Jul
29
I just LOVE festival season!! This weekend Field Day hits Victoria Park which means Bethnal Green Tube will be overflowing with lost festival goers – despite the ridiculously obvious signs pointing people in the right direction and the especially recorded tanoid announcement that clearly states which exit to choose; and once again TFL will turn a blind eye to the large quantity of travellers ignoring the ban on alcohol on public transport. Also this weekend is Camp Bestival, one of the few festivals that allow children to come along and enjoy the fun. In fact this year they are advertising ‘Boutique Babysitting’ where kids can enjoy an exclusive festival experience all of their own. Can you believe it? Kids are now more VIP than their parents! Obviously here at Help with Style we are more concerned with the festival fashions than the line ups and when festivals have a huge fancy dress focus, like Camp Bestival, this can be really fun. This year’s theme is Fairy Tale. So, if you are going with children, what do you put them in? Well, first of all I recommend thinking about the weather. If it’s incredibly hot or incredibly wet you need to think about your children’s comfort if you want to have a weekend that is relatively brat free. Sun screen, sun hats and lots of water are essentials. And if it is incredibly wet – well, let’s face it, that is probably more likely in this country, a light weight waterproof jacket and some children’s wellies. The fabulous range of fun wellies at Start-rite would happily suit any child and would probably make a great basis from which to plan out the perfect fairy tale outfit.
Jun
17
None of us have the perfect figure, and we all have some ‘problem areas’ that we want to do something about. Sometimes this can be solved by simply choosing clothing that flatters or disguises the problem. There may be times, however, when a little more help is called for. This is where shapewear comes in. Shapewear has moved on considerably from the days of hideous girdles, and is now available in much more comfortable and flattering fabrics. It’s certainly a lot less effort than spending hours in the gym!
One of the major areas that women worry about is the tummy. It’s perfectly natural for women to have a rounded tummy – in fact, a flat tum is completely natural, so no need to feel a freak if you’ve got a bit of a belly! But if it makes you self-conscious, there is a wide variety of shapewear on the market to keep that midriff looking good. The famous Spanx brand’s Magic Knickers are ideal if you want a smooth shape – they’ll sort out that tum and keep the thighs and bottom under control as well!
But what if you don’t want underwear that covers part of the legs? What if you prefer something a little smaller, or it’s only your tummy that needs holding in? Well, now you can even buy a control thong. Unlike a regular thong, this covers the tummy area to keep it nicely flattened, but you still get the benefits of a normal thong. There is no dreaded VPL and the fabric is lightweight.
Another benefit of shapewear is that it can deal with the dreaded muffin top. This is hard to get rid of, so shapewear is the ideal solution. Anything designed to control the tummy will make that muffin top disappear as if by magic. Just make sure that your top is long enough to cover the shapewear. And finally, if you’re going on holiday, don’t worry, you can still enjoy the beach. Just buy yourself a swimsuit with tummy control!
Mar
02
When spring comes difficult decisions have to be made, do you shed the heavy winter coats for a strappy top and sacrifice the warmth? It’s this transitional period that can cause great dilemmas due to the sun being out but it’s still really cold. Transitional dressing is the way to avoid this unpredictable season and make the most of those cold, crisp sunny days.
Start off by checking your wardrobe for any spring clothing that’s already there hidden away at the back. Then separate your heavy winter items from your lighter clothes. White and light pastel shades are these seasons’ colours and go well with the cool weather. Switching fabrics will make a big difference to your wardrobe such as wool to wool blends and silk to cotton. Put a few of your warmer weather outfits back into your wardrobe as well as a warm waterproof coat, if the weather takes a turn for the worst as it can turn very quickly and you don’t want to be stranded with nothing to wear.
Now, it’s all about swapping, changing and accessorising. Thick tights with a tunic instead of wearing it with jeans will give it that spring look and still keep you nice and warm. Pairing a light coloured dress with a few different darker coloured autumn cardigans with keep the outfit looking different, new and fresh plus will have the added bonus of keeping you warm. The same can be done with belts giving the dress a new statement each time it is worn.
Having a spring suit in the closet is an essential; Roman Originals have great new spring additions for a classy neutral look. Suits can be used for all occasions in your spring diary, just by accessorising they can be transformed from business to party and will give a great fresh look.
Meanwhile for those spring parties it is important to have a piece of evening wear which can be time and again. Try opting for a light coloured dress to reflect the change in temperatures and to brighten up those spring evenings. Try choosing a classic piece of evening wear which can be combined with a number of different accessories to create a different look each time. What’s more although spring sees a rise in temperatures it is often still very cold and as such you should always remember to team your choice of evening wear with a cover up of some sort. Shrugs and boleros are a great choice when it comes to more formal events, whilst cardigans are better suited to more casual settings.
I think the biggest must for the spring are hats. They are a great compliment to most outfits and can be worn throughout the day giving you a chic look and will keep you warm making the transition to summer that bit easier.
