Over the years I have come across many products that add an element of convenience, practicality, or just plain fun to our pursuit of personal style. Here are twelve such products, each of them road-tested by myself or my clients. 

1. Tele Bag: This bag with built-in screen is great for Mums on the go. Keep the kids amused while you’re in the dressing room trying on clothes. It’s a practical size to hang off the handles of a stroller, plus it doubles up as a fashionable diaper bag. 
2. Picnic Pants: Slouchy harem pants are trendy, forgiving and comfortable. And here’s a practical twist on the trend. I recommended these picnic pants to a client last week because they’re denim and therefore a little more structured than jersey knit styles. The colour blocked effect is particularly fun. She loves their weight and length, and the fact she can sit down cross-legged at the park with her kids and have a snack or play cards on the built-in tray. She is duplicating the style for Summer. 
3. Sushi Slippers: One of my clients tried these on when we were shopping recently, just for fun. She fully expected them to be hard to walk in and look ridiculous. Actually, they’re really comfortable and look super cute. A stylish option for your feet when you’re hosting a dinner party and have a no-shoes policy at home. Read the rave reviews. 
4. Team Jacob Hat: Wrap up with this cozy and cuddly canine for the next polar vortex. Runs small.
5. Auto Falsies: Our cars are as much part of our style as clothes, footwear and accessories, which is why they deserve a little extra polish. I found these car lashes a fun way to give my own VW Golf a style refresher this Spring. They run true to size and are easy to launder. Weatherproof. 
6. Lazy Lounging Specs: If you wear specs daily, they need to be the very best that you can afford because they are your most important accessory. You might also want more than one pair. I find these innovative frames incredibly practical for nighttime reading. It doesn’t hurt that the style quotient is high: geometric, refined and comfortable. 
7. Sock Sandals: Although Birkenstocks are all the rage this season, they don’t work for my fussy feet. My arches don’t fancy accentuated arch support, plus Birkies run too wide for my low volume feet. But I found a way to wear the trend when Inge sent me a link to these sock sandals. They look great with white boyfriend jeans, a black top, and brown belt. Thank you Inge, and cheers to happy feet. 
8. Handerpants: Fingerless gloves keep your hands toasty as you browse your phone or computer. They also provide textural interest to your outfit. These particular examples are excellent when layered under regular gloves, or to use at the gym when lifting weights. They run large, so do not purchase these if you have low volume hands. 
9. Brain Food: Forget the pretty Easter bonnet and sport an edgy food hat or fascinator instead. Chic, modern and maximal. Look through all the colour options. I vote fried egg sunny side up, or berry pie. 
10. Plow Shoes: Footwear with detachable components are a fringe trend for Fall. These examples are a great, practical way to wear pumps in the snow. 
11. Brekkie Neckie: I recently wrote about dainty jewellery making a comeback, but here’s another great trend: jewellery that looks and smells like food. The scents are more office-friendly than overpowering perfume smells, and the pieces are one way to add a whimsical touch to your style. 
12. Poopin’ with Pinterest: Perhaps the best productivity tip all year was this one I received from a client. We often talk about style “on the go”, but never “while we go”. For the latter there’s this iPad stand with integrated toilet roll holder. And if you want to give your little ones good poopin’ productivity habits from an early age, consider this iPotty with Activity Seat. 

Please tell us in the comments about any items you think we should add to this list. And remember, practicality and fun are always in style.

A few minutes ago we pressed send on the March newsletter. This month the two areas I highlighted were the body type guidelines — which I started updating in February, but completed in March — and Spring fashion. If you subscribe to the newsletter then you should see it in your inbox shortly. If not, please consider signing up.

For those who aren’t signed up, here is the online version.

For several years dainty pieces have taken a back seat to chunky jewellery that makes a bold visual statement. About six years ago, and with the exception of stud earrings, dainty jewellery was considered a little dated, almost frumpy, and not at all fashionable. 

Well, that has changed. In the last couple of years dainty jewellery has made a fashionable comeback. It’s especially current when paired with trendier pieces, creating an interesting juxtaposition. Layering a few dainty jewellery items around your neck, your wrists, or on your fingers is popular too. 

I like dainty jewellery, but only when it’s worn on bare skin. I do not like the look of dainty necklaces and bracelets layered over clothing, because to my eye, that still looks frumpy. But looks can be frumpy right up until they become fashionable, so perhaps I’ll be eating my words over the next year or two. 

I’m seeing dainty jewellery — both fine and costume — become more popular with my clients as an alternative to chunkier items. Many sport both chunky and dainty jewellery daily, depending on their mood and outfit. Dainty jewellery is definitely more subtle and comfortable to wear. In fact, you forget that you’re wearing it because it’s extra lightweight. In some ways dainty jewellery is also more casual, despite being expensive. Chunky jewellery tends to make you look and feel more dressed up, whereas dainty jewellery is a little more versatile.  

Apart from my wedding ring, I made a conscious decision not to wear jewellery three years ago as a style statement in itself. I haven’t worn earrings for 18 years, and my multiple pearl necklaces simply decorate my closet. I love looking at them, but I don’t wear them. My specs and watch are my daily jewellery, but once a year, I’ll wear one of my late Mum’s jewellery pieces, which are chunky and not dainty. 

What are your thoughts on dainty jewellery? Do you wear it? Or do you prefer to wear chunky pieces that make a bolder statement.

Marks and Spencer made fashion headlines several times this week, British label Hobbs is coming to the US, Google Glass may be getting a stylish update, and more style stories that caught our attention.

• Game of Thrones fans listen up: Kit Harington, aka Jon Snow, will be the star of Jimmy Choo’s Fall 2014 men’s campaign.
• Not everyone is happy with the April Kanye & Kim Vogue Cover. Here’s Anna Wintour’s take on things.
• Alek Wek, Rita Ora, Annie Lennox, Emma Thompson… I’m loving Marks & Spencer’s lineup for their Leading Ladies Spring/Summer 2014 campaign! 
• Check out these pics from fashion mag Centrefold’s 10th edition, which was entirely shot on a 41-megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020 mobile phone.
• Always dreamt of owning a customised pair of Prada peds? You could make it happen this week in London with the Made To Order Décolleté collection.
• British retailer TK Maxx has cast 12 of its real-life customers to star in their “Me By Me” S/S 2014 campaign.
• We all knew it was bound to happen: Pinterest is launching paid advertising.
• I am excited to hear that British label Hobbs is coming to the US this week with five shops-in-shop in Bloomingdale’s stores.
• Marks & Spencer, Gap and H&M are on Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies list for 2014.
• Google Glass may be getting a stylish update now that it has joined forces with Luxottica, the company behind eyewear brands like Ray-Ban.
• & Other Stories, H&M’s sister brand, is coming to NYC later this year. An e-commerce site is also in the works.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that London’s famous fashion landmark Browns, founded in 1970 by Joan Burstein and her husband, was the first store in Europe to stock emerging American designers like Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein?