X Factor 20th Nov 2010

Dannii wins again in the style stakes. I love the simplicity of her chocolate satin dress, her pared-down makeup & her elegant up-do. "Totally on the money" as Simon would say. Throughout this whole series she has trumped Cheryl, whose styling has ranged from Quality Street girl, Minnie Mouse Hairdo (last week) & her penchant for those awful shoe boots which do nothing to lengthen her tiny legs. I know Dannii is much older but Cheryl's style is so Barbie-fake now and I really detest her plum-red hair. Less is more, love.

Not sure what Cheryl was doing dressing her girls, Cher, in what looked like a bed sheet tied around the middle and Katie, with her newly-shorn hair, looking like Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby - not great choices. Rebecca, was as always, oozing class from every pore, in a stunning scarlet trouser suit with palazzo pants and her trademark hair scraped back but TBH this girl would look good in a bin liner.

Dannii got Matt's look wrong tonight as I'm not a fan of the builder, wearing-a-vest in public look.

My biggest bugbear apart from Wagner (why do the Brits love an underdog? And Widdy is with us for awhile longer too!), is the incredibly irritating audience whose constant cheering makes it impossible for both the contestants and judges to hear the comments. Simon, it's your show - shut them up and let Dermot do his job!

Strictly - who wore what. 20th Nov 2010

Well - if I don't start with Ann, it will be a bit like the elephant in the room (if you pardon the pun). What on heavens name was she wearing tonight? She looked like BIG Bird from Sesame Street & seeing her yellow footless tight AND yellow knickers was all too much to bare (!). When Ann started Strictly she was adamant that she wouldn't show any flesh and for this I am grateful, BUT, her necklines are way too high for such a bosomy woman. I also am astounded that she has not been advised to wear a decent bra (not only for training) but as the bras are built into their costumes, her bosoms are still terribly low-slung. Although Apple-shaped, Ann has delicate wrists and ankles and only takes a size 3 shoe, so it would have made sense to have enhanced these features. Her dresses have all been terribly "boxy" and an empire-line dress would have been much more suitable and I fear that Su Judd and her wonderful dress designers on the show, weren't given much choice!

Tess's outfit wasn't terribly flattering and even my fashion-conscious teenage son remarked that her jumpsuit looked like "jack-ups". Trust me, this is not a compliment! Just because an item is fashionable, it doesn't mean it's flattering. IMO Jumpsuits look best on small children.

Patsy's dress was very boudoir-inspired, blush pink with black lace corset, with a mullet-style skirt, short at the front and longer at the back. Gorgeous and very showgirl.

Katja's dress was simply divine and I loved the simplicity of the stark white with the black embellishments.

But as for the standard of dance, well let's just say Blackpool did Vegas proud & MY favourites were Matt, Pamela and Kara.

Kate Middleton - The Royal Frock.

Ever since the Royal Engagement was announced yesterday, speculation has been rife as to who will have the honour of designing Kate's dress. I would very much hope that it would be a British designer & in light of the current economic situation, it would be politic to do so. It would give a much needed shot in the arm for the British Fashion industry. Kate is an absolute clothes horse and whatever she wears, she will look spectacular. One thing is for sure though, she will very much have a say in what she wears and unlike the late Princess Diana's dress, there won't be a meringue in sight! All terribly exciting stuff....

Personal Shopping trips Autumn 2010

It's been a while since I've blogged - naughty me! Lots to comment on but firstly an update on Altered Image: Have had numerous Personal Shopping trips latterly but yesterday was with one of my favourite (& most long standing) clients, Gabby. The brief was to get her out of trousers and into dresses. There are a plethora of fab frocks out there, notably two found in Phase 8 which are patterned and the other two at Hobbs, which were plain. Wrap dresses suit most women unless incredibly flat-chested but suit curvy women to a tee. Showed her that dresses are actually easier than trousers (which, in themselves, are tricky to find a decent-fitting pair) & all dresses need to be worn with, are boots. If you have larger calves, Gabor do different size widths to fit small, medium and large calves - GENIUS!! Patent is huge this season but if this is a bit scary, then go for black or brown leather with a rounded toe. We also managed to come in way under budget which delighted Gabby no end and I got treated to lunch! Gabby's brief was to look a little less severe and corporate and more feminine at work but going for boots without a heel, kept the look professional. So go on, try a wrap dress - you will never want to wear trousers again!

Hollywood - older women rock!!!

