Amanda Wakely - 30% off their Spring/Summer collection

Do join us on the 23rd April for a fabulous few hours at Amanda Wakely's flagship store in London for drinks, canapés and 30% off their current Spring/Summer collection.

RSVP: louise@mowbraybydesign.com

Men in Tights

With the recent focus on men's tights (yes, tights, as in pantyhose) on almost every news channel here in the UK, the question of whether men should wear make-up has also raised it's head.

It seems that men's tights and make-up are in demand - thousands of pairs of soft, silky tights are sold in super-large sizes every month, and a major retailer here in the UK is about to launch a new range of make-up for men. Although one wonders how it will differ to women's make-up apart from the branding? Perhaps the heavily macho version won't include a waterproof mascara as men don't cry?

When it comes to tights, we can all see the benefit to the Queen's Guards - standing in the freezing cold for hours on end - guarding the bastions of the English monarchy against anarchists, terrorists and stalkers. Or perhaps men could wear them at home to stave off the recent energy price rises. Afterall, it seems that the average UK household may soon be paying 100 GBP per month for their energy bills.

All well and good, except for the very simple question - do women find men in tights, or those with a dash of eyeliner attractive? From my (un)scientific research conducted on a group of smart savvy women (my friends) the response has been overwhelmingly conclusive. No. Howls of laughter, loads of eeeuuuw's, noses crinkled in distaste. And the "I'd run a mile if he took his trousers off and then started peeling off a pair of 10 deniers." It's always useful to put things into context.

Hello London!

Well hello London! Can't imagine why I rushed back when the option was another week on a deliciously warm, silky sanded tropical beach. Ah, but responsibilities, accountants, clients call and so here I am. And admittedly in shock. Gosh its cold.

And the only real saving grace was the MMissoni sample sale this morning. Just one word. Fabulous. My good friend LE and I are regulars and always walk out in shock groaning under the weight of parcels having gouged deep holes in our bank accounts. Thankfully we are on opposite ends of both colour and style spectrum's so no need to fight over each piece. Small mercies.

And need to plan the next escape... mmm, what shall it be?

Got my goat...

Ohmygosh... the sun is out. Well, sort of. A darn sight better than yesterday and the promise of vital rays brightening our little island this week.

I feel the need for a soap box. A little one perhaps but can't understand why men in particular don't go through their wardrobes and chuck away anything that makes them look pudgy, fuddy duddy, unappealing. And it all comes out at this time of the year somehow. Nasty old jumpers in dubious colours, fraying collars, pleated baggy cords, scuffed weekend shoes. Its as if Saturday morning becomes the lets hunt the comfy frumpy stuff and put it all on in lots of lovely layers. Not to mention the weekend jacket, you know, the smelly old reliable... lots of practical pockets with remnants of last year's tissues or god help us, crusty handkerchiefs hiding in each compartment. And that's if they don't have children or dogs or go fishing.

The alternative... just wonder around Hyde Park over weekend and one can spot the image conscious Italian gent layered in cashmere a mile away. So effortless, so right.

A note on cashmere:

It is no small wonder that cashmere is one of the most precious and prized commodities in the world. It comes from the downy underfleece of the cashmere goat which makes its home in the highest and most inhospitable plateaux of Mongolia and Xinjiang. Each year one goat produces a meagre 4.5 oz of under fleece, which is painstakingly combed out every spring by nomadic herdsmen. It takes the hair of one goat to make a scarf and two or three for a jumper depending on the weight... 60% of each fleece is discarded.

Thank you cashmere goats, much appreciated.

Kilgour

Gentlemen, Kilgour have recently opened No. 5 Savile Row, their second space. The new store showcases Kilgour Unstructured, seasonal collections focused on a leaner, slimmer silhouette, and luggage and jeans collections - leaving the original flagship store to bespoke.

Designed by Carlo Brandelli, the new store is truly an art gallery aesthetic in a menswear environment with a modern, minimalist interior of pure limestone, against a backdrop of dark oak inlaid with mother of pearl microdots... and stingrays!

