Jeans with BBC Radio Manchester

My poor neglected blog, I must admit I kinda lost my blogging mojo.  Although I have written for other blogs and contributed to other businesses newsletters, I did abondon mine for a while.  There's only so many hours in the day and with running a business, raising a family and living life in general (with a massive family bereavement inbetween) the blog suffered.  So I have vowed to do better and perhaps put a different spin on things, make it more personal? What do you think?

So what have I been up to?  Recently I was asked back to appear as guest stylist on BBC Radio Manchester's Retail Therapy show.  Last time I was featured shopping for a busy business mum.  This time I was asked to talk about jeans.

Jeans are one of those items that people just hate to shop for.  I hear all the time about gaping waistbands, too short/long legs, muffin tops, big bums - you get the idea.

My challenge was to find flattering and stylish jeans that didn't have a designer price tag.  Easy peasy (for me)!
  Nearly all stores offer a couple of denim lines, some more flattering and better quality than others.  The key to buying denim is to go for the best quality you can afford, just the right amount of stretch and as always an understanding of your body shape a must - this way you can avoid any of the annoying, but common fit problems.  Jeans are a really important element of most of our wardrobes (a capsule item) and if you get a pair that fits and flatters and can be worn a variety of ways then that's a winner as far as I'm concerned.  

Here's some of the items I selected on the day.  My special shop is ideal for buying jeans, so if you would like help choosing the perfect pair click here for more details.

What is your favourite denim brand? Have you found your perfect jeans?

Can you click this for me please?

This is a shameless post requesting 2 minutes of your time.  I know it's a little cheeky, and in an ideal world I wouldn't have to ask, people would see the award and think oh yes Liz's blog deserves my click, but let's face it is that likely to happen?  Have you even seen this award if I hadn't stuck the big pink logo in your face?

So my thinking is, if you don't ask you don't get.  So i'm asking, please nominate me.

Thank you xx

Red and yellow and pink and green...

I was with a client yesterday and she asked me why I don't 'do colours' and after talking to her I thought it would be worth sharing my opinion on this here blog.

Before I go on though I want to make this clear that this is just my opinion, i'm certainly not attempting to  de-value what any other image consultant offers.  I can only talk about my experiences and feedback from my clients.

I have had my colours done and this is where my problem lies really.  I was told to wear yellow. YELLOW! Not only that I was told I should not wear black.  Now this wouldn't have been such an issue if I had been told this this season, however I was told it winter.   You see it's the fashion industry that dictates what colours are available on the high street and there I was in my lovely black coat and yellow was no-where to be found (thank goodness).

Secondly, I just don't suit yellow.  It's just not a colour I would wear.  Now I am quite confident wearing colour, but how would I of felt if I wasn't? Yellow actually doesn't suit me.  I realise that there are people offering sound advice where colour is concerned but I have heard a few stories similar to my experience.

A few of my clients have had their colours done and their wardrobes are such a drab place, they have not bought anything that hasn't been advised to buy, they are stuck in a colour rut.  The problem is they have been told that they can only wear a certain colour and boy have they bought into that advice.

I know from chatting to shop owners that people shop with their little swatches and if the item isn't the right shade of green or whatever their particular colour on their swatch they won't buy it - what a shame.  There must be people out there that love a certain colour but would never buy an item because they have been told they can't - well there's no such thing as can't (kinda).

Don't get me wrong I do talk about colour, of course it's a major part of our wardrobes and our shopping considerations, but it's not the only consideration.  Surely trying something on and seeing if it suits you or not can tell you whether it's right or not.  There's so many variations and shades to every colour I really believe that people can wear whatever colour they want, it's just about finding a way that's right for you.  If you have a black coat and it washes you out, then add a complementary scarf.  You love red but it doesn't suit, then like me wear red nail varnish.

Have you ever had your colours done?  What is your colour nemesis and how do you overcome it?

What will you be wearing this Spring Summer?

I know, I know, it's only February, we're all still shivering in our chunky knits, but time stops for no man and this is certainly true in the fashion industry.

Most of the sales have come to an end now and with that means the new season stock is filtering though. So what are we meant to be wearing Spring Summer 2012? I have given the low down on this seasons trends and where to find them on the high street, but don't forget, as Yves Saint Laurent said "fashion fades, style is eternal", so look for items that will stand the test of time, suit your body shape and your lifestyle and that can be worn a variety of ways (think capsule).

