How to wear your little black dress this winter

From Jules Standish, The Colour Counsellor and Author of How Not to Wear Black

Most of us love a Little Black Dress as an effortless, glamorous and smart wardrobe staple – especially during the winter months and party season. But how you wear your LBD is key, as few of us can wear black well without it ageing us if we have the wrong skin tone says Jules Standish, The Colour Counsellor and author of How Not to Wear Black and discover your true colours (August 2011, O Books, £7.99).

FACTS: The reason black can make a warm skin tone look older is because up against the face it reflects and highlights all that’s dark. Shadows around the chin, lines either side of the mouth, grooves between the nose and mouth, forehead lines or the dark rings under the eyes. Wrinkles and sunken areas will appear deeper, and the older you get the more ageing black can be. Black will flatten a warm complexion by giving it a grey appearance making it look drained and tired, stripping away any natural golden glow. Understanding your skin tone and underlying genetic pigments is vital to knowing what colours suit you according to Jules.

What Skin Tone Are You – can you naturally wear black?
Summer Complexions tend to be light and colourless, not rosy cheeked and don’t tan well. This colouring is best suited to cool pastel shades of pale pink and blue, purple, off white. Neutrals are greys and blues. Celeb Spy: Claudia Schiffer is a cool summer.

Winter Complexions are cool, light or dark, not translucent, and not rosy cheeked, with a distinctive, striking look to the appearance. Black can be worn against face with no signs of dark shadows, lines or ageing. Cool colours include electric blue, fuchsia pink, emerald green, burgundy with black and white neutrals. Celeb Spy: Megan Fox is a striking winter. Winters skin tones are the rare few that can wear black well naturally without it ageing their looks.

Spring Complexions have yellow/gold undertones, tend to blush easily, have broken veins or rosy cheeks and can vary from very fair, freckled to dark and golden. This colour palate is bright and warm including lime green, golden yellow, coral, turquoise, red, and grey/stone/blues neutrals. Celeb Spy: Amanda Holden is a bubbly spring.

Autumn Complexions have more bronze undertones than spring and never have rosy cheeks. Muted colours include olive green, burnt orange, mustard, caramel and teal. Neutrals are browns/dark greys/blues. Celeb Spy: Penelope Cruz is a dramatic autumn.

The Rules of How to Wear Your LBD if it’s not in your natural colour range

- Wear a black dress with a low neckline and ensure that your natural skin colour reflects up against the face.

- Invest in a fabulous gold (warm skins) or silver (cool skins) necklace, or wear gorgeous coloured stones of amber, turquoise, citrine or jade.

-A wrap or scarf is a great accessory in a colour that suits your skin tone.

- Choose a black dress with a coloured pattern in it.

- Opt for a two-tone dress with a block of colour on the top and black on the bottom or colour down the middle and black at the sides for a really slimming look.

- Coloured jackets or cardigans can offset the LBD beautifully, are warm and hide upper arms.

- Wear make up that is the perfect colour for your complexion and features. Warm (coral, green and brown) based make up is best for yellow/golden based skin tones while cool (pink, blue, purple) for the pink based ones.

“Nigella Lawson has the cool skin one and dramatic dark features to wear black to maximum effect and she does! Joan Collins is another high profile lady who looks dramatic in black. If you don’t have a winter skin tone like these ladies then we can learn how to wear black without it ageing our looks.”
Jules Standish, The Colour Counsellor

Written as an easy to use, self-help guide, How Not to Wear Black will introduce you to your true colours, help you choose the right clothes and accessories to help you look as attractive as you can, and understand the effects of black on the ageing process. By learning to choose the correct colours for your genetic blueprint you will minimise lines, wrinkles, blemishes and dark shadows with dramatic results – an immediate and cost-effective route to anti-ageing – and to feeling great!

FACTFILE:
Jules Standish is The Colour Counsellor: a personal colour & style expert passionate about getting women into their true colours to look younger and healthier in an instant! Jules works with a wide range of individuals from celebrities to housewives and businesswomen. Jules is also a freelance journalist and has written many articles for the media.

Stockist Info: How Not to Wear Black by Jules Standish, O Books, £7.99, 2011
ISBN 978-1-84694-561-8 – www.colourconsultancy.co.uk

House Of Colour re-brands. Should you, too?

House of Colour feels that they recognise we all need to refresh and rebrand our look as we can get dated and lag behind the times, so they have just rebranded their company to reflect this.

They engaged the services of brand specialists and then as a company they enjoyed the process of working together and with their partners, clients and the wider world to define their values.

“ Everyone within the organisation now knows that everything we do needs to be measured against the following words: Quality, Credible, Colourful, Relevant, Engaging, Supporting, Aspirational, Successful and Profitable and Integrity,” said a spokesperson.

"At a time when Colour is hitting the shops in glorious combinations, blocks and patterns there cannot be a better time for anyone to find out which colours work for them.

"Walking through the high street being wowed by the visual displays often sends us into total panic – because we don’t always know what will work for us."

