Colour Me Beautiful

Colour and Style

Our section on Colour and Style with Sarah Harris from ‘Colour Me Beautiful’

I’m Sarah Harris and I’m a Colour and Style Consultant who trained with Colour Me Beautiful the world’s leading Image consultants. My background is in fashion and after leaving school at 16 I travelled to London to work as a Fashion/photographic model, I enjoyed the life and it allowed me to travel the world, during my career I also worked in wholesale/retail within the fashion industry. I learnt all about fabrics, business, international companies and trying all those clothes on – the quality, cut and fabric. I took a break from the business when I married and had our two children. I retrained as an Image consultant with Colour Me Beautiful who have been changing the lives of women and men for over 35 years. I’d like to inspire you with Colour, Style and Skincare tips every month, I’m hoping to give you an interesting read. If there is something that you would like to know about please email me and I will do my best to help.

Email: sarah@sarahharrisstyle.co.uk www.sarahharrisstyle.co.uk

November is sometimes known as a gloomy month probably because the days are colder and shorter with little sunshine, this can impact on our feeling so I’d like to inspire you to re look at your colours and make sure you understand what you need to be looking for, you might be feeling that your colours aren’t quite right anymore, let’s look at why. We will also look at brightening up those blacks and neutrals by adding colour. And I’ve used Kettlewell’s New Collection to look at layering and how it can keep you warm and looking stylish throughout the winter! DO YOU HAVE A WARDROBE FULL

OF CLOTHES AND NOTHING TO WEAR? Do you know why your wardrobe is full of clothes and you don’t know what to wear? Maybe you had a colour analysis 10 or 20 years ago or less and something isn’t quite right. I often see clients who have become at a loss as to why the colours don’t suit them after having a Colour analysis 20 years ago. They tell me that they follow the guidelines and always wear the colours that they had been given when they were younger. Yet they have often forgotten that they have changed, no-one is the same as they were 10 or 20 years ago! Our bodies are constantly changing throughout our lives and with this our hair and skin can also change brought on especially at three major landmarks in a woman’s life - puberty, pregnancy and the perimenopause. I am going to show you why a Colour review is so important by using two pictures of Marion, a colleagues mother-in-law, taken a few years apart. If you look at the picture of Marion below when she was first analysed she was a Soft as there was little contrast between her highlighted Blonde hair and skin tone, and her best colours were medium depth worn tonally. The Soft palette is very sophisticated and chic. However, during lockdown Marion decided to embrace her natural hair colour and after having a colour review is now a strong ‘Cool’. Her new palette is much stronger and she looks at her best wearing contrasting colours. The key to ‘going grey’ in a youthful way is to invest in a good cut and hair products. Marion has no colour in her hair but uses a purple shampoo a couple of times a week.

My colleague, from Cardiff, Nicole Griffiths was able to transform this young mum and show her how to wear her Clear palette, by adding Jewel colours to her black and grey neutrals she was able to make the most of her existing wardrobe, and doesn’t she look beautiful!

COLOUR TRANSFORMS YOU, AND KNOWING THE COLOURS THAT SUIT YOU BASED ON YOUR HAIR COLOUR, EYE COLOUR AND SKIN TONE.

Most of us have some black in our wardrobes and we are often told that a little Black Dress is a wardrobe must have! However, did you know that black doesn’t always do you justice? In fact it can really drag you down and age you! If you are a Light, Soft or Warm Black is better worn away from your face or if you are a Clear or Cool in contrast.

At Colour Me Beautiful we show you how to wear Colour, we don’t want you to throw out colours that aren’t your best, we want to show you what you can do to transform your existing wardrobe.

HOW TO WEAR BLACK IF YOU’RE …

LIGHT: Black is a really strong colour and may overwhelm your delicate look. Keep it away from your face and team with light, fresh shades from your palette such as Sky Blue.

DEEP: A really great neutral that you can combine with either deep or light colours, or wear confidently on its own.

WARM: Black can drain your natural golden glow, so add one of your best colours such as Coral.

COOL: You look great in this shade, add some contrast if you plan to wear it with another colour. Hot Pink is a good option.

