What's In for Spring Summer 2012 

 

There is a myriad of colour, texture, pattern and style about to hit the high street giving an uplifting feeling of sunshine, hot holidays, summer weddings and everything else we associate with good times. How refreshing after the bleakness of the winter - with all its recession ridden connotations. 

 

The secret with fashion is to identify the looks that appeal to you and fit in with your style and how you live your life. Then you need to take that aspect of fashion and use it to complement your existing wardrobe - pepper in key items chosen with care and consideration to give you a current look. So which will you be choosing this Summer? 

 

Trends: 

African Spirit - Personally my favourite as it brings together pattern, texture and fabulous colours. Raffia and leather weaves sit comfortably with kente and kitenge prints. Mostly warm in tone - think terracotta clashed with purple, saffron with red - this is great for olive skins or anyone who can wear yellow undertones. 

 

Sporty Style - with the Olympics around the corner, no wonder we have this theme which is great for gamine types who always do the sporty look with style. No trakky bottoms and hoody for this lot - think neoprene bodycon skirts with parkas, bomber jackets with drawstring pants. 

 

All White - Great for a classic look, head to toe white can look chic and understated with simple symmetrical cuts. Beware those with warm skins - white can drain the complexion - better to go for winter white or light cream. 

 

Metallics - shiny fabrics of bronze, silver and gold can add a splash of contemporary style to any outfit. Mix with other matte fabrics so as not to look too glitz (for the very young only). 

 

Shape Changers - Both the drop waist and peplums were in abundance on the catwalk and both equally can create flattering shapes. Use the drop waist to bypass any tummy bulge and peplums to make the hips wider making the waist look smaller. 

 

Mannish - Again, if you are straight or androgynous in your look, then this trend is perfect for you. Boxy jackets with cigarette pants, hipster trousers with slouchy shirts cover any inkling of a waistline - great if you have slim hips. 

 

Prints - the print clash look - as it says, a chocolate box mix of allsorts, is best left to the high fashion youngsters. But other florals can be worn effectively to demonstrate a more romantic personality, even if just worn in a scarf or other accessory. 

 

The Power Suit - in either brights or pastels, slim cut or loose - take your pick, but make sure it follows the silhouette of your body, otherwise it'll make you look a couple of dress sizes bigger than you are. 

 

3-D fabrics - lace, feathers applique, quilting and 1960's silk crepe - all very feminine, very pretty. Again, a steal for the romantics out there - enjoy the moment.  

 

For help in identifying the trends that will work for you and for advice on how to create a capsule wardrobe for the spring/summer season, please contact me directly. 

Lipo- Light - What is it and does it work? 

 

I had a reality check a few weeks ago when, having been invited to a black tie event, I went to my wardrobe to find my ball dress and check that it was clean and ready for its next airing. Now this dress has been hanging in my wardrobe for about 4 years since I last wore it and I do remember it being snug at the time, but nothing that an evening of breathing in and holding in the tummy muscles for 6 hours couldn't sort. However, when I tried it on - you've guessed it - it didn't fit. At all. The zip didn't do up past the middle of my back. How had this happened? 

 

I have been kidding myself also with regards to a couple of pair of smart trousers which, if I followed my own advice of never wearing anything too tight (it just is not flattering at my age and certainly doesn't make you look any thinner) I should have consigned them to the charity shop pile in my last wardrobe clearout. But this can be a tough call and there is always the nagging thought ... I might just lose that weight and be able to wear them comfortably again. 

 

Now, I am quite petite and a great believer in regular excercise and healthy diet. I don't believe in miracle cures and treatments and have never been one to spend money on weight loss or toning gimmicks. So I was intrigued when I won 3 sessions of Lipo-Light - a body sculpting treatment that works by triggering the lipolysis in fat cells which causes fatty acids to be broken down and released. It also claims to strengthen the collagen and elastin fibres to tone and tighten your skin. It claims to work for those who have done everything to lose the fat bulges that just won't budge. It's non surgical, pain free and quick. 

