Style rules you live by

[anyabanya]

Hi, I am just curious abut what style tips people have that improves their general appearance.

I am a bit of a mess really. I do not have a great sartorial eye, and always look a little as if i have just come in from mucking out horses. I am really trying to change my style.... i have become addicted blogs where people are trying to live chicly (is that a word?), like Anne Baronne's 'chic and slim' blog etc.

Despite my total messy nature, I do have a couple of rules I live by.... always wear dark toe polish; never wear competing patterns on clothes (so, horizontal stripes on a skirt and a top with a flower pattern for example).In winter I try and wear black and two other colours (black and emerald green is a fave) but other than that i seem to spend alot of time trying to look halfway decent... and failing.

I would love to hear what other people do.... what ideas they have in always looking good.

Scooby - that bra sounds good! I had a good waffle about the merits of the Triumph super soft on this thread yesterday. Have you tried that? It's a very similar shape and style but I've never found one with formed cups as fab as the triumph has.

White next to your face only works if you have white teeth to match. Otherwise it just makes yellow teeth look even more yellow. Ivory is kinder on old women like myself.

I used to do the classic 'More Dash Than Cash' look (the original from the 1990's - all cashmere twinsets, white shirts and LBDs) but got bored with it. I like to mix the odd classic piece with something quirkier (and this doesn't mean I pin a flower on everything like I saw in a book recently).

I'm 36 and size 14/16

Thongs or g-strings - buy one/two sizes up.

Clean polished shoes

Don't keep too many things for 'special' - feel
good fabulous every day

Pedicure in the summer

Use Factor 30 on your face

Create a waist with chunky belts

Red trench coats

V necks for big boobs and definitely no polo necks

Buy whole outfits, not random items

Just say no to shiny tights

Buy

Blusher or bronzer brightens any face and I swear by Beauty Flash Balm. But fear it may be time for facial contouring :)

I also think would Jennifer Aniston wear it but only when it comes to expensive items like coats and shoes.

A quite pointless asking yourself that question unless you are the size of a pencil like JA!

NEVER wear 3/4 length trousers.

They look dreadful.......on both sexes!

3/4 length trousers make my fat ankles look even fatter. Hideous things, right up there with - can I bring myself to say it? - tapered trousers.

Think that Kate Moss once described thongs as pointless bum fluff.

Chunky belts don't do it for me, and trenches make me look wider. But it's a great idea for creating a waist. (I actually have one, miraculously - I don't have much else!)

I'm trying to think whose style I emulate or admire...

"Agree re gold. It's really rather slaggy. "

but this is just a ridiculous generic statement, some peoples skin tone suits gold better than it does silver.

Actually the whole thing about 'never wearing gold with silver' comes from a superstition that to mix them was unlucky, which in turn came from the observation that silver is harder than gold and therefore rubs away the more expensive metal. Personally I wear silver as a) it suits me and b) since having ds my wedding ring brings me out in a rash.

I think it's more a case of a lot of gold looking cheap - think Argos catalogue - but the same applies to silver. And where my family come from (East London, Irish immigrants) it's traditional for the poor to convert cash into gold because they never had bank accounts, which the women then wear - and indeed girls, my nan had gold earrings when she was a tiny baby. This is still the case, with families seeing gold - often very expensive gold - as a better investment. So wearing lots of gold has become linked with the poor/working class.

I can't tell you how relieved I am not to be the only one who asks herself, "Would Jennifer Aniston wear this?"

As to style rules, one I find works for me is to repeat a colour from the bottom of my outfit at the top or around my face. A black scarf is one of my staples because it repeats my usually black shoes or boots.

i live by my mother's rule - "always look your best, you never know who you might bump into"

And I don't wear trousers, they look awful. Generally I trust my mother's sartorial opinion, if she says something looks OK I will wear it as she is very honest

Awww, that's really nice, fibilou! My mum tells me I look lovely in everything...guess I will be the same with my dds!

I don't agree that you have to pencil thin to take JA as a style reference point - of course it would help to be a size 8, yoga toned and golden skinned . However as a pale skinned, size 12 ( pre pregnancy) I still think you can take a lot from looking at what she wears.

Generally;

• A neutral palette- often in different shades head to toe
• Not a lot of patterns
• Best quality fabrics you can afford ie Cashmere, quality cotton etc
• Make the best of your hair and minimal makeup
• Clothes that are worn close to the body but not tight tight

She is not the most fashion forward celebrity and does not change her look that often, however for day to day life I think she does grown up casual gorgeousness brilliantly.

Now my other style crush, Diane Kruger, well that would be far more difficult for mere mortals to carry off !!

So long as I look like Sheila Hancock when I'm 70 I'll be happy...(I can dream!)

Nigella Lawson, I love the way she dresses to make the best of her curves. Not sure is falls into the 'casual' bracket though, so not much of a role model for a work-at-home mum like me.