CLEAR: Your strong look means that you are able to carry black really well. Add a striking colour such as Apple Green to mix it up a little.

SOFT: You may find that black casts unflattering shadows across your face, so keep an open neckline and add a muted colour such as Natural Beige. Choose a black fabric that absorbs the light, as this will soften it somewhat. Mixing your textures is an interesting way of layering. Combining knitwear with shirts or vests is great for layers. A round neck jumper in one of your colours combined with a denim or chambray shirt looks great. Also a V-neck jumper with a silk, cotton or jersey top underneath is another flattering combination. (pretty lace detail at the top or bottom will add interest especially if your style personality is romantic!) I have found some great layering pieces at www.kettlewellcolour.co.uk Kettlewell do colours for every season so there is something to suit everyone. This season they have some beautiful pieces and some stunning colour combinations.

A Tank Top worn with a long sleeved T Shirt is perfect when the weather is cooler.

The one left in Ruby Red looks great combined with the Striped Tee in Beaujolais and can be worn as seen with jeans or a skirt.

Tank Tops or Tabards where popular in the 80’s and had a big come back last year, they add style and warmth to any outfit. Alternatively a sleeveless dress from your summer wardrobe can be worn with this long sleeved T Shirt, tights and boots for extra warmth.

Layering is such a fun way to utilise your summer wardrobe so instead of leaving it hidden all winter you can continue to enjoy it!

I do Layering Workshops for anyone who is struggling.

Adding a cardigan for warmth in a contrasting colour is a great way of updating your look and a small patterned scarf will give even more interest. This cardigan can also be worn over a dress or with a skirt as it is a simple piece yet by adding accessories you can dress it up or down.

Celia Tank Top in Ruby Red worn with Striped Pima Tee in Beaujolais Stripe

Marianne Fringe Cardigan in Nile Blue with the Cotton Camilla Top in Hyacinth worn with Print Infinity Scarf in Lavender Diamond

Below this outfit can look great for day or evening. Wearing a cardigan or scarf over a dress is an easy way of dressing up or down your outfit.

If you’re socialising after work no need to change your outfit just add some accessories maybe a necklace or large earrings or even add hair accessories!

The tie wrap left can also be worn loose depending on your body shape. Adding a jacket is another layering piece and when the weather changes you can add another layer with a mac or coat for extra warmth and protection! A gorgeous scarf in your colour is the easiest way to layer and add that pop of colour to your outfit, however, be careful to choose the right size and weight of scarf in relation to you. (If you are 6ft tall with a large bone structure you will need a bigger scarf, pattern and heavier fabric and vice versa)

And if you are going to any bonfires you will need to wrap up with that perfect scarf!

Short Tie Wrap in Indian Teal worn with the Betty Cowl in Nightshade and the Ruched Skirt also in Nightingale

Rachel Jacket in Pink Raspberry with the Maia Print Scoop Neck in Rose Ditsy worn with Florence Infinity Scarf Colour really does make a difference it makes us all feel brighter and at Kettlewell the choices are just what you need on a cold winters day. They have over 300 shades and work with small family run factories who look after their employees and suppliers who source sustainably and they strive for the highest standards in their clothes production. However, remember to choose the colours that compliment you and for any help contact me at www.sarahharrisstyle.co.uk I do one to one or group bookings dependant on what you are looking for.

I also do talks to larger groups if you work for a large company or are part of a WI group and feel that they would benefit please let me know.

Below is a picture of me starting to layer my zebra print dress which I wore all summer! However, when the weather started to get cooler I added a jumper and beret and now I’ve added tights, boots and a long coat! Happy layering!.

I hope that you have a colourful November and enjoy layering! Please let me know if you would like to have a colour review or if you’d like to discuss anything about your colour or style.

Look after yourselves and each other!

Warm Wishes, Sarah x

www.sarahharrisstyle.co.uk sarah@sarahharrisstyle.co.uk

Based in the rural village of Goosnargh, Laurel Farm Kitchens has been recognised as one of only a few truly bespoke kitchen manufacturers in the North West receiving a reputation, second to none, on quality and craftsmanship over the past 25 years.

