Can I wear leggings?

In my professional opinion....yes, if you feel it's 'you'. The trick is knowing which styles, colours (and lengths) to stick to and what to avoid and then how to wear it. With the Autumn 2009 fashion trends already emerging, leggings are still going to be around and while there'll be those out there that think they're the worst thing since the jumpsuit and ra-ra skirts, you won't be able to escape them.

If you've never worn leggings or dismissed them as not for you, consider some of their positives:

• Celebrate your femininity. Leggings are great for this when combined with dresses or tunics. They can be worn together as the perfect solution to our very changeable weather, rather than opting for the usual jeans or trousers. This is possibly the look you'll see the most and the one that can be adopted by most of us. It's a fun and versatile way of updating an outfit and keeping your dresses, tunics and shirts wearable just about all year round.
• Attention to your feet! The leggings look is great way of showing off a pedicure, heck, it can even be the excuse for having one! And depending on your own style, leggings look fab with pumps, high heels, fashionable sandals and ankle boots so an on-trend way of showing off your footwear.
• Instant trim. Leggings worn in the right way can be very flattering on the leg as they are made of thicker material than tights and so will hold you in better giving a trimmer, firmer look.
• Leggings are comfortable - I can sincerely, absolutely vouch for this.
• A more daring you? Depending on your own personal style, you can have fun with the colours, textures and styles that you introduce into your wardrobe and expressing yourself.
• I'm not showing my knees! I'm the perfect of example of this as I've worn my black leggings with a dress because (1) it's such a lovely hot day, I wanted to wear a dress but (2) needed to cover up some rather unsightly bruises I managed to acquire during a game of badminton (now the fact that I fell on my knees will give you an idea of how that game went...). So leggings can be just the right cover up solution whether hiding bruises (!) or for those who are more leg conscious.
• Day to night. Leggings can be very versatile in creating a comfortable look for the day and updated and accessorised (e.g. swap flip flops for heels) for a just as comfortable evening look.

So I'm a fan and feel that there is a ensemble that includes leggings for just about anyone at pretty much any age. Of course you have to like the look and your own 'wardrobe personalities' will have something to say about that (those that have had their Style Session will know what I am talking about). But you do have to know how to wear them and what to watch out, so here are ..... key things to give you the confidence to step out in leggings in style:

Which dress or tunic style? Consider your body shape in order to ensure the dress is the right fit and structure. Either way, avoid anything too clingy so as not to show up the lines of the leggings underneath. There are many styles to try from empire lines and fine knits to A-lines and shift dresses in a range of patterns and textures. If you're a shaped you can team with a belt and if a straight, the structured shift dress will be just right.
You will also need to understand your best length of dress which will take into account your own body proportions. If you're heavier on your thighs, stick to a dress length that hits your knee or just above or just below, otherwise go for mid-thigh.

**Style note** You will see leggings being worn with short tops...please steer clear of this! Leggings are not a substitution for trousers or jeans!!

What length of leggings? Notably there are 3: just below the knee, mid-calf and ankle. The ideal for you will again be dependent on your body proportions and scale and the lengths of top that you choose to team with to ensure you don't look out proportion.

What colour and type of leggings? If you look around the shops, you will see all sorts of textures, materials, patterns and colours and so the choice is yours (and that wardrobe personality again!). The 'safest' is to stick to black or dark colours like charcoal grey and brown. If you're not sure and not 'dramatic' enough not to care, I would suggest checking the other colours you are wearing and echo this with your leggings colour choice. As for types, you'll find a range of materials to suit, from nylon to spandex!

Show me!
Some ladies of Southampton and few more famous ones...

And it seems you guys want to get in on, or should I say into this gem of a garment. Ooooh, no....I really don't think so!

In conclusion, most of us can carry the leggings look if you want to and by remembering a few tips, can be very fashionable with it. Remember fashion should be fun, should make a statement, should allow a sense of creativity and individualism and above all, should evolve. How else would us women have even got into trousers if it wasn't for the sheer audacity and spirit of Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn donning the trouser suit in public?
And so it is with leggings.

Confused on whether leggings suit you and how to wear them? Why not book a Personal Shopping session with Min and get a Summer look that will take you through to Autumn.

Stylish Clothes Swapping!

We're fresh from holding our first Swishing Party called 'Swish with a Twist' which went down a treat and we held up our end of the bargain of making sure everyone went home with something sweet!

