PS

I know everyone tells me it's been a mild winter BUT I feel the cold and my winter coat has definitely been in use! I bought it several years ago but wasn't happy with the fit and shape. So I took it in to Debbie the tailor (Garment Alteration Salon, Piccadilly Arcade, Tauranga ph 07 578 6662) and she worked a small miracle. It fits beautifully, is more appropriate to my scale and cost vastly less than a new coat!!

More silk scarves from Cambodia have arrived so I have a fab range available. Just ring me to arrange a time to call in to view & buy.

This September I’m celebrating six years of Personal Style workshops! The first ever small group workshop was held in September 2005. There have been a few changes to the content since then, and I still love empowering women to look their best.

Enjoy the warmer (and longer) days as we head into Summer.

M

Getting Married

Maybe it's you or someone close to you. Isn't there a lot of planning involved?!

For me, it's my sister who's getting married.... Alison is my younger sister who is taller (she's my big Little Sister, and I'm her little Big Sister).

We started talking about what to wear months ago! She's a Winter (like me) but her style personality is very different: Natural (major) with Expressive (minor).

We had a good look around the Tauranga shops in January when Alison visited (she lives in Auckland). As we walked and talked we narrowed down what she did and didn't want.

Naturals like to feel comfortable in their clothes, they're more informal even when dressed up, and rather practical. Alison rarely wears dresses and she wanted to feel really at ease on her special day. We agreed that a lovely jacket and trousers would fit the bill, and could be worn again together or separately on other occasions.

Meanwhile Alison located a highly recommended dressmaker with whom she could work, who happened to have a background in style consulting (very handy). Together they created a design that was appropriate for the Dressy occasion and flattering to Alison.

In March we went shopping for fabric and found the perfect choice for the jacket; a gorgeous light brocade mostly greys and silver with daubs of black and an all-over geometric pattern. The trousers are silvery grey with a soft sheen and beautiful drape.

The months in between have been filled with organising everything plus fittings to ensure the outfit is perfectly tailored.

Silver jewellery & peep-toe sling-backs .... I can't wait to see it all come together!

What am I wearing? Oh yes, I'm glad you asked. My daughter Cherie gave me some gorgeous silk from Cambodia. It's a bright pink-red and I had it made up into a coat-dress, with black accessories. The wedding is in a church, so quite formal, followed by an afternoon tea/reception in the adjacent hall.

Photos will be on my Facebook business page soon - www.facebook.com/personalstylenz

Colour Terminology

as explained in a Personal Style workshop. Nb other colour models are used eg in printing, dyeing (subtractive) - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow. In lighting (additive) - Red, Green, Blue.

Primary: Red, Blue, Yellow

Secondary: (mix 2 primary colours) Purple, Green, Orange

Tertiary: (mix a primary & a secondary colour) peach, melon, lime, turquoise, periwinkle. magenta nb names vary

The following terms are often used in home decorating.

Achromatic: white, greys & black

Monochromatic: one colour, with variations of texture and value (light to dark)

Analogous: uses a primary colour and neighbouring tertiary colour eg yellow, yellow-green (lime) and yellow-orange (melon)

Complementary: uses colours which are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel eg red and green or purple and yellow. Complementary colours intensify each other so it’s best if one colour dominates and the other accessorises.

Split Complementary: uses a colour in combination with two colours directly opposite it on the colour wheel eg red with yellow-green (lime) and blue-green (turquoise)

Triadic: uses three colours that are equidistant on the colour wheel eg orange, green, purple. One colour tends to be used as the dominant colour and the other two as accents.

Colour Blocking

is a very popular trend ie wearing two or three blocks of colour at one time, usually very bright complementary hues (see Colour Terminology item)

Classic’s won’t feel comfortable with this so try wearing your favourite neutral and one colour, then add another colour in an accessory.

Expressive’s will be thrilled, just remember to be careful as colour blocks can very easily make you look shorter and wider.

