Style Archives — Page 7 of 7

Posted on 5 June , 20203 June , 2020 by Sandra Sparrowhawk — Leave a comment

My top tips on experimenting with colour combinations

It is always nice to put different colour combinations together rather than say black and white. (Well I do not consider black or white to be a colour really, they are just at opposite ends of the colour spectrum) With so many beautiful colours out there I think it is a shame not to embrace colour. Apart from the way you feel in a certain colour it is nice to try different colour combinations that you may not have tried before. Her are my top tips on experimenting with colour combinations

My top tips on experimenting with colour combinations

Take a navy or black skirt, do not reach for the white blouse, think about which colours you know that suit you and choose one of those. Navy and black are both good staple colours to have in your wardrobe as so many colours would team up well which is why they are a good wardrobe staple. If you look at nature it never gets it wrong.

If you look at nature it never gets it wrong.

When you are next out walking have a look at the beautiful array of colours and see how beautiful they look together. The old wives’ tale “Blue and green should never be seen unless there is a colour in between” see how wrong that is. I wear a lot of denim and I particularly love lime green and it goes very well with blue/denim.

I think that perhaps it is just about experimenting with colours and see how they look together. Just bear in mind that the colours should tone on tone. In other words, make sure they have the same undertone. So, if you have a warm red with a yellow undertone, team it with another warm colour with the same undertone. If you go to my Pinterest Colour Pallets Board you will see selections of colours that have been put together which will give you some ideas.

My top tips on experimenting with colour combinations

I remember seeing someone at a summer party and she wore a bright purple strappy dress and she was carrying a line green shrug. Perhaps not two colours you would put together, but they looked stunning.

I often use my Colour Wheel to show how different colours work together and, in the flesh, you can turn the wheel round. I am using this as an example here. You can pick a colour and then move across the wheel to see the complementary colour. So Orange is opposite blue, violet/purple is opposite green. These will show you good colour combinations.

My top tips on experimenting with colour combinations

Here I have put together some colour combinations you may like to consider, and you can see that they will all mix and match. The yellow would also work the green, red, purple and teal. These colours come out of the Spring swatch, but you can do the same of all the seasons.

Here are two examples of tonal colour combinations. the one on the left is from a cool summer pallet and the one on the right is a warm autumn pallet. This is just to give you an idea of what I mean. Not everyone wants to where to bright contrasting colours and this is just another way of wearing colour in a different way.

My top tips on experimenting with colour combinations

One of the advantages of having a colour analysis session with me is that you will not only learn which are the best colours for you but also how to put your colours together in different combinations. I take photographs throughout the session which will serve as a reminder of our time together. The idea is that you will need less clothes but be able to make more outfits and be able to embrace the correct level of colour for you. For full details of what is included with a Colour Session with me please visit my website.

Let me know some of your colour combinations

I love playing with colour because of the ways it makes you look and feel. It is great to have fun with it; try different combinations and see how you feel in it. I understand that not everyone wants to wear bright full on colour, but you can do the same things with muted colours too. If you would like some help or advise, please do get in touch I would love to hear from you.

I would be interested to hear from you with some of your colour combinations. Do either get in touch or comment at the foot of this blog.

I hope you have found that useful, if you need any help or advise, please do not hesitate to get in contact and I will be pleased to help you. You can follow me on Facebook where I regularly post style updates. Pinterest is a love of mine and here I have several boards from style, colour combinations and many more. If Instagram is your thing, I am on there as well. Why not give me a call for a chat to find out how I can help you on 07786 632798. Or email me sandra@colourworx.me or visit my website www.colourworx.me

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Find out which colours work best for you!!

Posted on 20 May , 202026 May , 2020 by Sandra Sparrowhawk — Leave a comment

How to choose the right clothes for your style personality

This is something that I cover in detail when you have a style consultation with me. We look at your personality, lifestyle, what you do for a living, and how you like to feel in your clothes. What type of clothes that you like to wear, considering the fabrics and styles that appeal to you? Body shape is a big element in what looks good on you, but that is only a part of the ingredients to choosing the best look for you. Visit my website for more details on my Style Analysis Consultations.

