Moving on...sharing my skills worldwide

Hanging up my drapes but not my accessories.

I have decided to hang up my drapes professionally and perhaps dust them down for fun,family and friends occasions...my daughters bridesmaids was the last occasion.
I am delighted to be an assessor with The Federation of Image Consultants International and share my skills and knowledge with their members Internationally.
I became a Masters in 2003 and it has rewarded me within my career and personal life many many times having this qualification.
I recommend you read the fipi blog for future fashion trends and news or maybe an image consultant near you :http://www.fipigroup.com/members-blog-post/assessment-news/

And finally to make you laugh...I decided to sport my new hat at Glasgow Cathedral on Sunday morning. I thought the photo of the parrot summed up my mood!

When you take a risk with a new accessory and you not sure if you look fly or stupid!

Chains of Office

Chains of Office

A Long History

Chains of office are one of the oldest symbols of authority.They have been worn as early as the days of the Roman Empire and displayed by emperors,kings,pharaohs, and religious figures as physical representation of their powers and position.A chain of office may also be known as a Livery Chain,Livery Collar,Collar of Office, or Renaissance Chain.
Each chain of office is as unique as the institution it represents. In most designs, a prominent medallion or shield is suspended from a serious of links.The central piece usually bears the institution's official seal or logo,and it may be enchanted with enamel.

Collar of Esses with Tudor rose badge - my favourite

 

A more modern version that can be made for you today.

Deacon's Chain and medal for the Incorporation of Gardeners one of the Trades House of Glasgow's crafts

The links in each chain are highly personal to each craft.When a new Deacon takes office, a link is added with the name of the prededessor. It was originally purchased in 1852.A new link cost £1,1s.

Fabulous

If visiting Glasgow a Century of Style - Costume and Colour 1800-1899 is well worth visiting.

http://visualartsglasgow.co.uk/venues/kelvingrove-art-gallery-museum

Christmas Gift Vouchers are beginning to be purchased now. Please email pauline@imatters.org.uk for details.

Add a touch of style to the Man in your life with a Christmas Image Matters Voucher.

Happy woman are the prettiest.

Colours within cultures blog post this time takes us to India.
I visited the golden triangle in 2012 and loved so many aspects. It is one of the most colourful nations for both men and women's dress. I put this down to temperature and the natural dark hair ,skin and eyes of Indians who light up when wearing bright colours. It also reflects their happy culture and the heading of this blog "Happy woman are the prettiest" reflects this.

Festival Time

I mentor a young lady from Mumbai who runs her own business and she shared some of her favourite blogs. The outfit below captures India today incorporating classic Indian accessories and the length and cut of skirt. Sandals are perfect for the look and heat. Her favourite website is;

http://www.fashionlady.in

http://www.styldrv.com

This blog includes style trends in India and latest fashions.

A modern twist to Indian jewellery.


Here are Indian fashion bloggers to follow for style tips

http://www.socialsamosa.com/2014/07/indian-fashion-bloggers/

Contact; pauline@imatters.org.uk or follow on twitter; ColoursPauline

Colours within Countries-Beautiful Norwegian & Scottish Knits

Norwegian and Scottish Knits

Mad as a hatter!

Following a wonderful trip to Kongsberg and recently meeting 2 extremely talented Scottish knitwear designers it was easy to decide on this blog country.

Knitwear in both these countries is very fashionable and an all year round essential.

These cute Norwegian hats are available from Dale of Norway and Oleana Knits

Scottish Knits

http://www.eribe.com/ 
I met Rosemary the MD of Eribe last week and we had an amazing chat about colour and the lack of people wearing colours. Check out her website Live a more Colourful life for inspiration as image below.

Here are images of classic knitted looks a variety for Men/woman and all colour types. My favourite here is by another Scottish designer Kirsteen Stewart who is based in Orkney and like the jumper below uses the unique colours from her surroundings within her designs.Check out her Spring bag range at her website:http://kirsteenstewart.co.uk/

Eribe

Kirsteen Stewart Design

Dale of Norway

Gorgeous Norwegian look on gorgeous Scottish girl x

Colours within Countries

Colourful Cuba

One of my highlights in 2014 was a wonderful trip to Cuba with my

daughter. We spent the first week touring Cuba and taking in the culture and visiting historic sights. Our driver and guide were from Cuba and as always I started to think what colours suited them best. Frank had brown eyes and a sallow  Hispanic skin tone while Raphael also had dark eyes but a darker African skin tone. No surprise that they both loved football and in particular Frank wore his football tops most of the time. Just like the Cuban Flag colours they were cool colours and mainly white backgrounds and most importantly they suited him. I had assumed before going to Cuba most Cubans would be Autumns but how wrong I was they are mainly WINTERS.
Raphael wore his tour guide uniform well which was a deep blue red t shirt. Men in general are not so influenced by fashion and will get there colours right.

These ladies in their traditional dress are a perfect example of the 2 skin tones I was referring to above and how blue suits Cubans. You look at the ladies first..their happy smiles then their colourful blue dresses. This is one of the ways to tell whither you and others are wearing the correct colour. You should always see the person before their cloths. Wearing blue can clear the sallowness in your skin if you are a winter/summer seasonal tone.

Underneath the fire tree listening to a Cuban band in Trinadad.

This was one of our highlights enjoying the salsa tunes in the shade.The majority of musicians wore white shirts..once again a Winter colour.

