Patterned Princesses Unite!

   

Hi everyone great to see you again! Summer may be leaving us, but this Autumn/Winter, patterns more than make up for gloomier days! A candy store full of colour, extravagant patterns and a playful approache to wearing this seasons hottest patterned pieces like these Missoni inspired high tops, are what makes Winter 2009 the best season of all to be experimenting with your Style. 

I have picked out my hot favourites for you, some of these patterns are old friends we have seen before that have been reworked to create a more contempory feel, like this sweet skinny lepard print dress from Warehouse or their grey lepard pencil skirt. Red and fuschia are both strong colours this A/W and I love the way red pattern has been used in this pillar box red two piece above, vintage with a modern and strident feel to it.

Gallianos three pieces are decadent, mysterious and romantic at the same time, a paricularly masterful and sophisticated look to achieve, his textured and patterned Russian inspired couture sent sparks flying of the runway! 

Warehouse are real genuises in my opinion when it comes to high street accessories that make you feel really special, but without the sting of a high price tag. I adore their red jaquard tights, which would rescue the plainest dress or skirt and their paisley tights if you wanting to create a romantic look. This gorgeous Aztec sequined belt in black and red will I predict fly off their shelves, its not hard to see why its so Art Deco and oozes opulance!Then there is their take on this years popular tartan jacket in maroon and grey  with a bib style collar and nipped in waist, soft but Stylish.I looove tartan, its huge this A/W as punk gets a revival and the flattering ever popular 50s lady like chic makes a return but tartan is not an easy pattern to work with or wear, if you get the colour combinations wrong or the balance in putting an outfit together, it can easily look brash and trashy. 

Finally we started with a pop of colour so we are ending with a pop of colour and pattern in this fleur de lys yellow and black dress and matching shoes, so sharp you could cut your finger and this gorgeous off the shoulder candy stripe evening dress! I love the elegance and the boldness of the designer in using  yellow and contrasting it with black.Bumblee chic!Sx 

In need of some expert Style Advice? If you follow My Passport to Style and subscribe to my posts, then you are welcome to post me in your latest Style dilemmas and the first one to be selected at random will feature here, you will be left a message to say you have been selected! Good luck and start posting in those burning Style dilemmas/questions!  

Black To Basics - Fun Wardobe Workout With Sharon!

This morning post was inspired by a recent trip to buy a new winter mac, I chose a minature hounds tooth pattern in the end, which I love, as it looks sooo sharp! I have as I have said in previous post, at times had a bit of a love hate relationship with black, purely from a Stylists point of view, it can easily drain all the colour from your face if your not careful. It can cheapen any colour that you are wearing, it can  look hard and unyielding, it can even cheapen the look of black fabric and conjur up images of polyester rather than cotton or silk or wool. 

However alot of women derive comfort from having vast quatities of the stuff in their wardrobes, which I usually encourage them very gently of course, to let go of and to start intoducing a colour palette that will energise their wardrobe and work for their skin tone.Of course it can be quite scary to reduce the number of black clothing items that we consider to be fail safe neutrals in our wardrobe.We are often tempted to remain faithful to black, due to what we perceive to be the magical slimming properties that black clothing has to offer plus our blind sweet belief that black clothing goes with practicaly anything! Its a little bit like saying, a staple pantry food like baked beans goes with everything, they probably do, but this does not mean they necessairly enhance the other elements of food on our plate. Ok that was a little gloomy, but hopefully food for thought, if not useful. Now for the good stuff,where black really comes into its own in my opinion is in the detailing of an outfit. It is literally like taking the control for your television and playing with the contrast button till you have that satifying crispness and clarity to the image in front of you.If you think about my hounds tooth coat, the back sharpens the white and the injection of pattern means the overall effect is crisp,but without looking hard, pure genuis!

Of course I do appreciate that the hard, masculine and edgy are all huge trends this A/W, but the trick here is still to bring in plenty of feminine elements to your outfit and grooming, such as soft full hair or a slouchy bag and to use varying textures of back or tonal shades, such as silver, pewter or slate.We all have that adorable fail safe black dress in our wardrobe, why and when does this piece work well? 1) You have olive or yellow tones in your skin, 2) you have young plump pale skin, with no dark shadows under the eyes! 3) You can wear the neckline low, exposing your skin, which means you are not wearing black directly next to your face.4) Cheat!! Tan your face olive rather than orange with a good quality bronzer! My absolute favourite at the moment that comes in a divinely packaged gold and black box, which would make a gorgeous and very useful gift, for any pale friends you might have and helps recreate that expensive glow, is enhance by makebelieve, sunbeam bronzer and blush.There is the option to buy the whole system,which includes concealer, tinted moisturiser,which has been great for my open pores and I would not be with out, now autumn has set in, a highlighter and a nude lip gloss.

Long live black in its rightful kingdom!

S x          

The Thrill Of Improvisation

Hi there, sometimes we want an accessory that allows us to be playful and creative with our Style. British company Whistles, accessories reflect this mood perfectly, allowing us to rediscover the simplicity of childhood objects and recreating the same wonder and curiosity we felt as young children, by transforming the every day, in unexpected ways. A silver pencil sharpener becomes a ring, golden nuts become a bracelet. But, I love the fact that their accessories also invite you to adapt them in other ways, their clever black and white checked and striped scarf can be worn as a headscarf, checked side round, or as a edgy scarf. I have a feeling Maria Conifer of Lulu Letty would fall in love with its black and white charms.My favourite piece from Whistles accessory collection, is the black enamelled rollerboot key ring, complete with gold pegasus wings, a beautiful fantasy take on the old style scateboot.The magic of this piece, is in it ability to morph seamlessly from a key ring, pendant for a long neck chain, to a bag charm and how about a zip pull on a chunky zip.Finally if you fancy recreating this years edgy hardwear for just a few pounds, get down to your local hard wear store, need I say more. S x 

visit Whistles to check out the new A/W seasons  hottest looks!
  

