Simples...

I'm sorry to quote a meerkat but there are times when it is too easy to over complicate and become wrapped up in making style (which is fundamentally different from fashion) more complicated than it needs to be.
Fashion is complicated there are allegiances, multi faceted looks with historical references to lines of the past, there are egos in play that must be satisfied and there is always the smallest feeling that whilst the Emperor may not be without clothes, the ones he does have, are well a bit weird.  Fashion is about trend and a fundamental understanding of what you should and should not wear, it's about magazines full of glossy girls and wind machines.  I have a deep seated and unshakeable love of fashion but it's not what I go to my wardrobe every morning to wear.
For this I look to style and that lives in the realm of elegant simplicity.  It is about balancing function and fashion, as well as to a certain extent knowing your limitations or putting the tools in place that ensure you're limitations are not only minimised but start to work to your advantage.  So with this in mind lets talk limitations and simple fixes.

1. I can't walk in heels
This is a skill and like all skills if you want to you can learn how, through trial and error, or through the time saving and sensible option - find someone to teach you. www.perfectlypoised.co.uk currently in Bristol but I'm pretty sure it's about to role out over the globe, this is one service that I absolutely say is worth jumping on the band wagon.  There is nothing less stylish than tottering and there is nothing more depressing than constantly trying to wear something that you can't.  How many pairs of shoes in your cupboard collect dust, rather than memories? However if you can't wear heels for medical reasons it's not a disaster, a flat shoe can be as, if not more beautiful than a heel, it's just about making the right choice for you and your feet.

2. I've put on/lost weight
Firstly you need to look at the hard truth, can you change the current state of affairs?  If your clothes are hanging off you, is that what you wanted to happen?  If your clothes are digging into you, do you have the time or the inclination to undertake the necessary steps to fix it?  If it is what it is, then you need to build yourself a new wardrobe that makes you feel comfortable in your skin again.  The key to feeling stylish is accepting who and indeed what you are.  If you do want to return to your previous size then do yourself a favour, buy 1 thing that truly fits you now and makes you feel great - to give you the confidence and impetus to get back to feeling as you should.  It will also work as a first step, everything has to have a start and I truly believe that starting on a treat or positive works.  Notice I didn't say feeling like you used to, that ship has sailed, even if you return to the same size you will feel differently about it.  Never try to go backwards, it's harder. (Anyone who's ever seen me reverse will tell you how hard)

3. I'm out of proportion
Rubbish!  You are perfectly proportioned you just need to teach yourself a few tricks.  The worst thing you can do is actively try to hide things, it never works out.  If you throw a tarp over an elephant, it still looks like an elephant.  But if you set off fireworks on the other side of the room, People ask, "What Elephant?"  Draw attention away from the things you don't like, to the things you do.  The art of illusion is your best friend.  Personally, I would prefer if no one noticed the fact that thanks to significant weight loss my lower stomach is comprised of the excess skin that used to cover my expansive torso (please excuse the graphic description), so I wear higher waisted jeans and have accepted that tight t shirts are not my friend.  I draw the audiences focus higher, I don't wear nothing but baggy tents that hang from the neck, so that my entire body is covered and then looks bigger.

4. I hate my legs/arms/boobs

See answer to number 3, oh and get over it!  There is nothing wrong with your body, it's yours.  I know,  I've gone too far in the keeping it simple.  There is not a person alive without a legitimate complaint but having said that there aren't many things that can't be overcome in some way and the first and easiest step is to stop hating what you can't change - it takes so much energy which could be used elsewhere, like finding a solution.

5. I don't know where to shop

A common complaint from every client I have ever had.  We go where we are comfortable and as a result miss so many opportunities.  Indulge me for a moment, if each shop has 500 different items of clothing in them and a single High Street has 5 shops that service your gender, that's 2500 options or possibilities.  "That sounds like a lot of effort to find something."  You're right but if you are reading this you have internet access, which means you can shop in your PJ's, which is no effort at all and there are a list of sites on here which have amazing clothes and easy return policies.  Go somewhere different!  It's the easiest way to get yourself out of a rut.

Think of your "limitations" as opportunities.  Style is at it's best when you choose your own, whatever it may be.  It is the act of making the choice that will help you achieve a style.

Getting it....

I've discovered the need for direction and as I've always said if you don't have a plan, hitting the wall becomes much more likely.  Obviously in my case due to the fact my spacial awareness can be a little off, it's almost a guarantee.  One of the things I've learnt in the last little while is that the mistakes we make tend to be general.  (However unique we all think we are.)  We might make them for different reasons but the outcome is the same.  That outcome is simply not reaching our potential.  So what is this big mistake that I'm referring too...

