Sophie Ashcroft has spent more than a decade as a journalist and writer. Based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, she runs an image and style consultancy business, with services offered across London and the local area. She is a full member of the Alicia Kite Academy, a leading image consultancy network. We asked her to give us a few thoughts for the forthcoming season.

Huge Hat? Check. Oversized Jackie O sunnies? Check. Vertiginous heels? Check. With Royal Ascot starting today and Henley Regatta in the diary over the coming months there’s a lot of outfit planning to be done. Here are a few top tips for a stylish social season!

Millinery madness

A day at the races is all about the hat, with creations ranging from the bizarre to the beautiful. Avoid the temptation to make everything ‘matchy matchy’. As long as your hat tones in with a colour in your dress or accessories then it will work. More importantly, the style of your hat and outfit should tally. Hats in softer fabrics with feathers or drapery look fabulous with lightweight summery dresses while the sleek, sharp lines of more structured headwear complement a tailored suit or dress.

Still haven’t found the perfect hat? Visit Ronnie Ryan for an amazing hat or facinator.

Hair-raising

If you do opt for a hat, consider your hairstyle. If you’ve chosen a wide-brimmed hat with lots of coverage maybe create a low ponytail or bun to sit under it. Longer hair looks great down, especially if it’s relatively thick or wavy. Don’t forget to consider the likelihood of ‘hat hair’ if you want to remove your headpiece later in the day! And if previous years’ wind conditions are anything to go by, a few hatpins wouldn’t go amiss!

Ear, ear

Take a leaf out of John Galliano’s book and ensure your hat, earrings, collar and make-up all work in harmony.  Be clear on your focus. If your hat’s the statement, remember to keep earrings simple; studs are usually the best option. Over-accessorising can cheapen an outfit.  Your make-up might also need a slight change. Hat wearers tend to look better with darker eyes – to counterbalance the shadow effects of the hat – and more neutral lips.

Footfalls

Wear shoes that you don’t mind getting grassy! If you want the best of both worlds then wear your killer heels and pop some flats in your bag. A good excuse to invest in an oversized clutch from Jimmy Choo or Anya Hindmarch perhaps? Keep watching for more summer styling tips. In the meantime happy shopping!

Tags: Anya Hindmarch, Bicester Village, Hats, Henley Regatta, Jimmy Choo, John Galliano, make-up, Ronnie Ryan, Rosie Bubbles hats, Royal Ascot, Summer Styling Tips

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 10th, 2010 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Guest Blog Posts, Shopping tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.