“Our aim, through the creativity of our kitchen designers and their ability to bring out the best in our client’ s ideas is to create the most imaginative and workable kitchens from the canvas supplied.

George Mallory

“Because it’s there”

By Anthony Joseph Wiaczek

By 1924, the world had been gripped for a number of years by daring feats of exploration. In the same year, the first aerial circumnavigation was taking place by an American Team. Captain Scott had already perished years ago in 1912, walking back from the South Pole, beaten there by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen. All that appeared to be left was the looming giant of the Earth, Mount Everest. And a Cheshire-born mountaineer was determined to conquer it in a bid that cost his life.

George Herbert Leigh Mallory was born on 18th June 1886 in Mobberley, Cheshire, to a moderately wealthy and respected clergyman Herbert Leigh-Mallory and his wife Anne Beridge. With two sisters and a younger brother (to be made famous as Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory) they lived a comfortable life on Hobcroft Lane. He was sent to boarding school on the south coast at the age of ten and by thirteen had been awarded a scholarship in mathematics at Winchester College. It was here that George discovered mountaineering and took part in trips to the Alps. By 1910 he had gained a degree in history at Magdalene college Cambridge and began teaching at Charterhouse, his efforts reportedly being wasted there for attempting to treat his students in a friendly and equal manner, something they could not comprehend. There he met his wife Ruth Turner and the two were married in 1914. Unfortunately the joy was short-lived and the Great War soon came about, forcing George to be parted from his wife’s side. Although somewhat of a pacifist, he begrudged the fact his students were perishing on the front, in December 1915 he was commissioned in the Royal Garrison Artillery, serving in France and at the Somme. Fortunately he came out unscathed (save for a minor ankle injury and the mental anguish of war) and was able to relinquish his commission in 1920 at the rank of lieutenant.

earned a name as an avid and well respected mountaineer, summiting Mont Blanc in 1911 and establishing “Mallory’s Route” along Pillar Rock in the Lake District. This route is graded as a “hard very severe” 5a in mountaineering terms and one of the hardest in Britain, compared very much like the second step of Mount Everest (which he was also the possible first to surmount). In 1921 he was invited to join the first Mount Everest expedition, with the sole aim of reconnaissance and mapping a route to the top. This group were the first westerners to ever visit the area, as Tibet had only recently opened up to foreigners but Nepal remained closed. discovered the East Rongbuk Glacier which is now known as the highway to the summit from the Tibetan side of Mount Everest. Although no aim was set to reach the summit of Everest at 8848m (29,032ft) the party did reach a height of 7020m (23,031ft) when traversing the North Col, this would be the planned route to the summit for two decades thereafter. The expedition had left Darjeeling in May 1921 and returned in October of the same year, but before getting out of Tibet into British India on the return, the Mount Everest Committee who funded the expedition had decided on another for the following year. This time with supplemental oxygen and a bid to reach the top. The use of supplemental oxygen was frowned upon in mountaineering circles, although they knew the air is thinner at altitude, they were unaware of the “death zone”. This is where at above 8000m in altitude, the air is so thin that the human body uses more oxygen than can be replenished, therefore life cannot be supported for an extended period of time. In essence, without supplemental oxygen your body begins to shut down other functions such as digestion to consolidate this lack of air, you are slowly dying.

Now knowing the monsoon season only left an April-May window to reach the summit, the 1922 expedition left Darjeeling at the end of March, following the same route through Tibet with permission from the Dalai Lama. Mallory was more certain he could reach the top this time, and with his 12 expedition companions plus around 150 porters in support, they reached base camp on the Rongbuk Glacier on 1st May. This expedition was beset with issues of lost food down the slopes, illness and a tragedy. Mallory was part of the first team to attempt a summit as others in the expedition were slowly falling ill through exhaustion and the altitude. Making camps along the ascent as pit stops, the first team’s attempt was without oxygen and reached a new record height of 8225m on 21st May before turning back. The second attempt, this time with bottled oxygen, was undertaken by George Ingle Finch, Geoffrey Bruce and a Gurkha officer known as Tejbir ascended quickly, thanks to the oxygen. But the weather was turning and growing winds hindered the climb, food ran short and the primitive oxygen harnesses failed. They were forced to stop the climb at an altitude of 8326m on 27th May, now five hundred metres short of the summit. It was known among the group that another attempt would be reckless, as monsoon season was beginning, creating new snow and harsher conditions. Although exhausted, Mallory, Finch and Howard Somervell wished to try once more. Attempting to tackle the mountain more directly, Mallory led the team and it’s entourage directly through a snow field sitting on the glacier on 7th June. This action triggered an avalanche and while the main members of the team survived, seven Nepalese porters perished. This was the end of the third effort and the expedition as a whole. George Mallory would never forgive himself for this tragedy.

