I'm lucky enough to live in an area of London which is generally well kept and the streets are pretty rubbish free, so lulled into a false sense of cleanliness it's only when Summer really hits and I dig out those " it really is Summer" little white dresses and my " couldn't be without" slim metallic Havianas, (the easiest, cheapest, comfiest and best looking answer to casual Summer footwear! http://en-gb.havaianas.com/en-GB) that I realise how dirty the air in London is! it doesn't take my children's sticky ice cream hands to discolour the white dress, a mere stroll down the street will do it, and my feet black apart from the white area marked out by the flip flop strap like the strangest tattoo!

Just going back to those Havianas, if you havn't discovered them yet they really are a great answer to Summer footwear, the Summer converse. The glamest ones I've found this season are slim metallic silver or gold with one neat inserted crystal on the Upper at Harvey Nicholls. With prices starting around £18 mean a few pairs in different colours is always an option! If you want to read more tips for Summer and Holiday wear check out my magazine at http://www.irispersonalstyling.co.uk/subscriptions.html

Any questions email me at gill@irispersonalstyling.co.uk and find my website at irispersonalstyling.co.uk where you can sign up to my newsletters, twitter and magazine.
Best wishes Gill

Sometimes you just have to turn things around to get a positive! When my lovely eight year old daughter lovingly patted my bum this morning whilst I struggled to get dressed and said " Mum, I love your bum its all soft and squidgy, funny when you wear your costumes it doesn't look big!" Whilst musing about the fact that at eight perhaps she should be saying "clothing" or " outfits" not costumes it also occurred to me that this comment was a great affirmation that I knew my job! clearly I know how to dress!

The next two comments cancelled each other out in the confidence stakes On one hand apparently having a big bum and legs means your'e really strong but I also have very big goosebumps!

Anyway back to something useful. The other week I recieved an email introducing me to a new website for Bespoke shoes. I've been looking for something like this for sometime to solve the too frequent problem of matching style, height and comfort and of course price for my clients. In the main the price excludes such options but not at Upper Street! Touched down on the web to check it out and what came up was a classy, easy to follow shoe lovers paradise. I still couldn't understand how they could possibly offer quality shoes at the prices quoted so I went to meet Julia Grindham who co-founded the company with her sister. The sisters aim was to offer quality shoes which the customer can design themselves through and easy step by step process but at High End High Street prices. I have touched and played and fingered materials, grilled Julia on everything I can think of and very happy to say Upper Street passed the Iris test! the icing on the cake is the beautiful packaging and a great little keyring you get as a first time customer, I'm having to hide it from my daughter and friends. I do think this site needs a Health Warning, seriously additive fun to be had ! Find Upper Street on my Faves page http://www.irispersonalstyling.co.uk/links.html

Any questions email me at gill@irispersonalstyling.co.uk and find my website at irispersonalstyling.co.uk where you can sign up to my newsletters, twitter and magazine.

Best wishes Gill

Ever tried to explain why one item of clothing looks contemporary even fashionable as a pose to outdated, frumpy? sometimes its just down to the fabric, pattern or detailing rather than the shape of the garment. Some pieces we can quickly identify as trendy because these are the shapes and colours of the season we see in the press and at the fronts of the shops but once you move on and want to put more stable items in your wardrobe you need to know that they will stay looking contemporary for many seasons. There are some ways of transcending the whole fashion thing by choosing a style which overrides these issues. Look at Vivienne Westwood or Marni.

However if your style is a bit more classical but you want to keep looking up to date and aware the nuances of design is a little more tricky. Here's some rules that might help!

* Choose distinct colours not washed out or dull, tonal colours ooze more class and tend to look more expensive than one dimensional colours. Little liscence required with this for the current neutrals trend.

* Choose geometric patterns, if florals make them clean and clear not too pretty pretty.

* Go for simplicity of design and quality finish above complicated details and embellishments which you can easily get wrong or look cheap.

* Avoid labels and logos, making it obvious won't compensate for style.

* Make jewellery bold and distinctive it can change any outfit from frumpy to fashionable

* Pay attention to footwear and bags, changing acessories can update your whole look, wear the most fashionable trousers and all is lost if you shoes say Grandma!