Kilgour
No. 5 Savile Row
London W1S 3PE

Autumn/Winter '07

Ladies, now that we are well and truly into Autumn... all you need to know about what's hot for Winter '07.

Dresses: Think screen siren... sexy silhouette, hourglass shape, cinched waists, sharp shoulders, ladylike hems, glamorous prints, thigh-high to below the knee with the midi having made a comeback, and floor length glamour for sultry evening events.

Coats: Power coats... very chic, just about everything from military to waisted trenches, floor sweeping drama, short waisted curves and loads of fur.

Trousers: Out and out masculine... wide legged, pleat fronted, medium to high waisted, narrow and boyish.

Skirts: From bell, to bubble, to dirndl, to mini, to pencil - keep a balance by tailoring the other half.

Jackets: The Tux rules... as does the waisted, the short, the boxy, the classic.

Casual: Cashmere tracksuits, flying suits, parkas, quilted coats, padded jackets.

Knits: Extravagant and oversized... chunky cables, ruffles, ribs, waffles, cowl necks, wrap cardi-coats, outsized scarves, high-tech finishes, fur trims.

Accessories: Slim or broad belts for a cinched waist, opaque tights, exotic feathers, furs and skins, croc and exotic skin handbags, embellished clutches, beanies and berets, cuffs, zips and buttons on subtle platform boots, sky-high stilettos and sculpted form shoes, elbow high glamorous gloves or short leather.

Colour: Black on black, purple on purple, head-to-toe hues, block colour - match clothes, shoes, bags and hosiery, colour on colour in different textures.

Metalics: Lustrous anthracite and bronze, shimmering elegance, molten folds, sheeny colours, opulent outsized crystals and sequins.

Leather: Its everywhere... from soft, silky dresses to beautifully cut pliable coats and sculpted skirts.

For all the runway shows, go to STYLE.COM

British Summer

I love this - designer humour in the face of adversity! I for one am off to St Tropez... hand luggage only, no liquids, bikini's, kaftans, havaianas, platforms, lots of dresses, a hat, all my credit cards and a necessary fist-full of euro's to ease the way. Then back for a rest while I work out the next escape.

Wardrobe Malfunction

Rather fun lunch yesterday with a few friends and the subject of wardrobe malfunctions came up. Much hysterical laughter and blush inducing embarrassment even though none were as public as Janet Jackson's or as common as Britney's... a few of my favourites:

• FL in Boujis in a plunging navel revealing neckline chatting and bopping away - the dress had shifted neatly revealing one breast... needless to say, she is now a great fan of tape;
• Recent shopping with LE parading a dress on the shop floor wondering whether it would stay intact if she moved around - we suggested that she wriggle around a little, which she did. Only problem was that she had forgotten to tie the back and it ended up around her waist - shock, horror (from the sales assistant) and howling laughter from the rest of us;
• Me on the dance floor in a white wrap skirt that fastened with poppers... one spin too many and it landed up in a puddle around my ankles - the chap who I was dancing with had eyes like saucers, I think he thought it was a party trick;
• KB in a public loo with her skirt neatly tucked into her thong about to make her exit when someone piped up 'I just can't let you leave like that' (we nicknamed this kind stranger 'the saving grace';
• On my way to a meeting on a very warm and humid London summer morning (yes, we used to have them) when my body lotion melted and one of my hold up stockings started to lose its grip and slide down my leg ... I had to stop and pull it off with a flourish to the amazed expressions of fellow commuters;
• AJ swimming at the gym... she got out of the pool and made her way to the showers, removed her swimming costume and proceeded to do the hair and body washing routine, only to open her eyes and realise that she had a large audience - she was using the public shower next to the pool... someone kindly handed her a towel.

Couldn't think of many that men have apart from the old zipper / flies problem, which is just way too common to mention...

Have any of your own stories to add to these? Feel free to post a comment!

