Not one to wear many bright warm colours , as they really do horrendous things to my skintone, I’m never averse to using them in my accessories. You may not know this, so please read on as this is the science bit, that we can use opposite (complementary) colours on the colour wheel for dramatic effect. I’ll spell it out in simple layman’s terms as this is something that you can use when you get fed up with black and white ( and I hope you do because it’s boring!).

The science bit – there are 3 primary colours, red, yellow and blue. When you take any 2 and mix them together, you create a secondary colour , so for instance red and blue = purple, yellow and red = orange and yellow and blue = green .  Match one of the seconadry colours with the primary colour that hasn’t been used in the mix and you create excitement and drama. So, purple (red and blue) teamed with yellow, orange ( red and yellow) teamed with blue and green (blue and yellow) with red look amazing.

Why am I telling you this? Long story, short – I wanted an orange bag as I have lots of blue in my wardrobe. Orange does not suit me but as I’m a bit of a drama queen an orange bag would be great as it’s not worn close to my face. Seek and ye shall find and I did. The perfect bag stood on a high shelf in John Lewis yesterday. Two assistants helped me bring it down to earth safely, and commented on what a lovely shade of orange it was. Only it wasn’t. When I got it home it was a blue/red! Not even scarlet or orange/red.

The moral of this tale? Beware of shop lighting. It will warm up most colours on display so they appear very different in daylight. This applies to clothing, accessories and make up. So don’t throw any receipts away until you get your purchase home.

……. for some lucky people anyway. I was the compere at the Peterborough Environment City Trust Swish event on Tuesday.  Great fun and lots of money for charity raised too.  For more information, take a look http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/features/Case-studies-Get-swish-new.5313022.jp

Who are they kidding? According to Chris Sanderson, strategy and insight director of Future Laboratory,’This is not the case. In their minds they are still 25′. This was the quote in the  May 16th edition of the fashion bible Drapers. The cover showed 8 famous women, all beautiful, well dressed and glamorous and all over 50 years old. Editor, Lauretta Roberts, comments that ‘the market has been hopelessly neglected by large swathes of the fashion industry in recent years’. Hallelujah, someone is on our case after all.  She goes on to say ’42.5& of women are 45 plus and yet only 33% of sales from the high street chains come from that age group’. Wonder why?

It’s quite obvious – too much is too young or too old for us.  Apparently, we are ‘stylish seniors’ – not sure I like that term but if it helps get us some great clothing choices I can live with it.

Independent retailers are the places to visit, easier said than done in the age of cloning i.e. every city offers the same choice in shopping. They have switched their focus to an older clientele so that 55% of their sales are going to the over 45′s. They have realised we are the group with money and are worthy of attention. Let’s hope the rest catch on before too long.

My feeling is that the cloning era will soon be over. Everything runs in cycles so here’s to some independence – soon. I certainly do not want to look like everyone else, and I’m sure you don’t either.  Drop me a line and let me have your thoughts.

http://www.drapersonline.com/ for further information

I have just come back from the most delightful christening. Devon is the son of my good friends Paula and Dean, a very stylish couple who live near Brighton.Their son is the most gorgeous, happy little boy with a sunny personality with eyes that literally light up whenever he sees you.

I have been having sleepless nights again. Menopause, jet lag and hubby’s snoring have all had an effect, so when I knew I had to look good for the christening I was a little concerned that my face would reflect my tiredness.

An actress, sorry can’t remember which one, famously said that “After 40 it’s either your face or your figure”.  I know what she means. If you get too thin, your face can look gaunt and you can easily add 10 years. So for all of you size zero wannabees, think on.  To help you make life easier, I will share my own theory which is much easier to implement.  The choice is not between your face and your figure but your face and your feet.

Whenever I have a ‘bad face’ day, which tends to be quite frequently these days, I detract attention away from my face and direct it towards my feet instead. A sexy pair of shoes, a bright colour or an unusual design always works wonders. I’ve even had commuters approach me on a crowded underground platform to wax lyrical about my footwear.  Today was no exception – see photo. These beauties saved the day. Even the male guests were impressed and that says a great deal about the power of your footwear. If you like them, you’ll need to go the States to buy but if you just want to lust after a pair, go to www.stevemadden.com. I do hope he opens some stores here soon.

Peterborough is all set to go green with the Peterborough Environment City Trust holding events all over the city throughout the next few days. I’m lucky enough to be the compere for the huge Swishing Event on Tuesday and I’ll be interviewed at 1pm on local radio station Lite FM along with Nicole Saunders from ESP magazine who has organised an eco fashion show in Queensgate with creative designs from our local fashion students.  Hubby and I decided to go into the city centre today to see what was happening and perhaps pick up some tips – I’m desperate for him to start growing vegetables in our back garden and thought this might give him the necessary push. The jury’s out, so watch this space.

Our magnificent cathedral was open to the public ( 2 of Henry VIII’s wives are buried there) and I was amazed at just how beautiful it is. I’ve been there many times and even sung there on occasion but the architectural details somehow passed me by. Often the case in your home town.  It’s good to take time out to be a tourist and see the familiar from a different perspective because we then realise how much we take for granted.

The sun was out and it was a beautiful day so we sat outside having a coffee and watching the world go by, something I love to do. I’m all for being natural but is it just me that’s affronted by the naked male torso, complete with tattoos, being paraded in front of me at every turn? This is a city not a beach and I know I sound like some old prude but I do think the naked body is best left as something of a mystery. I know we are in an economic recession but surely everyone can afford some clothing as a cover up? As I often say to my personal style clients ” less is more”. Have a great bank holiday weekend.

