By the Fashion Editor

 

There is very little more embarrassing – or prone to put you on the spot – than being asked to talk about your style. After all, what we wear and how we wear it is a matter of personal taste and there is nothing worse than some know-all, ivory tower, perfect looking type telling the rest of us what we should and shouldn’t put on.

And I assure you, I am none of those. In fact some days it is as much as I can do to get out of the track suit bottoms and hoodie I usually throw on to take my daughter to the bus.

On the other hand, accepting that I am the Fashion Editor for these pages, and that I like to see what other women (especially ones who write for magazines or newspapers) are wearing, I could hardly say no when the Editor asked me to share something of my own wardrobe with you. What follows is not intended to be a definitive guide on what to wear, or even a recommendation about how you should look. It is simply a glimpse of what I am actually enjoying at the moment, and what I will be wearing when the Christmas party season begins. And not all of the clothes were bought recently – in fact the majority have been in my wardrobe for a year or more.

A word of caution; I am naturally quite a thin person. In fact, over the years, friends have been infuriated by my ability to eat rather large amounts and not necessarily get any larger. At times this has been a problem. Having a slim and boyish figure is OK when one is young, but a whippet thin face is not necessarily forgiving on the more mature woman. Also, when I have added a bit of weight (and gained the curves I always envied in my more ‘normal’ shaped friends), times of busyness and stress have tended to melt all that comforting padding away again. Currently, I am in between, although that may still come across as a bit thin. So please don’t look at these pictures and think I am modelling an ideal body type either; this is just how I am. And we are all different.

Our individuality is what makes getting dressed such fun!

Heather Boal-Russell

 

Do look out for Heather’s first instalment of “My Style” next week – Ed.