It's all an illusion!

Have you ever noticed how some clothes make you look fat while others do the opposite and people might even ask you if you've lost weight? It really IS all an illusion ladies.
You know in recession times everybody seems to be worried about what to-morrow will bring so it’s important when you are buying that you know what suits your shape. There is no room for mistakes in the current climate!
It is vital that you work with your body and recognise your body shape and proportions. Consider your current wardrobe...are you wearing all your clothes or just some old tried and tested favourites? If you are like most women, with a mixture of successes and disasters in your wardrobe, you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. It would be ideal to be able to go to your wardrobe and be able to just grab an outfit and know it will look good and feel comfortable. It is all about knowing what colours complement your colouring and learning which styles complement your body.
There are numerous body shapes to take under consideration. I’ve highlighted the main ones.
It is a good idea to stand naked in front of a full-length mirror and see what your good and bad points are. Then it is all about camouflaging what you don’t like and emphasising what you do like about yourself .If you are petite it is advisable to wear the same block colour. Also short or cropped jackets with trousers give the illusion of longer legs.
Long jackets with long skirts are only really for people over 5’7” and those with long legs. This style jacket lengthens the torso and really suits the taller person. If you are petite avoid this style as it will only take over, stick to the short-style jacket. If you are short and have a full figure and are inclined to be a bit hippy then the jacket to the hips will suit you best.
I will return to this topic soon again with lots of tips and hints on what to wear.

Why shape glasses should I wear?

What Eyeglass frames are good for me?

Now that Spring is coming (fingers crossed) it’s time to get the sunnies out or buy some new ones. There are some cool designs and colours but have you ever thought about the shape that suits you ?
For many of us the most important aspect of choosing eyeglass frames is how they look on our face. However if you took the time to narrow down the selection beforehand then you could save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
The guidelines for this are as follows:

• The frame shape should contrast with your face shape.
• The frame shape should be in scale with your face size.
• Eyewear should enhance your colouring.

While our faces tend to be a combination of shapes and angles there are some basic face shapes. These are, Round, Oblong, diamond, square, and oval shaped.

Round:
A round face is usually the same length as width with no angles. To make the face appear longer and thinner try angular frames to lengthen the face and frames that are wider than they are deep.

Oval:
Often considered the ideal shape because of it’s balanced proportions. To keep the balance look for frames that are as wide as the widest part of the face.

Oblong:
The oblong face is longer than it is wide. To make it appear more balanced draw attention to the top part of the frames.

Diamond:
Diamond shapes are narrow at the eye line and jawline, cheekbones are often high and dramatic. This is the rarest face shape. To highlight the eyes and emphasise the cheekbones try frames that have detailing, like distinctive brow lines or go for rimless frames.

Square:
A square face has a strong jawline and a broad forehead, plus the width and length are in the same proportions. To make the square face look longer and soften the angles try narrow frames that have more width than depth

Lastly… only wear your sunglasses outside, far too affected to keep them on indoors, also wearing them on your head is not good for the frames.

Warm regards
maggie

Is looking good sometimes ok for you?...read on.....

Help! I want a whole new look!!

Can you learn to look elegant? Some women seem to be born that way. Put them in the proverbial black sack and they’d still look perfectly groomed. Think Audrey Hepburn, gorgeous!
Are you one of these or does it take huge amounts of time and effort to look half decent? Do you start your day looking pretty stylish but by evening your make up has worn off and your clothes are crumpled and stained? The minute I put on something white or cream then I can guarantee that I will spill something on it before the day is out.
While you may never achieve the Hepburn look you most certainly can achieve something authentically yours. The key to looking stylish is consistency, no point in appearing like a fashion plate one day and a dogs dinner the next. You need to pay attention to detail at all times.
To get you started I recommend keeping a Style Journal, make a note of what you are wearing each day, how you accessorise, what shoes you are wearing, and where you wore it. Be aware of the responses you get, compliments etc. Have people commented on the colour? Asked perhaps if you lost weight? Note how you felt wearing it, was it comfortable, any gaping bits? Were the shoes comfortable? As the day went on did you feel as good as you did that morning? This may all seem a bit tedious at first but believe me it’s well worth the bit of effort.

How does ‘Stylish’ look?
Have you ever seen a truly stylish lady dripping with brand names? I don’t think so, she has no need to, she’s self confident and knows her body well enough to drape it in clothes that she feels wonderful in. She wears her clothes with confidence. Her style is timeless, not for her the fickle vagaries of ‘must have’ trends.

