I believe that our “outer style” conveys a powerful, non-verbal message about our “inner style”. The way in which we present ourselves has the power to convey a great deal about our personality, outlook and self-image.

As a stylist with a background in psychology, I’ve thought a lot about what I would like my personal style to say about me. After all, anyone can buy fashion, but style you have to own. So I aspire to communicate the following qualities through the way that I dress:

• Modern: I am urban. I like to try new things, have a contemporary outlook on life and strive to have an open mind. I express these attributes by being an early fashion adopter, wearing daring colour combinations and sporting a contemporary haircut and current pair of specs.
• Trendy: I love fashion and enjoy putting my ensembles together in new and creative ways.
• Professional: It’s very important to me that I am credible and authoritative in the field of style and fashion. Looking polished, sophisticated, fresh and tidy conveys that I am an organized, disciplined and efficient professional. I’m also a bit of a neat freak, so it makes perfect sense that this comes through in my style.
• Fun: I’m a cheerful and enthusiastic person who is passionate about life. This is why I like to wear happy colours and make bold fashion statements.
• Modest: I deliberately never wear revealing clothing (I scored zero for bombshell in my style profile). I am exuberant, but I have a private, earnest and serious side to me. Keeping my attire modest feels right.
• Practical: Adding a practical and unflashy dimension to my style not only suits me because I’m a practical person by nature, but also conveys that I am approachable and down to earth.

An important aspect of your individual style is the way you balance these different elements. For example, if I go overboard on the fun dimension I probably won’t convey that I am a professional. Of course, the balance also depends on the occasion. Professional, modest and practical will be more evident if I’m dressing for a sober meeting with business partners. Modern and trendy will come out more when I am meeting with other fashion industry professionals. But the elements are always there to some degree, contributing to a recognizable, signature style.

The beauty of an individual style is that it can evolve as we evolve. I often have clients seeking my services when they want to express something new about themselves through the way they put themselves together. This is one of the most fun parts of my job because I love helping people find a style that matches their personality and aesthetic preferences.

Now over to you. What would you like to express about yourself through your style and how successful have you been at conveying that unwritten message?

The writing was on the wall when I saw an abundance of turquoise in Paris couture windows. Sure enough, it’s about a year later and the mainstream stores are full of turquoise product for Spring 2009. And the turquoise I saw recently in New York couture windows tells me that the shade is going to be around for a while.

I haven’t always loved turquoise the way I love green, red, yellow and cream. My fondness for the colour started last year when I got a new pair of specs, which are black and white on the outside and bright turquoise on the inside. Bingo. Since then I have been mesmerized by turquoise and have incorporated it into my wardrobe mix.

Turquoise is happening in all its hues and I like them all. From dark bluish tones to light greenish tints, both saturated and muted and everything in-between. I love to pair turquoise with white and yellow because it’s fresh and screams warm weather fun. I also like turquoise with black and white, green, or tomato red. Even if your complexion doesn’t allow you to wear turquoise close to your face, you can still use it as an accent.

I have turquoise knitwear, woolly scarves, a check jacket and a dress. I’m in the market for a turquoise blouse, Summer jacket, Spring scarf and handbag. And if I don’t find these items this year, there will always be Spring 2010. But a bit of uplifting turquoise product will be especially welcome right now, so my fingers are crossed.

The different hues of turquoise. Clockwise from the top left: classic blazer, printed scarves, metallic snake skin belt, watch, satchel and silk blouse.

It’s time to update the guidelines on how to dress for your body type. But before I readdress each body type in detail I need to clarify a few starting assumptions and explain the body type identification process:

There are five YLF body types

The pretty pear, adorable apple, racy rectangle, hot hourglass and statuesque inverted triangle should be familiar to YLF readers. After years of thinking through body type dressing and working with many, many different womanly figures, I still believe that these rudimentary categories best define the female form. But putting yourself into a body type category is merely a starting point. Once you know your body type, you need to do the next layer of analysis.

You might have a secondary body type

If you tend towards more than one body type you need to consider the guidelines of both. For example, you could be an hourglass with a curvier thigh area, in which case you would tend towards a pear shape. Or, if you’re an hourglass with a strong shoulder line, you’d tend towards an inverted triangle. I’m an hourglass with fewer curves so I tend towards a rectangle.

Body type modifiers add more detail

People with the same body type will still have different bodies. There are many other details that we need to consider when thinking about how best to adorn our bodies. Enter what I call the body type modifiers, such as bust size, height, shoulder width, neck length, leg length, ankle shape, short waist, long waist, calf circumference, rise size and being extra curvy.

Body types can change over time

This can happen naturally as we get older, but sometimes weight loss or gain can alter your body type more rapidly. For example, you might tend towards an apple or pear shape instead of being a typical hourglass when you gain weight in the thigh or mid riff area. By the same token when you lose weight, these are the areas that straighten out and you’re back to being an hourglass.

Identify your body type

The best way to identify your body type is to stand in front of a mirror in jeans or leggings and a form fitting top and analyze your silhouette from the front. Check how your hip width compares to your shoulder width (bust measurement does not play a part at this stage). Check whether you have a defined waistline. It might not be as easy as you think, so if you get stuck, post a picture of yourself on the forum and we’ll help you out.

This is the season for everything styled “the boyfriend” way. Boyfriend cardigans, jeans and watches are now joined by the boyfriend blazer, and that’s as 80’s inspired as it gets. This style should be familiar to anyone who was a teenager or adult during the mid to late 80’s, because it was the look of the decade (for men too).

Most modern pieces with an 80’s influence have been redesigned to look more flattering, but aside from a softer shoulder the boyfriend blazer is largely unchanged. It is oversized and longer in length with prominent shoulders and narrow lapels (many of the styles actually have shoulder pads). The silhouette is untailored and pretty baggy all over. The break line of the jacket is low, which makes the buttons fasten low on the torso. The sleeves are rolled or scrunched up to the elbow to show off contrast lining. I’ve seen lots of contrast pinstripe linings so far, but no paisleys like we had in 1985.

I was instantly attracted to the boyfriend blazer because I associate the look with hip and cool teenage years listening to Duran Duran and Depeche mode. Thinking back to that time makes me smile. But the unstructured integrity of the style is not instantly flattering because it hides the waist and encourages a sloppy shoulder line. Nevertheless, I believe that the right boyfriend blazer can look stylish, retro and arty if it’s worn with tailored basics like great jeans, a button down shirt or graphic T and a feminine shoe.

My guess is that it will take a while for people to re-adapt their eyes to the baggy jacket look, if they do so at all. Most of us are conditioned to feeling fabulous in a perfectly fitting and flop proof structured jacket that shows off the waistline. Have your eyes adapted?

An assortment of unstructured boyfriend blazers that are just as roomy at the back as they are from the front. I have a strong preference for this look with the contrast lining on the sleeves because it adds textured interest to the style. It’s a deal breaker without it.