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!
  

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

Wardrobe chic

Hi again, as a Style Consultant, I get to see inside of the wardrobes of women who have asked me to rescue their languishing closet and themselves to turn them from shabby to chic.I love seeing the delighted look on their faces when they realise, that items of clothing that they haven't worn for months could become key clothing items when transformed with the right pieces.

I also advise a little TLC, for their wardrobe, it might sound obvious but a well managed wardrobe that has been decluttered will help create a stress free morning whether your dressing for a day at the office or preparing to go to your local toddler group. I think the biggest wardrobe crime is having in effect two wardrobes existing as one, your dresses mixed in amongst your partners shirts. Even if you don't have the luxury of wall to wall wardrobe space, your clothing space needs to be dedicated solely to you. This allows you to have a clear handle on what clothing you have and how to to make sense of dressing whatever the occasion.

To inspire you, I had to share these lovely snaps of my friend Carols romantic vintage bedroom complete with Wardrobe, dressing table, art deco wall vases and a sprinkle of sweet flourishes here and there.I would love to see any snaps of Wardrobes or full on boudoirs, that you might like to share, please email them to sharonstyle@fsmail.net to have them featured on the site.

Sharon x

What comes first your hair Style or your Wardrobe?

Image by awmalloy via Flickr

Both! As a Style Consultant, I believe that often a clients face shape mirrors their body shape. Just as I use a clients unique body shape to inform my choice of clothing for my client in relation to sourcing the right cut, colour, pattern and drape to their clothing (yes really!!!).

So I consider face shape, facial features and current hair style, texture and colour, when deciding how to bring a clients Image into balance, to help them achieve a strong look, that transforms their Image, to one they can embrace and love.

For those of you that often come away from the hairdressers disappointed consider the following;

1. What is your strongest facial feature?

2.What is your weakest facial feature?

3.Do you have a warm, cold or medium skin tone?

The next decision that, I make when working to restyle clients, is choosing whether or not to play up their strongest feature by working with it. Or whether to bring their face into balance by strengthening their weaker features. Make up, accessorise, hair colour, cut,eyebrow shape and earrings are all key to creating a strong, attractive Image. Having some idea of your face shape and skin tone can make all the difference to feeling elated rather than deflated about your new style and colour.Hairdressers are led by your needs, so you need to be clear about what you want, to achieve a haircut you feel reflects you at your best, rather than something that leaves you feeling indifferent.

Our skin tone is made up of a mix of colours, roughly speaking, if we have more blue tones, we have a pale cooler skin tone, that can benefit from warm toned hair colouring. More red tones in the skin, usually means we have a warmer complexion and yellow tones indicate a medium toned skin, this skin tone can run the risk of looking sallow, so it is vital you get the right colour advice to achieve a warmer look.

Key face shapes are oval, round, heart and shield, a good tip, if your uncertain is to take a photograph front on of yourself, blow it up, print it off, trace it and then frame it with a square outline, make sure the frame is as close to your face shape as possible whilst still maintaining a true square. This will help your eye to see where the widest and narrowest parts of your face are. If you then draw out the face shapes highlighted above, you should be able to determine what face shape you are. So get savvy and get the most from your next visit to the hairdressers!

Sharon x