Miller's Academy of Arts and Science

Miller's Academy was founded by Martin Miller, publisher of Millers Antique Guides, designer and owner of several hotels, and founder of an award winning drinks company. The Academy's aim is to create an inspiring, informative, relaxed environment where lecturers, members and their guests can enjoy a learning and social experience around a series of lectures and courses drawn from all areas of the arts and science. And all in an eclectic setting recalling the atmosphere of literary salons of the past.

Lecture series will cover such topics as 'Ten great philosophers', 'Investing in contemporary art' as well as one-off lectures covering subjects from 'Face transplants: the ultimate plastic surgery?', 'Witchcraft: the naked truth' to Peter Bergen on his latest book on Bin Laden. Other evening formats will range from 'Conversations with?' leading authors, artists and personalities to 'Head to head' debates.

Founding Membership closes on the 16th July, so if you are interested in combining the social with the stimulating, this is something you should not miss.

You can join online www.millersacademy.co.uk or call +44 20 7229 5103, and feel free to mention my name as your referral.

Men's Style...

I was chatting to a journalist last night who is writing an article about men's style and it got me thinking. The trends at the moment are so very subtle. Large pin-stripes, bright green/red/pink lining, braces, red socks are almost an anathema. Instead, the half lining, the coloured piping, the texture, the cut are just the thing.

Talking of half linings and coloured piping, which Kilgour in Savile Row do so very well, I recently went Personal Shopping with a client and we settled on a Paul Smith blazer. Apart from the very smart lining and piping, the beautiful thing was the quirky flower print on the inside pocket. My client had both of us falling about the place with laughter as he tried to find ways of casually throwing the blazer down to reveal its secrets. Over the shoulder, thrown onto a chair... he finally decided that he should wear it and keep his glasses in the pocket. That way, he could open the blazer with a flourish, revealing all, delve inside and swap glasses every now and again. If it works for him, it works for me...

Does the shoe fit?

Had a great Image Consultation and Personal Shopping session with a client today... she is in the process of losing the 2 dress sizes that have crept up on her so I limited the shopping element... no point in spending vast sums on what will be too big in a few short months. We did hike around the shoe department and eventually settled on a pair of Fendi's. Then promptly left them behind as she informed me that she can get any shoe made for £100 in Portugal. Any shoe... way too good to ignore! Got me going on the design front and if its true, I may have to pop over and get a last made. Then a simple question of sending the design and voila! I really like this idea.

Eurotrash and all that...

The South of France... its a beautiful thing. I really must do it more often. My head finally hit the London pillow at 2:30 this morning after attempting the last delayed flight out of Nice on Easy Jet, or sleezyjet as its known. Thank you Monaco for a great weekend... all that anyone should ever need in small doses. Sun, fun, and fabulous people watching.

The Beach Club must be the best spot for fab, ever so slightly voyeuristic observation of one’s fellow man, woman and everything in-between. Having grown up in Africa, the concept of stiletto’s and bikini around the pool is a little hard to relate to...

One can almost guess where people come from by what they wear, how they wear it, the body language, how they hold their knife and fork... The eurotrash in Vilebrequin; the French with perfectly groomed hair, large brims in kitten heels; the eastern Euro’s in impossible heels and gold bikini’s - older or less travelled versions in too tight off-white lycra shorts; the English... either eurotrash or rather pale and slightly uncomfortable; the southern Euro’s in their headscarves, loads of children, tanned and comfortable; the South Americans even more so sans children and headgear, avec grand booty; the American contingent purposefully pale, gripping their cutlery, baseball caps firmly planted. And the most intriguing variety, the world travellers in their kaftans from St Trop/St Barths, the jewels a mix of Cartier and something picked up in Sardinia/Brazil, the flip-flops Italian, the hat hippy, the sunscreen La Mer or Sisley, beach bag picked up in the Billionaires Club... blackberry in hand.

Horribly broad generalisations I know. Ohmy, what the hell... hours of rather compulsive entertainment.

