Improvability Blog

Question from a consultant who had recently trained with me

Sara is a 30-year-old accountant who is single but would love to meet a mate.

I did her colours a couple of months ago which she has really taken on board and she is wearing some lovely colours now – looks fab in cream and the light Spring colours.  She says she is getting lots of compliments, which is a good sign.

Her style session revealed she is a Natural / Classic which Sara seemed fine with and agreed with. She wears no jewellery, not even a watch and no makeup either. At work she dresses in a lovely coffee brown suit which she wears with a short-sleeved t-shirt!

Considering her profession should she wear a 3/4 or full-length sleeved top or does it not matter? She is not in touch with the general public at work, just her colleagues.

My answer

Accountants, lawyers, bankers, and serious promotion-minded office workers need a minimum of three-quarter sleeves.  You still need to create the right impression around your colleagues for them to respect your professionalism (or not, as the case may be). 

Short sleeves are for casual wear; when you wear them in the office you are saying that you do not take the job seriously. 

A round neck top is great for when she wants to be more approachable, especially to change in to when she meets friends (and a potential boyfriend?) after work.

However, at work when she wants to be seen as authoritative or to be taken more seriously, then a V neck would be useful.  However, as a Natural, Sara may feel a bit rigid in such sharp angles so I would suggest she try a soft cowl neck; this can often form a perfect balance between the two contrasting looks. 

As a very strong Dramatic personality myself, I find the cowl softens what could be read as a very sharp look when I wear a V neck.  Conversely, Naturals will find a cowl is a softer way of demonstrating a more authoritative look rather than a definite, sharp V neck.  Also, this will help Sara look more feminine and is something she could wear both to work and to meet friends.  Adding a touch of colour under her brown suit will also make her more feminine."

If YOU would like to learn more about adding styling to your colour, fashion or image business, check out the contents of my Ladies’ Style course.

Please, please, do yourself a big favour and find out what makes you look good first before you start slavishly following the latest fashion trends.

I was close to being ill the other day at the sight of a TV presenter wearing a butter yellow jacket and tan polo shirt underneath. 

This presenter has cool, blue-toned colouring and looks utterly wonderful in blues, navy and charcoal but, in warm colours, he looked as though he needed a swift airlift to the nearest hospital.

Needless to say, I didn’t listen to a word he said because I couldn’t take my eyes off his pallid face and bleary-looking eyes!

Are people listening to YOU or are they wondering whether you need a stiff brandy because you look rather poorly?

The Versace outfit on the right would be perfect for a cool-toned man…

If you like the LOOK of this outfit but you’ve got warm skin tones, try an ivory shirt with this same suit. It’s what you wear nearest your face that will make us listen to what you have to say – or not!

7 key themes and colour trends for men’s fashion Spring Summer 2010

1. Grudge: Deep colours
2. White & Black: the blackest black and the whitest white
3. Digital Era: a kaleidoscope of indefinable colour
4. Invasion: florals
5. EnTrenched: ivory, nudes, camels and butterscotch
6. Adonis: tonal colours
7. Giorgio Armani: perfectly coordinating tones

Fashion Trends Spring Summer 2010

• includes both womenswear and menswear
• 69 pages of insider information straight from the catwalks
• Over 300 images from the designer shows
• Researched and written by a top fashion journalist
• PowerPoint presentations
• Print-ready client handouts, or create your own!

Ready to download to your computer immediately.