The spokesperson added: “The knowledge we share with clients helps them discover exactly which colours will work and just how much of them they can wear. To wear a bright colour from top to toe, you need to be confident you can pull it off.

“You need the assurance that comes from objective, scientifically based evidence that you have seen with your own eyes. Even then some people only feel brave enough to start with small tops and accessories gaining courage as they go. Then we’re ready for that amazing maxi dress or polo shirt in our best colours once we’ve received enough compliments to believe that it really does look amazing.

Is it time for you to refresh and rebrand yourself with colour and style? To increase your shopping confidence? Find out more at www.houseofcolour.co.uk.

FACTFILE:
Established in 1985: House of Colour is an organisation with over 140 consultants worldwide. It's proud that it is the only company in its field to hold the top UK ‘Investors in People’ award which highlights its focus on empowering the individual making it the leading British colour and image consultancy.

House of Colour consultants follow the most intensive, thorough and ongoing training available to operate exclusive franchise areas; with vacancies in the UK and globally, many franchisees are looking for additional consultants to work with them. So if you feel you want to find out more about being a colour consultant, why not take a look at their website?

Study in Style - stylish training designed for women

Study in Style, the comprehensive Image Consultant Complete Foundation Course has launched. It's described as a flexible, affordable, distance learning package that could bring you a new career as an Image Consultant, Personal Stylist or Personal Shopper closer.

The Complete Foundation Course costs £2,400 (a payment plan is available, just ask them for the details ) with separate modules offered from just £450.

The Study in Style course provides a modular DVD-based course which can be studied at your own pace, in your own time: so making it ideal for Mums at home looking for training that will fit around their busy family life; people seeking a new skill-set; or those looking for a whoe new career.

Course modules include: Personal Shopping; Women’s Style Analysis; Men’s Style Analysis; Colour Analysis; Makeup Application; and Presentation Skills. The Study in Style Complete Foundation Course also includes a total of 12 month’s free mentoring from image industry expert Gail Morgan.

Gail Morgan, the creator of Study in Style says: “This course has been designed for women who are interested in clothes and fashion but who don’t necessarily want to become fashionistas!

Our face to face courses are very popular but we had numerous requests for a home study course. I knew that using just books and photographs wouldn’t be enough, so I transferred the training experience into DVD and created this distance learning programme, so that wherever you are, you will have the opportunity to run your own style business.

“Following your training you will have the knowledge and appreciate the importance of tact and empathy necessary to help your clients find clothes that suit them, their lifestyle, personality and budget. You will be able to start your own business, doing a fun, interesting job that gives you the flexibility to work around your family commitments.”

Designed to provide all the information and equipment you would require to launch your own business as an Image Consultant, Fashion Advisor, Personal Stylist or Personal Shopper, the Study in Style course is accredited and audited by The Federation of Image Consultants (TFIC).

All training content, equipment and materials are audited by TFIC and the Study in Style Foundation Course meets the standards set by the TFIC/City & Guilds of London, Masters Award in Image Consultancy.

Victoria Lochhead from Newbury in Berkshire is a mum of two. She reports: “I’m in my early 30s and found it hard to shop as I always felt there wasn’t a lot on offer for my age group in the High Street – it all seemed too young or too frumpy.

“One day I was in my usual baggy t-shirt and jeans and just felt I had to do something about it! With Study in Style I could study at my own pace in manageable stages. What’s great is that you can build up a business as you go through the course. Study in Style is a great investment, the course is rich in detail and offers brilliant value for money. I now have new skills I’ll always be able to use.”

Karen Cross, 42, from Solihull near Birmingham in the Midlands points out: “I’d always had an interest in fashion and decided to do the Study In Style course last year. The course gave me the opportunity to train at my own pace, in the time I have available. I really enjoyed the distance learning which was very easy to fit into my busy home life. For each module of the course I read the manual then watched the DVDs which I found was the best way to do it – and I’ve always got the manuals as handy reference points.

“I found it a tactile, flexible and interactive course and am delighted that I’m working with new clients already. I set up Style Your Image and I’ve been doing clients properly since Christmas 2010 and am really seeing growing demand for my unique service.”

Hairdresser Sue Nurser, 53, adds: “Especially when you’re colouring hair, I’ve always asked people if they knew their colours and have always found it interesting to work out what people are and what would suit them best.

“With my hairdressing business I can’t commit specific days for studying and I’m a ‘watcher and doer’ learner so watching the Study in Style DVD and reinforcing that by reading the manual at my own pace was ideal. My hairdressing business has built up over the years but offering a Colour Analysis service is already making a real difference to my income.”

FACTFILE:
Study in Style is the training arm of The Image House, the image consultancy business founded by Gail Morgan in 1992. The distance learning Study in Style courses were created to help women set up and up run their own successful businesses in a fantastic and fulfilling industry.

All training content, equipment and materials are audited by The Federation of Image Consultants and the Study in Style Foundation Course meets the standards set by the TFIC/City & Guilds of London, Masters Award in Image Consultancy. For more details please visit www.studyinstyletraining.com