The Right Fit

In the last 6 months nearly every style report I have written started with the words, the size you should be wearing is... We get caught up in who we used to be and sometimes the last vestige of that is the tag in the back of your clothes.  Now this may sound unlikely but it's actually men who are the worst for this.  They'd rather have a suit jacket 4 inches wider than they are, than admit that the atlas like shoulders of their youth are now residing a little further south.  Not realising that the only person they are fooling is the man they see in the mirror.  I know boys it's a hassle to ask for help, but trust me when I tell you that clothes that fit will make you look taller, thinner and younger.  As far as I'm concerned a good fit is the magic elixir we all search for.

Have you ever gone on a diet or signed up with a trainer because it/they promised you'd lose 10 pounds in a week.  What if I told you, you could lose 10 pounds in an hour?  That is what the 'Right Size' will do.  I promise it is worth the ten extra minutes in a fitting room to check an alternative.  

Don't believe me?  Ask yourself this question, can you name one television presenter that wears baggy clothing?  I'll give you a little time to think about it....The only one I could think of was Sir Patrick Moore, and he's a lot of things but no one's style icon (honestly, follow the link and check if you are still doubting me).  

Fit is so important, more so than colour or fabric or cost.  Because if it doesn't fit, the best you can hope for is to feel that you have achieved the goal of ensuring you won't be arrested for indecent exposure.  For example, I recently told a client he needed some good quality t-shirts, he bought Tesco T-shirts 2 for £5, but the kicker is they fit him perfectly and as a result stand up next to a much more expensive brand choice.  I can't and won't argue with that (he expected me to) but how could I respond with anything but what a great buy.  No they aren't the softest cotton that was ever woven into fabric, but the point is to look good without bankrupting yourself, so Mission accomplished.

Focus on the fit, style will come naturally from there.

Cardigans aren't just for hangovers

At this time of year the weather changes faster than you can think, well lets be honest living in the UK that's the story all year round.  Conversely there is nothing more annoying than either carrying or sweltering inside a bulky jacket when the weather takes a turn for the better - a time to celebrate rather than be irritated in my opinion.  So this pre-season instead of just thinking of knitwear as a cosy jumper take a moment to remember the cardigan.

Historically when thinking of cardigans many people immediately think of hungover Sunday mornings, curled up on the Sofa watching a tv marathon, they tended to be oversized with a mystery stain and an unexplained hole or 2.  But cardigans seem to have gone through something of a regeneration, I would push you strongly to play with the lengths and fabric weights to find the right one that works for you.  The idea is to avoid adding unnecessary bulk, whilst having the opportunity to cover up a little more.  I tend to wear a cardigan if I'm feeling that my hips have become oversized as a way of splitting my sihouette, so that I create the illusion of a slimmer line.  I know models are all skinny but I hope the images help illustrate my point, the first image particularly shows what great camouflage a cardigan can be.

If you do want a bulkier weight cardigan so that you maintain the snuggling option, I would recommend something like the electric blue option as the de constructed nature of the lines will still create the illusion of a waist and feminine shape.  See how the lapel almost becomes an arrow, highlighting the smallest part of the model.  It's a nifty trick to use your clothes to create lines of sight to literally point at what you want people to look at so they are distracted from the things you would like them to ignore.

Noodling Around

I know it has been many days, some may say weeks but I have been noodling around and you know what happens when I do that I get ideas.  In this case big ones, it's a new season and there are some masterpieces out there just waiting to be discovered.  This season is all about Luxury, when isn't Winter about lush fabrics that warm the heart.

So I thought today I'd share with you a few of my motivations, not just for this season but really just how I feel about what I do and the best way to help my clients achieve there goals:

"It’s a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It’s all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together."

— Alexander McQueen

"Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live."

— Gianni Versace

"I have always believed that fashion was not only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence."

— Yves Saint Laurent 

"While clothes may not make the woman, they certainly have a strong effect on her self-confidence — which, I believe, does make the woman."

— Mary Kay Ashe

“What fun is it being cool if you can't wear a sombrero?” 
― Bill Watterson

You can switch around your pronouns as in fairness these are all as true for a woman or a man.  Also it has been pointed out to me from the cheap seats that you can replace sombrero with the head ware of your choice (I chose a spirithood).  As with all new seasons there are the old favourites, the trend staples which come back time and again but this season there are a few delightful surprises, for example Florals aren't going into moth balls until March but have become the Hot house rose of AW13, bolder and brighter and refusing to be ignored.

