait of me as a birthday present, it was the first birthday we'd spent together. When I unwrapped it I had tears in my eyes because I felt so touched that Paul had wanted to paint a picture of me. 

I've been painted once before by a friend Martin. I met Martin & Keith about 12 years ago whilst working on Eastenders. They lived in North London like I did, so I used to often pop over for a cuppa tea and a chat. I didn't ever see the picture finished as Martin tragically died. I still think about Martin and what a shock it was that he went so quickly. I only knew Martin briefly but I'm sending a thought out to those who knew him well.

A very full tart

Yum! last night I cooked a very full tart from The Plenty cookbook by Ottolenghi. It was absolutely delicious and I had it for my lunch today too, double yum! Cx

The Resourceful Stylist

Recently we went to the school quiz night. I'm not generally very good at quizzes, but it's fun to do something different and at least I knew a few of answers. But clothes accident struck. Whist eating the fish and chips I spilt tartar sauce on my silk top. Arrg, my favourite, wear all the time silk top. I tried to use a stain removing wipe, but this bleached the silk... Double argg. My solution was to crop the front and wear it with my high waisted leather skirt. I'm loving this look so I'm really pleased tartar sauce jumped on my silk top.

I cannot believe it snowed yesterday. My skin is so dry, please excuse my newly found wrinkles, apparently they're cute. This is my manicure from an almost seven year old. I'm really enjoying it, it reminds me of graffiti. 

I asked Dodie a designer, maker and mother a four if she would sit for a photograph and answer some questions, I wanted to ask about her style.

Q. What makes a person stylish?
A. Daring to be different.

Q. Do you think of clothes as expression, armor, to flatter you or utilitarian?
A. Expression and armor.

Q. How do you put an outfit together?
A. I base it on the colour I feel like wearing.

Q. Do you have favourite go to looks?
A. They all are.

Q. Do you have lounge clothes to wear to chill out?
A. Yes, PJ’s and pilate clothes.

Q. What’s your trademark feature?
A. Combining colours.

Q. Do you have a look, style or decade you have an affinity with?
A. 60’s & 70’s.

Q. Do you have regular clear outs?
A. Yearly.

Thank you so much Dodie for doing this interview with me :o). If anyone reading this thinks of someone who'd make an interesting interview then please share this with them.

                                   Me convincing Hannah of a great styling idea. 

Hannah Warwick and I getting organised for a photoshoot.

 I laughed when I saw this picture, at my look of concentration.

My great friend Hannah Warwick and I are teaming up now to do photographic styling work. Here's the first picture....
''Beautifully elegant image from my new best friend, photographer Chris Bulezuik. Model Gemma Huh, hair by Alex Graham at Neon Studios and styling by the lovely Clary Fisher and Hannah Warwick. Special thanks to Hannah for putting it all together.'' - Kevin Freeman (creator of this amazing dress).

Second Hand Necklace

I was really pleased to find this necklace in a second hand shop this weekend, it gave my androgynous look dramatic twist. 

How I keep my cheap jewellery looking sharp...

When I buy cheap rings I often find they discolour quickly and can turn my fingers green. Oooo not good look. At the same time they can look really rather stunning and can be a cost effective way for me to bring a bit of zing to an outfit. 

My trick is to paint them in clear nail varnish, which I do as soon as I buy them. I did that with these rings photographed, it worked a treat until the paint started coming off the jewels. Even though they're cheap I love these rings too much to loose them, so I painted the stones with coloured nail varnish. It's totally stayed put and given them a new lease of life :o) :o) :o)

"The less I needed, the better I felt" - Charles Bukowski. A client, Liza, forwarded me this quote. I think it's so true on many levels. 

Liza was referring to our wardrobe consultation, where we created many more ways to wear the clothes she had, and we revamped a number of clothes that she wasn't wearing by making a few alterations to them. 

Often we have much more than we think we have, a new way of looking at things can create a lot.

Relationships

Paul once said to me, "I would never leave you." I said I wouldn't imagine that he ever would. A friend once said to me years ago that she knew her boyfriend would never leave her. I thought at the time, that's a bit arrogant, how can you be so certain of that? They had a relationship that I always admired, they were totally themselves, warts and all. They were also totally loving and supportive with each other, they talked and communicated.  I get it now..... It's not only my belief that Paul will always be there for me, it's my own belief that I will always be there for him too. 

Happy World Book Day

Today we sent Georgie off to school as Puss In Boots. I went up to her class room as I couldn't resist seeing what all the kids were wearing. I screamed with excitement (slightly embarrassing, but that's how excited I get about outfits) when I saw Miss Knowles dressed up as Cruella De Vil, she looked absolutely fantastic. 

One of my friends, Justine a drama teacher and mum of four gave me some great advise ages ago on creating quick and easy costumes. She said to focus on the key points of the character, for Puss in Boots it would be boots, whiskers, hat, belt and sword. So that was the foundation of the costume. I really enjoyed making Georgie's costume this year, we painted cat markings on her orange leggings and t-shirt, put a yellow feather in her hat, made a red neckerchief  and  a cat's tail to pop on the belt. She loved it :o))))) purrrrr.... 