I am LOVING Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis wearing identical teal dresses for their premiere of "You Again". These older women are rocking this sexy look and neither woman looks like she has had obvious work done. Jamie has let her gamine-style hair go grey and with her still-fabulous bone structure, she's never looked better. A few years ago, she was brave and honest to come clean over work she'd had done and how hard she'd had to work to get that "Perfect" body. She's refused botox and looks like the beautiful woman she really is. Sigourney Weaver is like a fine wine and gets better looking with age. She is able to frown - (horror of horrors) for a woman in her prime. Many women in the movie industry should take a leaf out these womens' beauty book & not go down the vacuous, smooth, identikit, lollipop head look because it's not attractive and sends out a negative image to women the world over. The women that most normal women admire are Helen Mirren, Dame Judi, Meryl Streep; women whose talent is noticed first but they are still stunning women who have not "sold out".

Wardrobe Management session - special offer!

SPECIAL OFFER!

To help you get the most out of your wardrobe for A/W 2010, this month I'm offering a WARDROBE MANAGEMENT session. We start with colour analysis & then I'll demonstrate how to jazz up the plethora of dark clothing in your wardrobe, and also how to accessorise from as little as £10. Learning to mix and match sounds like a cliché but after this session, I promise that getting dressed will be an absolute pleasure! The cost is just £75 for 2 hours. Valid till the end of October.

To book your session, call 0777 3077 204 or email me.

My Autumn Newsletter - top tips.

There's a distinct Autumnal chill in the air so it's "goodbye" to white linen trousers & fake tan and "hello" to boots, coats and 70 denier tights, (still thanking the God of Fashion for these!).

My TOP TIP is to buy your boots and coats in the next 6 weeks as you'll have the cream of the fashion crop, and as these are high cost items, you will gain maximum wear this season. If finances are tight, then change the buttons on your coat, add a coloured belt & have your boots re-heeled.

WHAT'S HOT

Knitwear is absolutely massive this season and there's something for everyone. Chunky knits, which make me want to snuggle down with a good book, or for those with petite proportions, a smaller knit will suit.

My favourite jumper this season is the Wallis cowl neck which looks fab with jeans or a short skirt with thick tights.

And if you're really brave, go for patterned or coloured tights with a pair of biker/riding boots. Very casual and laidback.

Feel good, look great, spend less - how life should be.

Forthcoming events for A/W 2010

I'm looking forward to running the following events:

6th October - Bravissimo evening in CMK 5 - 8pm.
Champers and canapés to celebrate the launch of their A/W collection of clothing and lingerie. To book your free fitting, RSVP by 29th September.

21st October - Drop Dead Gorgeous Style Evening in Towcester 5.30 - 9pm.
Browse their fantastic accessory collection & I'm offering a ½ hour "taster" session on what colours and shapes best suit you for just £15. RSVP by 14th October.

28th October - Butterflies Dress Agency Style Evening in Northampton 5 - 9pm.
Taster sessions available for 20 minutes at £12 and also a great opportunity to bring in your unworn but lovely clothes and make a bit of money, or maybe just find a bargain designer frock?! RSVP by 21st October.

18th November - Accessories Open House in Woburn Sands
6 - 9pm...Christmas shopping starts here!

So lots to look forward to and all totally within a reasonable budget OR FREE!

See you there!

Nancy x

Back from my hols!

It's been far too long since I last blogged & I've really missed it! Somehow the school holidays and my utterly divine trip to Turkey interrupted my work flow but I'm back now! Turkey was fabulous and I felt right at home with the array of bright colours that the Mediterraneans' are not afraid to wear. The markets were a joy, although one had to remain extremely firm as the marketeers could sell ice to an eskimo and signs displayed saying "genuine crap" and "fallen off the back of a lorry" did make me laugh. Can you imagine this happening in the UK? Trading Standards would have a field day! The toughest decision one had to make each morning was "which bikini should I wear today?" I had 2 from Bravissimo (of course), one turquoise which has survived the sea, the pool, Turkish baths and the mud baths and a sexy white and silver one which was more suited to St Tropez than splashing around the pool with the kids, but felt fab. So lots of bright sarongs, a massive hat, sunnies and big earrings was all one needed to feel and look amazing. And the one thing I have learned about hot holidays, is that you only need take half of what you think you need. So it's back to reality from 34 degrees to 15 degrees and time to think seriously about an Autumn wardrobe....

Forthcoming events

I have a fantastically busy couple of weeks ahead of me & here are diary dates which are bookable:

Friday 25th June 5-8pm @ Butterflies Boutique & Dress Agency in Northampton - a taster Style and Colour session
Wednesday 30th June @ Drop Dead Gorgeous in Towcester 10am-3pm - a taster Style Day
Thursday 1st July Open House @ mine 6.30-9pm. Accessories including necklaces, bracelets, bags, scarves and hats. Nibbles and drinks too.