The psychology of colour

Will the girl go to the ball? Yes... despite my lack of a suitable dress. With a theme of Cleopatra and a dress code of gold, white and turquoise I am wondering if they will refuse me entry in purple? It is the colour of royalty - although it does looks a little more grecian than egyptian...

I predict a last minute panic.

Talking of colours, I was consulting with a chap this week who is about to give the speech of his life... the one that in his words ‘will catapult me into orbit, or into an early grave’. We were discussing the right colours to wear and finally settled on the old power combination, black, white and red. I don’t know whether you have noticed, but anyone needing authority goes for this combination - just watch the politicians. Black suit, white shirt, red tie. The psychology of colour is a topic in itself... on the suit front, the paler the grey, the more approachable, the less authority... so a good colour when rallying the troops in a ‘we’re all in this together’ meeting... but don’t try to have the ‘better get your act together’ discussion in this colour, it just doesn’t hold much weight.

Who loves you?

acoolworld, asmallworld, facebook, professionalblackbook, youtube, myspace, abigworld, qube, decayenne, iqons... by the time you have logged in and fiddlefaddled about its time to go home. Is this the strange personal alter-ego push/pull that is a personal parallel to reality tv? Or perhaps its our 15 minutes of fame reduced to 1.5 seconds. Or worse... competition in its most basic form - who has the most contacts, connections. Who is most loved?

Pretty interesting social phenomenon and at this age I am already considered a comms dinosaur by anyone under 30. Hard to fathom but I guess they are on the money. My saving grace is the blog but hell, that’s probably old hat.

Talking of old hat, I was with a client shopping for the penultimate Ascot wow-factor yesterday... It seems that we all have a fascination with hats - for some, a great way of adding a little mystery, for others, personality. From the wide-brimmed to the bejewelled scull-cap, I found myself asking who is wearing who? Do you wear the hat or does the hat wear you? I have only one comment: make sure that it’s the former!

Blue Velvet and champers on tap...

Mmmm, I have been rather absent, but I’m back. A busy week to say the least. Pleasantly surprised, or should I say relieved, by Mary Poppins in the West End... was prepared to be dulled into a deep sleep but the production was fab. Dinners galore from Mr Chow’s champagne fuelled marathon of a feast to rock star prices at the Abingdon... £22 for a fillet? Surely you need to be more than a gastro-pub to charge over £20 for a steak? Nobu, Carpaccio, Bluebird, Zuma, Nozomi and a black tie at the Savoy. Need a mantra... my body is a temple, my body is a temple... or perhaps nil per mouth might be more effective.

Went to The Hempel last night for what must be one of the most creative jewellery and accessories sales ever, hosted by Blue Velvett the Lounge Boutique. What a great idea... the super cool setting of the Hempel, champers on tap, contemporary jewellery by upcoming designers and loads of people tripping out with their little white bags of treasured purchases. Intriguing to watch people trying on jewellery. I was tempted to advise perfect strangers and just about managed to keep my council. No one values advice they haven’t paid for and there is a very good chance of offending...

Babes with Babies

Being a new mother is an extraordinary time. However, let's be honest, it's often far from glamorous. Babes with Babies was founded in 2006 by Sophie Devonshire to help all new mothers feel a little more human, pampered and beautiful.

This e-boutique offers gorgeous clothing and gifts... from flattering, feminine clothing to stylish babychanging bags, jewellery, 'yummy mummy' T's and matching 'pint & half pint' T's for father and son. Sumptuous aromatherapy cupcakes, aptly named 'Mama Melts' that make bathing heavenly... matching mother and baby cashmere beanies, and so much more...

For more information, click on this link.

The Secret

I have two rather delicious books on the go at the moment... The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, which needs concentration, imagination, no interruption, and Piers Morgan’s ‘Don’t you know who I am’... immensely amusing and something one can dip in and out of. Yes, as captivating your life is Piers, you are easy to put down! There is something rather self indulgent about reading books. I feel a little guilty, as if I should be reserving them for true downtime on a beach somewhere, not languishing on my sofa ignoring the call of electronic comms. Wicked, in the old fashioned sense of the word.

