Seasonal advice from image consultant and stylist Kerrie Ellis

Meet Kerrie Ellis, image consultant and personal stylist. We first met Kerrie when launching our new Guildford showroom this summer, holding one-to-one colour analysis consultations in our stunning Kensington dressing room. All invited to our launch had the chance to learn which colour suits their skin tone, explore accent colours and neutrals and discover tips and insights on the key colour trends for the year ahead.

Kerrie Ellis wardrobe edit

Needless to say, Kerrie certainly has an eye for all things style and colour. Following a career in marketing in the city, Kerrie decided to take her skills to a personal level and train as an image consultant, stylist and trainer, helping people to develop wardrobes of clothes that really work for them; allowing them to project the image they want to portray.

Her passion is in making the task of getting dressed each day an easy and pleasurable one – both for those who enjoy their clothes and for those for whom clothes hold little/no interest. Kerrie offers a full array of image consultancy and styling services, including complete image makeovers, business image consultations, colour analysis, style consultations, wardrobe editing, capsule wardrobes, outfit creation services and personal and online shopping. Each consultation helps you to fine tune your clothing choices, making sure that they suit your natural colouring and body shape/build and, more importantly, express what’s on the inside on the outside – your personality.

As autumn is setting in, and the cold weather approaches we caught up with Kerrie to discover her top seasonal wardrobe advice.

Who are your styling influences?

I enjoy fashion, so love to keep up to date with the fashion press, attend events like London Fashion Week etc. and look forward to updating my wardrobe each season with the odd piece from the key seasonal trends. Animal print is everywhere for this coming season so I’ll definitely be wearing it – as it’s not the first time we’ve seen the trend I’ll be ‘shopping my own wardrobe’ to bring out things from previous years. You don’t need to be a slave to fashion though. It’s way more important to find your own ‘signature style’ – the way you like to look – and to use that as your styling formula than feel that you need to keep up to date with every fashion to hit the catwalks or High Street.

Our Kensington dressing room

What are your wardrobe top tips when changing seasons?

• Shop your own wardrobe – you often don’t need to spend any money at all, as you’ve usually got things that give a nod to new seasonal trends.
• Don’t forget to layer your clothes – so many people put away their summer clothes when we start heading into autumn/winter, but you can add a long-sleeved top or cardigan under/over many short sleeve dresses, tops, jackets etc. to create a great seasonal look.
• Some great brands specifically design clothes to keep you warm without adding bulk. So if you are like me and feel the cold, but aren’t keen or don’t suit a chunkier look in the winter, for example, take a look at brands with clever hi-tech fabrics.
• If you like to have distinct summer and winter wardrobes, make sure that you pack away your clothes with care. For example, avoid using the plastic covers that you get from dry cleaners as clothes can’t breathe properly in them.

How do you stay organised?

The best tip I can share is to review and weed your wardrobe regularly. Most of the despair people feel when choosing what to wear comes from the fact that their wardrobe(s) is over-crowded and full of things not getting worn. You open your wardrobe and feel overwhelmed… and yet still find yourself saying “I’ve got nothing to wear”. Having fewer clothes, but clothes that mix and match – a capsule wardrobe – can be an enlightening experience!

Keeping everything together in types of item (e.g. all skirts together, all trousers together etc.) and then in colour order also makes it easier to put outfits together. Keep clothes in good order – frayed, tired, and outdated clothes will speak volumes about you! If you like distinct summer and winter wardrobes, then plan time to do the changeover and pack everything away carefully.

Do you have a favourite trend for autumn/winter 18?

As someone with bright, clear colouring I look best in bold or contrasting colour combinations, so I’ll be wearing a lot of red this coming season. There’s plenty of it around – even in animal print another huge trend this season – but it’s also a colour that I love and have a lot of already – tops, dresses, skirts, boots, shoes, bags etc. I have it all! I quite like the winter florals that will be making their way into the shops too.

If you could have your dream wardrobe what would it be?

I would love to have a walk-in wardrobe. I absolutely love our house, but it’s the one thing that I joke with my husband that would make me consider moving! I like the idea of being able to see all of my clothes and accessories (shoes, bags, scarves, jewellery) in a neat, ordered fashion. I would hang everything on wooden hangers, with plenty of room in between each hanger and in colour and item order. I’d have floor length mirrors too so that I can make sure my outfit really works from the back as well as the front!

Find out more about stylist Kerrie Ellis and her wardrobe expertise here.