Hope to see you at least one of these events.

Radio Interview - Hats!

Last week's radio interview has been rescheduled several times due to the World Cup but will definitely be broadcast tomorrow at 6-6.45 & 8-9am on BBC 3Counties 104.5fm. Having witnessed England's dismal performance on Friday, I would much rather listen to someone discussing hats even if I was a football aficionado!

The Shopping Buddy Experience

Have had two fantastic "Shopping Buddy" experiences in the past week, both with long standing clients who merely wanted a wardrobe "top up" for the summer. This is proven to be brilliant value at £70 for the morning. My clients have me by their side, giving them my expertise but in a way that they would shop with friends, browsing, trying on and drinking lots of coffee (and possibly eating the odd croissant or cake just to keep the old blood sugar levels up!). Best buy Per Una white skinny jeans at £29 - but only to be worn if you are under a size 10 and if, like me, you aren't, a bright tunic top looks amazing to cover up a generous bottom. Hobbs have 50% off most their stock and their suede pumps are just divine at £55 now and are comfier than an old pair of slippers but are infinitely more stylish. I have this offer on till 20th July.

Slummy to Yummy Mummy

Here is an article in a fab new mag, called Relax Kids for whom I wrote this article:
http://magazine.relaxkids.com/

Got lost in motherhood? Nancy Stevens, an image consultant from Altered Image is here to help you rediscover yourself.

Whether you have one child or five (and I salute you enormously if it’s the latter) you are still you. Why do some of us lose our identities when we have kids? I know from experience how difficult it is to retain the identity you had before becoming a mum but just because you are now a Mum does not mean that you have to dress down.

The Fleece Brigade: I’ll start with something I feel very strongly about and something I witness in the playground every morning and afternoon. Flats and fleeces have their place on Sunday afternoon strolls in the countryside but as a quick fix for the school run day in, day out, they are guaranteed to make you feel like a slob. A comfortable slob, but nevertheless a shapeless, blobby one. Ask any man if he finds this look attractive (perhaps start with your partner) and they’ll probably recoil in horror.

Ditch the Maternity Wear: If, like countless other women, none of your pre-maternity wear fits, then do yourself a favour and put it in the loft or give it to charity. The same applies if you’ve still got maternity wear as a staple. Once you’ve finished nursing your baby, get rid of the maternity underwear. It’s served its purpose and will make you feel totally un-sexy from the inside out. Treat yourself to some underwear that you would have worn pre baby that fits your new shape. And get it properly fitted – try Bravissimo or John Lewis.

Multi Tasking Wardrobes: To make the school run or working wardrobe a workable one, find some time to go through what you have got and group items into say jeans, jackets, trousers, skirts, dresses, shirts, t-shirts, long-sleeved tops and then sort each group by colour. Also, sort your shoes into casual, smart, boots, heel height and colour. This will help you enormously. It’s a great way to save time and it also means you have to spend less time thinking about what to wear, but more about mixing and matching tops with bottoms. If you have time, accessorise your outfit, as this quick job rounds off your outfit.

Be colourful: it can brighten up our lives. Colour analysis sessions show that most pale-skinned British people cannot and should not wear black. It is totally draining of their complexion – never a good look! If your skin does have an olive hue, then black IS fine but still needs colour. If the thought of wearing colour brings you out in hives, then accessorise! Costume jewellery is so affordable and a chunky set of beads or multi-strand of pearls (very in this season) will brighten up even the darkest of jumpers. Try Kettlewell Colours, an online shop, for fantastic t-shirts in every seasonal colour – genius! Zara is great for little tank tops at just £8 in a variety of colours and it does some fab jackets but as it’s a Spanish retailer, the sizing is on the small side.

Great jeans: Gap is my favourite place ever for jeans. The customer service is phenomenal and there is a jean to suit every shape and leg length costing up to around £45. The ubiquitous NEXT, which I wouldn’t normally recommend does jeans for really tall and also for petite women. Asda does jeans in in-between sizes and at just £12 are a brilliant buy and saves all that annoying “gaping” at the waist. If you don’t like your bottom- Warehouse, favours Indian silks and bright colours and is quite boho – the tunic tops are long and can flatter any figure!