If the suit fits...

Which lets be honest in most stores on the High Street it won't.  Maybe you are one of the lucky few who can put on a relatively cheap suit and make it look like an investment piece, well done!  I'm not jealous, I'm just not that person, partly because of a few slight OCD tendencies but mostly because I fundamentally don't believe that 'good enough' is in anyway good enough for me or my clients.  The good news is that the rules are true for all, the fit is obviously different for all but the way you achieve it is the same.  So the top 5 rules to getting it right....

1.  Jacket length - It never ceases to amaze me how many individuals get this wrong, where your jacket ends is where the 'viewers' attention will be drawn as a result why not draw that attention to the good bits, whatever you consider them to be.  Get it right and you will lose 10lbs and grow at least an inch, get it wrong and you may as well wear the bag the suit came home in.
2.  Defer to the knowledge of others - You will never see yourself clearly in 360 degree technicolour, so why not ask the opinion of someone who can.  Dare I say it someone who spends all day everyday fitting people in suits and may have a better idea of the stock than you ever will.  Or if you find yourself the disappointed owner of a box suit, a tailor who can turn it into something special.
3.  Black is not the only colour - I know all the images are of black suits, but there are other choices you can make.  A navy or grey will look less harsh and offer you far more in the way of Sartorial options.  My word to the wise though is that you must be careful of the fabric as the last thing you need in your life is a suit that looks old and tired before you are finished with it.
4.  Make sure your patterns match up - My personal 'bug bear' is pinstripes where the seam breaks the line. Particularly on the shoulder seam as this is just lazy construction, it's amazing how many times you see this and I'm sorry if you check your seams and it ruins the suit for you.
5.  Each component part must be able to stand alone - A suit is an outfit but you should be able to wear the jacket with jeans and the trousers or skirt alone, in order to maximise it's potential wear.  This depends entirely on fit.  A badly fitted suit jacket when worn with jeans will look like a box, and actually be quite unflattering but the better the fit the more likely the potential that it can become a smart casual addition to your wardrobe as well as a classic work staple.

If nothing else focus on the fit, do not let your suit wear you.

A little advice from me to you....

Most people think that a personal shopper is a luxury they can't afford, which I do understand but I thought I would suggest 10 things you can afford less than me

• Spending one day in an uncomfortable suit or shirt 
• Buying a garment simply for its label 
• Traipsing from store to store searching for the Golden Goose 
• Confusing style with fashion 
• Owning a closet full of forgettable clothes 
• Confusing value with price 
• Being "helped" by a salesperson on commission 
• Sacrificing style, fit, or fabric in tailoring 
• Being less than well dressed and comfortable
• Letting yourself believe that you'll get around to things

When it comes to things that are outside our comfort zone or specific area of expertise we all procrastinate, its natural to try and avoid these things.  The fact is that the world we live in is image driven, whether we like it or not, we judge and are judged.  So my question is, why so many people put themselves at a disadvantage by undermining their self esteem?  Confidence is paramount to effective performance in anything we do as humans, feeling uncomfortable or unsure affects you, so if given the opportunity to effect a significant improvement why not take advantage of it?

Putting it in economic terms you are wasting your resources, time and money amongst them.  In the long run it is always significantly cheaper to get things absolutely right the first time.

 

A good style shows no sign of effort. What is worn should seem a happy accident. -- SOMERSET MAUGHAM

The unexpected favourite...

There are times when a little something just grabs your attention.  It doesn't fit with the norm and makes you sit up to take notice, even when you want to fight it.  Everything I know about fashion tells me there are rules to follow, everything I know about life tells me the best 'stuff' invariably happens when you look at those rules turn around and rip them in half.  The best clothes I own, are the ones I couldn't walk away from but knew I probably should, there was a more sensible way to spend my money - a more appropriate item that would give me more options on a case by case basis.  However when you love something you think of options, sometimes having to make something work is a lot more productive than following a formula.

It's the shoes that are technically a little too high to be practical, the jacket (insert item as appropriate) that will always need to be at best dry cleaned and at worst can't even have that done by anyone but a specialist, less added value more added unexpected expense, a users tax if you will.  I know its easy to dismiss these pieces, we are all practical grown ups and understand the realities of life but I would rather have one piece that I am genuinely excited to own, than 20 V neck jumpers in assorted colours.