Know your body.
Whether she’s size 10 or size 20 the truly stylish woman dresses to suit her particular shape, she dresses for the body she has now not the one she had 20 years ago. She will only ever buy clothes that flatter her shape. Not for her the shapeless sacks that most women who are over size 16 think does them huge favours. She discovered long ago that drawing attention to your good parts and taking attention away from the not so good ones works far better. Sure sizing is so off the wall nowadays you could be a 12 in one shop and a 16 in the next. Fit matters!

Study different price ranges.
Go to different stores and feel fabrics, study line, stitching, and see if you can tell the difference between well made and cheap. Not always terribly obvious. We mistakenly believe that because we pay a fortune for something it must be well made. Not necessarily so, same goes for something that cost very little, it doesn’t always follow that it’s rubbish. Do your research before you purchase.

Getting started
Here are a few tips to get you started on your journey:

*Treat yourself to a new hairdo: This really is one of the best things to revamp your image. Make sure you discuss it with your hairdresser though, don’t go when he/she is too busy, and get something that’s easy to manage.

*Sort out your make up: Are you stuck in a time warp, using the same old stuff for years. Time to get rid girl and take yourself into one of the department stores for some good advice. There’s loads of fab stuff to be had. Get yourself a free facial and ask the make up artist about the products she’s using.

Accessorise: The stylish woman know the secret of accessorizing, a necklace, earrings, scarf, bangles, any of these will enhance an outfit, just don’t overdo it. Look through magazines and pull out looks you love. It may be a colour here, a shape there, or even a luxurious scarf. Start a Style Board for yourself and study it to see what it’s telling you. If you were getting a new kitchen you’d be buying every magazine you could get your hands on, and going to showrooms until you were perfectly satisfied with the choice you were making. From now on think of yourself as your new project. Now you surely deserve more time and care that an old kitchen??
Have fun

Yours in Style
Maggie

Tame those wobbles!

Dealing with your Jiggly Bits
New year, new resolutions! Yes it’s January again and here I go again with promises to myself that I will definitely give up desserts, (and chocolate and ice cream). This happens every year. Call it post Christmas guilt or even just a sense of live healthier, live longer! Whatever, the older I get the more all the junk settles in a nice bulge of fat around my middle that just refuses to budge.
The wardrobe has been de cluttered, I know my shape, gravity has taken a grip and I take a long hard look at myself. I’d love to think the mirror lied sometimes (could it be bad light)? But sadly what’s staring back at me is not a pretty sight. Rolls of wobbly fat…aaargghh!
Time to tame the jiggly bits! There are all sorts of body shapers on the market today from the ‘magic knickers’ to a far more comfortable all in one shaper. You need to shop around but you can get anything you want whether It’s something for thighs, bottom or tummy. I always recommend Dunnes or Penneys if this is virgin territory for you. After all why waste €70 -€80 on something you find so uncomfortable you will never wear it again. You will pick something that does the job very effectively in Dunnes/Penneys for less than €15. In fact the shapewear tights with the control panel are pretty fantastic if you want to get a great silouhette.
Does anyone out there remember the famous ‘roll on’? If you’re a certain age as they say then you will most likely have worn one. I did, and I think that’s why my particular generation has such loathing for these ‘sucky ins’! Rest assured ladies the underwear today is nothing like what it was 30 years ago. No self respecting lady should have an undies drawer without at least one figure shaping piece of engineering.
Can I tell you though unless you wear the right foundation garments you will never look your best. When were you last fitted for a bra? This is so fundamental yet most of us are still wearing the same size we started out with a hundred years ago. Boobs change with age, childbirth, and for myriad reasons so go to your nearest department store and ask to be fitted . You will be amazed at the difference it makes. Even tightening your bra straps can have an instant slimming effect as it visually lengthens the torso as well as emphasising the waist.
To hide a full stomach you need shapewear that comes right up to your ribcage. People keep telling me they roll down which can be very uncomfortable and of course defeats the purpose, what I always recommend is stitching it to your bra and hey presto you have an all in one! Trouble is what to do when you need the loo? Easy peasy, I just cut a hole in them, not very elegant, but sure who sees them anyway and it works! Trust me.
If you can create a ‘V’ shape at your neckline this will give the illusion of a long slim neck. In fact vertical lines will always help make you look slimmer. Also remember to hide the bits you don’t like. Draw lots of attention to the bits you’re happy with. Thing is, do you know what you’re happy with? Think about it and you go girl!

Sales savvy!

Savvy sales
shopping

We’re all guilty of buying clothes that we will
never wear just because the price tag is attractive.

The blitz is on, ladies, and it’s your
chance to grab some bargains now that
the the sales season is upon us. But think
carefully before you lose the run of yourself and
buy the wrong styles just because ‘they are such
a bargain’.

