The joys of shopping at Holister

Today's blog is actually about Tilly, my daughter.

Tilly has absolutely no interest in shopping or clothes which I blame myself for, as I don't think she appreciated being dragged around the shops as a toddler! If she could live in velour tracksuits she would, much to my disappointment.

So last Sunday I took upon myself to go visit Holister, because if my daughter insists on wearing "trackie bums" and "hoodies" she is going to be wearing smart ones!! Well, was I in for a shock. Do you remember as a teenager having to queue to get into nightclubs, well it was just like that except I was queuing with hundreds of teenagers to get into a shop!!! Half an hour it took me to get inside the dimly lit rooms of Holister and a further fifteen minutes to pay for the goods once I had chosen them. I am not sure what all the fuss is about other than the fact that they have some great colours, reminds me really of the Gap trend many years ago and the Jack Wills trend more recently.

Anyway to cut a long and very boring story short, while I was in there I bought her next year's Easter present and next Christmas' present, as I do not intend to repeat the experience in a hurry!

www.stylematters.org.uk

High Vs Low

As the day of the Park Hill School Christmas Party looms, the talk at the school gates seems to focus entirely on what we are wearing. Some of the ladies are wearing short, short dresses and others are opting for full length party frocks. Whatever the dress, the general consensus is that you can either wear a short, short hem and high neck or a long dress with plunging neckline but not both! At the end of the day it is whichever asset you wish to flaunt.

The other day I decided to try on my small collection of long dresses, two to be exact, and realised no assets at all were on display. Just two very wobbly arms, obvious lumps and bumps where they shouldn't be and a drooping cleavage! So, and this is where you will be proud of me, I decided to save money and buy some black lace to sew in to one of the dresses and thus hide the drooping cleavage. Off I trundled to Kingston and John Lewis, only to get side-tracked by TK Maxx!!! They had a huge selection of evening dresses and amongst them all I found "the one". More flattering than the clinging dresses I had in my wardrobe but not as racy, this little "all-in-one" ticks all my boxes except for the colour, black, but we can''t have everything!!

Winter Warmers!

Now the weather has turned really cold I dread walking anywhere that involves exposing myself to the elements. Every winter I suffer not only with cold feet and hands, but with awful earache. It is the earache that I loathe the most, and so each winter I buy myself a new selection of trendy hats and scarves to keep my ears and head warm, often to no avail.

Why? Because I consider how good I look in them when buying, rather than how practical they are! So this year I decided I wasn't going to make the same mistake again. I bought this great woollen hat and scarf from Sweat Betty's and I love them! I even thought I looked reasonable in them until Tilly told me I looked "cool like Lloyd Daniels"! Is Lloyd Daniels cool? I have to question that statement!

Practice what I preach!

I have recently undertaken several wardrobe edits and this has prompted me to have another look at my own. As soon as the weather turns cold I usually move my summer wardrobe out and go through my winter clothes, but this year I must have omitted my jumpers and having preached about the shelf life of clothes to others need to take heed!

There are certain makes of cashmere that are destined to last a life time and there are others which are meant to last only a season! I don't need to name names but the brands that sell cheap cashmere are not intended to last forever. They tend to loose shape and/or bobble and this really isn't a good look. So when you next put on a wool or cashmere jumper, look at the state of it. If there are any small holes, bobbles galore or it looks shapeless then recycle it! Estimate your value per wear and I think you will find that you have had your wear out of it especially if it is one of the cheaper brands.

www.stylematters.org.uk

I have several M&S Autograph cashmere jumpers from last year which still look ok but a cardigan that I wore to death needs to rest in peace now! The only problem is I can't find another one in the same style or colour and this peeves me! So I have learnt a lesson from all this. Next time I find a cheap cashmere top that looks great on me and ticks all my boxes, I will buy two of them, that is unless I can persuade my husband to let me shop in Brora!

Optical illusions!

For the past three days I have done three styling consultations and wardrobe edits, in and around London and Surrey. On these working days, I have made an effort and thought about what I was going to wear, which is unusual for me as I like to wake up and decide what I fancy wearing!

This faithful grey dress ticks all the boxes and I am certainly getting my value per wear out of it. Why you ask yourself? Well, styling is all about understanding your body proportions and body shape, and dressing accordingly. For someone like myself who is contoured on both the top and lower half, and who has shorter legs than body, this dress is perfect.

Firstly, the fabric follows my natural lines and skims over my contours without emphasising any unsightly bulges. Secondly it gives the illusion that my legs continue all the way up to the waist band, which I can promise you they do not!! Remember high-waisted skirts and dresses are great at deceiving the general public on leg length!

I can also change the colour of the camisole worn underneath to a purple or pink, depending on my mood and what look I want to give. Hels thank you very much for forcing me to go into that shop!!

www.stylematters.org.uk

Jumper Dresses!

Weird isn't it how things always come back into fashion? I remember the jumper dress craze first time around, in the eighties, and I loved them! I used to wear them with flat boots and thought I looked so grown up. I was an eighteen year old trying to emulate a sophisticated woman. I did say trying, no-one said I actually looked like one!

