SUMMER DRESSING AFTERNOON TEA

Saturday May 8th from 2-6pm

Join me at RONEN CHEN for a girly afternoon of tea, cupcakes and champagne while also learning about how to style yourself for the summer season.

I love the clothes here, as Ronen Chen is a master of dressing a women’s body and I also know many of you have issues with how to dress when the temperature is rising, so I’ll be running mini style sessions throughout the afternoon.

If that doesn’t tempt you, look at what else is included in this FREE event:

Personal trainers from Club Twenty Two gym and spa will discuss diet and fitness tricks to shrink those wobbly bits

Massage therapists who will be giving out free head neck, hand and forearm massages http://www.clubtwentytwo.info/

Hair stylists from Greenhouse salon will be talking about keeping your hair looking silky smooth and frizz free in the summer heat

Beauticians from the salon will also be at the event to give free manicures

To top it all, luxury goody bags will be provided at the end of the day

There is limited placement so please be sure to book your place with RONEN CHEN(not me) as soon as possible. DO IT NOW if you don’t want to miss anything!

Ronen Chen, 23 New Quebec Street, Portman Village, London W1H 7SD

Contact amelia@anneodowd.com or anne@anneodowd.com

or ring: Ronen Chen direct on 0207 723 1973 (ask for Amelia or Anne)

Nearest tube station is Marble Arch – exit 1 and it’s a couple of minutes walk

To book cheaper rail fares into London go to www.raileasy.co.uk

The brand made famous by America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama, is coming to the UK from mid-May. Find the well cut, but very affordable, separates on www.net-a-porter.com

…. to Elizabeth Arden, the beauty company which opened its legendary Red Door for the very first time in 1910. As part of its birthday celebrations, Arden has created a limited-edition Anniversary Lipstick in Red Door Red. A universally flattering sheer red hue, it is described as the perfect accessory for every occasion. Moreover, Arden will donate all of the proceeds from sales of the lipstick to the Look Good…Feel Better charitable organisation, which helps improve the self-image, appearance and quality of life of people undergoing cancer treatment. The worldwide organisation, for which I donate my time and expertise at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridgeshire, has groups in 20 countries, and has helped more than one million women deal with the effects cancer can have on their appearance. The lipstick formula contains vitamins A, C and E, plus aloe to instantly hydrate lips and cushion them for total comfort. 

Arden has also created an Anniversary Scented Candle, featuring a Floral Essence of Red Door. A limited edition, it is said to offer a new interpretation of the classic Arden scent, reworked by IFF perfumer Clement Gavarry. The candle is presented in a porcelain canister adorned with whimsical renderings of stylish women from the past century, posed within the landmark Elizabeth Arden building on Fifth Avenue, New York City. Find it at John Lewis for £25.

For well over 5 years I have been burning incense sticks in my home. It might be that I was, once upon a time, trying to disguise the smell of cigarette smoke or perhaps they reminded me of my yoga class or maybe they took me back to my student days, but whatever the reason I love them and buy them regularly. So it’s great to see that the humble incense stick ( joss sticks) are making a comeback as the de rigeur scented accessory because of the pureness of their scent.

Try www.glowgetter.co.uk  With prices from as little as £3 per box, what better way to treat yourself to some indulgence, some quiet time or some sweet dreams.

What a great relief and joy to read positive articles on  two ‘older’ female film stars in the Sunday press. Charlotte Rampling (64) and Lauren Hutton (66) still look amazingly beautiful and are both starring in mainstream cinema – StreetDance 3D (from May 21st) and The Joneses (out now). Still active, curious, sexual and liberated, these women are inspirational icons and prove, once and for all, that 50 is definitely not old or ‘past it’.

I’ve just returned from a fabulous birthday weekend in Norwich. Not a place I know very well but one I’ve definitely fallen in love with. Great for shopping, eating and culture and just a great vibe, whatever your age.  The people are SO friendly. I felt a genuine rapport with every single person that served me whether in a shop, restaurant, cinema or travel agent – so different to where I reside where eye contact, let alone a meaningful conversation at point of sale, is very much lacking.

I found many great shops (check out Jarrolds department store which has been family owned since 1823) but DKA took my breath away. Located on Timber Hill, this is a treasure trove of a place for women who like unusual, but comfortable, clothing that won’t date or break the bank and generally needs no ironing either. I had difficulty in saying ‘no’ and ended up with about 11/12 fantastic pieces for under £300 total cost plus generous hubby bought me a more expensive Lauren Vidal dress at £145. Each piece is mix and match and I went out to dinner that evening to a swanky restaurant, feeling a million dollars, in an outfit that cost substantially less than the meal!