Attended a brilliant TFIC ( The Federation of Image Consultants) session  yesterday called Woman Power. The speaker, Pauline Crawford Of Corporate Heart www.corporate-heart.co.uk, gave us a fascinating insight into how we think and communicate in terms of our gender. Just because we are female does not mean we are totally alike in our communication otherwise we’d all be happy little sisters in the workplace, and we know that’s not true. The exercises highlighted that I’m a mix of masculine and feminine (logical and heartfelt), while some of us veered much more to the extremes of one or the other. Her session backed up the work I do with Insights profiling, which I use in corporates to help develop successful communication between individuals and teams. Until you’ve done something like this, you can’t fully understand how easy it is to do it badly and why we just don’t get on with some people as a result. Research suggests that the main reason (85%) we don’t like our work is because we don’t get on with the people and I’ve never met anyone yet who could disagree with this.

So can our choice of clothes help? Yes, it can. The impact of what we wear can be perceived as aggressive, passive, flirtatious, authoritative, powerful, meek, fun, creative, sexy and so on and we need to know what is the most appropriate for the occasion. Our power is high when we truly try to communicate with our friends, colleagues, lovers, clients and family so we can forge lasting relationships and build great rapport. Your image is a primary piece of  your communication toolbox, helping you to create and nurture the power you have as a woman. Get it wrong, and you may find the results are not what you wished for.

Many adjectives were used yesterday to describe a woman fully in her power zone. One of the key words was empathy. So if you are unsure about what to wear for a specific occasion, try and put yourself in your ‘audience’s’ shoes.  What are they expecting from you. Once you know the answer to that question, you can dress accordingly and claim your power. ‘Here come the girls’ wasn’t a huge hit for nothing!

I’ve just returned from the most fantastic conference in the USA.  Over 250 image consultants all in one place is quite something. All different, but all gorgeous in our own way. So much knowledge and experience and the willingness to share. It wasn’t all work though. I laughed till I cried every single day which isn’t always possible back here, especially as I work alone most of the time.  But today, I have come back to my office feeling like I have so many friends all over the world and it’s a great feeling.

It got me to thinking how much nicer we look, whatever we are wearing, when we smile and it shines through our eyes. They say children laugh about 20-30 times per day. How things change when we get to become adults and it’s so sad that we laugh so infrequently.

So make a commitment to yourself.  Do something that makes you smile on a daily basis. Hook up with positive people who make you laugh. Find a hobby that you really enjoy. Tune in to TV programmes that make you chuckle – Keeping Up Appearances always has me in fits of laughter – and you might even find that you remain more healthy and fit.  Research says laughter is a cure for many degenerative illnesses, so it makes sense to keep happy.

Well, I’ll certainly need to. I’m off to the AICI conference where image professionals from all over the globe meet, learn, network and generally have a great, if exhausting time.  Seminars start SOOOO early over there! I’m to collect my CIP award, so very exciting, especially as there are only 2 of us Brits who’ve managed to pass – and I was the first – sorry Sarah!

It’s always a challenge to pack everything you need, and the variety of clothes you require for this type of event is immense, into your limited luggage allowance but I think I’ve managed it quite well this year. Never one for neatness, I’ve tried various ways of packing a suitcase but none really seemed to work well. My clothes arrived looking like I’d just carelessly thrown them in rather than the reality of spending hours wrapping them individually in tissue paper or rolling them into tight balls. The best way I’ve found is to pack as much as you can into the lid of the case, then secure by zipping up the inner mesh cover to prevent movement. Use the bottom half of your case for the heavier items like shoes and toiletries. Choosing a theme of 2 or 3 colours that mix and match also helps cut down on the amount you take. Still, even now,  it’s always a heart stopping moment at check in when I look at the scales. I’ve never been charged excess yet – but there is always a first time!

My very first convention of ladies babershop choruses took place over the weekend and it was an amazing experience. Fabulous voices, over the top costumes and the full works where make up was concerned. It felt so strange to go against every single piece of style advice I have ever been taught – but it works. Under the stage lights you look ghostly unless you have a permatan, bright lipstick, glittery eyeshadow and false eyelashes.  You just have to make sure you’re not spotted in the street by anyone you know. Great fun though and something I thoroughly enjoyed. In secret, I could actually get used to the pantomime dame look. Well, I always was a drama queen!

After years of turning myself over and over on a sunbed like a sausage on a spit, I decided a few years ago that the risks of looking bronzed and lovely in this fashion were just too dangerous. Not much of a summer clothes fan, I’ve managed to clothe my self in linen trousers and even jeans, if I’m feeling cold (quite normal for our summers).  But hitting 50 somehow changed my attitude and I found myself wanting to look a little more feminine. This meant I had to stop hiding behind trousers and give my legs an airing. Not sure why, but while my body and face tan quite easily with a little exposure to the sun, my legs stay white and reminiscent of uncooked chicken.  I have tried professional spray tans and many ‘do it yourself’ fake tans but my legs have always ended up uneven with orange heels and even brown toe nails on one horrendous occasion.  I can almost live with that but the smell is what really gets to me.  It almost makes me gag and I absolutely hate it.  Not one to give up, I’ve recently come across the latest offering from Piz Buin. A self tan lotion with a colour dial enabling you to adjust the depth you require according to your original skin tone.  It doesn’t streak (a first for me), dries quickly and looks really natural. It’s also incredibly moisturising and has a wonderful smell which does not ‘change’ as the cream dries unlike  most of the other products I’ve tested.  The colour does not stain my clothes and at around £17, I think this is the best product of its kind I have ever come across.  You can also buy their self tan in a mist format and as separate products for fair, medium and dark skintones. Give it a try.