I hate the assumption that women who like fashion must be dumb.

Just because you like dresses does not equal a brain deficit. Think of Michelle O (yes,I am obsessed); Carla Bruni; Queen Noor of Jordan. These women are all extraordinarily smart, powerful and can rock a shift dress with class.

Brainless shop loving WAGs can give the average fashion loving girl a bad name.

If you are of the same view as me, check out Running in Heels – it’s a magazine that mixes dresses with social commentary. Or in the words of its Ed:

” We don’t just stick to the traditional fashion, beauty, gossip and boyfriends-type content – there are lots of interesting articles about society, politics, culture, the internet, literature etc etc…”

I am starting to write for the site in the next few weeks so watch out for my work.

http://runninginheels.co.uk/

This post is for my friend who has recently returned from travelling foreign climes with a wardrobe  of little more than a rucksack’s worth. Now she has to settle back into Scottish weather and adopt a professional wardrobe in the search for a job.  And she is pushed for cash.

1.  Begin by looking  at your current wardrobe.

Sort it into piles of: what you wear all the time; what you wear sometimes and what you have not worn for over a year.  These three piles will prove very important.

2.What you wear the most

The ‘most ‘worn’ pile. There will be good reasons you wear these items again and again. It is probably a combination of  comfort; that they flatter you and that they are practical.  For example, your blue sweater dress, J, really works for you in terms of colour (strong colour is good against your olive skin) and the shape is flattering. Buy more pieces like this – eg a similar  sweater dress in black would be v useful.

3. How to make your wardrobe work harder

Items you sometimes wear – could you wear them more often if you invested in accessories/ basics to go with them?  For example, do you have a summery print dress that you could wear in Winter if you had pure wool tights (about £5 from Pretty Polly) and a black cardi to layer over? Buy basics to go with these items.

4. Organise a swapshop with friends

Items you never wear – organise a swapshop with friends. Xmas is the perfect time to do this as people have more time off and less cash as they have spent it all on presents. Get your mates round, a couple bottles of cava and organise your clothes into piles. Swap each other mercilessly – one woman’s crap is another’s gold.

5. Getting those basics

Neutrals -black, navy, cream – are the best investment.  Get yourself down somewhere purse friendly – Primark, New Look, Matalan, Peacocks – and buy your basics. As a rough guide for a professional wardrobe I suggest:

a black shift dress (not too short you are a working gal now)

a suit jacket  – again black or navy is a safe bet and will work from interviews or with jeans at the weekend

a couple colourful cardis to jazz up your look

plain black court shoes with a low heel – again good for the office or for a dinner date with a dress.

smart trousers with a subtle pattern – a gentle tweed or muted grey marl would work

6. Playing it safe

Until you start you job, you won’t have the full measure of the dress etiquette so aim high – be smart until you know dress down Fridays exist.

7. Accessorise, Accessorise, Accessorise

A print scarf at the neck or a cute belt will help you transform a plain look. I have found my best ones in charity shops as then they feel more unique.

8. Weekend versus work

Keep certain items purely for the weekend – e.g hippy bracelets. Whilst you love their authenticity an employer may not. Bring them out at the weekends only to remind you how special you are.

9. Get a good haircut

Alot of salons will be cheaper during the week when they need more business so if you  have free time now use it. Last time I went by this Hair by Hanlon, Glasgow they were doing a credit crunch special for £25:

Hair By Hanlon, 713 Great Western Road

10. Wear it well

Whatever you wear, however cheap or expensive, believe in it. Wear your clothes with confidence and never buy something you don’t feel comfortable in. Love your own style and others will too…

See stylist Tim Gunn for more:

Ladies (and gents) it’s your chance to have a say in fashion. Fed up of being dictated to by the haute couture of the catwalk? Take back a slice of power and vote in the British Fashion Awards, organised by the British Fashion Council. Admittedly, there is only one award open to the public vote – the London 25 Award. A part of the BFC’s 25th birthday celebrations you can vote for someone who embodies the spirit of London fashion. Other awards include: Emerging Talent, the Designer Brand of the year and British Collection of the Year.

Rock chick Daisy Lowe is nominated for model of the year. Hope she remembers to wear some clothes. It’s kinds the point of a model.

What a surprise, another rock royalty girl – Georgia May Jagger - is nominated for the same award. Anyone sensing a theme…?

See Marie-Claire for details of this year’s full list of nominees:

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/fashion/432879/2009-british-fashion-awards-nominees-announced.html

Little Suri Cruise. Starting to look more and more like her mum every day. And more and more like… a fashion princess!

On any grown woman, I would applaud her style, on a toddler? It’s just wrong. Not that I am specialist in pediatrics, but I am smart enough to know the bones of a child’s foot are very delicate when they are still forming. Wearing heels at her age is a recipe for orthopaedic problems by the time she hits 30.

And her crime is not a one off.

Aside from the physical issues, there are the psychological ones. Now being a product of Hollywood, she will no doubt be in therapy by her teens anway. However, it’s not going to help that she has been chanelled into the fashion and thus the mindset of a sex kitten age 3. Heels spell sex: on a toddler they are  just wrong.

And The Guardian agrees with me:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/24/deborah-orr-suri-cruise

When it comes to fashion and friendship, here is a golden rule: always be honest!

Yesterday, I was shopping (again).  The girl behind me in the queue was debating v loudly with her chavvy mate whether or not the shoes she was buying would match her Xmas party frock. Her mate kept reassuring her “They’re heavy stunning together”. The purchasee still sounded unconvinced. Eventually, she tapped me on the shoulder and asked my opinion.

