Jen Hunter models some style tips

Style file spent a great day with the lovely Jen Hunter who modeled some pieces dug out from the back of Sarah's wardrobe showing that some looks just never date. Jen went away with new found enthusiasm for using accessories to up-date what she already has. Look out for the video footage on You Tube and the full content on http://www.stylefileworld.com/

Stone Age?

Vogue gets all of a lather over Lara Stone - the Girl of the Year. Testino, who's shot a few of the glamest of glam, is quoted as saying that Stone is 'the embodiment of beauty today...we went through an annorexic phase but now we have Lara'. The Anglo/Dutch not exactly fat fat girl speaks frankly of her experience of modeling, which doesn't paint a very positive picture of the industry. Is this a step forward in excepting diversity or is it just an exception that proves the rule?

Styling for Gossip magazine

Stylefile has been asked to do a regular 'Style Surgery' spot for Gossip magazine - Liverpool's hotest monthly style mag. We were pleased and proud to be asked to represent the brand as the resident stylist at an action packed charity bash (donations to the Teenage Cancer Trust). Also represented was the exceptionally talented Kirsty Doyle who has recently opened her first (of many I suspect) store in Liverpool's cool Met Quarter. Her shop is also stocking the Benna range of jewellery, gorgeous luxe clutches and Tom Ford shades - yummy! More jewels were displayed by Boodles and Jo Mallone provided super pampering treatments. Champagne was slurped and canapes consumed with relish in bar Rococo.

Stylefile was busy all evening advising women of all ages on the looks that would suit their style personality and lifestyle. Many of you are confused by fashion and find it difficult to know what to choose as you get older and your shape changes. The good news is that help is at hand! Style Surgery will answer your dilemmas each month in Gossip and you can log on to Stylefile.org.uk anytime of the day or night to read some confidence boosting hints and tips.

Go girls to the site and register as a member and have your own on-line personal stylist for a mere £25 per year.

Dublin's fair city

Just back from a weekend in Dublin. Eating, drinking, shopping (of course) and a little culture - don't miss the delights of the Hugh Lane Gallery. But my main hi-light was the outstanding shopping experience provided by Brown Thomas, a gem amongst department stores. Outlets of Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes are an in-store reminder of the distance Ireland has travelled economically over the last ten years. The Molly Malone themed window of Hermes made us both smile with the shell encrusted bicycle centre stage. The main windows were a model of simplicity despite being the last few days of the sale.

But the first floor is the knock out experience - central are the shoes, stunningly displayed around a central seating area designed to dump husbands while you get on with the real stuff. The carefully selected concessions of designer label and more affordable clothing flow easily from space to space and the assistants were friendly and helpful but not pushy. I spent a happy hour or so trawling the two fashion floors with an occasional sidle past my other half to see if he was still amused - at the last he was translating a Max Mara brochure from Italian so I thought I'd better not push my luck!

Did I buy anything? Yes a perfect, simple, long white cotton shirt to wear with skinny jeans for the rest of the summer and under a tux later in the year - and it was sale price despite being bang on the button for A/W - a timeless piece and a bargain. I can recommend a trip!

The Beth Ditto fashion phenomenon

What's happening on planet fashion? The size zero flagelistas embracing a fatty? Not since the discovery and meteoric rise of Sophie Dahl the lovely, luscious plumpish supermodel has there been a visible fat person venerated by the industry - hope Beth is not going to shrink to minute proportions under the intense scrutiny. Indeed, it seems that many larger lovelys may benefit from her position of influence as her new collection for Evans is launched.

My question is why is the industry so obsessed with etiolated youth? In my experience most of their paying customers are (well) above a UK size 12 (US 8) and over 35, many are over 50. Surprise, surprise the vast majority of women want to look stylish, cool, sexy, chic, glamorous, professional, gorgeous, desirable etc - perhaps not all at the same time, but we all aspire to looking good. The population of the UK is ageing and it's generally older people who have the cash to splash.

Perversely the fashion industry ignores the needs and desires of the majority of women. What a shame and what a missed opportunity. There are so many amazingly talented designers who, if they turned their hands to designing beautifully cut clothes to enhance the curves of bigger women and cover the less desirable parts of older ones, could become real fashion phenomenons. So please, please lets have some real fashion for real women.

Phew! Hot tips for looking and feeling cool

This is the time of year when all the magazines are full of autumn/winter clothes and retailers are taking delivery of their forward orders. Think of those guys unpacking box after box of woollens while the UK swelters - I blame the new roof at Wimbledon.

Very few of us look sex in the city with acres of flesh on show. My top tip for hot days in the office is a long loose fine cotton shirt, sleeves rolled back, flying loose or one button done up over a simple white vest and cropped cotton trousers. White is cool. Gladiators are the footwear of choice for style and comfort.

Look out for 'save from the grave' - what to dig out from the back of your wardrobe and how to make it look oh so cool. For more clickety chic take a look at sales buying tips on www.stylefile.org.uk. Back soon, Sarah, Style Guru

Sarah's style tips

Hi - I've started this blog to unashamedly promote my web-site www.stylefile.org.uk - but you may be wondering why the web-site in the first place.

For many years i've worked in the fashion retail industry from starting out at Dickens and Jones in Regent Street, now sadly defunct, to managing independent retail shops. During this time I've helped women of all ages, shapes and sizes to find what suits them and got a huge amount of pleasure from customer's reaction...'I didn't know I could look this good' being an accolade to be proud of.

Women often ask me for advice - where to get things, how to put things together, what colours and styles will suit them. You also bemoan the way that the fashion industry is geared towards the very young - how you can't wear sleeveless because of bingo wings, can't wear halter necks because you need boob support, worry about looking old, looking as though your trying to look too young, looking inappropriate for work, too fat too thin, too wrinkly......in other words you think that fashion is confusing, not for you, you've lost confidence, don't know where to shop, haven't got the time etc etc.

But hey we all want to look our best. I have my own hang ups too and I'm not young either.

What i've tried to do is give women the opportunity to benefit from my passion for fashion, insider knowledge and style tips on-line. Stylefile has developed an on-line style personality test that helps you to identify what your style staples will always be. We've developed pages and pages of key looks for each style type so that you can log-on and look up what to wear for work, for a special occassion or a night out. What to pack for a city break or a beach holiday. What to buy now in the sales which you'll still be wearing in several years - so please join us and have access to your own on-line stylist.

So please visit www.stylefile.org.uk and see what you think - please let us know your views