Avoid wearing lighter or brighter colours on an area you prefer to camouflage, and remember a horizontal line adds width at that point. Understand your shape, use flattering lines to work it. If you’re a Triangle opt for darker colours on your bottom half. If you are a Rectangle, avoid horizontal blocks across the tummy. Minimise a large bust with a darker shade on top, do the opposite for a small bust. You need to be a tall Hourglass shape when colour blocking cuts you in half ie right on the waistline.

Remember to wear your best colours near your face. Winters & Springs wear Brights, Summers & Autumns wear Muted versions. One of the popular combinations is cobalt blue and orange ie a Cool and a Warm together. How can you make that work?

Either get the right colour near your face:

Winters: wear a bright cobalt blue nearest your face (and the bright orange away from it).

Summers: choose a greyed blue for near your face (a muted orange for away from it).

Springs: wear the bright orange near your face (the cobalt blue away from it).

Autumns: choose a burnt orange or a muted warm blue to wear near your face

Alternatively, substitute the ‘wrong’ hue for another fashion colour which is in your palette:

Winters: bright cobalt blue with shocking pink or raspberry red

Summers: smokey blue with muted pink or a soft berry tone

Springs: bright mandarin orange with warm aqua

Autumns: burnt orange with warm muted teal or blue

Spring Fashion Advice

Isn't it a wonderful time of year? I love looking at all the new clothes and styles in the shops, reading the fashion magazines, and updating my wish list (oh dear, it's getting rather long!)

Let's start with COLOUR. Thankfully there's a lot of choice and whichever Season you are, you'll find something in your range.

You’ll see lots of brights - best for Winters and Springs - in cool AND warm colours. There are oranges, blues, greens, reds, and corals. Keep hunting and there are some wonderful muted tones - for Summers and Autumns.

Springs: Fashion is in love with your light brights; a vast range of oranges from apricots to corals and brightest mandarin. Some lovely aquas, teals, light greens and chartreuse. Snap up your neutrals in creams, sand, tans and browns.

Autumns: I know it’s often hard to find your palette, so you’ll be thrilled with the choice. Try to avoid the Spring tints and zoom in on your deep rich shades. Gorgeous colours: burnt oranges, paprika, brick reds, mustards, golds, olives, and fantastic neutrals: khakis, creams and browns.

Summers: Plenty of your delightful smokey blues, reds, pinks and teals. White is a big hit for the warm weather, a lovely albeit impractical look. Navy and grey continue to be available (hurray! you don’t have to make do with black).

Winters: Heaps of bright pinks, raspberry reds, cobalt blues, turquoises, and teals. Black (of course!), greys, some navy, and stacks of white.

LACE is everywhere but now it’s heavier, more antique-style, plus crochet and macrame are coming through. Tassels seem to be on everything!

SHEER lots of see-through looks: lace & crochet dresses (choose your slip or underwear wisely), floaty chiffons and voiles in tops, skirts and dresses (all lengths).

LADY-LIKE elegant blouses with billowing sleeves and bows at the neck, full skirts and dresses to the knee or mid-calf.

ORIENTAL kimono-like sleeves, obi-like sashes, origami-like pleats and folds, very sculptural.

TROUSERS - wide legs and flares are back in (Curvy's rejoice they’re much more flattering to your shape) but narrow-legs and leggings haven’t disappeared there’s just more choice in styles.

ACCESSORIES are bigger and bolder. Big bangles and cuffs. Necklaces are real statement pieces. Ladies, please mind your scale: a Petite’s big is smaller than a Grande’s. An Expressive will delight in a larger piece than a Romantic.

Oh, and don’t discard accessories; they may be currently out of fashion, but they’ll come back! (I threw out my narrow belt a couple of years ago - duh!)

About 70-80% of your clothes can be basics (essentials) so only 20-30% needs to be in vogue. Most of us don’t have to buy an entire new wardrobe, just mix and match what we have with a few new purchases.