I adore shopping. I could shop for Ireland.
The minute the sales start I’m out there. However
I’ve made so many mistakes over the years and
collected so many ‘orphans’ (clothes that went
with nothing else) that I really had to rethink my
strategy and learn to shop smarter. After all who
needs more wardrobe clutter?

So before you whip yourself into a shopping
frenzy and start burning up the bit of plastic
here are a few tips:

1. Look at what you have in your wardrobe.
Only buy something that will fit in with your
existing clothes, in fact as a general rule I suggest
you only ever buy something that will go with
three items you already have.

2. When trying on clothes make sure they fit
perfectly, if you’re tugging and pulling at them
to make them sit right or fit more comfortably
then put them back on the hangar and leave
them there. They will not fit you any better
when you get home.

3. Does the colour suit you? Be aware that some
colours might look great under artificial lighting
but could end up making you look drained in
natural light.

4. Ask yourself if you need it? How many more
pairs of black trousers or white shirts do you
need? Work out your plan before you go shopping.
A bargain is only a bargain if you need it
and will wear it.

5. What about the fabric? Can you wash it or is
it dry clean only. If you have to bring it to the
cleaners after every wear then it’s false economy.

6. Can you really afford it? By this I mean will
you be paying cash for it or will you just be adding
more on to the credit card. Is it worth that?
If the only reason you are buying something is that it’s drastically
reduced then I suggest leaving it there.


Always examine something before you purchase
and ask yourself if you would be prepared
to pay the full price for it. If not, why? Are you
only buying for the label? You know you can’t
wear the label on the outside of your clothes so
unless it makes you look good and feel great,
then desist. Only buy it if you really love it!

If you’re unsure about something take time
to think about it - if it’s the last item in your size
ask the shop if they will hold it for you while you
decide. If you find yourself thinking about it a
lot then it’s probably a good buy.

Because she’s worth it

I’m constantly learning from my clients. One
young lady I met last week told me she prefers
to save for something that excites her rather than
endlessly purchasing ‘it’s ok’ items. She showed
me a tiny Valentino bag that was to die for. She
had watched it for ages and delayed the gratification
until she had saved the €1,000 to afford it.
Yes, girls, you’re reading it right - €1,000.

In a million years I could never justify that
kind of spending but then again if I added up
all my bargain and impulse buys they would
amount to a sizable sum that would have let me
afford an exclusive coat, handbag, etc.

But she has a point. I once tried on a pair
of shoes that made me feel absolutely wonderful
but on checking the price I nearly choked!
They were €400, so I walked away, unsatisfied.
How could I possibly justify spending €400 on
one pair of shoes?

Old habits die hard!

Later on the same day I totally compromised
myself by buying two pairs of ‘nice’ shoes for €80
each. If you find yourself in a similar situation -
trying to decide between something that makes
you feel fantastic and something that makes you
feel ‘nice’ - ask yourself which item you will get
more wear out of.

The lady is a vamp

Before I finish I thought I should mention a
fantastic workshop we had recently where we
ran a session on ideas for revamping your existing
wardrobe. We had clothes that were dyed,
shoes that were dyed, clothes with new buttons
added, nets added to skirts, corsages stitched on
tops, and hundreds of ideas were shared on how
to layer, and wear clothes differently. We even
ended up with a little sale when people bought
other people’s mistakes. After all one man’s meat
is another man’s poison. A great day was had by
all. I will look at some of these revamping ideas
over the coming months.

Toxic wardrobe syndrome!

Are you suffering with toxic wardrobe syndrome?
Do you hate even going there because you know in your heart of hearts you will end up pulling out the same old clothes time and time again!
Is everything squashed together, a total mess – clothes everywhere, no system and you can’t find anything.
There’s nothing in it you feel like wearing.
It’s full of one offs, you know the type of thing that goes with nothing else, I call them my ‘orphans’!
You have a mish mash of different shapes and sizes.
You have every colour under the rainbow.
Well New year, new resolutions and all that, so why don’t you get cracking on your wardrobe and sort it once and for all so that every time you go there you will be filled with happiness.
I know right now you can’t imagine this scenario, but bear with me and soon it will be restored to a haven of fabulousness.
Why tolerate this toxic wardrobe anymore? Our Style evenings will help you to banish this evil once and for all. . We will teach you techniques for tackling this chronic issue. Every step you take brings you one step closer to creating a practical working wardrobe you love. This in turn will save you time, money and make getting dressed a whole lot more pleasurable. Time to de junk your life girls, and now is the perfect time to start.