Installment One of the Style Personality Tour.

Installment One of the Style Personality Tour.

Lots of my customers have never heard about style personality before and yet it governs a major part in the decisions that we make in relation to hairstyles, clothing styles, footwear and even the cars we drive, the homes we live in, or the holidays we enjoy. I have therefore set myself the task of covering all six style personalities in my blog over the next six months. That way you can start to piece together the two or three categories that you align yourself too.

So what is “style personality”? In an nut shell, it’s your first buying decision so it’s the subconscious pull that you get when you first walk in to a shop. Naturally, the colour and styling of your clothes play an important part in your appearance, but it is your personality above all else that acts as a catalyst to pull your whole look together. Your personality dictates your style, which is your own interpretation of fashion, ignore it and buy clothes simply because they feature in all the glossy magazines or look great on a friend and you will not look comfortable, nor will your wardrobe be very user friendly, instead it will be a muddle of styles which will only add to your confusion.

So lets kick off our tour of the six style personalities with our creatives, our trend setters rather than a trend follower. Shopping to these men and women is an art form. If you fall in to this category you will be great at combining different items of clothing and accessories to give yourself a unique and interesting look. You rarely throw anything out because you know you will use it again at some point, even if it has to be remodelled. You prefer public transport to any other methods of getting from A – B. Your wardrobe is full of items from many different sources be it vintage, hand me downs, one off boutiques, E-bay purchases or charity shops, with the occasional high-street gem thrown in for good measure. You may feel challenged in a very formal business environment but with careful modification your creative urges can still be fulfilled with one-off pieces of jewellery, a statement tie or an eclectic jacket. You will often make interesting purchases whilst away in unique holiday destinations far off the beaten track.

My one area of advise to all those creatives out there is to be careful that your passion for being an individual does not result in you being inappropriately dressed for certain occasions.

Celebrity examples would include, Sir Elton John, Paloma Faith, David Bowie or Nicki Minaj.

To Scarf or not to Scarf

To Scarf or not to Scarf

Scarfs are a fantastically versatile accessory that can be tweaked to flatter most people. Having said that not all clients will accept scarf wearing as part of their daily ritual as this has more to do with style personality than the actual scarf itself.

The colour of said scarf is clearly important as this is the colour that will draw all attention up to our face. Because of this you have to be sure that its not drawing unwanted attention to that spare chin or dark shadows that already might be lurking as it will only work to enhance these if its the wrong colour! I always opt for one of my “wow” colours for scarfs, I have around 20 in my collection and team them up with most outfits, especially when I’m making a bit of an effort (admittedly not very often these days but I’m hoping this will improve as the kids get older).  If you don’t know what your “wow” colours are but would like to find out more then why not research “colour analysis” on my website at https://www.styledincolour.co.uk 

The second thing to consider when choosing a scarf is the bulk factor. Generally speaking, the longer the neck, the bulkier you can go. However, there is a word of warning here, if you have an extremely long giraffe neck like mine, coupled with big boobs then tone down on the bulk just a smidge, otherwise you’ll be using the scarf as a makeshift table top because of those bresticles! With a long neck you also have the luxury of being able to double up on scarfs which is what I often do when using our raw silk range as the colour blends that you can achieve are simply stunning.

The third thing to consider is how to tie said scarf and where to house the knot/tie. For those of you with shorter neck proportions you can create the ultimate optical illusion of a longer neck, simply  by fastening your knot lower down your breast bone.

Finally, you need to consider patterns and prints. The classic in me will often opt for block colours in scarfs whilst rarely venturing in to the world of patterns. That said, patterns are hugely popular. The size of the print is crucial. If, like me you are carrying around a rather large skeleton, then avoid delicate petite patterns or prints. Conversely if you are petite then go small with the patterns you choose. Interestingly, your body shape can factor in to the choice of patterns too. If you’re lucky enough to have lots of curves then think spots, swirls or animal print designs. If however you are more straight and angular then head for geometric patterns or stripes instead.

There’s such an array of colourful scarfs out there at very affordable prices so what are you waiting for?

School Gate Chic

School Gate Chic

With warmer weather and the promise of dryer days we can have a re-jig of our Capsule Wardrobes and remove all evidence of those dark and cold days by re-housing Winter boots, bulky sweaters and thermal jackets in to the loft to make space for all our Spring/Summer essentials. The school playground is a place where many of us find ourselves both morning and afternoon and why not add a bit of Va Va Voom to your look with the introduction of a colourful jacket, a rainy day mac in your best shade or even a statement umbrella (living near the Pennines there is always the threat of rain no matter what the month)!