Today, I am a 42 year old woman desperately trying not to look my age, but at the same time trying not to look like mutton! Jumper dresses to me are not about sophistication and style, but about comfort and warmth. They are easy to wear and a quick throw on. And I think therein lies the problem.

This morning when I put my new one on I wasn't convinced, so I tried it with a belt (too embarrassed to post photo), and then without a belt, before finally opting for the without look. What a "b@**$%" I looked (as my mother would say) I looked more like a granny than gorgeous anything, which was not the look I was aiming for!

Jumper dresses might have been the epitome of chic when I was younger but now they really should only be worn to stay snug and warm in the comfort of my own home!

www.stylematters.org.uk

Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

While I have been on house arrest, following my tonsillectomy, I have had a lot of me-time. I have had time to do all those things that I have been meaning to and never got around to, like tidying out my office and having false eyelashes applied! As some of you will know I have long admired the semi-permanent eyelashes and promised myself I would treat myself when I had time, and yesterday the time had finally arrived.

A very nice and extremely competent beautician came to my house to apply the false lashes, which I cannot tell you how excited I was about having. The biggest problem was that she asked me what I wanted, and I didn't know having never even worn stick on eyelashes before. There are apparently several different looks, which I wasn't aware of! I didn't do my research as well as I should have done, because in typical 'Rachel-style' enthusiasm, had rushed into this with minimal thought.

Anyway to cut a long story short I went for the glamourous look, which I don't think is me, I think I resemble Priscilla Queen of the Desert more than Bridget Bardot. Feel free to judge for yourself....

www.stylematters.org.uk

Next time she comes round, and there will be a next time, I will opt for a more natural look and will research the look I want before hand!

Bare legs and boots!

One of my favourite looks of the moment is the bare legs and boots combo, but am I the only person that thinks this look is slightly impractical for British shores? There is the small necessity of having tanned legs which, unless we are lucky enough to have naturally or have only just returned from sunny climates or are still using our 'St Tropez', we might not have. But more importantly for myself, who tries to work comfort around style, there is the obvious need to be warm!

The only other option I considered was wearing a pair of tan coloured tights, which would have to be removed prior to my husband seeing me in the bedroom, as they are certainly passion killers as far as I am concerned! I know stockings could be an option as long as the skirt/dress isn't too short.

After much deliberating and mirror assessment, I ditched the bare legs/boots and the tanned tights/legs combo and went for the black opaques and boots look instead, which I think still looks good, hides a multitude of sins and may be more age appropriate for a 41 year old!! PS Please forgive the background for the photo definitely not the most glamourous!

www.stylematters.org.uk

The importance of hair!

Well I am back after my little break and feeling once again inspired!

Over the years I have had numerous different hairstyles and anyone who knows me personally will vouch for that. I have had short hair with a fringe, short hair without a fringe, a bob with a fringe, a bob without a fringe and I have had shoulder length hair both permed and straight. I have also experimented with colours too, my favourite being a blackcurrant colour! These different looks have not only changed my physical appearance but have also had an impact on my wardrobe and without me knowing, the contents of such have changed accordingly.

Yesterday I went shopping in Oxford Street and as I was trying on various outfits I realised that certain things looked great on me now, which didn't when I had a bob, such as dangling earrings and ultra feminine dresses. On the other hand things which I previously thought looked good on me, such as a leather skirt, looked absolutely hideous. I know I had the right style skirt but somehow I looked like a real biker and not the fashionable biker everyone is trying to emulate!

I know the overall look I want and I know my style personality but obviously my hair plays a very important part in that overall look. Now I am not suggesting that every time we visit the hairdressers that we change our wardrobe, my husband would have a hissy fit, but I do think we should make sure our hairstyle, as well as our clothes, reflect who we are!

www.stylematters.org.uk

Last week I had to have professional photographs taken, so that my website picture could be updated. Feedback from some of you out there is that I look better with shorter hair, so thank you!

Anyway if you have ever had professional photographs taken you will know what a dilemma this creates when choosing what to wear. I settled on two outfits, this being my favourite of the two, purely because I think it is more in keeping with my personality. The importance of staying true to yourself and your personality is incredibly important. It is hard to feel comfortable if you are not 100% sure of what you are wearing and this can affect your confidence too.

Whilst it is important to dress appropriately for the occasion and environment in which we find ourselves please remember that your personal style says a lot about you! So when you get dressed tomorrow let your clothes reflect you mood!!

Coats - to invest or not? That is the question!

I don't know about you but I am fairly fickle when it comes to clothes, and tend to prefer to buy myself a few cheap and cheerful coats each year, as I soon tire of my wardrobe. The only time I did splash out and buy an investment coat, I didn't feel as if I had my money's worth out of it!

I think the problem with coats is, because I know which colours and styles suit me best, I have tremendous difficulty finding the right coat and so do not want to spend huge sums of money. Here are two examples, the coat on the left is the perfect fit for my body shape, but is unfortunately too dark for my skin tone and thus drains me. The coat on the right is perfect with regard to colours but is shapeless and makes me look slightly larger than I am!!

