I’m back, refreshed, renewed and raring to go. Once a month I will be covering the best and worst (a few fashion faux pas) of what’s going on in the high street. Fashion, beauty, health and gossip, gossip, gossip…
Mouthing off…
NOVEMBER is my favourite month in Cyprus, it’s slightly cooler, so you can get excited by winter shoes and accessories without feeling hot and you can start sorting out your summer wardrobe leftovers.
I don’t want to hear any more conversations about the weather so please stop complaining about the lack of thunder and lightening. If you want rain go back to Blighty! We all chose to live here for whatever reason so we have to make the most of what we’ve got.
Once a week I try to make time for a good old gossip over drinks with my friends so inevitably (as women do) we all sit there getting stuff off our chests, like the way people are dripping in designer gear but always look awful, why there aren’t enough pubs and wine bars around, and how we must be the only country in the world that has turned the American tradition of take-away coffee into a midnight ritual on the pavements of Nicosia. Don’t get me wrong I like my coffee too, but I usually drink it in the morning to wake me up. If I go out in the evening I may have one after dinner but to sit and nurse a pint of cappuccino is not my idea of having a night out.
So, could someone please open a wine bar in Nicosia’s Makarios Avenue? Somewhere near all the caffeine addicts so people can actually ask for a glass of wine at 5 o’clock without being made to feel like an alcoholic by the waiters and the surrounding posers. Hello my name is Ambrosia and I’m an alcoholic.
If there is one thing you should buy this month, it should be a bit of the ‘secretary’ look. I wouldn’t do too much of it or you’ll end up looking like the office nerd. You need to interpret it in a sexy way.
Let’s make this clear, secretary style is not fashion aimed at those who hold the title. Nor is it the opposite of ’80s power dressing, though its polished look may place the wearer closer to promotion than, say, than someone sporting bus-wide shoulder pads and a perm. This is a trend that pays homage to tailoring, details and Jane Fonda in Nine To Five.
Well, not only La Fonda. More recently Maggie Gyllenhaal modelled ’40s-style knee-skirts and nipped-in waists to quirky effect in the film Secretary. And, like Gyllenhaal herself, secretary style is unexpectedly sexy, though in a preppy, still-innocent sort of way. It’s smart, ordered and buttoned-up.
But the surprise is that, unlike many fashion trends, this one seems to have purpose: serving up clothes that are pretty, flattering and yet comfortable. It’s not only because these winter clothes are relatively practical that secretary style is comfortable to wear. It’s also the reassurance of knowing a pulled-together look gives a lady poise. But you don’t have to go all the way. Women who want a flawlessly formal take on the trend will dress top-to-toe in Marks and Spencer’s delicious grey trouser suit, (from their Limited Collection) and stick to monochrome all the way. But a more youthful way to wear secretary style is to be bold with colour and loosen the inherent grip on black tailoring – replacing where necessary with tweed. So wannabe Gyllenhaal’s will seek out French Connection’s pale pink pussy-bow blouse and a tight tweed skirt from Karen Millen.
Accessories and detail are key to nailing secretary style – but it isn’t about co-ordinating everything. Shoes and handbags needn’t match, and the difference can look cute. A classic brown leather bag will be your new best friend, but footwear is coloured. The selection of ’40s ‘dolly’ shoes or ’70s-inspired knee-length boots make a tempting departure from perennial black. (If you prefer to remain in neutral, pick tan or chocolate brown for shoes.) And with a look that shows some leg, matte, coloured tights make a comeback this season, too. Check out Wolford for a great selection. Tailored wool coats stick close to the female form, adding another layer to the understated sexiness, while leather gloves and matching brollies keep you warm, dry and impeccably turned-out (so go on let your hair down Ms Jones).
Anyone for a FREE facial?
I WILL be giving away a free relaxing facial (at The Beauty Room )using the fabulous aromatherapy range from Darphin to the first person who emails me with five funny reasons why they buy the Sunday Mail! Just email me at [email protected] (my own email address will be up and running in the coming weeks). Send in your answers by Monday, November 15 and we will announce the winner in next month’s column (December 5).
Add a bit of style…
IF YOU own hundreds of pairs of shoes (I never throw shoes out so, yes I do) and are so obsessed with them that you keep them on even when you have sex, then you have to dash to Habitat and get yourself a sexy shoe horn designed by one of my fave shoe designers Manolo Blahnik. It’s so cool you will want to put it on display…
