The Psychology of Creative Constraints Somewhere along the way, many of us picked up a neat idea. Creativity means freedom. No rules, no limits, a blank canvas and a big box of paints. So when it comes to clothes, the advice sounds kind: “Just wear whatever you like!” And then you stand in front of…
Every year a forecaster unveils a colour and tells us what it says about how the whole world is feeling. Calm. Hope. A fresh start. A few months later the shops fill up with it, and plenty of women buy it without asking the only question that really matters: does this colour actually like me?…
The Real Reason You Keep Buying Clothes You Never Wear Open your wardrobe right now. Somewhere in there is a top you loved in the shop and have worn twice. A jacket that seemed like a great idea and now just takes up hanger space. Maybe a dress with the tags still on, because the…
Fifty colours. That’s exactly how many are in my Absolute Colour System palette swatches. And they are a great guide to the 50 000 you could potentially wear. And you’ll look gorgeous when you wear them. But it can feel overwhelming at times when shopping for your wardrobe. It’s hard to build a wardrobe around…
In This Video 0:10 My “challenge” is to refrain from thrifting or buying new clothes! I know what works for me so I edit items that aren’t suitable and don’t fit my criteria or I avoid buying these things in the first place. I am retired now so I don’t need anything fancy or…
A delightful reader wrote to me with this query: “I can’t believe that it’s now been about 10 years since I started reading the blog and taking all of the programs and masterclasses, and I would still say that it’s some of the best money I’ve ever spent! “I turned 60 in March, and maybe…
The final of my top 10 most Googled personal style questions is “What colours look best on me? I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count. In consult rooms, on comment threads, in DMs at 11pm from women standing in front of their wardrobes having what I can only describe as a…
Colour Is Not a Matter of Opinion. It’s a Matter of Science In the top 10 Google searches on personal style, colour is a hot topic, and searches by people wanting to know which colours match their skin tone have risen exponentially over the past few years. With the rise of AI tools, people have…
How to Use Your Colour Palette Without Feeling Restricted (or Confused) “Why can’t I ever find the right outfit in my colours?” A lovely reader asked me this recently, and if you’ve ever stood in a fitting room wondering why something technically “matches your palette” but still feels off… you’re not alone. Let’s clear something…
A reader wrote to me and said, “My question is, how do I build a wardrobe of outfits instead of just basics?” And I love this question because it gets to the heart of why so many intelligent, capable women open their wardrobes and think, I have plenty of clothes, so why do I feel like…
How Do Your Colours Change When You Go Grey? Susan recently asked me, “I’d like to understand my colouring now that my hair has turned grey.” And I know she’s not alone. Going grey isn’t just about hair. It’s about identity. It’s about visibility. It’s about standing in front of your wardrobe thinking, Why don’t…
In This Video 0:08 If you could grant one wish, I wish you could find clothes to fit my shape or magically make 50lbs disappear. I hate shopping for clothes because nothing fits… I sew, luckily, so I have to alter everything: take up sleeves & shoulders and lengths on tops & pants. It’s…
Forget everything you were told about “power dressing.” The world is changing, and so is the way women express confidence. I grew up in the era (1980s) of the movie Working Girl, which, when Melanie Griffith’s character adopted a power suit, gave her the confidence to be seen as the boss. There are good reasons…
Fashion is never just about fabric. At the highest levels of design, it’s a form of storytelling – often told through colour psychology in runway fashion. From Valentino’s saturated signature reds to the neon statements at Versace, designers use colour to shape emotion, perception, and meaning. The runway becomes a visual language. And colour is…
When I first started doing personal colour analysis back in 2004, the only way to do it accurately was in person. This was because cameras and screens (unless you had the professional equipment) just didn’t give you an accurate enough image to do a great job. Fortunately, with the significant improvements in mobile phone cameras,…
A Bucket List Experience Seeing an Aurora has been on my bucket list for some years. There are two auroras, the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere. Now it’s much more common for people to see the Aurora Borealis when they…
Skin flare-ups can feel like a spotlight you never asked for, especially when acne or rosacea seems to draw attention before anything else. But the truth is, what you wear has the power to redirect the eye. With a few smart choices in colour and pattern, you can distract from pimples and other skin conditions.…
There are days when you crave peace and calm before you’ve even had your morning coffee. The world feels loud, and the idea of making one more decision is exhausting. Those are the moments when your wardrobe can become your sanctuary. Choosing what to wear mindfully can help regulate emotion, ground your energy, and remind…
Pantone Cloud Dancer Pantone, we need to talk about your terrible choice of Colour of the Year for 2026, Cloud Dancer, aka white. White can be a good neutral (for some of us, who it suits), and it’s fine for a bride at a wedding, as it makes her stand out from the sea of…
Ever found yourself wandering the shops, feeling completely uninspired by what’s on offer? You know your colours, you’ve done the work – but suddenly everything on the racks is beige, black, or bright orange. None of it suits you, and all of it feels like a compromise. This was exactly Helen’s dilemma: “My challenge is…
For many women, colour analysis can feel like a never-ending puzzle. You might have been told you’re a “Spring,” only to be re-draped as an “Autumn” later. You try on those palettes, but somehow they still don’t feel right. You look washed out in some hues, overwhelmed by others, and the result is confusion rather…
