Our Next Event - Wardrobe Heaven

Our next event is all about 'How to Build the Wardrobe of Your Dreams'. Do come along and join us at The City Inn, Granary Wharfe, Leeds at 6pm on Tuesday 5th October.

I'll be taking you through a masterclass in how to create the perfect wardrobe for your lifestyle and budget and it's an event not to be missed.

You can get your tickets by clicking here. We look forward to seeing you on 5th October!

Natalia x

Girl Power!

We're really looking forward to the new film 'Made in Dagenham'.

 It sounds like a great true story and we modern ladies should all be very thankful for the guts and determination of the women portrayed in this film.

What we're also loving are the terrific clothes from this era. Women were so smartly dressed with their matching jackets, gloves and handbags and the shapes were extremely flattering.

There's a nod to these beautiful styles in Business Wardrobe's autumn/winter collection.
Here are a few of my favourite pieces, I've tried them all so I know just how flattering they are and they're all available from www.businesswardrobe.com

Helene Berman dress £132.50

Helene Berman jacket £112.50

Great Plains Mimi dress £65

Ted Baker cowl neck dress £149

Helene Berman balck animal print coat £154

Beautiful at any age

I loved these pictures of Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver on the red carpet at the premiere of their new film 'You Again'.

What's so great about this is how they are ladies of a certain age and yet they are still so glamorous without scary face-stretching surgery, or the need to look absolutely perfect. They look real and they look so beautiful with it.

They're wearing the same dress on purpose as this is one of the key scenes from the film where both are arch enemies and turn up at an event identically dressed! This also highlights how great the colour teal is, Jamie and Sigourney have radically different colouring and they both look lovely in this colour. It's known as a 'universal' colour, one that suits most skin tones.

I also noticed how great the decolletage is on each of these women. It's one thing that I observe time and time again with my own clients. The decolletage and shoulder area stays youthful far longer, so do make the most of this fact ladies so love it and accentuate it for as long as you can!

Natalia

Yummy Mummy

This picture of Elle Macpherson made me do a double take this morning. Here's Elle on the school run looking like the Super Model that she is and not disappointing the paparazzi in the slightest.

Now I know we don't all have Elle's body and I accept that the red leather trousers are a tad OTT for the average trip to school, but just how do we stay at the top of our game and be yummy mummies rather than  slummy mummies?

It's all about having a set of great casual clothes that mean you're ready for action but still look current and well put together. We've got a great free event for you on Friday 15th October at 3pm during Leeds Loves Shopping Fashion Week. I'll be at The Style House on Briggate running a lovely one-hour workshop all about how to achieve an effortlessly stylish, smart casual look. So come along and why not bring a friend?

You can get your free tickets here at the Leeds Loves Shopping Website. We look forward to seeing you there!

Natalia x

Sensational Smart Casual

The biggest style dilemma people seem to have and the question I'm asked most frequently is, how can I be stylish when I'm casually dressed?

It seems we're all great at being completely dressed down or completely dressed up for work or an evening out, but what about those in between times. All those occasions when you want to be comfy and yet look effortlessly stylish.

Well here are a few ideas to help you smarten up a pair of jeans and add elegance to your casual clothes.

Heidi Klum gives us a masterclass in casual, understated chic here. Yes, she's wearing leggings and although the sweater is baggy it's off the shoulder and has a splash of sequins to up the glamour tempo. Her sunglasses and neat hair add an extra touch of finesse.

This outfit from Banana Republic is warm and cosy, but by adding the beret it takes the overall look to a more sohphisticated level.

I absolutely adore this outfit Samantha Cameron has put together. The shoes and jacket dress everything up. She's practically dressed but with a wealth of style.

So pay important note to your accessories when you're dressing down. Adding the right shoes, a hat here and a beautiful bag or necklace there, will make all the difference to how you look and feel.

If you'd like to know more about how to create the perfect smart casual look, then come along to our event at The Style House during Leeds Fashion Week on 15th October at 3pm. You can your free tickets by clicking here.

There's nothing like a man in a suit

I often lament the fact that sharp dressing seems to have given way to a more casual look. I love to see a man dressed in a suit, complete with shirt and tie and it's a sight that seems to be diminishing from the workplace and daily life in general.