Never have underwear that can be seen outside your clothes - bra straps, thong straps (urghh!) etc.

Always wear shoes that are the same colour as, or darker than your clothes.

Don't wear short skirts with bare legs if you're over 40.

Short, clear-polished nails always look nice.

File heels regularly to get rid of hard skin and paint toenails if they get chipped.

Make sure your shoes don't have worn-down heels, or wear Uggs that are all wrung over to one side.

Walk tall, wear a good bra and don't wear anything too tight, particularly if you're a bit chubby.

Accentuate lips or eyes, not both.

Don't assume what Trinny and Susannah tell you is necessarily true.

Gok, on the other hand, can do no wrong.

Surprise, shouldn't that be, 'Don't wear Uggs'?

I must admit I like pretty coloured shoes with jeans or trousers - I never try to match them.

Do agree about Trinny and Suze - lots of great advice but one or two way off the mark.

Have not tried out Gok yet, so he's worth a look?

I have a v. good book by Bobbi Brown on hitting forty - the make-up and skin care advice is great but the fashion isn't quite there- all black polo necks and big watches

You see I personally find a good 'nude' colour pair of shoes is invaluable.

Leg-lengthening and go with everything and more chic than black in my opinion.

Generally, that buying cheaply can only be done for your strongest features i.e. I need to spend £90 on my black work trousers because anything cheaper quickly shows up the disaster area that is my arse, hips and leg area. However, I can buy little stretchy Lycra tops for £10 because top half is lean and shapely.

Interesting re patterns: I spent my 20s afraid of them (and looking pretty dull as a result) and have spent my 30s trying to get into them.

I'm dark haired with strong features and a rather big well-boned head, though: does that make a difference? My MIL is very pale and small featured - patterns drown her.

My recent find was a decent colour. I've always had the cut, but I have been home colouring my hair since I had children (it's that or feed them on dust). I usually only spend about £4 on a dye and was becoming increasing depressed about how shite my hair looked.

Spent £9 on the high end L'Oreal colour and highlight set and it looks bloody marvellous. All for the sake of £5: a colour which will make me look much, much better for 2 months or so.

Yes, nude shoes are very flattering, esp. if any leg is on show. I never show my legs at all - I wear maxi skirts with boots or trousers. Black courts are v. boring - I have a nice brown pair by Fly London and will be looking for grey this winter. I lusted over Catherine Gee's shoes on that moving to the country programme but I can't wear kitten heels (chunky ankles) so I look out for pretty loafers or wedges.

I have a friend colour my hair, she charges £35 but it grows back so quick I need 5 wk sessions to keep on top of all they grey.

I am always told that i loo much younger than my age.

My style rules are

Get eyebrows threaded(it really makes a difference)

Wear heals often or wedges

Wear makeup ( No woman over the age of 25 should go barefaced)

I usually buy clothes one size bigger.

Get hair done professionally.

Get your nails and feet done.

Both bootcut and skinnies can suit you whatever yor size. I look much thinner in skinnies than bootcut.

If you see something you really like, buy two of them.

Go to charity shops, you can really get some nice things.

I LURVE batwing tops as i have flabby arms, despite years of lifting weights.

Buy a well fitting bra

Invest in SPANx

Forehead, do you not find that your waist gets lost in a batwing top?

Charity shops/eBay/dress agencies - love them!

Spirit mum, i wear a belt with my batwing top

Ah, forehead, that was how I wore them back in the 80's - my belts were black shiny patent and black suede! Think I would look a bit sad tring to dress like I did in my teens, but it is tres chic if it works for you. (Also belts cut me in half - not a good look...)

Charity shops around here have nothing nice in them ever.

Or maybe they do for about 5 seconds and then the hordes of students descend.

Disagree that no woman over 25 should go barefaced. Surely it depends on how good your skin is?

Depends on where you live, doesn't it? My mum works for an AIDs charity which has its own shop in London and they get stuff to die for.

We live in quite a well-heeled but dull area. The Cancer Research shop gets the best stuff and is also the most expensive. Oxfam gets the funky stuff, and the other shop gets the old lady stuff.

Some charity shops list their best stuff on eBay. Sense have a great one, their seller sorts out lots of BNWT stuff and funky vintage.

I just don't always get time to do my face before leaving home on the school run. If I don't, I moisturise with a tinted moisturiser, slick on some lip gloss and wack my shades on.

I go bare-faced most days, but then I'm a hermit who never sees anyone. Almost everyone oever 35 looks better for a bit of make-up though, and if I'm going out I take ages on my make-up.

Don't be tempted to wear a strong evening look in the daytime whatver age you are - it's just tacky. that's something alot of very young women take too long to learn!

Personally, I always think that if a woman is dressed up to the nines in evening or 'occasion' wear, and she wears NO make-up at all, it looks quite odd and lacklustre - doesn't matter how good her outfit is, it still looks plain and drab. Maybe not on a 20 year old, but certainly on over 35s.