Twist Boutique Blog

I cannot believe it is three months since Gilly asked me to be Twist’s guest blogger for a season. I’ve loved it and of course it has given me the perfect excuse – not that I needed it – to spend even longer than normal perusing fashion pages and the shops.

This is my last post, although I hope to be asked back for the occasional appearance now and then. Now, I have racked my brains for some final words of wisdom to leave you with.  So here goes -  my hot new year fashion/beauty tips.

1. Don’t wear pearls that are whiter than your teeth or the whites of your eyes. They will make your teeth/whites of your eyes look unpleasantly yellow!
2. Wear colours on your top half that are close to the colour of your eyes – people trust you more (it’s subliminal).
3. Don’t buy an item unless the following applies

• You can wear it through two seasons
• It goes with two things you already have
• You can wear it for two types of occasion

1. Invest in a classy silk scarf  – it can make an outfit. And let’s face it the scarf is the hallmark of chic French women. You can tie it around your neck, wear it in your hair (especially if you drive an open top car) or thread it through belt loops.
2. Smile – it’s the best beauty accessory in the world.

Thanks for reading the blog and thank you to Gilly for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Twist magic.

SallyB

One of my friends is getting married this year and we had a lot of fun over the New Year break talking about what she would wear. She announced that she is definitely not a meringue girl. I agreed. She is waif like, tall and sophisticated.  True to form I am sure she will be the picture of elegance on her wedding day.

The discussion got me thinking about what is elegant and what is not.  

• Body-skimming not body-hugging
• No plunging necklines but simple scoops
• Natural not silicone
• Simple not over-done
• Natural, buffed nails
• Shoes that are not too high to walk in effortlessly
• Natural looking make-up
• Individuality not fashion-slavery 

Think Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren who prove that elegance is nothing to do with age and everything to do with style.

Like most people I absolutely love a bargain. But what exactly is a bargain? That is a tough question to answer. It’s probably easier to say what is not a bargain: 

• A gorgeous item that is SO cheap that you have to buy it even though you will never wear it
• Something that is cheap because it is poor quality and actually looks cheap too
• Something that doesn’t really suit you and you would never consider buying at its normal price
• Something that is actually over-priced but because it has been reduced greatly you are seduced by the reduction 

I don’t know about you but I have done all of the above. And have quite a few items in my wardrobe that I never wear so were actually not bargains at all. 

Maybe the very concept of bargain hunting is a flawed shopping strategy. I have bought some very expensive items that were definitely not bargains but have worn them so much that the cost-per-wear makes them effectively cheaper than cheap alternatives. For example, I splashed out almost £200 on a pair of jeans a few years ago. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone how much I paid for them as I thought it was a ridiculous amount of money for a pair of jeans.  But I have worn them so much and they still look great so actually they have worked out to be more cost effective than the cheaper Gap jeans that I bought in the sale. 

At the opposite extreme I bought a long jacket –cum- cardigan last year that was only £45 from one of the cheap high-street chains. It looks great and I loved it so much I actually bought two in case it went tatty quickly being so cheap! The point is though I didn’t buy it because it was a bargain, I bought it because I loved it and knew I would wear it loads as it goes with so many things I already have in my wardrobe. 

Having said all that, I will probably never stop looking out for a bargain. It’s something in the human psyche isn’t it? But that’s a whole other subject…

I remember the days when I used to schlep round the crowded shops just before Christmas. Sometimes it was fun. Mostly it was just hassle – queues into and out of town, no parking spaces, too many people, and a stonking headache at the end of it all. 

Nowadays I have a new strategy. It’s easy and enjoyable. I buy the things that I don’t need to see – perfume, electrical goods, toys – online. That leaves jewellery, clothes and suchlike – things I wouldn’t normally buy online because it’s hard to judge quality and cut on a computer screen. I stay clear of city shopping and instead head for little places like Romsey, Alresford and Lymington. 

And my hot tip for this year’s top Christmas shopping experience?  Romsey on 10 December.  The shops are open until 9pm and at night it is such a magical place with the Christmas lights and the Abbey as a backdrop. There are not too many shops so you don’t get overwhelmed. And I have an insider tip for you (the benefits of being a blogging insider!) – Gilly at Twist mentioned that there will be a bargain rail.  If I know Gilly that probably means that it will be a bargain rail that Carrie Bradshaw would queue to get at! She mentioned VERY big bargains for those who get there early. I couldn’t prize any more out of her than that. But I feel a Christmas present to myself coming on…

Packing has been something I have struggled with over the years. What to take and how much to take can be difficult to work out. My particular recurring mistakes are not having enough warm clothes with me in cold climes, relying on the weather forecast too much, having too many ‘stand-alone’ items but not enough outfits and high-maintenance clothes.

I remember going on a business trip to the USA that involved staying in four hotels in three cities. It was the height of the summer so I took lots of linen. It was a fairly high-pressure trip anyway but the wardrobe nightmare that ensued added greatly to my stress levels. I stayed in several hotels and so ended up ironing the same items several times. Believe me, most hotel irons are not up to the job of turning a nice pair of wide legged linen trousers from dishrag to designer. And the trouser presses are even more disastrous because of the real danger of accidentally introducing hard-to-remove creases in the wrong places.

I did however discover the trick of hanging my clothes in a steamy bathroom.  That worked well until one morning when I hung my last clean pair of linen trousers over a steaming hot bath. You guessed it – they fell in the water. I ironed them dry but they had shrunk badly so I ended up going to my last meeting of the trip in pretty grotty trousers that needed a wash and didn’t really go with the only clean top I had left. Not good when trying to create a good first impression.

After that I have given a lot more thought to how and what to pack. Here are my five hot tips for looking great and staying stress free on business and holiday.

1. Think about the number and type of occasions you need to pack for. If your trip consists of mainly meetings and after work drinks take one crease-resistant business suit and several tops to make it look different each day. A few well-chosen pieces of jewellery and scarves can change your look for the evening. If you are likely to have an afternoon off for sight seeing you could wear the comfortable shoes that you travel in plus use a soft  tote bag that will squash into your case.
2. Pack whole outfits including accessories rather than random items. It takes a bit longer to think through but makes life much easier.
3. Use separate bags inside your suitcase like these . These are especially handy if you have to unpack and repack several times on your trip as they keep items tidy.  I tend to use at least three – one for my underwear, one for scarves and one for tops. They save time as they make things easier to find.
4. Roll your clothes to prevent creasing. I have tried using tissue paper but never found it that effective. Rolling works much better for me.
5. Pack cosmetics and a change of underwear in your hand luggage – apparently airlines lose one bag for every 100 passengers. Unbelievable! In light of this I always pack my jewellery in my hand luggage too.

Happy travels!