I was listening to an interview this morning on BBC Breakfast with the iconic Vidal Sassoon, who still looks absolutely brilliant at 80 plus which just goes to show there is no excuse for anyone to stop taking pride in their appearance. But that isn’t what struck me. He was asked if he was checking out the female presenter’s hairstyle. His reply – ” No, I was checking out her ankles”. Both presenters thought he was referring to a masculine desire to mentally overview the female form but he was not. He explained - to create a hairstyle that flatters the wearer you need to be aware of the rest of the body, its proportions and bone structure. He likened it to creating a new building in the middle of an existing older city. The building needs to fit in with the rest of the architecture but it also neds to be visually unique and striking.

Yippee!!!! I’ve rarely found any hairdresser or top class stylist that asks you to stand so they can appraise your overall look. Not only should they be doing this, but they should also be asking pertinent questions about your lifestyle so that the hair style they provide will not only look fantastic but it will appropriate for your work, fit in timewise with your routines and be as easy or difficult as you can cope with.  If only there were more stylists like Vidal, our hair salons would be less scary places to visit. After all, your life really is in their hands.

The Sassoon team has the following credo:

We believe that perfect beauty is different for every woman and that achieving it need not be a daily struggle.

That’s why we never mass produce but always tailor the look: Considering the individual’s unique features and needs when conceiving their cut and colour.

We never concoct styles that just wash out, but cut a shape that stays in the hair, making it quick and simple to recreate every day.

Realising perfect beauty – individual and practical – is our goal.

This is Sassoon. This is Hair Design.

http://www.sassoon.com/about/index.php

Sounds good to me.

or does no-one really care anymore how they dress for important events? No, let me re-phrase, as this unprecendented rant from me only applies to the women amongst us, not the men.

I attended a wedding at the weekend. It was tails but no top hat, so quite formal. ALL the men, including the small boys (under 10 years old) were in suits and ties looking really handsome. The women? A few were badly dressed, and I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt by saying it was probably due only to the fact they had little idea of  what suited them, but the majority had made no effort at all. Well, unless you call wearing faded jeans and a once white T-shirt, trying!  I spotted fit-flops teamed with a faded, long cotton skirt with a ripped hemline, too tight maxi dresses worn with ridiculously placed fascinators, dated suits with the 90′s shoulder pads, really bad hairstyles and the most prevalent of all, the ultimately dated accessory – a cigarette dangling from every pair of lips. I actually felt quite disheartened for the wedding couple before we even entered the beautiful Norman church. The bride and groom both looked fabulous but the female side of the congregation let them both down.

If we can’t be bothered to make an effort for what should be the most exciting and happy day of someone’s life, when will we? What are we saving ourselves for, or is it just all too much effort? I know we’re in a recession but it didn’t stop women looking glamorous in the war did it? Come on ladies, pull yourselves together.

A comment in an article in The Telegraph got me thinking about scent. Perfume to be exact. There are now so many zillions of fragrances launched every week that’s it’s actually difficult to know where to start. Gone are the days when you recognised  immediately the in-vogue aromas of Poison, Opium, CK One, Rive Gauche or Chanel No 5 and who was wearing what. I like the idea of a signature fragrance but even with the choices on offer, you still seem to come across someone else who loves your favourite and wears it often.

Since I gave up smoking a few years ago, the fragrance industry has held less appeal for me. I think I used to use it to mask the smoke battling under the illusion no-one would know I had a filthy habit – in reality I probably gassed everyone within a large radius of my presence ! My husband, also a reformed smoker, rarely touches aftershave now for the same reason. So I decided to do a little research of my own to see if the perfume industry is still as vital and active as I once thought.

Yesterday I attended the Beer Festival at my local pub. I checked everyone I met, which I admit was quite a number throughout the proceedings, to see if they were wearing perfume. The result: only one older man who wore a slightly overpowering cologne. Wonder who’s buying it then?

I must admit I do have a favourite but I sometimes forget to apply it. It’s Sa Majeste La Rose by Serge Lutens. Heavenly, if you love the smell of fresh roses. But please don’t go and buy it. Find your own!

I was channel hopping the other evening when I spied a very old episode of Miss Marple on the Alibi channel. The main character was played by the fabulous Joan Hickson, probably the best Miss Marple and the actress best favoured for the part by its author Agatha Christie. What struck me was her outfit. Tan crocodile handbag to die for, camel coat, opaque ribbed tights and a cashmere  knit. These are the type of garments making their appearance in the new ‘grown up’ trend of dressing on the catwalks. Just goes to show that it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it that counts!

…….  or does it? Many of us get so hung up on size labels when, in reality, it’s such a waste of time and effort. Sizing has not been regulated since the 1950′s and our bodies have changed in shape and size dramatically since the days of Doris Day et al so use them as a guide and leave it at that.

A case in point  -  I bought a fantastic trench dress from the new All Saints flagship store on Regent Street a few weeks ago. I had tried it on in a fabulous chocolate brown thick silky material (almost like a raincoat fabric)  in my normal size 8 and had panicked about getting it off again. I seriously thought I might need scissors to cut me out of it as it was so tight round my shoulders and chest. The same thing happened with the size 10. I’m making this sound quite ordinary but it was a scary ( and very sweaty) moment I can tell you. I knew I had expanded around my middle but had I put on that much weight? Despite my confidence issues I still coveted the dress but the 12 was out of stock, so I settled for one in linen instead. For some reason the size 10, in a pale blue fabric, fitted me fine and looked great, albeit in a different way.