There’s no time like the present to add a splash of colour to your outfit to lift your spirits and get your endorphins firing. By wearing colour it can have a direct effect on your confidence and mood and it can make you look younger, fitter and healthier when choosing colours that naturally harmonise with your natural colouring.

Whether it be a colourful new handbag, light-weight  summer scarf, bright and colourful ballet pump or simple statement accessory you have many options for starting your day at the school gates with flare. I guarantee that this will put a spring in your step and a smile on your face no matter how many arguments you’ve had to referee over brekkie!

Capsule Make Up

Capsule Make Up

Here at Styled In Colour, I’m so lucky to have access to the inspired Colour Me Beautiful (CMB) make-up system which allows for us to use only the products we suit in one handy compact. The magnetic colour box allows you to only buy what you need and this saves so much money over time where you simply replace the items you’ve used up and don’t have any products to waste. Gone are the days of only using one or two colours from your compact and throwing out the rest because they don’t suit you. The launch of our brand new magnetic compact sees the introduction of lids for each and every product so that you can travel safe in the knowledge that they will not be damaged. This also allows for the launch of our fabulous new cream blusher that also doubles up as a lip gloss making way for eyes, cheeks and lips to be catered for in one handy capsule compact!

​Because our make-up range is prescribed specifically for you and your colourings, this ensures that the colours you use will be extremely flattering, making you automatically look younger, fitter and healthier. CMB products are all mineral based and are both cruelty free and paraben free so can be used on the most delicate of complexions.

To find out more about the CMB make-up range, then why not pop along to my make-up masterclass launch here at Styled In Colour on the 1st October between 3pm and 6pm where I will be demonstrating the power of these products on 3 lovely volunteers during the course of the afternoon, whilst launching my brand new make-up masterclasses which will start later that month.

Please drop me a line to styledincolour@gmail.com to let me know that you and your friends are coming and I can be sure to stock up on plenty of fizz!

What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath

For anyone who knows me well, then public humiliation and ridicule is not top of my list for favourite pastimes. However, having made a decision to shape up and loose weight, I’ve had multiple people tell me I don’t need to! Great that I’m obviously doing my job properly by disguising all my wobbly bits but not great for my discerning customers who can’t visibly see my day to day “challenges” that I have with my body shape.

​I therefore decided to be very honest with you all and share the less than flattering photo above to demonstrate the real me without my how to dress rules to rely on! This coupled with my statistics should help you to see that no matter how fabulous the girl next door looks, there will ALWAYS be a challenge that she’ll have to overcome, it’s just that some are more visible than others.

​So here goes (deep intake of breath)……………

Stats:

Height: 6ft 4″
​Weight: 14 stone 9lbs (heavier than Mr Clark since the arrival of Sam Wise 6 years ago, oh the shame)
​Foot size: 10
​Inside Leg: 36″
Dress size: 14 (bottoms/16-18 top depending on shop)
​Swimsuit size: 22 (cringe – need the extra stretch in the fabric to stretch over my ridiculously long body)

Challenges:

Height – obviously
Buying women’s shoes without a heel
Buying clothes – unless I shop in Holland
Underarm cleavage
A belly like jelly
​An inability to EVER go brown!
​A lack of hips to keep trousers where they should be.

​As you can see in the picture on the left, belts are not my best friends, so I avoid wearing them at all costs! Knowing what my challenges are and being totally honest with myself is the perfect place to start when dressing for success as you aren’t trying to fool anyone! I no longer covert styles and outfits that don’t flatter me because life is too short to stand in a changing room feeling depressed at what is looking back. Life is about accepting who we are and what we’ve got to celebrate.

​My personal target is 13 stone which is the weight I was when I started University (my belly was still like jelly then but just in a smaller capacity! That’s the thing about your body shape – it’s to do with the shape of your skeleton so my style rules at 13 stone will be the same as the ones I follow now, just with an overall smaller dress size)! I promise to share with you my good news when I reach my personal target and perhaps a photo or two!!!

Golden Goddess Or Silver Siren?

Golden Goddess Or Silver Siren?

Having worked on hundreds of faces from age 11 all the way through to my colourful god mum (AKA Auntie June) at a carefree 80, it astounds me that colour theory isn’t universally applied to make-up prescription. It is so important to choose the right tone and depth of make- up colours as in making the wrong choices (like myself in the picture on the right in the coral scarf) you can actually make yourself look older, less healthy and dare I say fatter (these pictures were taken within a week of each other)! I look dire in warm colours full stop, even when it comes to make-up, so it’s cool tones all the way for yours truly, even down to the navy mascara!
​If you’d like to know more about what colours suit you then don’t hesitate to contact me and I’d be happy to help!