How to choose the right clothes for your style personality

Just as certain traits go to make up our individual personalities, so your unique style personality is made up of leanings, preferences, tendencies and aversions! There is no right or wrong with style personality, but it will profoundly affect the types of clothes you like to wear and feel most comfortable in. It can also have a bearing on how you want to wear colours.

You may have clothes which you know are in a good colour for you, but still they never seem to get worn – you put them on but take them off again because somehow they don’t feel right? Have ever tried something on in a shop and decided, ‘No, it’s just not ME’. And that is the crux of it, because the garment is not in keeping with your own style personality.

How to choose the right clothes for your style personality

Have a look at these personalities and see which one most resonates with you. You may be a combination of several, but one will sit with you more than the others. This is only a small snapshot of each personality type but it will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

Classical lady – who chooses to dress in comfortable clothes rather than following fashion. She goes for investment pieces which are timeless, she will have an organised wardrobe but not huge.

Yummy Mummy – she is a perfectionist, has a keen eye for detail and cannot tolerate mess. She is immaculately turned out and often seems overdressed by others. Everything has to match, and she loves her designer labels.

Sporty – this lady is always on the go and she has high energy. She likes to keep fit and prefers to wear unfussy clothes that allow her to move easily. She prefers casual but smart and will have a wash and go hairstyle.

Flamboyant – this lady loves to make a statement with outfits and accessories and enjoys being the centre of attention. She wears strong contrasts and vivid colours, animal print and colourful combinations.

Retro – The retro lady needs her own space and are often sensitive, she has her own unique approach to personal style. She does not want to look like anyone else. She is creative and will often take high street items and change them to creative her own distinctive look.

How to choose the right clothes for your style personality

Do you resonate with any of these? As I said before you may have tenancies for several, but one will be more dominate. Everyone has a unique blend of style personalities which makes choosing styles and fabrics to suit them.

To find out more about style personalities have a look at my website to see what I style analysis consultation involves of contact me for more details.

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Find out which colours work best for you!!

Posted on 8 May , 20208 May , 2020 by Sandra Sparrowhawk — Leave a comment

My tips on how to add the finishing touch to your outfits.

People always say to me that I have a way with putting my outfits together. It is not just about the colour combinations although that is important but what you put with it. Here are my tips on how to add the finishing touch to your outfits.

My tips on how to add the finishing touch to your outfits.

I personally tend to wear block colours or fabrics with only a small pattern. If I have a patterned skirt, I will wear a plain top. Occasionally, I will wear a floral print but generally my clothes have a small or no pattern to them. This is a choice; I just prefer to keep things plain and for that reason I use a lot of accessories to my outfits to bring them alive.

Scarves

Scarves are a great lover of mine for several reasons

One to keep you warm
Two as an accessory
To add colour to your outfit

In the winter we had a scarf to keep warm and I would choose a nice bright colour to brighten up my coat. A plain camel coat looks fab with so many colours, pick a colour that you know suits you to brighten your day.

How to wear your scarf

**My tips on how to add the finishing touch to your outfits?**

Sometimes we add a scarf as an accessory like a piece of jewellery. For this you want to choose a lightweight scarf that is easy to wear. Here I have one from Kettlewell colours in a variety of colours.

If that one is not for you, how about one of these magnetic scarves that you can fasten in several ways. Here is one in a lovely pastel pink with polka dots. The two ends click together behind the neck. Visit my website for full details of all the scarves and jewellery I have to sell.

If you were to wear a plain black dress (LBD) I would add a colourful scarf to add colour to the dress. Worn around the neck the colours in the scarf will bounce up onto your face bringing your face alive with colour. Black is not a colour so many ladies can wear, and by adding some colour this way does get around it.

My tips on how to add the finishing touch to your outfits.

There are oodles of ways to wear a scarf which I share in my talks at Ladies groups. Or alternatively you can book a Scarf Party. This involves inviting a minimum of five ladies to your home to learn how to tie scarves. I charge £20.00 a person and each lady go home with a FREE scarf and all the instructions to make the ties at home.

Jewellery

Jewellery is another way to bring your outfit alive, it not only adds colour but makes a focal point to draw the eye. Wherever you put the colour in your outfit is wear you will draw the eye. If you feel that you carry your weight on your bottom half wear a dark colour there and put the colour in your top. Wearing all one colour and it is an idea to draw the eye up and put the colour in a necklace around the neck. Big busted ladies might like to wear a long necklace to draw the eye down.