 

Well, that all sounds too good to be true so I went to my first session sceptical but with an open mind. Sarah, my therapist, runs a gym in Newport Pagnell with her husband Phil. Sarah measured around top, middle and lower tummy and then placed 4 pads around my middle and 2 extra pads on lymph nodes. I then lay back and relaxed for 1/2 hour while the pads got to work. 

 

The results on paper were impressive - immediately I had lost 3.5 cms from the top, 2.5cms from my middle and 2.5cms from the lower part of my stomach - a total of 8.5cms. The lost fat from my stomach had apparently entered my system and I now needed to do half on hour of aerobic exercise to burn it off. 

The second session, two days later, saw a total loss of 3.5cms over the three areas and again I completed a half hour aerobic exercise to ensure the fat didn't re-settle .  

 

I still have one more session to go, but I have to admit that I am pleasantly surprised by the disappearance of what my teenage daughter so lovingly refers to as my 'food baby'. My stomach is noticably flatter and the trousers do up without a huge intake of breath and a reorganisation of stomach muscles. I will finish this blog after the third session, but in the meantime if you want to know more about this proceedure contact Sarah at milton-keynes@energieffw-club.com. 

 

I am interested to know if the fat will stay off - so I will report back in 3 months, but for the moment am relishing a flatter tummy and clothes that feel less tight. Watch this space for the final appraisal! 

 

 

 

 

January Blog 

 

 

I often say to my clients that when we dress we have a natural inbuilt antennae that alerts us to whether something suits us or not. When you look in the mirror you will be aware that an outfit looks ‘right’ or not, but sometimes it is difficult to understand why it is working – or not – as the case may be. What is the science behind dressing well? 

 

The Great Masters pondered this question over the centuries in their portrayal of the body form. What scientists have discovered is that our attraction to another person increases if the body is symmetrical and in proportion. A face that has near perfect symmetry and certain proportions is more likely to be considered beautiful and we will find ourselves drawn to that face. 

 

Scientists also believe that we perceive proportional bodies to be more healthy. 

Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings of the human body emphasised its proportion. The perfectly proportioned body has a ratio of 2:3 – so that the measurement of foot to navel is 3 lengths and the measurement of navel to head is 2 lengths. This ratio is called the Golden Mean and is crucial in dressing as it is more pleasing to the eye. 

 

 

The Golden Ratio (1:1.6, 2:3 or 3:5) is based on Fibonacci numbers, where every number in the sequence is the sum of the previous 2 numbers. The Fibonacci numbers, discovered by a mathmetician and philosopher in the 12th century, lead to the golden ration of 1:1.168. This happens because the sequence of numbers is 1,1,2,3,5,8,13……and so on. The Golden Ratio is formed when the larger of the two consecutive numbers is divided by the smaller giving the number of approximately 1.6. 

 

Many things in nature and art are formed in the ratio of 1:1.6 and it is believed that shapes which are pleasing to the eye are formed in this ratio. For example, the length of the finger tip to elbow: wrist to elbow equals 1:1.6. The shoulder line to top of head: navel to top of head equals 1:1.6. And more incredibly the total width of the two front teeth:height of tooth equals 1:1.6. There are many, many more examples of where this ratio appears in nature: some even call it God’s Fingerprint. 

 

So, no more of the maths! What we need to understand is how this affects the proportions in your clothing. The perfect body without clothing has the 3:5 Golden Mean ratio between top of body (3 lengths) and bottom of body (5 lengths). The perfect body is what we innately consider beautiful – because it follows nature’s pattern. Very few of us have a perfectly proportioned body, so we need to learn how to dress it to create these perfect proportions. 

 

Generally, clothes fall into 3 categories: dresses, tops, skirts and trousers. We need to create the 2:3 or 3:5 relationship in order to have balance in the outfit. If you balance the top of your body with the bottom of your body using the golden mean ratio you will have a well balanced outfit that is pleasing to the eye. 

 

If you would like a visual explanation of the Golden Mean please view the following video. 

 

And if you’d like more help in creating the Golden Mean in your dress then contact me for a consultation. 

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