Weeks later, I was still thinking about the chocolate brown dress - always a sign that it should be in your wardrobe.  Having already checked it wasn’t available online, I was highly delighted when I saw it at half price in the Leeds branch this weekend. Not surprisingly, the rack was full of 6′s and 8′s (you’d need to be a twiglet to get into them) and one size 14. Yes, you’ve guessed correctly. That was the one I bought.  Bizarre but true. So forget size. It really doesn’t matter. What does make the difference is great fit and your happiness at finding something you love – which also loves you back.

By the way, if you are very small the online shop has reduced the 6′s and 8′s by a further 50% so a real bargain is to be had. www.allsaints.com   £145 dress is now £37.50

As Autumn approaches, most of us will be thinking about what to do with our legs. If you’re a trouser girl then read my blog of 2 days ago, otherwise read on.

The sheer tight is making a big comeback. Yes, snags and all. The opaque will still be around but sheer is here. How do we know? Kate Moss, the instigator of all trend related clothing, has been sporting them even in the sweltering heat. It seems it’s not only my generation that think bare legs may not be our best look.

So 25 denier or less, along with fishnets (also making a comeback), are now deemed edgy. They will probably look great with the new midi skirt, also coming our way for Autumn. Perhaps the designers are thinking about us older women after all.

If you really want to feel special treat yourself to Cashmere and Silk tights for just £108 – hope they don’t ladder!

http://www.wolfordshop.co.uk/Cashmere-Silk-Tights/cp500004959/si500460021/cl2/vt01/

I was ecstatic yesterday. I read that Sarah Vine, The Times’  Beauty Editor,  had called in image professionals (a designer, personal shopping advisor and stylist) to help her choose her clothing. You’d have thought that someone in her position would have had all the help and advice she needed from her co-horts in the Fashion department at The Times But no.  Like many of us, she is not stick thin, under 20 years of age and 6 feet tall and shopping for great clothes is a challenge.

It all fell apart when she was invited to The Opening of Parliament. Disaster struck as she accompanied her daughter to school en route to the big event. A velcro fastening caught against her chiffon trousers and that, basically, was that. If you’ve ever had to dress in something you hadn’t planned on wearing for an occasion it wasn’t meant for then you’ll get the agonising position in which she found herself.  When you know you’re not looking your best, it is SO hard to enjoy the moment. And many times, these really special occasions do not come around again. What a shame. What a pity. So to make sure it never happened again, Sarah called in the professionals.

Many people poo poo what we do, but Sarah was hooked. If you read yesterday’s Times’ Fashion supplement, you’ll see what I mean.

Thank you Sarah for your endorsement and to the professionals that did such a great job.

Trousers can be such a problem. Short legs, long legs, curvacious hips, muscular thighs, saddle bags, skinny legs, small waist, no waist, long body, short body and heel height all to be considered. Get one wrong, and you’re doomed. So it’s with relief I hear that Gap is launching its latest Autum collection on July 27th and dedicating it to the humble trouser. Eight new styles to suit everyone of us, whatever our shape. Choose from Straight, Boot Cut, Kick Flare, Relaxed Crop, Curvy, Slim Cropped, Skinny and Boyfriend.  The quality of design, cut and fabric is far superior to its humble price tag of around a non bank breakable £30-50. Tel: 0800 427 789 for more details.

The great news is that there are so many different styles around, most of us will already have at least one of them lurking in the wardrobe waiting to be re-invented as a style must have!!

Forget the gym, holding your stomach in or taking to your poolside chair never to sit up again!  Mama Mio’s brand new serious tummy toning cream has been a huge hit since it launched in Debenhams. Two pumps rubbed into your stomach once a day can make you loose inches from your waist, or the very least tighten your wobbly bits. Products in this fun new skincare range all have quirky names and Mama Mio has chosen their ‘Get Waisted’ serum to help raise funds for my charity of choice – Look Good Feel Better (aimed at helping cancer patients worldwide to look fabulous). They are hoping to raise £10,ooo by donating £1 for every bottle sold through their own website or in Debenham’s stores throughout the UK. Its even been given the seal of approval from Weight Watchers magazine. What are you waiting for? You get the bikini body and you’re doing your bit for charity too.

 Get Waisted Body Shaper £35

 http://www.mamamio.com/uk/get-waisted-body-shaper.html

Having just run my second The Art of Style programme, I am so aware of the absolute importance of  dressing your values and honouring your needs when choosing what to wear.

I’ve been really fortunate to have Sarah Stuart staying with me. She is a fabulous new and exciting fashion design graduate and image consultant from New Zealand who is going places – believe me. We had to go shopping. It’s a necessary event for someone who has travelled from elsewhere and a fantastic opportunity for both of us to have another professional alongside to critique potential purchases.

We wne to to Stamford, a fabulous olde English town with independent (though less now due to the economic climate) boutiques and very few national chains. We me in mind, we both swooped on a fabulous Alexander McQueen dress. Sarah agreed that it fitted my body perfectly, it flattered my colouring, it was funky, it was quirky, it was fashionable, it was comfortable  and within my budget (well, I would have squared it somehow) but I still didn’t buy it.  Why not? It creased when I sat down. Not a huge problem as the dress would have still looked good, but I didn’t feel good. Looking ‘creased’ makes me feel like I’ve forgotten to iron my clothing, that I’m not professional, that I’m not as good as I could be and that I’m slipshod in my standards of care. Wearing  this dress would have adversely affected my performance when meeting people and that really isn’t good. 

It was sad to walk away but if I had bought it, I know for sure that it would have stayed in the wardrobe with the labels still on because I was not confident in its performance. My clothing needs to honour my values and my principles and this dress could not deliver. What a shame. It was beautifully tailored but without the substance required to be perfect.