You can see my predicament and why I don't spend money on coats. Believe me I will happily splash out when someone out there finds me a fitted grey animal print coat, so start looking!!

Actual age vs apparent age

I have decided to blog on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, this means you will know when to check out my new outfits and I will know which day to make a special effort!! Only joking, of course I try and look my best most days, with the odd exception.

Now I am not known for boasting, but this week has been a particularly good week in terms of compliments. On both occasions, I considered myself dressed down ie jeans, jumper and converse trainers and related to actual age vs apparent age! I think we can deduce from this that how we dress and what we wear plays a huge part in age determination. The moral of this story is do not dress like a middle aged woman or you will look exactly that!

Here is a photo of the outfit I wore to work last week. I love this dress which I bought at the start of the summer from Karen Millen. I have had my wear out of it during the holidays, and continue to get my 'value per wear' because it can be worn with opaque tights with a top underneath on the mild autumnal days. So before you start spending on winter clothes see what you can still get away with before the weather turns cold!

"The Peanut Head Coat"

Guess what?! I found the offending coat yesterday whilst out for lunch with Donna. We happened to pop into Zara and there it was in all it's glory. I still thought it was gorgeous - Donna however wasn't enamoured with it! I had to get her to take a picture of me in it, so that you could see what I was talking about when I said the scale was too big for me, resulting in a peanut head? Mind you looking at it again I can see that it wasn't just the scale that was wrong but the shape too! The coat does nothing to flatter my curves because it is not fitted, instead it makes me look huge.

There are lots of fake fur, sheepskin and shaggy wool coats and cardigans out there. If you, like me, are planning on buying one, then think about the scale and the shape that best suits you!

Primark

Now I have to admit until two weeks ago I had never shopped at Primark! It just isn't my thing - if I need wardrobe staples then M&S works for me. However, I went with a friend to pick up matching dresses for our daughters, as they were singing together and wanted to look the part, and found this little number! I have attached two photos as I obviously think I look better with my chunky arms covered but I wanted you to see the dress. I think this is a bargain, £17.00. It is bang on trend and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Wear it with flat pumps, opaque tights and cardigan for the day and with killer heels/shoeboots, bare legs and on-trend jacket for the evening. I don't need to mention necklaces here as this goes without saying!

Blue day!

When I was younger I used to think black was chic, super flattering, cool, slimming..... you name it. I dressed almost head to toe in black with the odd splashes of lime green (yes and my friends can confirm this!). It wasn't until I trained as an image consultant and had a colour analysis performed that I realised it didn't suit me.

I think I had started to suspect that it was ageing and it looked really hard against my fair complexion. In fact, dare I say it, I thought I looked a bit rough in black!

So instead of wearing black, I was sold the concept of navy as an alternative, by those in the know. At first, I wasn't convinced for I used to think navy was for "yummy mummies"and "smart elderly ladies", and I don't fit into either of those categories! Now however, I love it! It compliments my natural skin tones and colouring, it is just as flattering and you can always find it in the shops! Finding navy shoes I have to add isn't as easy! This is yesterday's outfit and the block colour and high waist make my legs look long once more!!

Definitely a miss today!

Well today was definitely a miss! In my eagerness to get my wear out of my new Betty Jackson boots, I forgot the golden rule about body proportions. So instead of trying to elongate my already dumpy legs, I have cut them off at the ankles and at the top!

I love this t-shirt as it is just "rock chick" enough for a 40-something-year-old-mother-of-two, without making me look like mutton and wanted to wear it with the boots. I stupidly thought this whole ensemble would look great, but it doesn't!

Next time I will not use contrasting colours unless the boots are high and the trouser waist band even higher!!

My new tie-dyed black denims

I thought today was definitely a hit but now I am not so sure. My nine year old daughter who hasn't the slightest interest in clothes, fashion, accessories and anything remotely related to style, told me my jeans were very trendy and she liked what I was wearing! You can see my predicament.

I have to say I love my new tie-dyed black skinny jeans that I bought from Zara! In my eyes they are comfy and cool - perfect for a natural/dramatic style personality like myself! I think they work because the elasticated denim stretches over my curves, rather than restricts them, which would have resulted in some very unsightly lumps, bumps and rolls!

Anyway here is my snapshot so you can judge for yourself!!

Peanut Head

Last weekend I happened to stumble across a Zara in Marrakech, which was the best part of the weekend for me. I am always interested to see if different countries hold different stock and so spent my time browsing around the store.

Now as an Image Consultant I know the importance of understanding the theory behind what clothes suit me, but even knowing this, I still felt compelled to try on a shaggy fake fur cardigan coat. The only word I could use to describe the sight I saw in the mirror was "peanut head"! Absolutely ridiculous, I only wish I had have got my husband to take photo to show you all! The moral of this story is never underestimate the importance of scale.

As a result of this revelation I have decided to open myself up to ridicule, by posting some photos of me in some fashion hits and misses, that I have come across this season!