Monday 19 December 2011

Dazzle in December

I’m not a big fan of winter but a few things make it at least bearable… hot chocolate, duvet days and Christmas (obviously).
Clothes-wise, there are two positives – the first is that I can do the school run covered in a big coat, and the second is: Glitz - Is - In, woohoo!  Glitter and sequins just don’t work so well at any other time of the year, but come December I get out a few old faithful items which have been reserved solely for the build up to Christmas through to New Years eve’. 

Glitter and sequins are always ‘in’ at this time of the year, along with the LBD. There are, of course, always variations such as colour and pattern – this year, for example claret sequins or star patterns are bang on-trend.

- Why is glitz popular?

Sequins are especially versatile and can work with every body shape and colouring, depending on how you wear them and the colour you choose.  Because sequins come in different shapes and sizes, they can be also be worn whatever your proportions. At a recent party I saw a young girl in a sequined dress and on the front cover of this months “Woman & Home” a 62-year old Twiggy is pictured wearing sparkling leggings – how many ‘fashions’ can be so well worn across the ages?

- How to wear it:

As with colour, where you wear your sequins is the trick to wearing them well. Glitter and sequins will attract attention - For example, an hourglass should wear sequins to draw attention their waist either with a fitted dress or a sparkly belt, if you’re an apple a glittery bolero and pair of bright glittery shoes would look fab, and an inverted triangle should wear sequins on their lower half – a skirt or even some hot pants (if you're brave enough)!

- Which colour?

Black may be classy, silver and gold dazzling, and purple regal but if you really want to make a statement go for red and channel your inner Jessica Rabbit!

- And finally!

Why do I think sequins so represent the season? Well, because lest we forget the real Christmas story features a bright shining star; and sequins and glitter are as close as we can get to recreating that bling, so...

...Sparkle on, and Merry Christmas one and all!


Monday 12 December 2011

2012 Pantone Colour - And the winner is…

Forget the X-Factor, for a colour consultant the big news last week was ‘what will be the Pantone colour of 2012’ and we now know it is…
Tango Tangerine – A lovely warm orangey colour, as the name suggests.

Now I love colour – it can signal how you feel or cheer you up; help you blend in or stand out; and contribute to how others see you.  But some colours don’t love me.
It was rumoured that ‘red’ would be the ‘it’ colour of next year following on the winter colour trend, and that would have been fine by me.  Red is one of my favourite colours, and better still – it’s a colour I can (and do) wear (a lot!). But oh no it isn’t to be because like this season’s mustard, ‘Tango Tangerine’ is… (a) a bright, bold colour (not a problem for me!) which might not suit a more conservative individual, and (b)it’s a warm colour and I’m a cool which means I can’t wear it :-(

…Or can I? Well, the trick with colour is to wear it appropriately, for example your best colours should always be worn near your face which means no ‘tango tangerine’ scarf or lippy for me!
But nobody wants to miss out on THE big colour trend of the season so, if like me you should avoid warm colours, here are a few tips on
How to wear it:

·         Wear orange shoes – flats or heels, your choice!
·         Wear orange bangles
·         Carry an orange clutch (not a big handbag)
·         Wear an orange belt, if you have a waist
·         Wear orange nail varnish – be bold and wear it on your finger and toe nails
·         Always team it up with a colour/s that do flatter you

Alternatively, have the colour in your surroundings or be brave and buck the trend!

And if you can carry it off, whilst it might be a bit much top-to-toe, GO FOR IT!
Why should you wear it?

Now, just to be clear – I like tangerine as a flavor, smell and colour … a lot.  I carried orange flowers at my wedding, did my ‘big birthday’ invites in orange and have burnt orange adorning my living room. Orange is a great colour – (amongst other things) it is cheery and energising, it’s associated with creativity and friendship, and symbolizes happiness and love in Japan and China. As Wassily Kandinsky says "Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow."

A word of warning though - orange is a colour that is said to stimulate appetite (so much so that in Christianity it represents gluttony – one of the seven deadly sins), so even if it suits you be careful who you wear it around because you don’t want to be blamed for the weight gain of those you know!
Want to know if you’re a warm or cool, or how to wear ‘Tango Tangerine’ to flatter your body shape – contact Damson Belle for a consultation on 07887 643807.

‘Til next time ;-)

Denise