Wednesday 15 June 2011

November 2010 thoughts in retrospect

I'm all set to become a Christmas Box! And a shopping or makeover day with me does indeed make a great Christmas present for your mother, your sister, your colleagues1 . . .
As it happens, I'm already a prize. This is for an online competition, unfortunately now closed, that had been run by Jigsaw. The winner received £300 of Jigsaw vouchers and a day's shopping with me on the King's Road.
I'm also one of the featured speakers at the NSPCC PAmper event, sponsored by Crone Corkill, at the Landmark London Hotel that will take place on 4 December. It's a glamorous way for bosses to thank their PAs for all their hard work and dedication during the year.
Of course, we are all now preparing for the festive season. I've just been looking at party wear with one of my smaller clients. She is just 5' 2", in her late 30s, and has great hair. At size 12 to 14, we were careful to smooth out the bumps. We visited Reiss and Zara but in end found the perfect little black dresses in French Connection and Banana Republic.
French Connection is offering beautiful dresses embroidered with beads this season. There's one in greens, blues and black which even at £250 is a bargain. It will never date. As this client looks good in a slightly structured sheath, we opted for their Wonder Dress, in black polycotton and elastin at £95.
Our other choice was a black velvet sheath dress from Banana Republic at £89, which has a mini-cap sleeve that neatly covers that little bulge between armpit and bosom. I recommend patent leather shoes to go with velvet, and tights with a touch of Lurex or shimmer.
If you are still seeking the perfect winter coat, I offer these pictures
1 For more information, please go to my website – www.patrickswan.com and look under gift certificates.
to guide you on the current silhouettes and detail:
The grey tweed coat by Alberta Ferretti for example has the huge lapels that are so now. You could also go for a little brightness to break up all the black, and this Giambattista Valli coat in orange is ideal. It hits at the hip line and has that 80s oversize feel. See if you can find elbow length gloves; they look great with these three-quarter sleeves. Finally there's the dove grey coat from Martin Grant at Liberty's. It has a funnel neck rather than lapels and that may suit you better if you are big on top. It has three large buttons, which is also good if you are conscious of your size; they bring the attention inwards.
Other news includes the demise of Prescriptives cosmetics which, if you recall, would customise its products for customers. The other brands I would now turn to for powders and concealers are Laura Mercier and Shu Uemura.
If you are in your 20s or 30s, do check out Anthropologie in Regent Street (not far from Hamleys). It's a sister store to Urban Outfitters and, for you Ugly Betty fans it is a geek-chic paradise! By the way, it not only has fashion but also home-ware.
Good luck with your party shopping. More anon...

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