You've still got time to buy a gift voucher for your someone special this Mother's Day. You know they're fabulous, make sure they know they're fabulous too. 

London College of Fashion

I was very excited to be asked by Diana Donaldson to run a workshop on colour and body shapes for her fashion media styling students at LCF. I’d prepared an interactive workshop which would hopefully inspire the students to think about colour in different ways, flattery, association, colour combinations etc. And to think about how to flatter different body shapes, for example if you have a very generous bust. You may want to use a minimizer bra to make them appear smaller or you may want to wear a really great balcony bra and make your cleavage a well supported feature.

The day of the workshop was the second time I’d met Diana. The first time I thought she was totally chic, then the second time again totally chic but in a completely different way. In fact I did a double take, I absolutely loved how she transformed herself by creating a completely different image. This is one of the reasons I LOVE clothes so much, you can present yourself any way you want to. And even if you're not feeling so great at times you can still present yourself to the world in a way that you look great. The strange thing is then you start to feel great too.

I really enjoyed the workshop, it was great meeting and talking to the students, they inspired me. I learnt things too, and one of them was how much I enjoy running workshops :o)

The Murder Mile Book Launch

Thursday was the very exciting launch of Paul's graphic Novel "The Murder Mile" at Dave's Comics on Sydney Street. It's published by Self made Hero who also published "I should of been an Anthropologist" which was the first graphic novel I ever read, it's very funny and she wears very cool clothes.

Before the launch we popped into Jigsaw to do some last minute styling and picked up a sophisticated  pair of jeans. Paul's style is quite understated and everything he buys tends to look like he already owns it. Recently we went to mad hatters to get him a hat and when we walked out, I said it looked like he'd always worn it. Paul knows exactly what he feels comfortable wearing, so whatever styling ideas I have for him we only go for the ones he likes. That's how I work with my clients too, giving them styling ideas and knowledge of what works for them then they go for what they like and feel great in.

Paul had had a fantastic review in the Observer. I felt so proud of him as he'd worked so hard on the book, painting every single picture in it. The Book Launch was a total success and a load of my friends came too so it was a great fun night on every level. One of the highlights of the night was the Mayor of Brighton coming, Georgie had been so excited about meeting him that she'd woken up that morning talking about it. She got a badge and I did too. 

I read Murder Mile in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to turn the pages really quickly so I could carry on with the story, at the same time I wanted to keep on the pages so I could look at the beautiful pictures. They wear really chic 1950's clothes too.

I love this quote and totally agree, "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson

Last weekend we went to the vintage fair at the Dome in Brighton. I'm drawn to such events on the hunt for treasures to satisfy my magpie-like tendencies. Its these little gems you find that can transform a simple outfit, giving it a dose of glam.  
I bought a monochrome graphic pattern necklace, as my nod to this season's S/S monochrome trend. I also bought some art deco earrings, because I totally love them, and I found a beautiful broach that will someday be the perfect piece to pin together a jacket or cardy.

Bright Eyes

Yesterday was a totally fabulous day :o)

I worked with a fantastic inspirational woman. We work together regularly S/S, A/W and when needed inbetween. She has a busy life and she loves luxury fashion and shopping. She doesn’t however have time to be a wardrobe nerd like me. We look at her calenders, work and social then plan her wardrobe and buys accordingly. The result is she looks utterly fabulous every moment in every area of her life and she doesn’t give it a second thought.

We finished our busy day with a large glass of red (don’t see the point on small). Later that evening I caught a cab home and had another large glass with Paul. I think it’s important to take a quality moment with your loved one, no matter how busy you are. So this morning I woke up tired, i’d had a late night and red wine. But I did remember Eileen had shared a top tip she’d been given from a Trish McEvoy makeup artist. It was to dot eyeliner on the inside of your eyelid. Oh my goodness, it did make my eyes ping! My spirit followed and my energy levels did too...

The Power of Accessories;
My simple Cos dress is so totally versatile, it's an easy wear day dress with flat boots. Then I can change to a wedge heeled boot and add a tonal belt to give it some Va Va Voom.

Today I had my first ever Pedicure! I look after my feet fairly well, painted toenails and a quick file in the shower most mornings. But today I decided to give my winter feet some love and booked a pedicure.

It was fantastic. So enjoyable and I learnt that you should file your feet when they are dry as it tears the skin when they're wet. And a very clever tip to keep toes separated when painting them is to use a twisted tissue. Thanks Claire for your top tips, my feet are very Happy :o)

Tonight Paul told me, with a demure cheeky smile, "You must remember Clary, woman are like flowers. Sometimes they blossom and sometimes they're thorny." I feel he gets me :o).

Fluffy Sole

I put wool fluffy insoles in my court shoes (and boots) in the cold weather, it's so comfy and keeps my feet toasty warm too. This is how to keep your feet glam, comfy and snuggly in the winter ;o). 

"It ain't what you wear, it's the way that you wear it..." - Jean Muir

My good friend Hannah Warrick is the definition of a sexy minx. She has a wonderful luxe womanly style. I decided to recreate a Hannah look on myself to see what it felt like to be a minx for the day. I can tell you it felt great!