DKA is owned by the delightful Dikea and both she and her mum, Anastasia, know their stock inside out so are more than willing to do all the running around for you once they get a handle on your style preferences.  I even had a conversation with the actor, Martin Shaw (Judge Deed/The Professionals/George Gently) who was buying a lovely dress for his partner. We were both wearing similar, and very unusual, glasses so I commented on what good taste he had before realising who I was speaking to! Both he and his lady were absolutely lovely and made the whole experience even more memorable.

Unfortunately, DKA does not have a website but if you do manage a trip to Norwich, you must go there. You definitely won’t regret it.

19 Timberhill, Norwich 01603 621724

….. because I always wanted to wear purple when I got old. I don’t just mean an occasional lilac garment, I mean ONLY purple.  When I was a young girl, I thought ‘old’ referred to 40 but on my 52nd birthday (today) I realise that even though I’m definitely dressing more creatively, I still have a few years to go before I sport a completely eccentric dress code, which in actual fact would probably be multi coloured and not monotone, though I still very much adore the colour purple.

What cheered me was the discovery of a blog concerned with a very different style approach. Based possibly on the framework of the Sartorialist, who rose to fame and fortune due to his postings of photographs of amazingly stylish people going about their everyday lives, this site dispels the myth that you need to give up your style credence  as you get older. Photographs of both men and women abound but they share one thing. They are all over 60, with many nearer 90 years old. How gratifying to think I’ve still got another 40 stylish years to look forward to. Not for me, then, the sweat pants and sloppy jumpers. Take a look. It will cheer you. What is more surprising is the site is written by a man in his 20′s and his site, advancedstyle.blogspot.com already has attracted more than 800,000 hits! Ari Seth Cohen, I salute you.

I’ve been away from home co-training Fashion Feng Shui in London so have only just caught up with my daily dose of the Telegraph. I have to say that I  really enjoyed looking at the photographs of the female candidates representing each of the 3 major political parties in Tuesday’s edition. For once, every single one of them looked amazingly stylish but I could also sense passion, intelligence, approachability,  trustworthiness and the fact they looked ‘in-tune’ with the world and the people of this country. These are extremely powerful attributes and many female MP’s in the past just haven’t cut the mustard when it comes to putting this across via their clothing. Many have looked dowdy, frumpy, dated – almost like they’ve just got out of bed and slung on whatever has been nearest to hand. It might seem facile but  recent scientific research by University of Lausanne has backed up theories that we instinctively judge a politician’s attributes, within 10 seconds or less, by their face and their overall appearance. These aspiring women might hotly refute any label that categorises in the same way that Blair’s Babes was used all those years ago, and quite rightly so. In my eyes, they have already shown that they have both substance and style, whatever their age, shape or political persuasion.

SUMMER DRESSING AFTERNOON

TEA

Saturday May 8^th from 2-6pm

Join us at RONEN CHEN for a girly afternoon of tea, cupcakes and champagne while also learning about how to style yourself for the summer season with advice and mini workshop sessions from yours truly throughout the afternoon. 

There will also be personal trainers from the Club Twenty Two gym and spa to discuss diet and fitness tricks to shrink those wobbly bits! As well as massage therapists who will be giving out free head neck, hand and forearm massages.  http://www.clubtwentytwo.info/

 Hair stylists from Greenhouse salon will be attending to talk about keeping your hair looking silky smooth and frizz free in the summer heat. Beauticians from the salon will also be at the event to give free manicures!

 There is limited placement so please be sure to book your place with us as soon as possible!!

 Luxury goody bags will be provided at the end of the day!

 Ronen Chen, 23 New Quebec Street, Portman Village, London W1H 7SDContact Tel. 020. 7723. 1973. Or info@ronenchen.com

That was the challenge I set myself for my very first ever styling photo shoot for ESP, a glossy magazine that is huge in the Peterborough and surrounding areas.  If all goes well, and I think it did, I will be styling ordinary people and providing helpful hints and tips on how to wear a fashion trend, whatever your shape or size.

This was a first for me. I’ve done fashion shows before now but never real life people in front of a camera. I had to find the models, source the clothes, oversee hair and makeup and work with the photographers and the magazine’s editor. Really exciting.

It was fantastic and I just hope that I can now continue with this kind of work as it’s been an aspiration of mine for a long time now.  The ‘models’ loved their new looks and I proved that you can go nude and look amazing, whatever your age or your skin tone.

To find out more, you’ll need to watch out for May’s edition of ESP out on April 28th or go online to their website. www.espmag.co.uk