Prints

Rodarte

Beautiful bouquets and paisley prints were featured by many designers.  Florals were big and bright.  Go as bold as you dare.  If big prints are a step too far for you, incorporate this look with a scarf or try a bright T and team with a plain jacket to break up the print.

Warehouse £50

Whistles £75

The 20's

Gucci

Channel The Great Gatsby with ultra glam drop waist evening wear.  Love this look but don't like to show your arms? Try a fur (faux of course) wrap.  With a looser cut this style dress is great if you're conscious of a tum.

All Saints on sale £147

River Island at ASOS £45

Colours

Phillip Lim

Think sugary cup cake toppings.  Don't forget everyone can wear every colour, it's just finding the right way for you.  If pastels wash you out, wear it on your lower half, or accessorise with a pastel belt or bag.

Mint Velvet £79

Dune £75

In complete contrast to the sugary pastel shades, yellow is tipped to feature a lot, not a shade for everyone though, but who can resist a little sunshine in their wardrobe?

Oasis £45

Shapes

YSL

It's all about the waist, 50's full skirts, cropped tops and peplums.  Perfect for creating the hour glass body shape.

Lipsy £65

Sports Lux

Versus

The new season sportswear, isn't about chucking on your trackies and working up a sweat.  It's all about the details, exposed zips,mesh and shiny anoraks.

Warehouse £45

So what do you think you will be wearing this Spring Summer?  Will you be updating your look or wardrobe this year?

Re-use, re-new, re-coup your spend

My speciality is utilising what you own, mixing and matching to get more wear out of your items and showing you how to shop and dress for your body shape.

After a Wardrobe Wakeup and a Well Groomed Wardrobe experience, sometimes we are left with items that are just not right for the client. No accessory, alteration, embellishment or layering will make the item work. So what to do with things such as this? Why not re-coup some of the value and sell the item on?

I don't know about you, but whenever I try and sell bits on eBay, it takes me ages to photograph, list, package and go to the post office.  So much effort for little reward (mostly because I don't have the time to dedicate to it, thus not getting the best price).  Things hang around in the spare room for ages as it takes me so long to get round to listing it all.

So I am really pleased to offer a fantastic service to my clients through the brilliant Pink Spaghetti.

Pink Spaghetti, will list the item detailing all the specifics to get the best selling price (including measurements), they will photograph it from its best angles (they have even got a mannequin which helps display the item). They will then package it up and post it on to the lucky new owner.  Added to this if you have any items to sell, I will take them to Pink Spaghetti free of charge (usually £5 collection fee).

All they take for this brilliant service is a percentage of the selling price and out of this comes all the selling fees, PayPal and packaging and postage fees. Not only that they will keep you up to date with the progress of your sales and deal with any questions and queries .

• Selling price up to £19.99   50%
• Selling price from £20 - £100   35%
• Selling Price from £100 - £199   25%
• Selling price from £200   please ask for quote

To maximise the prices you get for your sales Pink Spaghetti have provided the following tips:

·         If able, list for 10 days and finish the listing early evening on a Sunday.  This maximises the time people will be able to bid on the item and Sunday evening is the most popular time for people to be buying on Ebay.

·         Compose the perfect title to ensure people see your item and making the item title searchable. When buyers search, eBay only automatically searches for words in the item's title, not the rest of the description, so every word counts. The maximum number of words/characters allowed in a title is 55. So include details like the brand, size and if new. 

·         Use the Ebay short names to describe the condition of the your items to maximise the amount you can include in the description e.g. BN is Brand New and BNIB Brand in Box.

·         Take a good picture to maximise the item.  When selling an item for a customer we always use more than one picture to show off any item at its best e.g. details on cuffs, a toy from a different angle. 

·         Think about seasonality.  Summer items will not sell in December and vice versa.  It is worth keeping hold of something and selling at the right time.

·         To protect yourself in case something goes wrong,  always get proof of postage.   

·         Finally don’t automatically use Ebay to sell everything.  We have found a number of specialist sites which are better for selling particular items.  Do your research first and look around at the place to get your best price.