Big is beautiful: If you are heavier than you would like to be, wearing baggy clothes only exaggerates this, so a lovely chunky knit with leggings and boots is a very comfy, practical, easy look to achieve that’s also a bit more on trend. You CAN be warm and stylish – the two are not mutually exclusive.

Bag it Up: Big bold handbags are still very much in vogue and TK Maxx does the best selection in town. They come in a myriad of colours and are great quality leather and have taken inspiration from the “it” bags so beloved by celebs but at a fraction of the price.

Psychologically, if you look good, you feel better. The pressure women put on themselves to lose weight after having a baby is immense and we forget that it took nine months to put on the weight, so it stands to reason that it will probably take around the same amount of time to lose it! There is nothing to be gained from feeling guilty and beating yourself up just because you are no longer the size you were because your shape would have changed and unless you are a gym bunny and want to look like Madonna (terribly ageing darling), then do it slowly and sensibly.

We don’t need to strive to emulate celebrities. This is not reality, as these women have stylists, personal trainers, nutritionists, hairdressers and an army of people to make them look good 24/7 AND the advent of airbrushing has only served to heighten this. They also have the budget for bespoke clothing and designer items.

Once you have weeded your wardrobe either by someone like me or an honest friend, then you will know what gaps are there and will have a very clear idea about what you need. You can either book a personal shopper in a large department store who will do all the fetching and carrying for you but remember it’s their job to sell you as many clothes as possible. Image consultants on the other hand should be completely objective and only want you to have the minimum amount of clothes but with maximum mix and match options. What I do is pre-select your clothes for you in the privacy of your own fitting room and all you do is turn up and try them on with no time or sales pressure.

I’m not suggesting for one minute that you start again with your wardrobe or try to become the envy of the playground. This is about working out what you have got, what fits and suits your shape and colour, and working it to the best of your ability to get the most return on investment from your wardrobe. You can be yourself again; you can look good again (and perhaps even better than you used to) but just remember to make a bit of time for you. Having kids is life-changing, yes, but they are there to enhance what you had, not take it away. A bit of careful planning, a few additions to your existing wardrobe, and some ‘you’ time has the potential to transform how you feel about yourself and how you live your life.

Relax Magazine Spring 2010

Radio Interview Monday 14th June 2010

I will be appearing on BBC 3 Counties radio 104.5fm tomorrow on Morning MK on my usual slot discussing hats, what to wear to a wedding, the Races and how to look elegant in the summer. As it's a pre-recorded interview it's on twice at 6-6.45am and then again between 8-9am. Hope it's helpful and I loved trying on all these fab hats whilst I was being interviewed.

Sex and The City 2 Girlie Night out

I am heading off tonight to see the fashion fest that is SATC 2. Last time I was privileged enough to be invited to the premiere, hosted here by Style MK. It was a fabulous affair as it was my first premiere and therefore special. No premiere tonight but I'm having a girlie night out with cocktails and the like and decided to pay homage to the SATC girls in what I am wearing. In the spirit of the age of recycling, I have customised my going away outfit from when I got married and the dress is some 16 years old now (does this make it vintage?) and quite frankly looks better now than it did then. Interestingly I feel and look better too. Confidence really does come with age. I've added a massive waist-cinching belt (£3), a completely OTT sequinned and feathered bag (about £15 TK Maxx) and my fave killer heels (bought for the premiere from Brantano at £20) and of course the dress which cost me around £100 back in the day but I did design it myself and am delighted that, after 2 kids, it is slightly on the roomy side . I have Carrie's hair and Samantha's dress, (all I need now is my Mr Big) so all good to go!

A very Special Client

I have just had the privilege of taking one of my regular clients on a Personal Shopping trip for her Summer Wardrobe. This lady whom I will call Cat just happens to be blind which in itself presents a huge challenge but for me taking her shopping makes me revaluate how I would normally shop for a client. When I did her colour analysis a year ago when she first embarked on the whole Image experience (for her daughters' wedding), I had to explain colours to someone who lost her sight at a very young age and can barely recall colour but is so obviously reliant on touch and it was incredibly challenging for someone like me who is very visual to use every description I could think of to conjure up an image of colour for Cat. She categorises her clothes by texture which as a sighted person I take for granted. She loved the outfit I chose for her special day last year and everyone commented on how amazing she looked. She is also 70 years old and a size 22/24. I loved guiding her round the rails suggesting different styles and outfits and she was totally up for trying something new. Cat bought a whole new summer wardrobe in her Autumnal colours for £300 and I took her home when we'd finished and laid out her outfits and then suggested the relevant accessories to accompany them. She is delighted once again and I feel hugely honoured to have someone have such implicit faith in you telling them that they look good. I really am the luckiest girl in the world to do the job that I do and the pleasure I get out of an experience like today is worth more to me than all the designer labels I could buy.

