Friday Fashion Tip...

We are so excited here at Phytomone Lifestyle to start our brand new Friday Fashion Feature with our expert consultant Jacynth Bassett from The Bias Cut, who will be bringing you tips and advice every week.

So please give her a very warm welcome, and don't forget to ask her for help if you're having a few wardrobe dilemmas...

Hello everyone, I’m honoured to be the new style advisor, and each week I’ll be giving style tips, as well as answering any questions you might have, and understanding more about what you’re looking for from style.

But before I start giving specific tips or inspiration, I think it’s best to discuss the most fundamental building block of style: confidence.

Without confidence, what you wear doesn’t really matter. Because, even if you’re wearing a fabulous outfit, unless you’re holding your head up high and believe that you look gorgeous, the look will just wear you.

But, whilst having confidence (or at least portraying a sense of it) is all well said and done, we all know it isn’t the easiest thing to have. And if your body, lifestyle, shape and age have changed, it’s quite possible you’ve lost confidence and begun to feel invisible – or sadly even wish you were. So what’s the answer?

Well first it’s worth understanding why you might feel invisible. We are bombarded with 3-5000 images and adverts a day, most of which tell us you have to be of a certain age, shape, height and look to be considered beautiful. Which means you have to have pretty thick skin for this not to have affected you!

But remember, the portrayal of beauty we see in the media is ultimately a commercial decision. All these companies really care about is making money, so they churn out imagery that sells their ‘vision’. And if a company only celebrates one form of ‘beauty’, then really it should be criticised or even pitied - because it has such a narrow vision.

Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but equally that means there’s no right or wrong. There are so many different forms. We all know that true beauty comes from within and having a sense of uniqueness. Every woman is different, and that’s a good thing. Imagine if we all looked the same – it would be like being trapped in a creepy sci fi movie of clones!

It may take time, and it might not be easy. But the more you remember this, the more you will start to believe in yourself and your own form of beauty. You may have put on weight, you may have scars, maybe you have a flabby tummy, or maybe you go through hot flushes. It’s all natural, and the body you are in today tells a story – one of your life. And you shouldn’t be ashamed to show it.

So whether you’re a UK size 6 or a UK size 30, 5ft tall or 6ft 3, remember these statistics mean nothing. They’re just arbitrary measurements. The Mona Lisa is meant to be an example of the perfect woman, painted to the golden ratio – but personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about. You can’t measure beauty. But you can exude confidence, however you look. And once you do, your style will just start to fall into place.

Look forward to your questions and seeing you all again next week

Best wishes
Jacynth