Yet this morning, I was confronted with this picture of Zac Efron oozing style and sophistaction in his three-piece suit. All is not lost thank you Zac.

So gentlemen, look and learn. Ladies...just enjoy the view!

Natalia x

Bag Lady!

Seeing Victoria Beckham carry her handbag, one from her new range, reminded me to tell you all about scale.

Scale has nothing to do with weight or shape, it's all to do with getting the proportions right. Some of us have a small scale, so we look great wearing smaller patterns, carrying a cute little bag and wearing fine scale jewellery.

 Some of us are medium scale, so we need to up the proportions again with a medium scale print on clothing and wear larger accessories.

Then there are those of us who are what I call grand scale. We suit large patterns and prints, big handbags and the chunkiest of jewellery.

You may be asking why is scale important? Well, if you get it right then your outfit will look just right, just like Goldilocks and baby bear's porridge. If you're small scale and wear accessories and prints that are too big for you, then you will look even tinier. If you're bigger scale and wearing fine scale jewellery and accessories, then these might have the unfortunate effect of making you look bigger than you are.

So what do we think about Victoria and her bag? I'd say she's small scale and should leave the massive bag to grand scale ladies who will look much more in proportion.

Natalia x

Glamorous Grey

I absolutely love this picture of Danielle Lloyd wearing this season's most popular neutral colour, grey. She shows just what a glamorous, gorgeous colour it really is and there's a shade of it that suits everyone.

If the last time you wore grey, you were in pigtails and trudging to school then it's time for a rethink.

So how do you tell whether grey suits you or not? Well, just hold the different colours of grey up to your face and see whether it works well with your skin tone. If a particular shade does nothing for you then keep trying with darker and lighter, cooler and warmer shades until you find the one for you.

If you're still not convinced, then opt for a skirt or pair of trousers in grey, it is a fantastic neutral as it goes with so many different accent colours and looks particulalry good with purple, pink, red and green.

Natalia x

Heavenly Knitwear

Knitwear is fast becoming the cornerstone of everyone's wardrobe. With the weather taking on an autumnal chill, we'll all appreciate pulling on the extra warm layers. But knitwear doesn't have to be boring, we're definitely not talking about the things your granny used to knit for you. Think sleek, fine gauge wool and sassy designs. Yes, we're sure that whatever you invest in this season will (with good care) you'll be able to enjoy for many seasons to come!

Here are some of our favouite pieces of knitwear on a high street and on-line shop near you:

Chunky knits can be chic with a few style details like this one from Wallis £45

This darling little fair isle sweater dress is from M&S £39.50

This jacket style cardigan is a snip from Zara at £16.99

This long sleeve v-neck is £29.99 from Zara

Banana Repuplic has some beautiful knitwear. We love this cardigan £55 & the cute knitted beret

Turn knitwear into businesswear with this chic little black & cream cardigan £95 by Ted Baker for www.businesswardrobe.com there's a hidden treat with a gorgeous embroidered butterfly on the back!

A colourful new season

What I love most about this new season is that fashion-wise everything feels just right. The styles and trends are so beautiful and very wearable, but the colours are sensational too.

Here are Amanda Holden and Louise Redknapp both working the red carpet in the season's hottest and most gorgeous colours, at the GQ Man of the Year Awards last night.

Amanda's dress is midnight blue, Such a wonderful alternative to black, yet doesn't it look great accessoried with black? She has a warm skin tone and golden blonde hair and this colour works a treat. I've also seen the power of midnight blue on brunettes, pale blondes with a cool skin tone and even red heads. This colour is like magic!

Then there's Louise, looking beautiful in her burgundy cocktail dress. I personally love everything about burgundy. It s a great neutral colour, the warmth of it gives vibrance to warmer skin tones but also cooler customers can carry it off beautifully too. Louise does her dress the final honour of teaming it with a leopard print clutch bag, what a stroke of style genius....note to self must wear leopard print shoes with my burgundy top!

Camilla Belle Our Style Inspiration!

Do you ever see people who just look so great and give you ideas about ways to dress or accessorise things?