I thought for 2 seconds – do I offend a random stranger (bigger than me) buy telling her they don’t go? Oh yes I did. The dress was bracelet sleeved, short and black with embellished  gold bead shoulders – v. nice. The shoes were slapper style open toe black with silver sparkle. Open shoes in Winter are only worn by strippers. Thankfully, on my advice she put back the shoes and opted for closed toes black and gold pair. Job done.

The moral of the story? You should be able to rely on your friend’s honesty – not a stranger’s.

The perfect dress can change your life: you know it.

Those of you have a significant other -can you remember what you were wearing the  first time you met? I’ll bet my favourite pair of shoes you can. Can you remember what he was wearing? Yes, again.

The importance of an outfit particularly hits home at Christmas. For most women, their Xmas party outfit defines their Xmas. What kind of night you have will be determined by the length of your hemline and the amount of sequins that you wear.

Girls – get shopping now. Forget that present list – worthy shopping can wait. Right now you need the outfit that is going to change your life. Good luck.

If you need inspiration see:

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/best/24813/1/0/christmas-party-dresses.html

This gold Grecian inspired number is a slice of heaven. I would forgo all other presents for it.

I blame Descartes.

Yeah, you know that ol’ French philosopher guy.

Ok, so you might not think he had much to do with fashion – being permanently attached to his wig and cape in the way men were a few hundred years ago – but listen to my theory.

Descarte wrote about the mind and body being inextricably linked. Ya just can’t have one without the other. Now, translated to modern culture and our consumerism obsession, his theory goes thus: you can’t be judged purely on your intellect because people have to first of all consider how you look.

The first thing I do when I meet a new person is a quick mental assessment of how they look.  What’s her dress like, does it fit her properly? Is his hair too long? I love her earrings! That kinda thing.

Now call me superficial, but I’m not the only one. Take the press and Mrs Obama. Since her husband took power, how many column inches have been devoted to her dress sense? (For those of you out of the loop, I’m talking her modern use of twinsets, pearls and skinny belts.) And how many inches do you think have been devoted to her intellect? ( Remember she’s a Harvard Law graduate). In fact, see the website dedicated to her outfits:

http://mrs-o.org/

And she even scored a Vogue cover.

Good to know I am not the only one who thinks in clothes.

ASOS changed my shopping life.

Since its existence, shopping is no longer confined to lunch breaks and weekends –it’s quick flicks of the mouse every day to peek at the latest collections and sales.

From cheap fashion thrills to designers including Betsey Johnson and Gola by Christian Lacroix, the elements of a perfect closet are all there.

The site’s use of catwalk videos is its trump card over competitor sites. Seeing a model strut up and down in an item lets you see just how short a skirt will be.

My love for the site isn’t unconditional – when you’re doing very specific searches it can be slow. But the fact you can search for a size 10 navy strapless dress is in itself a virtue.

The site also does beauty products, including little godsends like tit tape.

Sign up and you’ll receive a free glossy ASOS mag each month.

P.S. – It’s perfect for special occasions like weddings when you want something nobody else will have!

Check out the article below to find out why it’ll survive the recession.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/23/retail.christmas2007

We all dream of escaping our day jobs for a world of glitz and glam.

(That’s my favourite aspect of fashion – it helps you forget about the rest of your life). Anyway, if you are interested in being a photojourno, check this video out. Even if you have no such career aspirations, tune in for ten minutes – forget about the world – and imagine how the other half live.

Ok, so winter has hit us. I was surviving in my lace ballet pumps until just last week: this week I am in my knee high rock chick boots. Fashion sense must bow to the weather when you live in Scotland and here’s how to go about it and still look hot.

1. Invest in a damn good winter coat.

Get the most expensive coat you can afford. You will be wearing this baby every day for the next few months. Depressingly, that’s about 150 days. So a £150 quid jacket only works out £1 per wear. Bargain – you are practically saving money. Colour wise  I am always torn between something black or neutral or a bold pink/red. Pink gets you talked about, trust me. At university, stranger knew me as “the girl with the pink jacket.” These days I stick to black as it matches with more and it’s easier to blend in.

2. Accessorise, accessorise, accesorise

Think of your winter coat as your base to work around. The quickest and simplest way to do accessory chic is to make sure you accessories match each other. Black scarf and black gloves= good. Black scarf and green gloves= bad. The next step is to match your scarf and gloves to your coat. If you have gone for a plain base – e.g. black – now is your chance to inject colour with accessories. The old red with black combo looks good every time. However, if you have a bold coloured coat do not try to match bold accessories – you will look like a crayon box mess. Shops wise, ol’ favourite Accesorize never fails for gloves, hats and every such thing.

P.s. fingerless gloves are no longer the preserve of old men – try them!

3.  To hat or not to hat?

Good hat wearing

Personally, I never wear hats but that’s only because they make my head hot. However, they can really complete a look. Celebs these days often wear hats  not to keep warm or cool but purely because they look good. Ultimately, it’s a personal choice.  The only thing I will say is:  if you do choose to wear a hat it should complete your outfit not overtake it. See Lily Allen for a girl who chose the latter option and will go to hat hell.

4. Add a little sparkle

Earrings can really lift a look – a little gold or diamante (or diamonds if you can afford the real thing).

Here, Melody Thornton gets it right with both hat and earrings. A masculine style hat feminised with some sparkle. Also note her good use of bright red lipstick – it can really brighten a December day.

5. Layer upon layer

To all you girls who bought an on trend crop top this summer: first, well done on having a good enough stomach to pull the look off in the first place. Second, don’t be foolish enough to bare your stomach in Scotland this winter.

By all means wear your crop top, but do so over a body. They are back from the ’80s with force.