Have you ever found a bargain on ebay? What's been your most successful ebay sale?

www.pink-spaghetti.co.uk

enquiries@pink-spaghetti.co.uk

0844 504 7465

Time for style?

With all the things we have to do, how much time do we spend considering what we are wearing?  As far as I'm concerned I want to go to my wardrobe grab something and go, however having a grab and go wardrobe doesn't have to mean a boring wardrobe.

It's all too easy to fall into a style rut, throwing on the same things in the morning because it's easy and we've got to get the kids to school or an early morning meeting or lecture.  But just because we have busy lives it doesn't have to mean we lose all sense of our own style.  
Being stylish also doesn't necessarily mean we have to spend hours selecting our outfits, or for that matter we don't have to throw away all our jeans. We just have to ensure everything we buy is right for us and our lifestyle and works hard for us.

• Shop efficiently and I don't mean combining clothes shopping with doing the family shop in your local supermarket.  I mean plan your purchases and ensure everything you buy can be worn a variety of ways. THIS IS KEY TO BEING ABLE TO 'THROW' SOMETHING ON.
•  It's important to feel good about yourself and often the way we look has a direct impact on the way we feel.  Just because your life is busy you must take time-out once in a while for a little pampering.
• Get organised, ensure you wardrobe is in some sort of order that works for you, make sure everything is within easy reach and that includes accessories.   Think about what you're going to wear the night before.
• Accessorise!  Yes, that's an order.  Black trousers and a white shirt = dull (or waitress) black trousers, colourful or patterned belt, chunky necklace or brightly coloured scarf and now we're talking an interesting stylish outfit.
• Tinted moisturiser, a sweep of bronzer, a lashing of mascara and a daub of lip gloss all can be applied in less than 10 minutes, but will make such a difference in the way you look and feel.

Do you have any time saving tips? What is your favourite throw on outfit?

BBC Radio Manchester - Retail Therapy Show

I was recently asked to appear as guest stylist on BBC Radio Manchester's Retail Therapy Show with Becky Want.  I was super excited to be asked to do it. The challenge was to conduct an almost live on air personal shop, meet someone in the morning, find out what they wanted, shop for it and then bring it back to 'base' and talk about all our selections.

So the challenge was on, I had just over an hour, a pretty specific brief and budget and the lovely Kirsty, my willing shopper to accompany me.

Kirsty's brief was pretty straight forward, she has 2 young children and a VERY busy life. She runs her own business (KJBS Financial and Office Systems), she's an active member of her children's PTA, is really involved in her local community and also co-runs a large successful networking group (Colony Networking).  She needs her clothes to work hard for her, to take her from school run to client meeting, to networking to meeting friends. Not only that, Kirsty really feels the cold and likes bright colours so this had to be taken into consideration too.

I had a look in mind for Kirsty, I wanted it to be classic but contemporary so not to age her, I wanted good foundation (capsule) pieces that could be mixed and matched and that she could add the colour to, and I wanted it to take her right through from school run to evenings with friends.  I also wanted her clothes to be durable, no hand washing or dry cleaning and no items that were going to take up her precious time to iron or look after.

First thing I wanted was a dress that would form the foundation to the look.  We selected a blue Oasis Shift Dress, this is quite a classic shape however the leather piping gives it the contemporary edge I was looking for. It is a stretchy polyester mix that will not crease during the day and can be layered a variety of ways to create different looks.

Next up came shoes, I wanted something with a heel, but not too high that they would be uncomfortable.    We chose a pair of ankle boots by Unisa, something that could be worn with different style dresses and also trousers.

From Zara we chose a gorgeous, fitted, wool blazer and a beautiful scarf that picked out all the colours from the selections.

From Zara I also selected this dress, a bargain at £35.99, again this is a versatile dress that can be worn alone with simple opaques or can be belted to add a bit of interest.

We also bought a black pencil skirt a black and white ponti top and a blue chiffon shirt.  We thought on the day that we had spent around £600 pounds (trying to add up under pressure) but it was closer to £450.  This equates to around £35 per complete outfit when you work out all the different combinations you could make.

It was a great experience and I really enjoyed shopping with Kirsty.  I have attached the clip if you fancy having a listen.  Let me know what you think.