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!

Crowning Glory

Crowning Glory

My blog this month takes the managing director of Colour Me Beautiful itself, Mr Cliff Bashforth and places him and his hair under the microscope for some detailed analysis. For anyone who has not had the pleasure of meeting this colour guru, I thought it would be interesting to track Cliff’s dominants through the ages, from him beginning out as a young Colour Me Beautiful consultant, to the present day, as owner of the company.

​Many of my clients ask if a change in hair colour can affect the colours in their palette. The simple answer is, absolutely. If you experience a radical change in hair colour then this can alter your dominant palette quite dramatically and you should seek advice from your colour consultant if your palette no longer feels the right fit for you.
​In the first picture, we see Cliff as a newly qualified consultant, he has warm undertones throughout his hair and moustache meaning colours with a warmer characteristic of yellow, gold or orange work splendidly on the basis of a soft (or muted for the men out there) dominant in which tone on tone suited Cliff perfectly.

​Fast forward 22 years and here we see Cliff as he looks today. His soft dominant is no longer edgy enough for his “cool” hair and any hint of a warmer undertone has been lost. Cliff now suits a stronger palette with more definition and cool based colours with a hint of blue running through them. The tone on tone look still works beautifully but on the backdrop of a cool dominant that allows for more depth of colour. Warm based colours have the effect of making him look rather jaundice and are therefore avoided at all cost!
​If you’re unsure about what to do with your hair and how to maximize your own natural beauty with the help of colour, then why not consider a colour consultation here at Styled In Colour and I can help you to achieve your very own crowning glory!

Swimwear – Warts and All!

Swimwear – Warts and All!

Swimwear, as you can see from my less than impressed face above is my least favourite of all outfits! Being a rectangle, I carry the most amount of weight around my tummy which is very difficult to disguise whilst wearing lycra based fabrics! In addition to this, my grand scale means that my body is much longer than average so getting swimwear with enough length in the body is another challenge altogether.

​When thinking about placing your body in lycra, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions.

  • ​Where do I carry the most amount of weight?
  • Which areas of my body are my most challenging?
  • Which areas of my body are my best bits?

​Once you’ve taken the time to really contemplate all of the above whilst attempting to be as objective as possible, then you can start to devise a plan to hide or disguise the most challenging areas, whilst you work towards celebrating your best bits.

​Here are a few “fixes” for some common problems in the swimwear department.

Big Bust: Needs scaffolding. Think wide straps, under wiring and often separates to allow you to buy a bigger top than bottom. Darker colours from your palette and plainer designs on your top half can often have a minimising effect.

Small Bust: Think details, embellishments, bright colours and texture to add interest and bulk over smaller expanses. Patterns, ruffles, fringing and of course padding can all work to give the optical illusion of a bigger chest.

Big Tummy: Think tankini or swimsuits with side panels to elongate your silhouette.  Blouson tankini’s work well to disguise any spare tyres as does ruching. Darker colours from your palette can work to minimise larger expanses.

Big Bottom: Draw attention to your neat little waist. Think details on your top half with a plain and darker bottom section to minimise where possible. Diagonal stripes can emphasize the waist as well as side cut outs. Swim dresses with a skirt can disguise a lager bottom and a sarong can work beautifully with your curves. Aim to lengthen your leg with a wedge sandal for around the pool.

Full Thighs: Again, draw attention to your neat little waist from the advice above for the larger bum. Swim skirts can do wonders to disguise a larger thigh and sarongs are a great way of accessorising whilst disguising all at the same time. A wedge sandal for around the pool will give some length to your legs and will elongate your silhouette.

Broad Shoulders: Give the illusion of a narrower shoulder line by using halter necks or asymmetrical neck lines to break up the larger expanse across the shoulders.

Long Body/Low – Waisted/Long Rise: Find swimwear that does longer length options in the body. M&S is a great place to start. Separates, such as tankini’s can also work well, especially if the top has adjustable straps to allow for more length in the body.

As for those areas which you’re proud of, there’s a clear message………..

​Celebrate/Celebrate and then Celebrate some more!

​So if you’ve got a defined waist, then blooming well show it off in a bikini or swimsuit with cut outs. If you’ve got legs up to your arm pits then go for a high legged cut to emphasize this even more. If you’ve got a chest to die for, then draw attention to it using bright colours and patterns.

Swimwear is a state of mind, accept your body warts and all and then stand tall, stand proud and own your body shape for all it has to offer.

​Happy Swimming!

Capsule Summer Packing!

Capsule Summer Packing!

It’s that time of year again, schools have broken up and people are rushing around getting ready for their summer holidays.
​In years gone by, I’ve found the process of holiday packing a really stressful experience. However, having learnt from Colour Me Beautiful’s finest I don’t even shudder at the thought now, as it’s all done for you with the help of your colour and style rules. You’ll find that once you’ve created a wardrobe around your colour palette, in styles that suit you, your wardrobe will all start to co-ordinate itself!
​Above is an example of my 2 weeks holiday case both laid out for you to see and then packed and ready for the off. I hope you’ve noticed that I’ve even got room for those all important souvenirs!!!
​My capsule case consists of:
2x’s swimsuits
2x’s pj’s
underwear
3x’s trousers
2x’s shorts
1x’s short skirt
2x’s dresses
2x’s cardigans
2x’s jumpers (fine knit)
Ix’s jacket
4x’s vest tops in wow colours
​8x’s tops/t-shirts
3x’s scarves
accessories
​1x’s pumps
​1x’s evening shoe
​1x’s flats
1xs trainers to wear for journey.
Wherever you’re heading this summer, have fun!