ten style roolz

[parthenia]

stylishly_yours has been listing people's Personal Style Rules. I've been reading lots of other people's, and feel the need to share mine...I feel ridiculous for doing this, but it was quite fun.

1. Flatter your body shape at all times

This could be my rule 1-10, really. I tend to follow the Trinny & Susannah rules for dressing the top half of my body – I have an unfeasibly large rack. Also, if I wear long skirts or flowery things I can very easily look like one of those woolly dolls that cover loo rolls. So personally it's all about the curves and the proportions. Things that work:
• Lycra-mix or cotton jersey tops
• Deep V necks
• Tops fitted to an hourglass shape
• Short A-line skirts, knee length
• Bootcut jeans.

2. Devise a flattering uniform

This sounds really calculated. That's because it is really calculated. Once I fix upon something I really like, I tend to buy it in several different colours, like the bunch of wrap tops I bought last year.

Current uniform, for meetings: patterned shortish skirt, deep V top, fitted jacket, boots
For casual: boot-cut jeans, fitted deep V top, ankle boots.

3. Buy coats and jackets that you love and make you look great.

It's the first thing everyone sees and the first thing you will see in a mirror. My grey anorak flouts this rule and I hate myself every time I wear it.

ravurian has a black wool peacoat that is just astoundingly flattering. Search out these things. These will usually conform to style guidelines for your shape.

If they make you purr quietly when you try them on, that's a good sign.

4. Keep up with fashion, if only to reject it
Mwahahahaha. I find fashion tiresome but enthralling. YMMV.

• Proportions change, rules change: you need to keep your eye in
  
• Look at people in London/your major city and work out what the people who look great are wearing, especially if you're struggling. There's a breed of London Girl that is always my inspiration.
  
• Read a few fashion magazines, like In Style. Not Vogue, OMG. I loooooove In Style. So many pictures, so little text, LOL.
  
• If fashion’s having a really bad moment, go and look at the shops that play it safer and chances are they’ll have a tamer, more wearable version of the unwearable trend (for example, Next, M&S and Wallis have all had very toned-down wearable versions of the smock thing)

5. Only buy shoes that you can run for a train in

I just can’t wear heels to save my life. This is the one area where I completely break with the TV style gurus. Given that I'm quite short, this is probably the one thing that would inflame the likes of Trinny and Susannah, but frankly even I wore 3 inch killer heels I'd still be damned short.

Buying stylish and flattering flat stuff can be tricky. You need to be aware of Orthopaedic Footwear tendencies.

6. Wear colour rather than black

This one depends on your skin tone. I wore black for years. I still have a fair amount of black but I’ve learned that the right colours make me look alive and glowing.

7. Neither mutton nor lamb

I walk the line, oh yeah.

This one matters quite a lot, and I can't quite put it into words. Some women's fashion requires milkmaid-type youth and flat-chestedness. Some clothing makes you into a frump the minute it goes anywhere near you.

Anoraks in unflattering colours do this to you.

8. Make an effort

I spend quite a lot of time looking scruffy (jeans, T-shirts, boots) given that I work from home, cycle everywhere and have two kids. It has come to me that there’s a big difference between just-fallen-out-of-bed me and made-an-effort me, and on the whole I’d rather go with the happy glow from feeling good about how I look and what I’m wearing.

9. Know your retail wishful thinking

Leave. TopShop. Now.

Or, y'know, look but don't buy. Or, buy, but only from people with good returns policies. And then TAKE IT BACK.

10. If all else fails, accessorise

In the bits where I was pregnant or had recently been pregnant, fashion became utterly meaningless and it was all awful. At that point, go to accessories because yay, they always fit, so:

• Nice shoes and boots
  
• Scarves in great colours and textures
  
• Great jewellery in silver or semi-precious stones
  
  There! I realise there are entire years where I have bought very little. Would you take issue with these? And what are yours?