Clamdiggers are the warm weather alternative to skinny and straight leg jeans. They are a capri that fits snugly through the thigh and knee, finishing somewhere just below the knee, or on the widest part of the calf. They’re worn in the same way as skinnies but at a ventilating cropped length.

Dress clamdiggers up or down with heels or flats and a top that works for your body type. They are an obvious choice for rectangles and inverted triangles, but don’t think that you can’t wear the look if you’re a little curvier at the bottom. My hot hourglass and pretty pear shaped clients sport clamdiggers with style when they wear the right combination of top and shoe. Sleek shirt dresses, tunics, baby dolls, voluminous tops, welted tops, knitted tops and wrap tops work beautifully. Add a jacket for a sophisticated edge and Bob’s your uncle. I love a smart casual look with an unexpected twist.

I can’t wait to haul out my clamdiggers. An arctic Seattle Spring has left them hibernating for longer than usual. But a clamdigger-friendly heat wave is supposed to be on the way. On the other hand, I might want to haul out my orphan dress. Oh no. Which should I wear?

Clamdiggers are my favourite style of cropped pant because I prefer a streamlined look. I get loads of mileage out of my dark denim pair because they look great with knee high boots in Autumn. No tucking!

This look is in its second season. We’re talking about a soaring three-inch-plus chunky heel with wide foot straps. It’s the high fashion look to wear with raised hemlines, clamdiggers and skinnies. I can appreciate the 70’s inspired sandal style, on someone else. I’m never sporting strappy sandals again, let alone a style with soaring heel heights (although chunky heels are my preference because I find them extra stable). But if you can walk comfortably in shoes like these, then by all means give them a bash. They add a high fashion edge to an outfit that is modern and appealing.

Establishing a general colour palette for blondes is a little trickier than the no-brainer reality that brunettes look great in blue. There are several variables that factor into the equation. The first one to consider: what kind of blonde are you? Tow-head, ash blonde, dark blonde or strawberry blonde? Complexion and eye colour are next.

Over the years, I’ve drawn the following conclusions:

• Strawberry blondes and tow-heads wear muted brights, ice-cream tones and dirty colours better than ash blondes
• Olive skinned dark blondes get way with wearing pastels and look particularly good in white and brights
• Ash blondes wear clean, cold and warm colours equally well, but tend to get washed out by insipid shades
• Most blondes look good in black, but occasionally dark slate grey or ink blue is a softer and more flattering choice
• Pale skinned blondes can look super in white if it’s appropriately contrasted with a strong colour like black or a bright
• Cream is a good choice for blondes that have cream strands running through their hair
• Blondes with blue eyes wear blue well and blondes with green eyes wear green well

I’m a rosy cheeked, short-haired ash blonde with creamy complexion and green eyes. I partially highlight my hair with ultra-blonde streaks, which is why I wear cream well. I look best in strong, sour bright colours like fiery red, canary yellow, citron, lime green, emerald green, fuchsia, cobalt blue, and bright turquoise. I look equally good in black and white combinations, ink blue and a dark olive green. I look a little blah in brown, but it comes alive when I add red, yellow, cream, white or black into the mix. I look dreadful in pastels, beige, light grey, muted brights and antique colours and avoid them like the plague. What type of blonde are you and which colours do you wear best?

As an ash blonde, these are some of the colours that work well on me.

Our mothers probably have more impact on our style and dress sense than we would care to admit. Here are some aspects of my late Mother’s style that I was grateful to learn:

• Good style starts with the best bra and I cannot stress this point enough.
• Perfect polish goes a long way. Styling your hair, wearing a scent and grooming your brows are easy ways to increase your style quotient. Mum was big on polish and I had this drummed into me at an early age.
• My Mother had good posture because her Mother made her walk around with a book on her head. When I do catch myself slouching on the odd occasion I can hear my mother telling me to STAND UP STRAIGHT.
• Dress up instead of dressing down because you’ll make a good impression that way.
• Don’t overdo make-up. Hallelujah. I especially love this one. Overly made-up faces are unsightly at any age.
• Black and white is a winning combination. I wear a lot of black and white and continue to love it’s dramatic effect.

There are also aspects of my Mom’s style that I would have liked her to change:

• Not wearing real fur. Mum did it freely in a time when the awareness was very different to what it is today. I am very opposed to fur and would have definitely gotten her to see things my way.
• Embracing denim. Wearing jeans was hard for my Mum. She thought denim looked un-ladylike and overly casual. But she eventually got her head around a pair of white jeans because they’re smarter. With encouragement, she would have eventually embraced smart casual dressing because she looked superbly elegant in jeans.
• Painting the toes red. My Mum was convinced that red toenail polish made her feet look like they were dipped in blood. Hilarious. Red looked so much better than the brown, earthy tones she chose instead.
• Adding silver to the mix. Gold was Mum’s only choice of metal, because she felt that she didn’t look good in white gold and silver. This was not true and she’d have enjoyed mixing metals.

Has your Mother’s personal style influenced your own? Would you like to change anything about your Mother’s style?

And for all the Moms out there: Happy Mother’s Day!

This post is dedicated to all mothers, and in particular to my late mother, who loved fashion and was an extremely stylish lady. She died eight years ago this month and would have turned 67 in September. I am proud to say that her style is alive in me.