Before I go any further...do you all know what 'Swishing' is?
Swishing is a craze that has come over from the US and best described as a clothes swapping party for women. The idea is that all the ladies attending must bring at least one item of clothing to swap, for Swish with a Twist, we advised bringing 3 items. These items should be in good condition but just something that no longer works for you, either it doesn't fit, you have too many or it's just not your 'personal style' - these are all donated into the swapping pool. In return they get to choose anything they want once the party gets started!
We were also careful to prepare enough stock to ensure we had a good variety of sizes from 10 to 18. I know we had a lot of size 5 shoes though...because a lot of them were mine!!

So why Swish?

"Telling women not to shop is like telling the Pope not to pray. Women always want clothes, credit crunch or not. I love a good swish."

As commented by Twiggy, taken from her book A Guide To Looking And Feeling Fabulous Over 40... in fact the 59-year-old face of Marks and Spencer, goes as far as saying that clothes-swapping parties (or swishing) were a good solution to beating the credit crunch.
But don't just take my word (or Twiggy's!) for it, even the July 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping which features an article on ways to balance our budget talks about swishing as a 'new thinking' approach instead of buying a new outfit.

There is, however, a serious side to clothes swapping. On average, us British women can easily spend £450 a year on items that we never wear and even more shocking, one in 10 of us will just chuck these unworn garments straight in the bin. Now that contributes to an estimated 900,000 tonnes of clothing thrown into landfills each year! So by understanding how to shop better and recycling items items that no longer work for you, e.g. by swishing can not only be good for your bank balance, but it is an ethical form of fashion, encouraging recycling and is kinder to the environment.

Our Swish with a Twist Story

Our Party was on 17th June and we held it Yoma on Bedford Street....I think they were a little shocked at the extent of the transformation from humble coffee shop to a female dominated... boudoir!

There was plenty of mixing and mingling with some delicious drinks while we sorted out the Swishing Stock as it arrived. And I could see a few excited faces as they started to eye up what was coming in!


And then the time arrived...on your marks, get set....Go Swish!
The next hour and a half was a bit of a whirl but mostly spent running up and down stairs to help people try on items they might not normally have chosen or give some gentle and honest advice. It's amazing how different clothing can look hanging on the rail compared to on an actual body. But ladies, it wasn't just garments, we had shoes, bags, scarves and accessories to choose from.

And when it all got a bit much, there was plenty of reason to take a break to try some delicious delights provided by Yoma, in between battling changing rooms, stairs, hangers and mirrors!


We even got to celebrate a birthday as my lovely co-host, Anna Matthews was embarrassed into taking center stage...how I actually managed to divert attention from clothes swapping to singing Happy Birthday beats me...!

Judging from the laughter and smiley faces, we're pretty sure that everyone went home happy with something a little different in their wardrobes that they're actually going to wear! But just to make sure, everyone also got a cup cake treat (and between me and you, the mocca chocca was the best, go try one!).

Here's what some of our Swishers had to say...

Just a quick note to say 'Thank you'  for a nice evening and well done on all your hard work in setting up the venue.  It was really well done and everyone enjoyed it.  A special thank you for including my Mum in the evening, she really enjoyed herself!
- S. Chant

Hey guys – just wanted to say thanks for a great swish party the other night. I really enjoyed it, I thought the whole thing was really well organized and the nibbles and drinks were really good and a bit different. I’m really pleased with the 4 tops I’ve got!! I was wearing the electric blue one yesterday, I know it’s not quite my colour but I’m hoping with a tan, I’ll get away with it!
- S. Russell

Hi Ladies - Thanks for a wonderful night on Wednesday, I had a really great time.  You both put in so much effort and I think it really paid off.  I wore the dress I got out last night, and I got the buzz of wearing something new that hadn't cost a thing! Looking forward to doing something again soon.
- A. Lintott

Super Evening. Well done. Looking forward to telling friends what a great night they missed.
- J. Stead

Well done for yesterday...those that were there seemed to enjoy themselves. Matt had cup cake for breakfast this morning...very nutritious!
J.Langrish

So our evening came to an end. We hope that all that joined us had just as much fun as we did...a little exhausting but fun! A big thanks to Yoma (Martin and Giles pictured) who were there until the end as they had to put Yoma back looking like a coffee shop again. Not surprising they needed a drink...!

Watch out for details of our next Swish with a Twist event to be held early August but feel free to get in touch to register interest and watch out for details on www.imaginestyle.com.