Looking for a little Spring action?

Spring is officially here - crocuses create flashes of bright colours as they burst out of the earth, the clocks will soon spring forward and days are already longer and brighter.  Nature is giving us a wake up call.  But while some of us might have the energy of frolicking lambs, others screw up our eyes in the brighter light, loathe to leave our winter hibernation and feel tempted to crawl back.  As a personal style consultant I help people identify the colours that will bring attention to the face not the colour.  There is often a mix of soft and bright colours and while these colours will work all year round it can help to see what kind of colours nature is throwing at us to recognise which ones will work best today.

Technology and city living can confuse our senses - electric light prevents us from sleeping as much as we should in winter, concrete jungles stop us from noticing seasonal changes but it's vital that we don't miss out on the energy and fun that accompany Spring.  The colours in Spring are the freshest and brightest of any time of year - look at the buds on trees, the shoots of green out of the earth.  I'd encourage you to wear some bright colour today and start to feel the energy of Spring.  The amount of bright colours you wear will vary - too much can be over powering but too little will leave you looking, and feeling, less cheerful and dynamic.  So add your own shoot of green, flash of yellow or burst of coral and feel the vitality of Spring in your outfit today.

Style never fades - fashion keeps us young

I was honoured to be asked to present at the inaugural Good2Give charity event last month.  Lynne McNicoll will ensure that each of her charity events is a high quality event and  she set a benchmark with the first High Tea with Style.

The event was a great example of how women of all ages can enjoy each others' company and have fun.  The youngest guest was eleven, the oldest was a great-grandmother.  But we all wanted to learn about how to develop out individual style.

I took the example of a long top that I found at Mint Velvet in Frasers ( special thanks to Ian Elder, store manager, for the loan of all those fab clothes).  The top was in a sheath style that may have looked too shapeless had it not had a ruched feature on one side.  The top had a feature pattern down the right side which decreased the need for accessories and was sleeveless.  So how can a 15 year old, woman in her 40's and another in her 60's comfortably wear the same top without the MDL factor or indeed the Lamb Dressed as Mutton factor?

Elis, our youngest model, wore this top as a dress with thick tights and a long cardigan with button features up the sleeves.  We introduced slouched biker boots and a long necklace.  She has youth on her side and can layer on all these features without them taking the attention away from her.
I was the "model in the middle".  My arms are just toned enough to go sleeveless so I teamed the top up with some grey skinny jeans and heels.  A chain bracelet and stud earrings were enough accessories as the pattern was the focal point of my outfit.
Fiona was an inspiration, demonstrating that we should never condemn ourselves to shop in certain places once we're enjoying free public travel.  We teamed her top with grey bootcut trousers and a grey waterfall cardigan.  The pattern was there but not an overpowering feature so Fiona was able to go for longer feature earrings.
We all felt comfortable in our Mint Velvet tops.  Elis felt she would go out with friends, I was ready for an evening event and Fiona was ready to wow at special weekend lunch.

So as we look forward to Mothers Day let's not strive to look a different age but celebrate the age we are, enjoy the women in our lives of different ages and keep our options open when shopping!