Know yourself before you buy anything
My 10 top tips for dressing well. And join me for my BAFTAS fashion verdict tomorrow night!
Before we start pulling on knickers and tights, get to know yourself and your body
What do you need your clothes to do? Go to the office, or gardening, out on a run or at the yoga class
What bits do you like best about your body?
What do you like least? We won’t change your body, we will change how we cover it up
What women do you admire? Katharine Hepburn? Helen Mirren? Queen Camilla? Twiggy? How do they look great, always?
What image do you want to put across?
Choose your uniform. Wide slacks, flats and a sloppy Joe. A floral tea dress. A trouser suit. Black everything. Black nothing.
What is your budget?
What is in your wardrobe already? I threw out a Jil Sander duster coat as a moth got it. But I could have given it a second life with invisible mending, and by wearing it in a different way
If you worry about your hair thinning, or going grey, wear a turban or a hat. Worried about lines, wear dark glasses. Your hands? Wear a pair of elbow length opera gloves in shocking pink. Your neck? A vintage Hermes scarf
Make like Mary Berry
I went out for dinner with Judith Kerr, the creator of Mog. Then in her eighties, I was struck by the way she was dressed. A perfect white blouse, a cardigan, an immaculate skirt and jewellery. A Victorian brooch at her neck, which she said had ‘developed holes’. She was funny, too. Talking about the cat who inspired Mog, she told me he once got shut in the garden, and made a ‘terrible face’ at the kitchen window.
When I went to Mary Berry’s house, she showed me her wardrobe: a row of identical waffle cotton coat hangers bought in bulk from John Lewis, from which hung blouses, jeans, immaculate sweaters, a Frank Usher evening gown first worn in her twenties. Every pair of shoes was kept in line in shoe trees. She makes an effort, not just for TV, but every single day. Not just by washing her kitchen floor daily (if you ever drop the home-made shortbread, she assures you it can still be eaten), but with her make-up, hair, nails. Her bright blue eyes betray a passion for life and mischief, chiffon blouses show off a small waist, pearls at her neck give her skin a subtle sheen. She loves rose-covered blazers from Whistles. ‘On the baking show, I wanted to look summery, and positive, and encouraging. The summer was so wet and cold, I wanted to be warm, too,’ she told me. ‘Above all, I always like to look approachable.’ A local seamstress shortens her sleeves, as they know she is always deep in flour and washing up (my personal hate is hotel robes that get all wet at the cuff). Mary chooses skirts a size too big, so they sit on her hips and cover her knees. Boot-cut M&S jeans. Rugby shirts. Her only concession to age is clothes must be easy to put on and fasten. Her undies? Per Una, of course.
What unites these two women (Judith Kerr died in 2019) is that they both overcame terrible tragedy. Judith lost many members of her family when she fled the Nazis. Mary lost a son in a car accident. I feel clothes kept them upright. Able to carry on.
Don’t forget, all paid subscribers get a monthly How to Dress video, and can hire me (for free) as a personal stylist for that big event… Just email me your photo, sizes, budget and a brief description of your big day (a date, a wedding) and I will snuffle out your perfect outfit…