ON MAKING A STYLE STATEMENT

Tip 1 Be true to yourself

Style is eternal, it is classic, it is what you bring into something. Have a personal association with what you surround yourself with—your clothes, your home, your accessories. Things don’t have to be expensive to give that joy, but they do need to be well-designed.

Tip 2 Create a powerful fashion language

Fashion as a word, and as a concept has changed and morphed. While I was growing up, it was associated with trends, what’s in and what’s out and I never could relate to that. But today, fashion can mean other things; there is a rethink of what really is fashion and does that always mean you have to be trend-led?

Tip 3 Let your design diary be full of these footnotes

Design can fulfil a need, solve a problem, give joy, create beauty...and good design often does all of it. Remember design itself has several aspects; there is surface design, product design, fashion design and each one is unique in its own way.

Tip 4 Don’t follow others, stand out from the crowd

If your personality is flamboyant then a big style statement might work for you, but if your personality is quieter then it doesn’t. Stick to what makes you feel good—that is critical—maybe a size larger, maybe a fabric necklace you found while travelling, maybe wearing flats while others wear heels. Use accessories to good effect; have stoles, jewellery and bags to add that special character to what you wear. Be aware of the context. If you are on the beach or walking down cobbled streets, don’t wear heels. Don’t blindly follow what people expect you to do.