Costume or Gold/Silver Jewellery?

If you have a petite frame be careful that you do not wear a too bigger necklace, as this will swamp you. Whereas larger framed ladies can get away with large chunky jewellery. Jewellery is very much a personal thing some like costume jewellery whilst other like gold and silver. If you have a warm skin tone, then yellow gold would be good for you. Whilst if you have a cool skin tone wear the silver or white gold.

My tips on how to add the finishing touch to your outfits.

I love to wear both costume and gold jewellery, depending on the occasion. Even though I have a warm skin tone sometimes I can get away wearing silver if it has a warm stone like Amber. For fun, I like to wear costume jewellery as you can choose a colour that will compliment an outfit. This necklace is on a cord and has five different coloured wooden disks in mint, red, blue, orange and mustard. This makes a great piece to have, as you can wear it with all five colours. Visit my website for full details.

Shoes and Handbags

The good news is that they do not have to match any more. I love my handbags and have them in several colours all for different occasions and different outfits. A girl can never have to many handbags in my book and I prefer them to shoes. I have fashion handbags as opposed to designer ones so I can have more, but the choice is yours. Do bear in mind that if you are a small petite lady not to use large bags as they will be out of proportion to your small frame. Larger framed ladies can have the larger bags and stay away from exceedingly small ones. Use the colourful bags to glam up a plain outfit.

Shoes

I hate buying shoes but that is another story for another day. Shoes too can be colourful, a pair of skinny jeans with a bright coloured shoe I think looks fab. I do like to have the same colour shoes and bags, but I think that is just my age. If you want to follow fashion and wear a colour you know does not suit you, wear it in your shoes or handbag as it is far enough away from your face.

My tips on how to add the finishing touch to your outfits.

I hope that has given you some ideas on how you can add that finishing touch to your outfits. It is all about finding your own sense of style. Look at the celebrities you admire, or people you see who you think have got it right and try their look on you and see how you feel. Just be adding an accessory you can change the whole look for the outfit.

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Find out which colours work best for you!!

Posted on 1 May , 20201 May , 2020 by Sandra Sparrowhawk — Leave a comment

Do we need all the clothes we have in our wardrobes?

Following on from last week’s blog (which can be found here )this lock down time has given us plenty of time to think, take stock and review things. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love shopping and buying clothes. I like to dress well, as it makes me feel good and gives me the confidence I need. I need to walk the walk and talk the talk of what I do. BUT do we need all the clothes we have in our wardrobes?

Do we need all the clothes we have in our wardrobes?

I think for me the answer must be no, but I am not particularly good at letting things go either. I try to work on the premise of one in one out, so if I buy anything new, I must let one go. There are only so many pairs of jeans you need.

Fast Fashion

Fast fashion as we know it, is cheap and will only last one season if you are lucky. Before long, it will have lost its shape, may have shrunk and the colour has faded. So, I ask you “should we be buying a better-quality product that will last longer?” This means we will have less waste and will save our landfill.

I do get that some ladies like to follow fashion and therefore do buy fast fashion because it is cheap, and they feel they can throw away and move onto the next trend. That is not most of us though. I am wondering if after this lock down where we have not been able to buy any clothes we might start to think differently. I have found that being at home also you do not need to have as many clothes. With more and more people choosing to work from home in the future this maybe something to think about.

Do we need all the clothes we have in our wardrobes?

How much easier would it be to get dressed in the morning if we did not have so much choice? If you think back to our parents and grandparent’s generation, they did not have many clothes at all. All the clothes were made in the UK and pro rata cost a lot more, but they were made to last. I am not sure I want to scale back that far but it is food for thought.

We have no choice but to buy clothes that have been made in China and similar countries but perhaps it is time we brought back the rag trade to the UK and started making our own clothes again. What do you think? I would love to know your thoughts.

Build your own capsule wardrobe

As some of you know my Mum has Alzheimer’s and she had so many clothes as she had another home in Spain which meant she had two wardrobes. I have condensed them into one small capsule wardrobe as she had so much choice, she could never decide what to wear. So, she always wore the same thing. Now, I am not saying you must go that small, but it is worth thinking about.

