It may have been hyped to death but I loved it. Carrie and her friends are back, with their gorgeous dresses and exciting lifestyles. How I wish Peterborough was a little more like New York and that I had a Mr Big who would buy me ‘that’ closet!! (To be fair, hubby does try and he has bought me more than one wardrobe, and some pretty amazing clothes to go in them). It seems like we have always taken for granted that you don’t have to have a man to be happy, but SATC played a huge part in making it absolutely OK to be on your own, and underlining that nothing is impossible if you have your girlfriends. If you loved the TV series, you need to see the movie. An entire 148 minutes of pure indulgence.  

Well not quite - but I could have kissed the adorable Patrick Swan after our fabulous teleclass last night. He was fantastic. But then what would you expect from someone who has worked with Madonna, Jerry Hall and Julia Roberts and has been seen on TV on more than one occasion. The comments from the listeners were testament to his energy, knowledge and common sense philosophies. He is a trained hairstylist too so his comments on what to do as we descend into grey, were invaluable.  For more info visit www.patrickswan.com or buy the recording via this site.  

No, it’s called chilling out. The bank holiday weekend has just passed along with the inevitable rain lashing down over most of the country. Thank goodness the rays of sunshine in Lancashire allowed the 2nd Test Match between England and New Zealand to go ahead without a hitch. Perhaps an unusual passion for someone like me but I love it, especially when England win as we did this weekend. My feeling has always been if you love a sport how wonderful to have it continue for 5 days, with the inevitable twists and turns that make it as compelling viewing as a great film or a detective novel (another of my passions). Most sports fans have to make do with 90 minutes or at most a few hours. What was really good (with some guilt at first) was literally just settling down onto the sofa for 4 days. I only left the house twice - both times to go to the pub for something to eat and drink ( another of my passions) with my hubby ( another of my passions). This is so not like the usual me, rushing around everywhere constantly frazzled. My sleep pattern changed for the better so I had the best part of 11 hours a night (another of my passions) - fabulous. Today I feel refreshed, energetic and raring to go. Hope you too took time out to recharge your batteries. I hope you too had a fabulous time doing what you love most. If not, make sure you schedule it in- soon. We all need some quality time doing things we love, even if it isn’t cricket!   

One of the most prolific teachers of style in my profession has been the wonderful Doris Pooser who gave the opening speech at a recent conference attended by image professionals from all over the world. Despite being nearer to 80 than 50 (her own words) she still looks drop dead gorgeous. Her words were like rays of sunshine - “you should always dress yourself and your clients in colours that suit the complexion, fabrics and shapes that suit the physicality, clothes that are both appropriate for the occasion and reflect the personality. But we must also dress in clothes that are fashionable - whatever our age”. Hallelujah! Just because we are geting older does not mean we shouldn’t be adapting the trends to suit us. We don’t want the proverbial ’mutton dressed as lamb’ but our clothes, hair and makeup should make us feel divine, giving us that spring in our step that is so attractive. Do you feel that way? I hope so. For further information visit www.alwaysinstyle.com 

My colleague Sarah and I had the most fabulous time going over to Tampa for the AICI conference. We travelled with United Airlines and I can honestly say that, from the moment we entered Terminal 3 to the minute we arrived in Tampa, the service was exceptional. What do I mean by that - well each person we met, whether at the ticketing desks or as part of the cabin crew, were friendly, helpful, smiling and a good laugh. They all looked like they loved their work and I will be writing to United to sing their praises. What a difference on the way home though. Grumpy, no eye contact, all too much trouble! If a company has a brand, the message it portrays needs to be consistent. It’s exactly the same for each one of us. As an individual, it’s no good looking impeccable one day and a bit rough the next. It’s Ok to be comfortable in your own home of course but in the workplace others need to understand what you represent and your clothing and grooming give key messages to help you to do that. Now we’re a little older, it may be that we need to find an image that really works for us rather than the suited and booted look we’ve perhaps been used to. It can be a difficult transition and I work with many ex Executives who can’t do ‘casual’ well. Whatever you choose, consistency is critical to success and it’s a pity United haven’t yet learned that. A lesson for them to take on board perhaps?      

Just because we’re 50 doesn’t mean we can’t spoil ourselves with a bit of glam now and again. Mine came in the form of a stunning pair of Prada shoes. It doesn’t make sense not to buy in the US when sterling is so strong, or that’s my excuse anyway. These shoes are a work of art. I almost felt guilty putting them on, especially as I never wear gold. The other Image Consultants loved them and I believe were just a teensy bit envious. They were certainly the talk of the conference, so much so, people were coming up to me just to look at ‘those fabulous shoes the English girl has on’. Don’t think hubby will be too pleased when he finds out the cost but at least they’ll never date!

There are so many wonderful people at this conference and I’m totally inspired by the different styles of dress, the fabulous personalities and how much passion there is for this wonderful profession of ours. Imagine how thrilled I was when Aileen Lane, an Irish lady now working in Singapore, asked if she could feature my book Heading South? on her website. Looks like wherever you live, sooner or later the effects of gravity take their toll. Hope the book helps.

If you ever thought you had a problem wondering what on earth you were going to wear for a big occasion, then try this one. I’m off to the Association Image Consultants International conference (AICI) tomorrow. Nearly a week of having to look good (spectacular actually) in the midst of 100’s of other image experts who also know all the rules, the ‘right’ colours and so on. No pressure then! 

My lovely unassuming husband inadvertently made my week yesterday. He was wandering through the kitchen where I was preparing to send some books to the AICI conference bookstore - more about that later - and he picked up my first book, The 80/20 Makeover, published 4 years ago. Much to my chagrin, the entire front cover is taken up by a head shot of me. “You know, you look much younger and prettier now than you did then” he said. These are the times you just keep quiet, don’t make a comment and thank your lucky stars you have a husband that really appreciates you. Oh, and I also smirked, a lot!   

Just like the song says, we all need to know that we have a bank of friendly faces when we need them. This week has been a bit of a toughie in many ways. Some of it work based, some due to an unexpected lack of confidence and others very probably hormonal in origin - do you have this too? This post is just to say a huge “thank you” to all the people in my life who rally round, even when they aren’t always aware anything is wrong. You can’t be perfect at everything and I seem to be lucky that I have ‘experts’ and wiser people around me to help me on my way. Again, I thank you. Never take your friends, advisors and loved ones for granted. You never know when you might need them, and them you (of course).