Any questions email me at gill@irispersonalstyling.co.uk and find my website atirispersonalstyling.co.uk where you can sign up to my newsletters, twitter and magazine.

Best wishes Gill

Hi all, I am hoping to get into a weekly habit of blogging but it's been a busy month and I have literally shopped til I've dropped the only shame of it is none of it was for me! Correction I have bought a lovely pair of Diane Von Fustenberg harem pants, well I can't be sure that is quite the right exact on trend term but they are loose in the leg and cuffed just above the ankle in soft matt khaki satin and one of the most comfortable pairs of trousers I possess, a welcome relief after a long winter in jeans. I appreciate they are a difficult style to get away with and I think I sit on the edge of that statement a lot of the time, they have a tendency to emphasise the bum and hip area but if you are lucky enough to have slim hips or long legs then the style is a very comfortable and versatile option.

I also succumbed to a pair of Vera Wang sunglasses from my most favourite Optician duo Shafi and Shafi of Santro and Peche in Chiswick. I can't recommend their selection enough as they are passionate about their business, Shafi no1 is a trained practicing Optometrist he adds his knowledge to his own good eye for style and that of his cousin's Shafi no2. http://www.santroandpeche.com.

So yes there was a little shopping for me! I've also written an article for Savvywoman which you can find it at http://www. savvywoman.co.uk/c1-pages/c1s0.php?art id+273. The theme is Quality not Quantity focusing on putting value back into your wardrobe. Please sign up to Savvywoman.co.ukwhilst you are there, Sarah Pennells very informative plain english site for those of us who find finance matters a little hard to unravel. She summarise the most relevant bits and what action to take and puts it into great easy to read articles, newsletters and tweets.

I'm also just about there with my monthly magazine launch so you will hear more on that in a few days!

Any questions email me at gill@irispersonalstyling.co.uk and find my website at irispersonalstyling.co.uk where you can sign up to my newsletters, twitter and magazine.

Best wishes Gill

Hi, as this is my first Blog I am both nervous and excited. It occurred to me as I was thinking about writing it, that new communication technologies cross the boundaries of age, responsibilities, lifestyle, careers and interests as children, teenagers, mothers and grandparents Text, Tweet and blog away whilst communicating and building relationship via social websites.

Iris clients also cross a wide age range from 20's to 60's, both men and women and what I love so much is that their commonality is the desire to have a Style which, whilst comfortable for them and expresses who they are is contemporary and aware. There is no denying that with age come changes to our body and appearance but we are no longer categorised by an age bracket and can be fashionable, sexy, stylish even trendy and that is also regardless of shape, size and colouring, the lines have become blurred. The way we dress, socialise and build relationships is now more about personality than age.

Iris Personal Styling works with it's clients to either develop their personal style as the foundation of their wardrobe or stay true to the style they are confident with , working with this as the basis for building a wardrobe with quality, style and value at its core.

I'll be blogging weekly with lots of tips and ideas but meantime find Iris at irispersonalstyling.co.uk or email me at gill@irispersonalstyling.co.uk.

Best wishes Gill

Iris Personal Styling - a Spring Wardrobe

It's one of those rare days outside at the moment when the sun is actually shining and I'm finally thinking there maybe a glimmer of hope to ditch the winter coat and boots until ummm maybe next week! Personally I am more than ready to think about my Spring wardrobe and how I can lift the spirits by adding a few lighter, brighter pieces to my daily wear. My tip if you want to Refresh your wardrobe for Spring/ Summer but want to put value and quality back into your wardrobe is don't buy anything before youv'e organised and planned! and unless it's cheap or you don't need to think about money never buy on a wim! That might sound a bit controlled and boring but the satisfaction of buying something new to wear is doubled and enduring when you know it will work with the rest of your wardrobe, reduce the question of what to wear on a daily basis and still make you feel great when you bring it out the following year! hence the need for planning and organisation to get the most out of your shopping experience.

If you want a full list of tips on how to organise your wardrobe then go towww.irispersonalstyling.co.uk/subscriptions and look at the sample Magazine page ( April Issue no 1). You'll find other Spring styling tips there too.

Personally I find reviewing and reorganising my wardrobe twice a year a cathartic exercise so now's the time to do it and get your head in Spring mode! albeit a little later than usual!

Best wishes Gill