- Style Guides as Christmas Gifts - Gill Hart
Whilst there is no shortage of books offering fashion advice these days, a “good” style guide is worth its weight in gold. These can provide useful tips and tricks on how to look stylish by dressing to flatter the figure, how to wear the latest trends, and ultimately, enabling a woman to feel better about herself.
Whilst a fashion book is not something that many women will rush out and buy for themselves they do make great gift ideas for Christmas or birthdays. Often ladies, as they get older, find themselves stuck in a fashion rut in terms of trends and wearing the same old faithful wardrobe pieces.
What woman will not welcome a tip or two on dressing to look younger and feeling more confident in what they wear?
A Style Guide as a Christmas Gift
An age and figure appropriate style-guide offer tips and tricks to do just that. Some of the best and most practical books currently on the market include:
- Work that Wardrobe by Gok Wan (Harper Collins Publishers, 2009) is perfect for women who love fashion but, in the light of the current economic downturn, have had to tighten their purse strings. Gok Wan offers advice on how to pep-up existing outfits in their closet and how to work some wardrobe basics, including transitional pieces to invest in. Check out How to Look Good Naked too, (Harpercollins UK, 2009), fashion advice on how to beat body hang ups and how to dress slimmer and sexier.
- Twiggy’s Guide to Looking and Feeling Fabulous Over Forty (Penguin books 2008) – Twiggy. As the title boasts this fashion guide is full of useful hints for women over forty who have got themselves in a fashion rut and are feeling frumpy. What sets this book apart from many is the narrative personal style of the author. Written by Twiggy, former '60s fashion model and America’s Next Top Model judge, it offers down-to-earth, practical advice.
- Color Me Younger (Hamlyn 2009) – written by Pat Henshaw, and Veronique Henderson, creative director of Color Me Beautiful, this the perfect gift for any woman in their 50s, 60s and 70s. Fashion guides for the older woman are as rare as hen’s teeth but this book is a little gem. It covers everything from what to wear to how to style your hair, decade to decade. Taking account changes in body shape, facial complexion (and wrinkles), this offers step-by-step advice on what colors work best and what styles and cuts flatter different shaped figures. It is not just women who deserve a good style guide, however. The Color Me Younger authors have written Image Matters for Men: How to Dress for Success (Hamlyn 2007), the ideal gift for a fashion-conscious male friend or family member. The book takes Mr Joe Average and looks at clothing to flatter various body shapes and build, and provides tips on how to look stylish for every occasion.
- The Style Strategy (It Books 1st Edition, 2009) – the latest offering by fashion maven Nina Garcia, fashion director of Elle and Project Runway judge. This is one of the most practical guides on looking timelessly chic with advice on how to achieve high end look for lower prices. This wittily written book takes the reader through a number of style steps from what do I have? to what do I need? to what do I want? Garcia’s other guides include the New York Times best sellerThe Little Black Book of Style (It Books, 2007) and The One Hundred: a Guide to Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own (It Books, 2008).
Gill Hart - Gill Hart is a fashion and image professional who specializes in women's fashion over 50.
