Style Tip - FAB Style Tribe...

Welcome to week 3 of my FAB series...this week I want to know - what is your Style Tribe? When we can buy what we want instantly, anytime, day or night though 24 hour online shopping, trends become irrelevant. Now its all about style...style is a work in progress, doing your own thing and being an individual.

Casual Glamour - This is my Style Tribe - relaxed glamour, effortlessly blending day and night the modern way...reliable everyday basics with a "showbiz" piece added for a touch of drama, a look-at-me-standout-piece. In today's fashionable world, shimmer and shine, animal print and embellishment can be worn everyday. Think diamante and denim, khaki and leopard print, sequins and stripes. Adding a little sparkle and bling to your everyday basics is the key to casual glamour with elegance.

Image courtesy of Unique Image on Polyvore

My tips for achieving Casual Glamour in your everyday style are:

• Pile on the accessories
• Add pops of colour to your basics
• Be confident, creative and care how you look

It's all about dressing for yourself in a modern way, always looking polished and investing in a quality wardrobe that is part of your style DNA. The grown-up woman is elegant with discerning taste, knows what suits her and ensures her clothes fit...Although we would like to believe that effortless style comes naturally, we all know it requires effort...Don't follow trends religiously, but  rather know fashion, play with your accessories and spend time on yourself. Grow older with dignity, style and a wardrobe full of effortlessly cool clothes, that are timeless, trend-defying and chic.

What I have learned about fashion:

• Every outfit needs a "showbiz" item
• Don't wait for an "occasion", wear your clothes anytime
• Wear what you like
• Avoid match-matchy
• Buy good quality lingerie
• Buy gorgeous shoes
• Ignore the rules

I'm a stylist, I like being creative and experimenting on myself. As Nick Wakeman - the London based Creative Director of Studio Nicholson once said "I spent my 20s not knowing anything, my 30s working it out, and I'm going to spend my 40s using what I know." She also said "When I turned 40, I stopped caring what people think of me. I will wear what I feel amazing in." Great advice and my style motto from now on!

Nick Wakeman

Fabulous NY stylist and fashion model Linda Rodin said "forget about the wrinkles and focus on the silhouette" So...be yourself, everyone else is already taken - Oscar Wilde

(Inspired by the book Stylish Forever by Alyson Walsh and images courtesy of Pinterest)

Style Tip - FAB Snippets of Style...

In this week's Style Tip FAB series I'm talking about elements of style...style for everyday life. 

Accepting who you are and being comfortable in your own skin comes with age and is part of grown-up territory. A decent hairstyle, well applied make-up and the right clothes for your style personality, can make every woman look gorgeous...

When choosing clothes ask yourself:

• How does it fit me?
• Are the proportions correct for my shape?
• How does the colour make me feel?

The artist Sue Kreitzman once said "don't wear beige, it might kill you", however you can wear beige with a strong colour like red or leopard print - the new black and a neutral in my opinion...

When wearing colour think about:

• Blocks of colour in similar shades
• Monochrome with a pop of colour in a primary shade
• Sticking to one colour from top to bottom
• Pastel shades don't really belong in a grown-up closet - too girlie...

Layering can easily look frumpy and sloppy instead of elegant if not done right...when you layer your outfit you need to coordinate and choose colours or prints that work together...get it right and look sassy and modern, get it wrong and look like a bag lady...

Choose accessories according to your personality and lifestyle. Anyone can wear a scarf, but not everyone can carry it off...

Wearing jewellery is all about expressing yourself...personal style constantly evolves and develops and jewellery is an easy and fun way to express your personality. Jewellery and accessories can bring your outfit to life. When is comes to fashion there is definitely a time when it becomes more about longevity than the latest "must-have" item...off course fashion is all about personal taste, personality and knowing what you do and don't like no matter what age you are.

Certain trends like trainers for example is best left on the sport field...On the other hand sunglasses are a grown up fashion staple and has become a modern-day necessity for various fashionable and age related reasons...

Iris Apfel, the 95-year old fashionista with a penchant for accessories and her maximalist bohemian style said:

"If you don't know who you are and you copy someone else's style, then that's sad. You must learn who you are and dress to suit your personality. I never care how old anyone is. I don't know why woman are afraid of it? It's hard work getting to know yourself - the biggest fashion faux pas is to look in the mirror and see someone else" - wise words from a very wise lady...

Try and stay current and interested in fashion and trends, just mature and progress along with it...pieces of clothing have different lives in our wardrobes, they tell a story...your story.

Now, lets try and change the world one sequin at a time as Lady Gaga once famously said...

(Inspired by the book Stylish Forever by Alyson Walsh and images courtesy of Pinterest)

Style Tip - Fabulous & Beyond (FAB)

I'm starting a new series on the blog called FAB - Fabulous & Beyond...A grown-up guide to looking FABulous every day! I've just entered my forth decade and realised I have no idea what 40 is "supposed" to feel like let alone dress like???

I work in fashion, I love fashion and I am surrounded by fashion everyday, all day...yet, I don't want to look like an airbrushed teenage model with a waistline the size of my forearm or have my face motionless and expressionless...plus I'm very much on the voluptuous side and that's why I have decided to chat to you each week about "grown-up" fashion.

There is a whole generation of woman who are independent, intelligent and happy just the way we are! We don't want to be patronised by unrealistic images of what we are supposed to look like. We want to look beautiful and natural as we progress along...

"Plus" size models are finally getting some recognition...not nearly as much as they deserve and it still makes me laugh as to what the fashion industry perceives as "plus" size - your average size 12-14 woman...Research shows that the key consumers within the fashion industry are woman between ages 40-50! Woman who are affluent, financially independent, sophisticated and woman who are not threatened by advertising campaigns and photoshopped magazine editorials...

Woman of our age and beyond live longer, stay fit and healthy, look after ourselves and take care of our appearances. Woman with a lifelong interest in fashion don't just switch off the minute they reach a certain age...We are the same woman that read fashion magazines, stay current with the latest fashion trends and we are a tremendously powerful demographic.

Clothes can be really empowering, fashion can be really empowering and in the words of George Burns - "Young. Old. Just words." There is something really attractive about a woman who is confident about her age and style.

We need to stop dismissing woman as past-their-sell-by-date...mature is the new young!

I am 40 and I am happy with that...I strongly believe you don't have to be young to have style - it comes at every age. It's not about age but about mindset and with that thought I will leave you with this...You are never to old for silky pyjamas, leopard print, big sunglasses, the highest heels, a bright lipstick, skinny or ripped jeans, pilates/yoga, statement earrings and the latest fashion trends!

Let's be inspired to remain stylish forever!

(Inspired by the book Stylish Forever by Alyson Walsh and images courtesy of Pinterest)