Not sure why, But I clients have suddenly started to ask me about scarves and how to tie them. I have to be honest, I’m not an expert. I like scarves to keep me warm rather than for decoration but ever the helpful professional, I decided to find out more.

Thanks to one of my lovely colleagues, Susan Lawton (Key Light Image Consultancy), I can provide you with THE site for learning how to tie your scarf in zillions of ways - and your man’s too. I could have hours of fun practising. I never knew there was so much versatility in a piece of fabric.

 Take a look at http:/www.texeresilk.com

We always covet a working, capsule wardobe so this idea from Roland Mouret really fits the bill. He has created a TTD, which can be worn as a Top, a Tunic or a Dress. Versatility at its best as it means you can wear it all day but in a different guise, making it appropriate to seamlessly travel from day to evening. Prices start £350, so not bad for a designer piece which will last and last and have three times the CPW (Cost Per Wear) factor. Some designs have sleeves so a great investment for the winter.  You could, of course, do the same thing with any tunic as long as the fabric and shape works for you and it’s not so long that it becomes bulky round the waist. Latest versions available from Harrods and www.net-a-porter.com

I mentioned that I had been running around the West End last week, not only to do research for you my lovely readers, but to attend 3 meetings in various locations that saw me catch the 11.30 pm train back home. I needed to dress up, so no jeans and comfy boots, but the dress I chose (my favourite Vivienne W - a dress I love that truly loves me back) could not be worn with a flat shoe. I’ve already regaled you with the blue plaster story and lessons had been learned on that score, so I fell back on some standby’s - a high heeled pair of grey courts, at least 3 years old, purchased from Matalan at the bank busting price of £9.99. Do you know that I got stopped 3 times that day, once by a very chic lady in Harrods, to compliment me on my shoes! Forget the designer dress, the shoes got the prize. So never discount the discount stores. It may well have been the combination of expensive designer mixed with the cheaper purchase, who knows, but it worked. Matalan are also ahead of the Autumn/Winter trends with their introduction of  houndstooth checks. Check out (sorry) their new winter coats - fabulous.

Went to a fabulous restaurant in London last week and met some really lovely female entrepreneurs, one of whom makes the most exquisite jewellery. Simone Micallef is a true craftswoman, her designs are unique and really make a statement (and so does she - she’s gorgeous). Take a look for yourself: http://www.countrylivingfair.com/xmas/page.cfm/action=Exhib/ExhibID=00156 

or contact her directly on simonemicallef@btopenworld.com

I have always loved the unique and original and the older I get the more I resist looking like every other woman on the street. So my delight was palpable when I met the beautiful Denise Ensworth, who runs a bespoke tailoring service for WOMEN. Yes, one does actually exist. You can take in a photo or design a garment from scratch, whichever way you can be sure it will fit in all the right places and that is KEY to looking fabulous whatever age, shape or size you are. www.orhanlondontailoring.com for more details.

I managed to have a quick scout round the West End yesterday, all in the name of research you understand, just to see what was out there. My opinion? These are the shops to try:

COS - H&M’s big sister. Lovely neutrals, beautiful fabrics, simple and stylish.

Hoss Intropia: some fabulous designs, easy to wear but look fabulous

Ronan Chen; if you need a capsule wardrobe for under £500, this is the shop to go to. He really understands the parts of our bodies we want to camouflage and the fabrics and drape are just right. Prices start from an incredible £20.

Shaping up is Ghost, who have tempted two freelance designers to bring some Italian influence  to their designs and Whistles also seems to be looking after the slightly older age group again.  

The good news is that Liz Houghton, a chic 40 something from the now gone Principles chain, is planning a come back with a small chain of stores that will address all the others’ omissions. I guess that means us!

Happy shopping.

Well, I found some - flats I mean. In fact I found a couple of pairs both due to, or perhaps in spite of, the rudeness of a sales assistant in our local John Lewis. What is it about shoe sales people that makes them so tetchy?

The story goes…. I had spotted a pair in John Lewis that seemed to fit the bill exactly. Suede ballerina shoes by Hobbs at £99, so not cheap but they had a slight wedge heel giving me the height I craved along with the comfort of a softer fabric. Unfortunately, I didn’t find them until 5.30pm - closing time - so I was ushered out before I could try them on. I went back the next day, waiting in line for them to open their doors, an eager Cinderella ready to find the perfect shoe (I already have my Prince Charming!) Disappointingly, the Hobbs shoes “are only available, Madame, in sizes 3 and 7. Perhaps you should have come earlier in the year if you wanted them that much”. When asked if I could purchase online - we don’t have a Hobbs store in Peterborough -  the response, not surprisingly, “I doubt it”.

Luckily, a younger, much more friendly assistant noticed my utter frustration and came rushing over. After asking what I was looking for, and listening to my replies, she found me a pair that weren’t exactly what I’d had in mind but fitted the bill nicely and, at £30 cheaper, I was a happy customer again. 

Having paid, I decided to take a look in Top Shop and was delighted to find the only surviving pair of ballerina flats in black suede. Much nicer than the Hobbs pair and, amazingly, this last available pair was in my size and in the sale at only £25. How cool is that? So I went home with 2 pairs totalling less than my original choice. 

I know you would want to see what I bought so I’ve placed a picture of the black Dune wedges from John Lewis above left.  The other pair? It wouldn’t take a genius to guess that those were the ones I really wanted and, yes, I did try them on and they looked amazing, but I DID NOT buy.

If any of you are having a mid life crisis and think life, as we know it, is over, think again. Sixty somethings Susan Sarandon, Twiggy, Lulu, Meryl Streep, Dame Helen Mirren and Stephanie Beacham all share a youthful vitality which doesn’t seem to affect their age. But it doesn’t stop there. They are mere spring chickens.

Dame Shirley Bassey, 72,  has just been offered a new record deal worth £500,000. Sophia Loren (74) is still highly active as an actress and stars in the 2009 theatrical film Nine. In her younger days, at 72, she  posed for the infamous Pirelli calendar. Barbara Hulanicki,  the original creator of 60’s fashion brand BIBA, has made a comeback designing for - yes, you guessed it, the hip and happening Top Shop. She’s also 72, proving great design never fades away, and neither should we.

Topping it all though is the amazing Honor Blackman who, at 82, has just released a new single. If that wasn’t enough, have you seen her amazing figure?

 I’m going to use them all as my inspirational icons from now on. Who knows, on the premise that I look better now than when I was 30 perhaps I can apply the same principle to turning 70 ( or maybe even 80!)

I have NEVER owned a pair of flat shoes in my life, or not that I can remember. However, after recently having to sport blue elastoplasts (the only ones the hotel had available) due to terrible blisters caused by my outrageous and utterly gorgeous footwear (this was at an image related seminar so REALLY bad news), I’ve had to re-think. With really short legs, flat shoes have never really done it for me. I waddle instead of glide, lose my alignment (along with a good number of inches in height) and my proportions go out of the window.  For many hot years, I have been the only member of the public still sporting boots and socks under my jeans because I do have a susceptibility to painful blistering at the heel and on top of my feet. Because of this, skirts and dresses have been a no-go area. So it’s time to change. This may well be the biggest challenge, sartorially, I have ever faced - so watch this space. All stylish suggestions are very welcome.

Well, after much hunting in the olfactory sense of the word ( no pun intended), I’ve now found my new summer fragrance. As a massive fan of the lovely Vivienne, I can’t believe I have only chosen to wear her clothing and not her perfume before. My choice: Boudoir Sin Garden.