Looking good is big business for men these days which has been proven by rocketing sales of male grooming products over the recent years. First appearances at work are vitally important and what you wear says so much about you in an instant. So it’s really important that men as well as women look their best knowing that they are looking healthy and attractive in clothes that suit them and their colouring.
Men don’t have the resources that women do – the make up to camouflage bad or ageing skin. So in most cases it is even more important for men to get their colours right. This can be done easily with shirts and ties for work and t-shirts and jumpers for leisure wear.
I recently advised a male client to try buying a new suit in blue and not his habitual dark greys. Often men and women buy dark colours other than black thinking that they are being kinder to their complexions but a lot of these colours do in fact have black in them and this includes navy blue!
The blue suit worked a treat and the report came back incredibly positive. Apparently changing colours had people commenting on how my client looked “so well and years younger” a great result!
We all enjoyed a fabulous Book Launch Party on Saturday night, with all my dearest friends and family and special contributors to the Book, particularly Davina Mackail the Dream Whisperer! Janey Lee Grace sadly couldnt make it but her lovely pa Fiona was on great form. The cake was made by Andrea Davies who is truly a gifted baker and it provided a wonderful centre piece for all my books!
Thanks to everyone who attended and particularly to Sue Blake pr guru extraordinare who couldnt make the party and was badly missed.
Thanks finally to everyone who bought the book, it went to Amazons no 2 spot on the bestsellers Beauty and Fashion site which was fantastic.
O-Books have been great publishers and lets hope the book keeps selling all over the world and helps people everywhere to get into their true colours!
Well, todays the day that my book finally hits the shops! My wonderful PR agent Sue Blake has done a fantastic job not only in getting the book out there into the press, but in guiding me through the maze that is the media!
I have lots of articles appearing in magazines over the next few months and am also doing a live radio interview next week – more news later!
So for all of you out there wanting to know whether you can wear black now is the time to head off to your local Waterstones or WH Smith and find out!
How NOT to Wear Black is published by O-Books.
Last week I went to a Black tie event and all the men looked wonderfully “James Bond” handsome in all their compulsory black tie attire. However, what was surprising on the hottest day of the year was to see so many women also wearing black.
Eveningwear does not have to mean compulsory dark colours for women too! Why when there are so many amazing colours to choose from in the shops this season do women still opt for safe black?
Black tie events these days do not require long dresses although I think they look particularly beautiful when worn well in a good colour and shape that suits the individual. With maxi dresses all the rage they would have to be a top fashion choice. They also hide a multitude of issues for many women.
Black is predictable, and safe – it’s not summery or bright and it’s not interesting at this time of the year, its just boring!
If you must wear black this season then make sure you wear lots of fabulous jewellery up against your face or carry a coloured shawl to wrap around your shoulders. A coloured cardigan is also an option. A splash of colour will instantly brighten up the look.
I was on the train to London last week and was struck by how many women were wearing black to work and it was hot and sunny outside. How depressing!
Springtime is all about getting those lovely colours out of the wardrobe and bringing some sunshine into those styles. It appears that the British woman is either too scared of colour, not knowing what suits them or simply cant get out of the black habit.
There are so many ways to dress for business and work depending on the type of job. Being smart and taken seriously doesn’t have to mean black. There are lots of neutral shades that look great combined with brights or more muted colours. For instance there are many different shades of grey – the lighter ones best for pale skinned blondes and mid to dark greys look good on blue eyed ladies and darker complexions.
There are lots of variations of stone, beige and camel, especially good for warm skins and brown eyed ladies. The huge range of blues out there at the moment will suit most blue eyed and cool/warm complexions – there is a shade for everyone.
So come on ladies keep away from the black for summer and you will look and feel fresher, happier and healthier!
Who could fail to notice all the gorgeous bright colours worn at the Royal Wedding last Friday. The royal family in particular really stood out with the Duchess of Kent in her beautiful pink, and the Queen in stunning bright yellow. We all remember and talk about Tara PT in her electric blue ensemble and Mrs Clegg with her very traditionally spanish red rose fascinator and Samantha Cameron in her lovely green dress. So why would anyone want to wear head to toe black at a wedding? To look sombre and depressing! A wedding is a day of celebration and whilst a bit of black in the accessories or perhaps just a jacket is acceptable, it should really be relegated to the back of the church!
My published book arrived today three months early, which is just thrilling!
Still not available to purchase until july 27th from Amazon, but love the fact that I now have some in my sticky little hands.
It feels real now and I feel ready to go out there with the book and start spreading the word about how to wear black without ageing the face!
You will be able to buy the self help guide to find out for yourself whether you can wear black well up against the face, and what your true colours really are. Giving yourself a colour consultation is easy if you follow my simple guide.
If you want to find out more about when the book launches then sign up your name and email to the “book” page on my website.
The wonderful Janey Lee Grace, author, presenter and broadcaster has just launched her new website where she endorses all the products and people she seriously rates and calls it “Janey Loves” and I am lucky to be included in her categories!
Go to www.janeyleegrace.com and discover what Janey recommends, buy products on her online shop, join in competitions and find out what she has been up to recently and where you might get the chance to see her talk. Janey really knows her stuff and is always recommending fabulous products to all her readers that are natural and worth buying. With all the different varieties of so called “organic” and “eco” stuff out there sometimes its hard to know which are worth trying, and Janey has the expertise and the knowledge to promote the ones that really work and that she particularly “loves”.
The wonderful and incredibly talented Davina Mackail was on the Vanessa show recently talking about dreams, their meanings and how powerful their messages can be. Her book The Dream Whisperer is a fantastic tool for anyone interested in finding out more about what happens when we sleep and how to harness our dreams for positive use during our waking hours.
I am lucky enough to have Davinas contribution in my new book How Not to Wear Black, coming out in the Autumn. She has written a fabulous piece all about colour and how it has affected her since she found out what her true colours are, with black not being one of them.
I am pleased to say that Davina was wearing a lovely neutral beige coloured top on her recent tv appearance which enhanced her warm golden tan.
To sign up for news of the book launch so you can find out whether black suits you or not, go to the book page on my website.
In the Daily Mail today there was an article about how wardrobes bulge with clothes that are hardly ever worn and its totally true – women tend to wear only 15% of their wardrobes 85% of the time – so what happens to the rest?
Hasty purchases made in the sales are the worst culprits – I helped clear a ladies wardrobe a few weeks ago and took away 12 big bin liners of unwanted clothes – they didn’t fit, had been lazing in the back of the cupboard for 20 years some of them – and whilst the 70’s is due a big revival none of this stuff should have been seen in public!
We are definitely a nation of hoarders – too scared to throw anything away “in case” we might need it one day. My golden rule is if it hasn’t been worn for over 18 months and its not a “classic” item then get rid of it. Most women feel liberated and freed up to see exactly what they have that fits their body shape and suits their colouring. Once you have identified the gaps in your clothing that work for your lifestyle then you can plan purchase properly – that way ensuring you don’t make hasty bargain buys!
So, get cracking for the new year and clear out your wardrobe – if anyone wants any tips, then email me at jules@colourconsultancy.co.uk