I donated an Image Consultation for a charity auction last year. The person who successfully bid for it turned out to be someone I needed most... an accountant. I guess The Secret is all too true. The power of intention, of our thoughts more fundamentally far reaching than we are consciously aware of. There is such a buzz about this book at the moment... I was chatting to the builder who I am working with on my Knightsbridge project and he was telling me that he always imagines his parking place, waiting for him, empty, exactly where he needs it, and how its almost always there.

So as ever I am flirting with how to further employ this in Personal Branding. If the power of how we think creates our reality (and I am sure that we all subscribe to this in one way or another), what price not? It always seems to come down to ‘what price not’.

On a more down to earth note, I was shopping with the accountant yesterday. When I asked him what he wanted out of the session, he said that he wanted to look ‘debonaire’. I like that. I like that a lot... even more so as he was up for it. So if you spot the unusual sight of a debonaire accountant lunching cafe style in Chiswick this long weekend, you will know who I am talking about!

'The Bianca'

The iconic white suit worn by Bianca Jagger is being brought to us in May, and I for one will be first in the queue.

Originally created by Nutters of Savile Row in 1972, Bodymetrics at Harrods will exclusively launch a digitally re-mastered version of the white suit from May 07.

Following the success of the Amphora suit from the Vivienne Westwood archives, the Bianca suit by Nutters will be the latest in the Bodymetrics made to measure Vintage Collection. Each season the range will be expanded so the Bodymetrics customer will be able to take advantage of new designs, adapted to their own taste, on a regular basis.

WHEN: May 2007
WHERE: Bodymetrics, The Designer Studio, Room 2, 1st Floor, Harrods, London

Shop 'till you drop

Have been hard at the mac all day getting the newsletter together - due out tomorrow and its a rather diverse selection this month. It makes me laugh as its a process of happenstance... a happy discovery of various products and services over the course of a month, mentally ticking them off as I go along. And then the final unrelenting haul of pulling them all together.

I have been interviewing key people in business who are using ©The Power of Image to their advantage and they really are refreshing. One can see why they are successful... savvy, aware, curious cats. There is much to be said about questioning how we go about doing things.

Not so my client yesterday who flew in for a monster session... ohmy. It was all about knocking off a list of designer simply have to have’s and I struggled at times grasping and gasping for rhyme or reason. We laughed so much during the process. She kept joking that she was challenging my sense of taste and style. And she was. Nonetheless, with a big personality and an even bigger social life, we managed to play it all to within a few millimetres of drawing the proverbial line. Then a glass of very necessary champers whilst scheduling another round (help!) Thank you darling... not complaining, such fun!

Aspirations...

It wasn’t just the sensory overload of walking into a rocking party, nor the abundance of happy upbeat teens and their wallets better known as the parents - it wasn’t just the incredible lighting or the feeling of being in a majestic building... the sense of discovery stumbling into room after beautiful room, nor the truly, sweetly helpful assistants. It was the semi-naked god who greeted us at the door. And yes, naturally, I am talking Abercrombie & Fitch’s flagship store in London. They seem to have exported the joy all the way from the US, albeit at what seems double the price.

We left wondering how the average teen was going to afford the £50 for a T, and came to the conclusion that this is perhaps how the A&F logo will keep it’s aspirational status.

Only last week, the Luxury Marketing Council put together a panel of 16 to 22 year olds who did fabulously well in giving us their their views on all things luxury. Chaired by Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of The Economist, it was hugely entertaining and an eye opener to say the least.

Their views? Well not surprisingly Topshop - a hit and Kate Moss very much part of the deal, Primark - where you get most bang for your buck, A&F - cool and aspirational, and Ralph Lauren - luxury. When asked what their most luxurious gift would be, the majority wanted a car. Any car.