Leopard cardigan - Oasis Scarf - H and M Hat - Gap Jeans - Donna Ida Boots - Duo

Despite my constant moaning about not being able to wear my jeans, I’ve actually enjoyed this challenge. It’s been great to be forced to look at my clothes in a new light. As a personal stylist I spend a lot of time going through other peoples wardrobes. I remove the items that don’t work, discuss what shapes and styles of clothing work for them and their shape and then mix and match a selection of outfits using only their current items, to create a collection of outfits that they didn’t realise were in there. I’m constantly telling people that they don’t need lots of clothes to look good, they just need the key pieces and to understand how to mix and match effectively.
I love that I can show people how to wear more of their wardrobe and how to pull together some quite different looks without buying any new clothes, but I don’t ever put the time aside to do go through my own wardrobe.

This may surprise you, but I don’t have a lot of clothes…I practice what I preach, and this challenge has only reinforced my opinion that you don’t need wardrobes bursting at the seams to create lots of different looks. I know that this was only a seven day challenge but I’ve discovered lots of new outfits, and have really enjoyed playing around with my clothes and it’s made me realise that I need to put some more time aside to re-asses my own wardrobe.

Today I wore my jeans, because I could. It feels good to be able to wear them again but I will admit that when it came to deciding what to wear with them, I found I was faced with much more choice than I’d had over the last week. This explains why I ended up wearing the same cardigan from the last post.

I’m going to miss doing my challenge so I think I may have to set myself another in the New Year…any suggestions?

This is probably going to be my last post before Christmas so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Love Niki x

I’m regular reader of Arash Mazinani’s blog and recently read a post of his entitled ‘The A to Z of Me’. It was great to find out a bit more about the man behind those great posts and it prompted me to do one of my own. So, here goes…

A-Z

A. Age: 31

B. Bed Size: Queen

C. Chore That You Hate: Clearing up after my dog

D: Dogs: We’ve got a ball/teddy/squeaky toy obsessed Springer Spaniel called Hendrix.  He’s great with people but a little nervous around other dogs so I’m taking him to socialising ‘BOO!’ classes for scared dogs, I think it's actually making a difference!

E: Essential Start To Your Day: I can’t function without a giant cup of Yorkshire Tea; it’s the best tea around, and the strongest!

F: Favourite Colour:  That’s hard.  I wear a lot of black but really do LOVE colour.   I studied textile design at Uni and loved experimenting with different colour combinations in my designs.  My style was heavily inspired by nature so I guess, if I had to choose a favourite colour, it would be the oranges, reds, and yellows of the leaves turning in Autumn

Image thanks to Jonphong, Freedigitalphotos.net

Image thanks to Evgeni Dinev, freedigitalphotos.net

G: Gold or Silver: I’m definitely a silver person; gold doesn’t look great on me

H. Height: 5”4ish

I. Instruments You Play: I learnt to play the flute for about a year, and the piano, but I’m not very patient so it didn’t last very long 

J. Job Title: Personal Stylist

K. Kids: None yet

L. Live: Bath

M. Mother’s Name: Maggie

N. Nicknames: Nik Nik’s as about exciting as it gets

O. Over Night Hospital Stays: I’ve had a few.  When I was little I constantly had problems with my ears and throat, so had grommets put in and tonsils whipped out

P. Pet Peeves: It has to be people who wear trousers that are too short.  It just looks awful! 

Q. Quote From A Movie: Brian Johnson: Dear Mr. Vernon: We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it is we did wrong, but we think you're crazy for making us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club

R. Right or Left Handed: Right

S. Siblings: I have a younger sister Katy, she lives in Buxton so I don’t get to see her much…I miss her loads

Katy and me in The Hatchet, in Bristol

T. Time You Wake Up: Around 7.30am.  I’m really not a morning person; it takes me ages to wake up properly.  I’d rather go to bed late and get up late

U. Underwear: I like to wear matching, it makes me feel good!

V. Vegetable You Hate: Parsnips…I can’t stand them, and peas are evil too

W. What Makes You Run Late: It’s an ongoing joke in the family that I always forget something or loose things...and I can’t really argue with that

X. X-Rays You’ve Had: Don’t think I’ve had any

Y. Yummy Food You Make: Moroccan style wraps.  Marinated Lamb, Humus Chili, Tabouleh…yum!

Z. Zoo Animal: Leopard…of course!  Also love Elephants

So that's me!

I spend a lot of time sorting out client’s wardrobes and helping them to build a hard working collection of clothes that they can develop each season.  I’m often faced with wardrobes bulging with less-expensive items that are tired and ill fitting and, in my opinion, not money well spent.  The key to getting the most for your money and creating the perfect wardrobe, is to have less items, that mix and match cleverly and to invest in the staple pieces - the items that are going to be worn again and again. 

Harvey Nichols, Bristol

Bristol is the ideal city from which to build this perfect wardrobe.  It’s always had a great selection of high street shops and independent boutiques, but until about three years ago there wasn’t much in the way of designer shops.  However, with the opening of Cabot Circus came Harvey Nichols, and with that came a strong following of other boutiques selling higher end designers,

True Religion flared jeans available at Harvey Nichols

Just up from Harvey Nichols is John Anthony, two floors of men’s clothing, for the guy who likes to be noticed.  Paul Smith is sold here, along with other quirkier names like Vivienne Westwood.  If you’re looking to add something a little more quirky to your wardrobe, then The Garment Quarter is the place to go.  It opened last year and stocks both womenswear and menswear.  It’s is a great boutique, offering edgier designers such as Twenty8Twelve by S.Miller and Comme Des Garcons PLAY.

Bristol really does have it all now!  Adding top end designers to the already eclectic selection of vintage, high-street and independent boutiques has put Bristol firmly on the map as a shopping destination and makes it the perfect place to invest in the perfect capsule wardrobe. 

Article recently writen for Guide2Bristol
Images thanks to Lisa Piddington

I can’t believe it’s that time already, it seems only a couple of months ago that we were treated to a fabulous showcase of what Cribbs Causeway had to offer for the winter season, and now it’s time to discover what lovelies we can add to our wardrobe for spring/summer!
I can’t wait; I’ve been so busy updating client’s wardrobes so I’m really looking forward to taking some time out to think about what I might add to mine. I always find the fashion show’s at Cribbs Causeway a great source of inspiration, as they feature the latest trends in an easy to wear way.

If you’re still not sure, here’s a photo from last year to entice you...

I’d wanted to get some new photos of me for my website for a while now, but to be honest I’d been putting it off. I hate having my photo taken, I’d much rather be behind the camera than in front of it.

It took me a while to find someone who I thought would capture the kind of images I had in mind but eventually I found the brilliant Sean Maylon. I instantly loved his photography style and use of light.
The morning of shooting I cleared out my lounge (completely) and set the scene using my clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery....everything. It took me the entire afternoon to put it all back! As soon as Sean started shooting, my nerves melted away and I started to enjoy myself, even my Springer Spaniel Hendrix got involved.
Sean got some great shots; I just need to get them on my site!

I love this time of year, the fabulous new collections are firmly underway, and everything looks fresh and exciting. Now is the perfect time to source those all important items to bring your wardrobe shimmying into this season.