Well I want to introduce you to my style inspiration, she's an American actress called Camilla Belle. What she lacks in fame, she more than makes up for in being beautifully dressed. She just has a way of putting things together, that no matter what picture I see of her, she is always wearing something flattering and accessorises it so that it looks unique and breathtakingly gorgeous.

So here are some lovely pictures of the divine Miss Camilla Belle wearing some outfits that make me smile. Hope you like them too!

Natalia x

Fab Red Bag

What a lovely sight for a Monday morning! We just love, love, love this red bag from Asos
Red is going to be a huge colour this autumn and what a great way to inject a bit of this beautiful colour into your wardrobe!

Stop Press - 20% off at Wallis

Here's a quick news update about a great discount for you all.

Wallis are offering 20% off everything on-line between Sunday 5th & Tuesday 7th September. Simply type in the code: VIP at the checkout to receive your discount. www.wallis.co.uk

A natural beauty

Seeing this picture of Victoria Beckham this weekend made me realise just how lovely she looks when she goes for a more pared down, natural look.

Some people just look great with jewellery and a fussier look, people like Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwen Stephani and Fearne Cotton immediately spring to mind. Yet others look altogether better when they keep their look simple and uncluttered with accessories and jewellery. Victoria is one of these people. When we see Victoria in this second photograph, the jewellery is just too much and makes her look overdone.

In the first photo, Victoria's natural, unstyled hair, her simple black dress and matching shoes and her entire look devoid of jewellery is just perfect. I think you've found your style niche Victoria, now embrace your effortlessly stylish, natural self.

Natalia

Are you ready for the invisble bra?

We read this morning about a new advancement in breast uplifts called the invisible bra.

At first we were very excited at the thought of a bra that would be invisible under our clothes, until we realised that it is yet another surgical procedure. The invisible bra is a soft sponge mesh that is fitted under the skin and serves to support the breasts and make them perky again. It certainly sounds better than implants but we're not sure it's worth the surgery or the £6,000 price tag!

The easist answer, it seems, is to get a really great fitting bra to give mother nature and gravity a helping hand. It's worth investing in a whole 'capsule' of bras so that you have the perfect bra for every outfit. We're so passionate about getting everyone in the right bra for their size, shape and lifestyle that we'll be running a special Style Club event in the New Year devoted to everything about finding and wearing the perfect bra.

We're really looking forward to it and we hope you all will be too!

Internet Shopping Galore

Lots of  great news on the on-line shopping front today for you.

Three of our favourite retailers now have on-line shopping and it's a very exciting prospect.

Zara's on-line shop is now live. You can find all those fabulous Zara creations from the comfort of your armchair by clicking here. The site is incredibly beautiful too!

Gap is now on-line and I've taken advantage of their great service to buy a sweater that I couldn't find in my size in any of their stores. it certainly takes the leg work out of shopping.

I'm saving the best until last though...my favourite store of all finally has on-line shopping,. Yes, Banana Republic  has its very own on-line store! Currently, the only place you can buy Banana Republic items from is their flagship branch in London, Regent Street. Now we can all shop there day and night. Hurrah for the internet. We love, love, love Banana Republic!

Alluring Style

This latest picture of Elizabeth Hurley made me smile. Yes, she still has a fine pair of assets despite being over 40 and the mother of an eight year old, yet it made me wonder just how many of us could get away with this look...or would we even want to?

Elizabeth has always gone for figure hugging, eye catching outfits and even now, age appropriate just doesn't come into it. Her philosophy is and has always been, if you've got it flaunt it. She has what's known as an 'alluring' style personality. Just like our star signs give us unique personality traits, so too do our style personalities. So if you like to wear tight tops, high cut skirts and revealing clothes that have a bit of a risque edge to them, then you have an alluring style personality too.

All of us have a little of the alluring in us but we mostly save it for a romantic date or the bedroom rather than the boardroom. If you're reading this and you don't feel like you are unleashing your alluring side at all, then think about how and when it might be appropriate for you to do it. A pair of lacy tights, peep toe shoes or a top with a low back might be just the tonic for your evening wardrobe!