Have you thought about buying pre-loved?

By pre-loved I mean second hand from a

Charity Shop
Dress Agency
eBay or similar
Clothes Swap

This way you are often able to buy a better-quality garment than you would have been able to purchase at full price. Some clients I know do this so they can buy designer names, or just well-made clothes.

Vintage Clothing – There is a trend to buy Vintage clothing which is the 1920’s or later (but not later than 20 years before the present year) These clothes although they are second hand seem to often have a high price tag but that maybe because it is a fashion statement.

Do we need all the clothes we have in our wardrobes?

What having this time has done for me is to

think about what I do have
let go of what I no longer need
Buy less clothes going forward
Choose investment pieces that will last longer

This is something coming from me but it something that I am going to work on going forward. I hope that has got you thinking about what you have in your wardrobes and what you plan to do in the future.

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Find out which colours work best for you!!

Posted on 24 April , 2020 by Sandra Sparrowhawk — Leave a comment

Not able to go shopping? Shop your own wardrobe?

Is your waist expanding during lock down? Here's how to disguise it.

So, it is tough at the moment as we are all stuck at home. No retail therapy, no walking around the shops looking at what is available, looking at the trends and general window shopping. There are a few companies that you can order online but I like to touch and feel and see what I am buying. So, if you are not able to go shopping how about shopping in your own wardrobe? Sound weird? but you may be surprised at what you find.

Not able to go shopping? Shop your own wardrobe?

I do not know if you have already had a sort out of your wardrobe during this lock down. Just by bringing out your summer clothes will inject some new enthusiasm for what you must choose from. Personally, I prefer my summer wardrobe, and this is partly because of all the lovely colours that are available to us in the summer. We are hearing so much about sustainable fashion, buying too many clothes that support the throwaway fashion trend. Perhaps we should look at buying British which will no doubt cost more, but with a view of keeping them longer and wearing them more. Building a smaller wardrobe of clothes that we wear more in different ways.

When I say shop your own wardrobe what does that really mean?

I like to have my wardrobe working for me, and since I have known which colours to buy for me, it all became clear. You need less clothes that will make you more outfits because everything will mix and match. Do you ever buy yourself a new top only to go home and find you have nothing to wear it with? If this happens it may mean that it is not a good piece to buy to add to your wardrobe. The idea is to make a wardrobe work for you in all situations. Choosing colours that work with your skin tone and will mix and match tone on tone. If you need any help take a look at my website about my colour consultations, or get in touch.

Not able to go shopping? Shop your own wardrobe?

Not able to go shopping? Shop not your own wardrobe? — **Not able to go shopping? Shop your own wardrobe?**

Start by taking one of your favourite tops and look for something to wear with it that you have not worn with it before. What you are looking to do here is find several outfit options with one top. Perhaps a skirt, pair of trousers, or jeans. Here I have a striped shirt that I have teamed up with a Denim Skirt, Lime Green Capri pants, and a pleated pair of Palazzo Pants. Also, it would work with jeans as well, and I know I still have other bottoms that I could wear with this top. So, you can see here that I have made four outfits. I can now look for another top that would also work with all three bottoms. Can you see where I am going with this. If it helps you could take photos of the outfits you have chosen to remind you later. You could also add your accessories jewellery scarves etc.

Not able to go shopping? Shop your own wardrobe?

This is an interesting exercise as you will find items of clothing you had forgotten you had, which will come out fresh again. You will also find other things that you can wear with them that you may not have thought of before. Friends will think you have bought something new, just because you have chosen to wear it a different way.

Are there any items in your wardrobe that you would not buy today?

This is an interesting one. Are there any items in your wardrobe that you would not buy today? We all change as we get older and today you may not wear what you did ten years ago. If this is the case, can the piece be modified into something you would wear? or does it need to go? This is where knowing a good tailor is useful. If you like the fabric perhaps it can be made into something useful in your wardrobe.

My challenge to you

Find that hidden gem in your wardrobe that you don’t feel you could wear as it is and explain how you are going to turn it into something that you know you would love and love wearing.

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