All about me .....

I'm not about to kick this off by telling you that being a personal stylist was my life's calling, but it is true that I have been in and around the fashion industry all my life. My father started up a knitwear company in my early years, with zero experience in knitting I might add, after he suddenly became inspired by my mother's home machine knitting endeavours. Brave! As a child I would drift off to sleep lulled by the sound of the carriage of the home knitting machine! Luckily, a factory quickly followed.

It wasn't only knitting either, my mum was into all things dressmaking, jewellery making, pattern drafting and this rubbed off on me. I started making my own clothes and whilst I will never be as good as my grandfather, who was tailor, I can certainly hold my own. Some of my earlier creations were not so polished - think one legged trousers in the style of Prince and the refashioning of T-shirts into mini skirts!

After school I thought about going into fashion design, then this morphed into interior design, then into physiotherapy and before I knew it I was off to do Law and French, after a brief stint in finance. Funny how life turns out. Once on that wagon I just carried on and after qualifying as a solicitor, working in London for some years, I fell pregnant with my first child. I moved back to Guernsey and four children and 17 years later, I felt I had become somewhat defined by my child bearing abilities (interspersed with a stint in politics and volunteering for an environmental charity). Don't get me wrong, I love being a mother, it did come with a sneaking suspicion that I was so adept at having babies, I couldn't possibly be as good at anything else.

Now my children are nearly all at secondary school, I came to the realisation that I needed a sense of purpose, that looming 'what am I for?' question rearing it's ugly head and in the midst of trying to find my inner self ..... and a pair of shorts for a hot holiday, I decided to get half an hour of online styling advice. It was an absolute revelation. Not only did the personal stylist in question make me feel really good about my size 14, not so hour glass with sloping shoulders body, but I came away with a shopping board with all sorts of new suggestions for clothes, perfect for my shape and proportions. I had experienced an element of self care I didn't know existed, but more than that, I realised that if she could do it so could I. One of my closest friends had just completed a colour analysis course and brought to my attention that the London College of Style also offered a personal styling diploma and I just thought: Why the hell not!

It's honestly been wonderful and I feel like I have been transported back to a place I've not been since I was a child, that sense of really knowing who you are. I really hope that I can help other women to recapture some of that same feeling and encourage them to use clothing in a joyful and fun way, to reflect who they are and to feel at their best. It's not all about buying new things, I've always been a real vintage shopper and I love shopping my own wardrobe to put together new style combinations. With fashion being one of the most environmentally unfriendly industries, we need to get back to our roots of slow fashion and creativity. Work with me to make the most of what you've got!