Radio Interview Wednesday 26th May 8.00pm

I will be appearing on WTF radio tonight Wednesday's WTF Live Show (26th May), the Thirty Second WTF show is all about 'Fashion & Festivals' Once again, Steve C. will host his regular live talk show on WTF Talk Radio from 8pm to 11pm UK time, (GMT+1)...

The 'NEW' Wednesday only WTF Talk Radio Live show is a two parter this week, with a look at the upcoming Summer fashions for both Gals & Guys with Nancy Stevens our Style Guru in residence (well, she doesn't actually live here, but she will be LIVE on the show between 20:15 to 21:15 or thereabouts...

We'll be talking about how to stay cool, yet still look really good during the hot Summer months, as well as the latest styles to pack for your hols and generally anything 'fashion' related that Nancy or our callers want to discuss.

The latter theme of the show will be those Summer music festivals that are almost upon us... We'll be discussing who's playing and where, with particular emphasis on what the WTF Artistes are doing, and where they're playing in the coming months.

Will you be dressing up or dressing down this Summer?
Do you want to look; Trim in Torremolinos, Vibrant in Venice, or Magnificent in Madrid?
Perhaps you simply want to look great by the pool or whilst at a BBQ?

So get your questions for both Nancy and myself sent in by email (dj@wtftalkradio.co.uk), or listen in and call in to the show via Skype.

Do you go to festivals?
Are you on the circuit?
Have you been to lots of festivals or are you intending to?
What's the best/worst one you have been to and why?
We're interested to hear your experiences.

We want your frank opinions and stories... join in... communicate!

There will also be some great music from WTF Artistes: Pretty Hickeys, The Vaudeville Class, The Black String Theory, Kids Love Lies, Keston Cobblers Club, The Narrative, The Fore, The Cage, The Courgettes, Trash Monkey, Take One Car and others...

You can call in to the show via Skype, send a message during the show or email a question in advance (dj@wtftalkradio.co.uk)

As you know at WTF Talk is cheap... in fact it's free... Connect to us during the show via Skype (download and install it from www.skype.com). Using our id 'wtftalk1' you can use skype to send messages or call in to talk during the live show time.

You can call in to the show via Skype, send a message during the show or email a question in advance (dj@wtftalkradio.co.uk)

As you know at WTF Talk is cheap... in fact it's free... Connect to us during the show via Skype (www.skype.com) using our id 'wtftalk1'

Connect to the Live show stream from our website http://www.wtftalkradio.co.uk/

Or you can connect in your browser here... http://audiorealm.com/station/listen/id/137150

Or use these links for various players:
Winamp & iTunes: http://cp1.shoutcheap.com/cast/tunein.php/scrawfor/playlist.pls
Windows Media Player: http://cp1.shoutcheap.com/cast/tunein.php/scrawfor/playlist.asx
Real Player: http://cp1.shoutcheap.com/cast/tunein.php/scrawfor/playlist.ram
QuickTime: http://cp1.shoutcheap.com/cast/tunein.php/scrawfor/playlist.qtl

I really look forward to talking to you and taking your calls and messages during this show.

Maxi dresses - Top of the fashion Pops!

Hurrah! The sun has finally decided to make an appearance and seems here to stay over the weekend for which I am very grateful as it's my friend Annie's wedding day tomorrow (I'm sure she's mightily relieved too!). We can now turn our thoughts to summer and what to wear. My top tip is to rush out and buy a maxi dress immediately. Maxi dresses have been top of the fashion pops for the past 3 seasons and are even hotter news this summer than ever. There are a proliferation of dresses on the High Street and my top tip is: be cautious if you are petite, go for a small pattern and not vertically seamed which will only serve to make you look even shorter. If you are of average height or tall, then be bold with patterns and chunky beads. Maxis can be dressed up or down, go low key with flip flops or gladiator sandals and a denim jacket and conversely, tarted up with killer heels or wedges and masses of bling. The best thing about Maxis is that they are what I call the "compromise" dress in that you can look feminine, cover up cankles and not have to slather on the fake tan.

Enjoy shopping!

Who am I?

Welcome to my very first blog. It's long overdue and I am delighted to have joined this phenomenon known as Social Media. As my first post I don't think I could do do better than to share my show reel with you. I hope that you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it! When you have finished viewing this, please pop over and visit my website.