Add Some Sparkle To Your Life....

Hi there, my latest post was part inspired by a new hobby I'm due to start, glamorous female Australian Icons and the huge trend for wearing sequins this Autumn/Winter!My new hobby, which I am soon to begin thanks to a chance conversation with a friend is Tap Dancing. Me being me, I was soon propelled into the heady world of which style of tap shoes I might wear, glitzy, Cuban heels, with velvet ribbons? One thing led to another and before I knew it I was imagining glamour beyond belief, but the key feature here, apart from the Joy of Sequins, was of course lashing of sequins, perhaps a few feathers here and there and a sprinkle of lime sparkly eye shadow and of course those Ruby slippers, sorry Ive gone off track again!! I mean of course those all important dance shoes!

When I finally calmed down a little, I thought perhaps on balance that my more is more approach, should really be confined to my tap dancing classes and not my day to day wardrobe. In other words even us Style Consultants, get side tracked in the name of glamour!

So here is my take on this Autumn/Winters sequintastic trend, current looks this season working this hot trend are, punk, biker chic, theatre and disco. There are lots of shift dresses and Ts embellished with sequins,but these can be unflattering around the midriff area, as they reflect light and anything which reflects light generally make us look bigger. However a sequined hat or scarf, throws light onto the face, always flattering, and allows us to do day time sequins with ease. If you are going for sequins as a shift dress and want to keep this look daytime, accessorise with muted colours and steer away from satin, if you decide to pair your shift with a blazer. Keep jewelery minimal or go without. A pair of Jazz flats, pumps, or a low flat ankle boot, will help keep the look wearable.Save the full on disco bling for the evening or a tap class if I have tempted you. S x

Welsh Style File - Lots of Welsh Rare-bits!

Hi great to be back! Thank-you for all the lovely comments you left me, it was a great welcome!I thought you might appreciate my pick up of all things Welsh and Stylish,which includes a picture of the area I stayed in, in Abersoch, as well as my favourite really Stylish and inspirational actors and singers, including some men for a change! Some of you wont be surprised I picked the gorgeous Anthony Hopkins, I love his confidence in wearing simple clothing well. His charisma is electric! Rhys Ifans, may seem a unlikely Style Icon, his style when he is not acting alternates between scruffy chic, to country gentleman, but I love his care free attitude and how he seems so at home in his own skin. This shot of him from the film, The Boat That Rocked, is awesome! I totally heart his Style, bang on trend this winter season by the way.Which just goes to show that true Style, needs a sprinkle of attitude and confidence along with a well cut Wardrobe! Those of you who adored Rhys Ifans clad in his underpants in the film Notting Hill will know exactly what I mean when I say its his imperfections that make him sooo perfect! Duffy had to be in with my pick of Wesh Style Icons, being as I love the substance that vintage can lend to a gals wardrobe, usually because clothes were generally much better tailored in bygone years.She embodies a simpler time and is truly inspirational! My Welsh Style file would not be complete without Welsh designer Julienne McDonald, his Autumn/Winter collection is so creative, he understands how to dress women. I thought you might appreciate this stunning piece from Julienne McDonald's Autumn/Winter collection, it really speaks of his Style elegant, flamboyant and just a little sexy! I couldn't resist throwing in some gorgeous handmade Welsh shoes for good measure, brogues are huge for women this Autumn/Winter, for women wanting to Chanel the androgynous trend and it doesn't get much better than these vintage inspired handmade Mary Jane shoes. The creative design/detailing (note the scalloped edges) is breath taking. Oh and I had to bring back this chic woven tweed clutch, with sky blue, silk lining. Tweed is big news this season, but Welsh tweed in particular is pretty special!

Sharon x

Tea Room Chic, Autumn/Winter Style

This post has been inspired by the English tradition of afternoon tea and the tea dress. I thought it was about time I held a tea party and served up some Delicious slices of Style advice for all you feminine and stylish gals out there.This Autumn /winter, floral dresses feature big time, worn with textured fabrics such as tweed and wool, giving a lovely vintage country feel or toughened up with studs, leather and a shiny cuff.Warehouse has come up smelling of roses, with there magnificent take on floral dresses for winter as I think you will agree. I have have featured my top lust haves from Warehouse .What I love about this trend is that it is so cheerful! We cant always have sunshine, but at least we can have flowers to brighten our day.

So here's my fool proof guide to wearing this trend, I know the rock chicky way, is to toughen up the look with black, but lets get realistic, most of us can look a little pasty and washed out in the winter months, particularly us paler skinned beauties.Large quantities of black can also cheapen colour. My advice is accessorise your look with neutrals colours such as the belts and jackets and cardigans featured here. This will create a more expensive look and help reflect light onto your face.If you wish to wear tough spiky black boots, no problem, but wear with grey, or soft pink tights. Want to go floral and slightly punky with a twist of Cindy Lauper, then add a pair of clashing coloured tights, but stick to neutrals on top.

See you soon

Sharon x