Building your spring wardrobe is no easy task and with the credit crunch taking full force buying any new attire can prove expensive. Shops are feeling the strain as much as we are so try shopping online to get some great deals. Make sure you accessorise this spring to get the most out of your clothes, be creative with cool airy colours and enjoy the return of the sun.
Nov
27
In the UK, someone is diagnosed with breast cancer every 11 minutes and breast cancer charities are all committed to fighting the disease by performing research, campaigning and by educating people on how to check themselves and look out for the early warning signs. The ultimate goal of any cancer charities is to help to prevent people from getting cancer and this means spreading the word and reaching out to people’s generosity. This could be either in the form of donations or time spent organising or taking part in fundraising events such as jumble sales or fun runs.
Breast cancer charities campaign for all women to have access to a screening programme and to make sure that early detection takes place. They campaign for all patient’s that have been referred from their GP get seen by a specialist within 2 weeks. These campaigns cost a great deal of money but are so important.
Breast cancer charities need donations no matter how small in order for them to carry on with the magnificent work they do. They rely on volunteers to help out and fund raising is constant to ensure that the money is available. Everyone can make a difference by donating to charity. If you cannot afford to make a payment directly, then there are things like buying charity Christmas cards and choosing Christmas or birthday gifts from the charity websites or charity shops. The majority of charity shops now sell a wide range of brand new specially crafted items that are not available in other high street stores and that make fabulous gifts.
The most recognised breast cancer fund raising items are the “in the pink” items which range from pin badges through to special edition items such as pink GHD hair stylers where a percentage of the sales goes straight to the breakthrough breast cancer charity. Most major retailers sell a range of the in the pink items, including T shirts with the breast cancer pink ribbon on. Damart is one of the companies that sells clothing designed specifically to raise money for breast cancer research. These items are fashionable and will help to show your support.
Research is a huge part of any charity, and breast cancer charities need funds for their researchers to find out what causes cancer and how the cancer forms and grows, how cancer can be prevented and how it can be treated, and hopefully one day a cure will be found. Any new treatments need to be constantly researched and tested to make sure they are safe, and any side effects need to be researched. Without donations and fundraising, this vital research would not be possible.
Nov
03
Celebrities are very important to a large section of the public, especially the young. Some are only celebrities for a few weeks, but their moment of fame is no less significant. Using them to sell a company’s products and services can prove of great benefit and can significantly boost market share. Whether a company chooses to do so or not would depend on the product they are trying to sell or advertise and the expectations of the company.
A local celebrity provides a vastly more cost effective means of gaining publicity for a business. You can pay a few hundred pounds for a local hero or a few million for a national celebrity. This would clearly be way outside the budgetary constraints of most businesses.
A local slimming club that is very popular in the area may choose to use last year’s ‘biggest weight loss entrant’ to advertise what a great idea it would be to join them. That person could be a figure-head for the company who could spread what joining them had done for her. A number of book stores will get the author to their store for a book signing session. This has been known to significantly boost both interest and sales.
Whilst this could be a real boost for a local business, it is debatable whether this would assist a large public company. It is unlikely that sufficient market share would be generated to interest a Tesco or Woolworth’s. Their bottom line would not be impacted enough to get the interest of the powers that be.
It would also depend upon the type of company that is utilising the celebrity. It is improbable that a local accountancy or law firm would benefit greatly as most of the clients are wealthy individuals and other businesses. The entire basis of how the firm generates business is very different to a local store, gym or fitness club.
Webtogs are a new company which sells outdoor clothing and camping equipment. They sell brand-name footwear such as craghoppers & keen shoes, outdoor jackets, tents and rucksacks. They also have a ‘carbon neutral delivery’ policy in place.
May
07
We are all women here. We know how important it is to look fantastic and have a bit of retail therapy. I will now explain the importance of getting clothes from a shop instead of online.
Now girls, it is not rocket science. If we see it in a shop, we can try it on and see how well it fits, looks and how comfortable it looks on us personally. This cannot be done online; we buy, it gets delivered and then we have to send back… wasting money.
Another important issue is just how many calories can one burn on shopping around? 300 on average we can burn by going about our business in town, in and out of shops we like and trying different outfits on.
And finally, women who go shopping are often being social. If you go out alone, you can often bump into a few people you haven’t seen for a while. Women need this in their lives, we are social beings and when you’re sitting on your computer, you are loosing all the social aspects of being female.
So get out there to your local town and shop!
Mar
10
A classic man’s shirt means crisp cotton, well-ironed with buttons down the front and a collar. The sort of shirt that you would wear with a good suit (which should be navy or charcoal in colour, in my opinion). The type of shirt that can be worn to a job interview in the morning, out to lunch at midday and a funeral in the afternoon and still look good.
It should be in a plain shade , to allow for a more colourful tie, and please, make the collar the same colour as the rest of the shirt, gentlemen!
A polo-collar shirt has got its place: it’s just not here. The polo is a weekend relaxation type of shirt, which doesn’t even necessarily need ironing. It can be worn with jeans, shorts or trousers and look fine with all three, whereas the classic shirt only really goes with the suit, doesn’t it?
