Enough of this stripping!

I don't know what you think but I'm getting pretty tired of all the stripping that's going on right now, I'm thinking particularly of 'Off the rails'. It all began with Gok Wan and was a novelty at first, the idea was that someone with extremely low self esteem and disgust/loathing of their body would get a 'Gokover'. At first we all loved him as he was so empathetic with these women and a pleasant change from the other two ( Trinny and Susannah) who tore underwear off and generally insulted all and sundry. Gok praised women, extolling the beauty of their bum/thighs/hips whatever it was they particularly disliked. Anyway it usually ended with the ladies coming out on the catwalk strutting their stuff proudly and loving their body. Come on, give us a break! Since when did a stroll down the catwalk and a look in the mirror (shared with hundreds of thousands) become the fixit for self loathing? Now I declare 'Off the Rails' have taken this idea and off we go again trying to convince some poor unfortunates they really have the perfect body. Makes me so mad! And don't think for one minute that putting them in a row with similarly shaped women is going to make any difference either, sure every woman's proportion is totally unique so it's not even a true reflection of size or shape. This obsession with 15 minutes of fame is going crazy. I'd just love to revisit those women after the cameras switch off, Gok/Brendan has moved on to his next project and the producers are clapping themselves on the back thinking 'great show'!
If you are not happy with your body don't think for one second that standing in front of a mirror with Gok or Brendan will change anything. Instead spend time with people who love you for who you are and treat yourself to something nice.
Maggie

Style night Ballymena

Had a fab time last night in Ballymena. The ladies were wonderful, all 35 of them. Like every other Style night they were all mad to get their colours 'done'. While I would never claim it to be an exact science it's always a revelation to see them glow in the seasonal palette that suits them best. We also did body shapes of course and again Libis from Ultimate came up trumps with clothes for the night and 20% off vouchers for anyone who buys in her boutique before 6th November. I'd say the ladies will be scurrying in to her 'cos the clothes were gorgeous, all regal purples, indigo blues, and warm reds. The ruffles played their part also. There was modelling to beat the band! Great fun altogether. There's nothing better that a gang of womwn together to laugh, and generally ahve a load of fun.
Next one booked November. Bring it on!

Develop your own unique style

Have you ever thought you'd love to create a whole new style for yourself, get out of that predictable rut? me too, I think all women feel like this every so often. What holds us back though? Sometimes it's because we just dont know where to start and then at other times it's because we've been 'boxed' in a particular category by family and friends and we dare not leave it! Sad isn't it that our sense of style is so cramped, it's far easier to take the easy option and stay within our comfort zone.
Well today girls I'd like to help you start develop a signature style, one that's all your own! You will be focusing on yourself but it will be so worth it when you start reinventing the clothes you already have as well as making clever additions by way of accessories. So a couple of questions to get you going:
1. How would you describe your body shape? Knowing where you put on weight is ofter key to answering this.What shapes look best on you?
2. How has your wardrobe changed over the years. Are you stuck in a style rut? Are clothes just a functional necessity or do you get immense pleasure from every purchase?
3. What is your lifestyle right now. Has it changed recently? Does your wardrobe reflect thes changes or are you still buying the same type clothes.Make a list of the events you need clothes for (even stay at home)and see where the gaps are.

The answers you give to thes questions will be hugely insightful. Once you have done this you will begin to understand why you have made mistakes, but more importantly you need never again say 'help...I've nothing to wear'!

The more it cost the more you should be wearing it!

Ever notice how something you bought that cost hardly anything gets worn to death yet something you paid a fortune for is left hanging there because 'it's too good'?Let's get real girls we're in a recession and can't afford the luxuries of orphans in the wardrobe anymore. By this I mean clothes that are never taken out, some (shock, horror) may even have the tags still on them. Shame on you, me and every other woman guilty of this.The day is gone when we indulged just because we felt like it. It's time to think smarter and re work that wordrobe of yours.The average woman wears 20% of her clothes 80% of the time so at any given time there's a lot of dosh tied up in there.Then if you work out the cost per wear you may be very unpleasantly surprised. To do this divide the cost by the number of times you wore something. So that hugely expensive rig you bought for a wedding and wore only once has not been a good buy.Then again something you've got endless wear out of ends up 'costing nothing' because of the value you got.So take a good look into your wardrobe and see how often you wear the most expensive items there. Why are you not wearing them? Girls they will go out of date if left there so make the most of them now. Every day we get is a good day so nothing is too good for you to enjoy today. Start having fun reinventing what you have, get a few pals in , open a bottle of plonk and have a girlie dress up night. The main thing is have fun!