PRACTICAL ADVICE BY NSS-CMB, TRENDS, WINTER TIME

Pyjamarama!

pj6f0bWhen the days are quite short and summer seems a long way off, what better way to stay cosy at night than to snuggle up in a pair of pyjamas.

The word pyjama stems from the Hindi word paejama, meaning “leg covering”, and men first started wearing them around 1870, after the returning colonials brought them back from the East.

In the 1890s, pyjamas, in wool and silk were starting to replace the night-shirt for gentlemen and, by the Thirties, they had become a key part of a man’s wardrobe. Pyjamas could be worn at home as elegant evening attire in materials such as silk and cotton.

Until the beginning of this century it had not been thought proper for women to wear pyjamas, as they preferred the more feminine nightdress.

Thank goodness for Coco Chanel, I say! She introduced lounging pyjamas in the Twenties, to be worn in the evening, and the beachwear versions, to be worn on holiday (French Riviera, of course, darling), convincing women that pyjamas could be a stylish alternative to nighties.

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PRACTICAL ADVICE BY NSS-CMB

How to shop the Sales!

Who can resist the lure of the sales?

With everything you never needed at eye-wateringly low prices, it can be difficult not to splurge on unnecessary items.

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Come on hands up – how many of you have got items in your wardrobe with the ‘sale’ tag still on?

Despite the sales starting just before Christmas there are still some greatly reduced items to be had in January.

Here are some tips on how to avoid breaking the bank on those ‘bargains’ and most important of all how to have fun while you’re doing it.

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BLACK, COLOURS, PRACTICAL ADVICE BY NSS-CMB

Little Black Dress

Whilst we love, adore and wear colour at every possible opportunity we also recognise that sometimes you just want to keep things classic and simple. This is when a little black dress (LBD) comes in.

Black may not be in everyone’s dominant colour palette but here at new Signature STYLE and CMB we believe that it is not the colour you wear but how you wear it that makes it a success. You need to consider the fabric your LBD is made from, how much flesh is on show and what accessories and make-up are worn in order to make it work for you.

black1Images courtesy of Pinterest and Lulus

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PRACTICAL ADVICE BY NSS-CMB, TRENDS

Downton Fashion!

dtWith the final series of Downton Abbey behind us, many of us are considering what we are now going to do between 9pm and 10pm on a Sunday evening. Not only have we enjoyed the breath-taking countryside, the intrigue of what goes on upstairs and downstairs but also to ogle at the elaborate costumes that most of us can only dream about. I for one am feeling a trifle bereft having watching every episode of every series.

Downton Abbey has long been revered for its show-stopping costumes and this series does not disappoint. With elaborate accessories and hues of mystical romance, it is providing enough fringe, pearl and lace detail to satisfy even the most hardened of style critics. So, banish those corsets (so passé, darling) and bring on the flapper silhouette.

Out on the streets, sales of long silk gloves, pearls and empire waisted dresses have soared since Downton Abbey aired. The popularity of Downton Abbey and its beautiful costumes has inspired a whole new demand for 1900s fashion accessories like hats and shrugs too.

British hunting parties and opulent candlelit dinners of bygone eras have inspired a return of the county and glamorous looks.

So how can we bring a little Downton into our daily lives without having to have our maid’s available to dress us?

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