I’ll happily give you some free fashion advice because tis the season for giving and I am loving the tinsel round my desk!

Why not cash in on the celebrity fashion trend for special occasions and borrow your clothes! They of course get their stylists to ring up the PR offices but if you fancy Christmas with McQueen and you like the idea of a designer library where you can borrow to your hearts content, then this next steer is right up your isle!

Yes, I’m talking about designer-frock ‘lending and borrowing,’ for Christmas and of course at any time in 2010 for that matter. So if you fancy arriving disarmingly Armani to the office party or parading some vintage Christian Lacroix on Christmas Eve, ‘Dressed up to the 9’s,’ is a  cleverly conceived site that will do more than nicely for your frock related needs!

You can register free and a new dress is yours for the week, for about £35.00, alternatively in a completely ‘economy savvy,’ moment, you can rent out your own. Simply take a photo of your lending stock and upload.

Let the party begin!

You may have a Christmas Party coming up and are wondering (as I was) what to wear for maximum impact. It’s difficult to get the balance right between careerwear and party look, I know, I’ve been there. My annual Christmas knees up at the Birmingham NEC last weekend presented a similar conundrum!

So on stage at the Clothes Show Live (this is me backstage hogging the monitor)  I chose Manish Arora because I love the maximum impact sparkle. He is an Indian fashion designer based in New Delhi whose collections have been shown in London Fashion Week for four seasons since his debut in 2005 and is currently available at Harrods.

I got what I wanted and I know you will too when you prioritise an item of clothing that flatters your shape and delivers the right amount of attention seeking C.E.O in the making!

I was quoted as saying avoid flesh revealing outfits in the Mail Online last week, in an over simplified instruction that was much more about recognising the importance of delivering a dramatic power dressing statement, but that’s the Mail for you.

My best advice in this blog, is statement necklace or a bib necklace to be precise – think big, bold and full on sparkle, then when you put it over LBD you are transformed to Dynasty Diva. For under £20 you can completely rejuvinate you outfit. Have  a look at this gem only £14.00  by Talullah Tu.

I gave my first charity ‘after dinner,’ speech recently. It contained lots of anecdotes about working in fashion over the last 27 years and delivering this witty 30 minute stand-up routine was almost as hard as looking through my wardrobe for the right outfit to deliver enough fashion detail without being over the top…I was in ‘civy street,’  at a business convention after all.

Knowing what to wear to suit your body shape helps in these situations and does give confidence. Being able to see what I had on my rails after a big seasonal sort out didn’t hinder either.

It turns out that this vintage leather dress was just the ticket, and I can’t believe I haven’t worn it before now. It’s from M&S about three season’s ago so sadly you can’t buy it for yourselves but have a look floorwards at my ‘comfy as my favourite slippers,’ shoe boots from Camper (available for you to buy too as I write this piece.)

Yes we’ve had quite a bit of chat on the site about heels that are impossibly high and what a ‘wind up,’ they are…well let me say that this Spanish brand  dedicated to comfort and ergonomic design has delivered not just extreme foot harmony but admiring enquiries from some deep fashion types, which is a rare combination given that comfort and fashion kudos are not obvious team mates on planet fashion.

Sadly the online store isn’t selling this style but whilst visiting you’ll be able to find your nearest store where they are.

I added the necklace which I bought in a tiny boutique a few weeks ago for just such a moment (that moment being when an all black leather look needs a bit of playful colour) and I think I’m holding it together quite nicely, but that will be everything to do with how marvellous I’m feeling in comfortable shoes.

How is your autumn shoppping going? And have you got your winter style underway?

Latest research reveals women prefer shopping to dating which is disconcerting as finding the perfect dress to flatter your shape (because you understand how to shop for your shape) can’t be nearly as important as finding the perfect (or as near as it is reasonably possible – human foibles apart) mate!

But perhaps I’m old school on that one. However I do like to get my autumn look sorted and my transseasonal clothes stored away so that I can free up some wadrobe space.

I can say, having trialled this pin tuck tunic dress by Almost Famous (they have a handy store right next to my hairdresser Charles Worthington) that this is quite possibly as near as I will find to perfection. Not that I’m an obsessive compulsive or anything like that!

It ticks all the boxes for me in being slick, solid colour and NOT BLACK! And those pin tucks running the length of the dress create a streamlining effect, are good for giving middle age bodies a much more toned look through the tummy. It’s selling in black too at under £100 (but I will be avoiding that as I have more black in my wadrobe than a vampire groupie.)

Perfect then for my black Georgina Goodman over the knee boots, which are now looking forward to their second winter, but I’m pretty sure she has repeated her marvellous deisgn that makes your legs look longer because of a concealed heel.

I do look a tad serious (captured just before a big meeting on ethical fashion) so I have also included a pic of me taken last week wearing the dress of an up and coming designer Georgia Hardinge, where I’m looking delighted and not all ‘Capricornian,’ as I am wont to do.

This is me collecting my ‘Ultimate Woman,’ award on behalf of the All Walks         campaign, wearing my lucky shoes and showing lots of dentistry.

I’m loving her shiny flesh-tastic look.

Well, it’s not often you get to enjoy a perfectly proportioned UK size 16 shop mannequin now is it?

So feast on the new look woman and enjoy a more realistic body shape, while you and I throw our hats in the air. Evans unveiled their spring collection yesterday and new designer Lisa Marie Peacock is responsible for taking cutting edge design to the curvy market. She has of course helped Beth Ditto create her new range and is a Stylish Curvy Diva herself, which really helps.

As you know helping you to find the right clothes to flatter your figure is a mission of mine so let me enthuse you about spring/summer for just a mo.

At the Arcadia press day I saw enough to know that your highstreet have got colour, print, embellishment and layered looks sorted. Accessories like earrings and necklaces are enormous (more later) and platforms, wedges and gladiator style are still very popular.

Evans too (shown here) has all the hallmarks of a fashion literate offer and is at last shaping up as an aspirational brand. I’m truly glad to see that the flagship store have done away with the bargain t-shirts and bland non-committal separates to incorporate a more premium oriented collection.

I asked Brand Manager Fiona Ross and Creative Director Rachel Sproule (who was responsible for getting the shape of our flesh-tastic diva just right) yesterday what our sexy new mannequin’s name was and was shocked I tell you, shocked, to learn she hasn’t been given one.

Ladieeees this is a serious oversight, send in your sexy, stylish and diva-ish suggestions now.