Zoe Lem
The Christmas party season is here, which means most of us are currently experiencing various stages of panic about how to look our best at short notice. A survey released today reveals that 1 in 5 Brits only give themselves a few days to prepare for the festive party season and a further 1 in 5 leave it to the very last minute.
Even though we don’t take the time to prepare the research conducted to coincide with the Clothes Show Live shows that looking great at Christmas is really important to us. 3 in 5 said they make a special effort to look good on the run up to Christmas with two thirds claiming the way they look at this time of year really affects their enjoyment of the season.
Celebrity Stylist Zoe Lem speaks to Female First about how to dress confidently and look fabulous this party season....
How important is it make an effort with your look over the festive period?
I think it's important to make an effort at all times really and not just about fashion and trying to impress people but I think it's important for your confidence. At Christmas time this is even more so.We all want to feel confident going to parties and work parties. Obviously it's also about trying to impress people and pull a lot of the time but you also want to feel good about yourself. The one thing that sometimes get lost because we're talking about fashion and trends is actually it's about building your confidence. I wouldn't wear something that's in trend for Christmas just because it's in trend. You need to wear something that suits you and makes you feel good otherwise you'll feel like you're just on the fashion parade and your look isn't necessarily doing serving it's purpose.
What are the key trends to look out for this Christmas?
I think there's always lots of sparkle in for Christmas, there's always lots of red, always lots of black and there's always lots of metalics.Red isn't brilliant on a lot of skin tones. When you've got pinky cheeks it brings out all that pinky tone in the cheeks. I'd say purple is a much better option and there's a lot of purple around this Christmas so if you've got slightly pinky cheeks go for red instead of purple. There's also lots of lovely blues around and lots of gorgeous emerald green colours. These are quite good feel good colours.
Black is always in but it's not always a flattering colour. You need to be careful you don't put too much black close to your face. If black's not a good colour for you I'd suggest you wear a lower neckline and a nice big piece of jewellery.
Accessories are really important at party season. Adding a bit of sparkle or brightness near the face brightens up your face and opens up your eyes. There's lots of embellished fabrics around as well. So lots of sequins and stones etc. That's come from the catwalk from companies like Marni and filtered down to the highstreet.
You also need to pick the right shape. If you've got a bit of a tummy or you've got big hips go for an empire line that nips in under the bust then you're not being paranoid about knicker lines or having your tummy sticking out. So you will feel good. Under the bust is the smallest part of most women so show that bit off with a bit of cleavage too.
Who is your favourite person to style?
Because I'm freelance I dress different people all the time so it's hard to say one person is better than another. The reason why I'm freelance is because I like to dress different people all the time whether it's a celebrity or a real person. I think you sometimes get more satisfaction from doing personal styling on a real person because you can actually really change their life. With a celebrity your usually just dressing them for a shoot. Of course all celebrities are hoping they don't get a cross next to them in a magazine so that's always an achievement when we can avoid that. But helping Joe public by giving them ideas and making them feel confident.I'm doing a few slots at Clothes Show Live where people can ask me questions. I think it's difficult sometimes when you can't always access people to ask questions so I'm o the Eve stage and the Superdrug stage so people can come down and just ask me a question they've always wanted to know. I'm quite happy to give an honest answer. I'll give criticism but I'll also give a solution at the same time.
Do you ever have any awkward clients who won't take your advice? And how do you deal with them?
Yes I do. I think being a diplomatic person is one of the main skills in my job and I've often thought I should have a psychology degree as well as a fashion degree. I think whether someone is really conscious of their tummy or their mother used to tell them they look bad in this everyone has their hang ups and for me it's a lot about getting inside their heads. Some people really want to change but some people are really stuck in their ways when it comes down to it. If people have had a look or an idea for a long time it can be quite difficult to change their mind.
If you could get your hands on anyone, who would you most like to style?
Cherie Blair I think (laughs). I've recently started doing quite a lot of business clients and a few politicians and I'd say that is a massive area because what you wear for work can really affect your confidence. It can really affect how you behave and the message you send out whether it's a famous person or not. So I think work clothes is definitely a good one and there are a few politicians I wouldn't mind helping out slightly. It might even help their campaigns.
So what can we expect from this year's Clothes Show Live?
I've been going to the Clothes Show since the first one. I used to go with my mum because she's equally obsessed with clothing. I think it's been going 17 years now and I went to the first one 17 years ago. There's always loads of brands there- and not just the things you find on the highstreet. It's not all about the big highstreet brands but lots of really good labels- All Saints, Irregular Choice, and lots of brands like that. There's also a vintage fayre there this year which is great if you want something a bit different. And there are all the different experts on the stages so there's so much going on. And like I said I'll be there giving tips and so will other experts so if people want to come down then it should be really good this year.The Clothes Show Live takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 7-12 December
Caz Moss- Female First
The Christmas party season is here, which means most of us are currently experiencing various stages of panic about how to look our best at short notice. A survey released today reveals that 1 in 5 Brits only give themselves a few days to prepare for the festive party season and a further 1 in 5 leave it to the very last minute.
Even though we don’t take the time to prepare the research conducted to coincide with the Clothes Show Live shows that looking great at Christmas is really important to us. 3 in 5 said they make a special effort to look good on the run up to Christmas with two thirds claiming the way they look at this time of year really affects their enjoyment of the season.
Celebrity Stylist Zoe Lem speaks to Female First about how to dress confidently and look fabulous this party season....
How important is it make an effort with your look over the festive period?
I think it's important to make an effort at all times really and not just about fashion and trying to impress people but I think it's important for your confidence. At Christmas time this is even more so.We all want to feel confident going to parties and work parties. Obviously it's also about trying to impress people and pull a lot of the time but you also want to feel good about yourself. The one thing that sometimes get lost because we're talking about fashion and trends is actually it's about building your confidence. I wouldn't wear something that's in trend for Christmas just because it's in trend. You need to wear something that suits you and makes you feel good otherwise you'll feel like you're just on the fashion parade and your look isn't necessarily doing serving it's purpose.