Dreams do come true. It was wonderful to swim with the dolphins in our second week in Cayo Coco in the Caribbean Sea.

I am listening to the news about the latest developments in Cuba politically and I am sure it will benefit the naturally kind hearted Cuban people in time.

For a colour consultation or to find out more about WINTER colours.
Mob;07747 604 678
pauline.bell@imatters.org.uk

Colours within Countries

Countries Colours 
Spain and Portugal

Azulejos Tile Dress ..one of my favourite blues!

What are the colours that suit your eyes,hair and skin tone that make you shine and look your best?

Having travelled to many different parts of the world over the past few years I have noticed that certain countries have more dominant colouring features than others.This is often historical, climate based and the use of natural resources for clothes.

Britain in general has an even split of the 4 season types of colour palettes Winter,autumn,summer and spring. This is due to our population's colourings which include black,brown,fair and red hair and a variety of skin tones.

When on business in Spain and Portugal recently I noticed the vast majority of people were mainly warm in their colouring and this is reflected in their leather goods and high street stores,Zara for example.



Here are some winter jacket suggestions for this palette that look wonderful in autumn colours.

Lands,End

Zara

House of Bruar


I mentioned history playing a part in our dress today and I think Flamenco is an excellent example and clearly explained in the article below.

Spanish Flamenco Dress

The flamenco dance wear (traje de flamenco) is a costume Spanish dress worn by female flamenco performers. Spanish flamenco dresses provide an important visual element to flamenco shows. The dress transcends classification as just a regional costume and incorporates an important part of cultural identity.
The dress is figure-hugging, ankle length, with ruffles in both the layered skirt and the sleeves. The most common colors for flamenco dresses are red, black and white but they are typically bright colored. The most typical Spanish flamenco dress features a polka dotted pattern (traje de lunares), but they can also be plain dresses with no pattern. The flamenco dancer normally appears with her hair in a bun, a mantle (similar to a shawl) on her shoulders and high heels. Over time the flamenco costume has become richer in color and has adopted adornments and compliments such as lacing, embroidered ribbons, flowers, costume-jewelry and hand fans.
Flamenco clothes are now thought of as traditionally Andalusian clothes but actually originated from the Spanish Gypsies (Romani people) in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Women, dressed in calico gowns with ruffles, accompanied livestock traders that gathered at the Prado de San Sebastián for what would become Seville's Feria de Abril (April Fair). Their look, over time, was adopted by women of other classes and in 1929 even distinguished ladies appeared in traditional flamenco dress at the Ibero-American Exhibition. Eventually the Spanish dress from Andalucía would become the official outfit for the Seville Fair.
Flamenco dance wear has changed over time and become more widespread in use. In the 1960s and 70s, Spanish flamenco dresses began appearing with shorter skirts. However, by the 1970s the dresses returned to their traditional longer form. By the early 21^st century, Spanish flamenco dresses were available in a wide variety of colors, patterns, sleeve lengths, and ruffle amounts.
The unique look of flamenco dance wear inspires designers from all over the world to produce their own flamenco dress styles by combining tradition and innovation. Victorio & Lucchino have their own line of flamenco costumes and designers like Saint Laurent, John Galliano, Valentino Garavani and Tom Ford have been openly inspired by the genre. In fact, each year at the International Flamenco Fashion Show in Seville designers present the latest trends in flamenco clothing.
Flamenco clothing has stood the test of time.

Our next quarterly blog will be on our colour observations when visiting China.

Contact pauline@imatters.org.uk for booking information.

Fashion trends for summer for men..Is yours Mr Showbiz?

Summer Trends for men this year suit all and can be easily mixed with traditional pieces.Here are the latest trends below.

Mr Showbiz

FIPI (Federation of Image consultants International) Trend Report // Spring/Summer 2014 

Men’s Colour

Colour trends for men this season effortlessly complement all ages and skin
tones. Equally, the colour palette this season can lend itself to suit everyone
from the most classic, refined dresser through to the more expressive and
bolder personalities. The most noticeable update to this season’s colour
palette is the dominance of blue, so many saturations, hues and shades take
precedence this season. From suits to casual wear, blue is the colour of the
season. 


Bright yellow especially for chinos.

For those looking to make a statement this season, freesia is the shade to be seen in, this intense, bright yellow is a popular choice for chinos. A softer, yet equally stylish choice this season is paloma grey worn with pink. 
Energetic hues like pink cayenne and celosia-orange are amongst the most powerful shades around and used for chinos this spring.

Enjoy the beautiful styles on trend this summer and feel like a true gentleman

in them. This year brings much anticipated sophistication to all aspects of a

mans wardrobe. Blazers, in all colours, are this seasons signature piece.

Sharp White Shirts

Styles for the younger man have added a more classy twist this season and

we hope this refreshing update will be adopted by many.

Sharp white suits are still on trend, however make sure to wear with a

contrasting shirt instead of all white, for a current, modern look. Blue suiting

seems to be the norm in semi formal dressing. This season also calls for a

well groomed and considered look.

Great Glasgow stockist of a wide range of makes particularly in Blue Tones is;

http://www.mansworldglasgow.co.uk/ 

What makes certain men more stylish?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/fashion-and-style/10793898/What-makes-certain-men-more-stylish.html

Gift Voucher for style and colour consultation is an ideal Father's day gift