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          

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

Over The Knee Boots Autumn/Winter are you a Pretty Woman or more Puss in Boots?

Are you itching to wear the new power boot that is so hot for Autumn winter? It comes in many guises, from just over the knee to thigh high. There are a few Style rules that you need to consider unless you really are like some of the larger than life characters featured today. So generally, I would advise steering clear of black patent thigh boots,unless you are really tall and super confident about your ability to dress them down, which is a pretty tough task!If you are around 5.7 in height go for low to flat heeled suede versions with a shift dresses or above the knee skirts, keep the look classy by teaming with textured natural fabrics such as silk, wool or tweed as in my recent Izzy Lane post.The military look is a hot trend this Autumn/ Winter as is padded shoulders. Although these may seem obvious Style choices to wear with over the knee or thigh high boots, this look could easily become a bit of a cliche. Just add military, as you would a expensive perfume, sparingly, through perhaps your choice of hand bag, hat, makeup, or belt. Sewing some new buttons onto a non military style coat, is a great way to create a coat with a military twist, go for soft feminine colours.

OK for those of us who are not long of leg, or our legs are fuller at the thigh, I count myself in this category, rejoice in the huge variety of ankle boots that are around this Autumn/ Winter. Biker chic is huge this Autumn/ Winter and studded boots are a strong trend that has staying power, there are some really pretty ruched variety's around that echo the seasons trend for textured fabric and being playful with clothing proportions. For more petite women, go for pretty neutral colours that won't over power you and team with plain tights in a similar shade. Or if you decide to go for the tough biker ankle boot, wear with a soft wool dress or a fluid three quarter length jump suit and keep accessories to a minimum. Remember the lower the ankle boot the longer your leg will look, this is great for women with heavier legs, the longer your leg appears,the sleeker and more shapely it looks, simple fashion maths! Hope you enjoyed my mini masterclass on how to wear the latest boot trends. For over the knee styles featured here, see Top Shop and for the ankle boots visit the Office see you soon.
Sharon x

Autumn/ Winter Coat Trend Alert & Style Guidance 2009

This trend has real substance, it oozes confidence, poise and strength and is so accessible. As with many trends you have to believe in what your wearing to carry it off.I love and welcome the trend for necklaces worn over coats for many reasons as in image three, trench worn with long necklace, hot off the Burberry catwalk. A coat is usually our biggest investment of the season, so it is great to be given permission to adorn them in new and innovative ways, with different accessories which can inspire a whole range of exciting new looks. A necklace worn over a coat can have regal connotations, think the Elizabethan period , or equally help to achieve a dynamic folklore look, using vibrant colors.Important points to remember when choosing the right necklace is to balance the proportions of the necklace with the neckline of your coat. A collarless fitted coat dictates you wear your necklace high just over the collar line, if your coat has a big collar and is fitted at the waist you need to wear long layers of necklaces or one long strand that hangs at the navel.If you decided to channel this hot trend this autumn, I would love to see a picture, post one in if you want it to feature on the site.

P.S it goes without saying hooded coats in particular parkas are a no go area when it comes to this trend!

Sharon x