It went without saying that another expedition should be undertaken at the earliest possible opportunity. To raise awareness and finances, Mallory embarked on a tour of Britain to give presentations on the previous expedition. Knowing that an expedition in 1923 was not possible due to finances and preparation, the tour was extended by an additional three months to the United States. It was during this American leg that Mallory was asked why he was adamant on conquering Everest and this famous quote was the reply “Because it’s there…. Everest is the highest mountain in the world and no man has reached its summit.

It’s existence is a challenge. The answer is instinctive, a part, I suppose, of man’s desire to conquer the universe.” Reaching the age of 37 by the time of the 1924 expedition, Mallory was in fear this would be his last viable opportunity to reach the summit before age overtook his abilities. In contrast to his age, a younger man was also selected to be a member of the 1924 expedition who would share the limelight. Andrew “Sandy” Irvine was 22 years of age when embarking on the 1924 expedition and was recommended for a number of reasons.

He had impressed many people with his young engineering mind and daring, with a knack of improving any mechanical design (especially with oxygen harnesses) and once

as a teenager managed to ride his motorbike 3000 feet to the top of Foel Grach in the Welsh Highlands. It was felt this young blood was what the aging team needed and he was respected by his peers for his ingenuity, companionability and “could be relied upon for anything, except perhaps conversation”.

The 1924 expedition set sail on SS California from Liverpool on 29th February 1924, the last time Mallory and Irvine would see Britain. The team arriving at the planned base camp on 29th April had high hopes for a successful summit, even with the slightly harsher weather conditions than previous. This hindered the attempts of preparing advance camps along the route to the summit, with around 150 porters and the team setting up these camps it proved difficult even with the familiarity of the area but by the beginning of June the teams were ready for a summit attempt. Geoffrey Bruce and Mallory formed the first team with 9 of the strongest porters in support, but again the harsh conditions aggrieved them. Four of the porters abandoned their load at 7,700m while the rest of the group attempted to set up advance camp V, the next day another three porters refused to climb any higher and so the first summit attempt was forced to descend without setting up the planned camp VI at 8,170m. On the descent they met the second summit team of Edward F Norton and Dr T Howard Somervell who had already set off and were very surprised to see Mallory and Bruce so soon. Although worried their porters may also abscond, they pushed on to set up Camp VI, the final camp before summit attempts could be realised.

In the early hours of 4th June they began their approach to the summit. By 12pm Somervell no longer had the energy to continue yet Norton pushed on, reaching a new record altitude of 8,570m but he also doubted he could make the summit in time with his failing strength and began to turn back to rejoin Norton, although disaster nearly struck. Norton encountered a blockage in his throat, with such a high altitude and no supplemental oxygen he accepted this as his death sentence and sat down awaiting his demise. After a few short moments he rallied and in one last desperate attempt used his arms to compress his own chest with a huge cough, dislodging and evacuating what appeared to be the frostbitten lining of his throat, he could again breathe freely and continue down to camp. Exhausted and near death, they reached camp IV at 9:30pm meeting up with the rest of the team.

A decision now had to be made, with all members exhausted, could another bid for the summit be attempted? George Mallory had returned to Camp IV with bottled oxygen in tow and was rested after his first attempt. Along with Andrew Irvine, it was agreed these two (despite Irvine’s lack of experience) would make a summit attempt. Noel Odell, the expedition geologist with several porters would be in support, supplying the camps for Mallorys descent; he would be the last to photograph and see the two alive. With bottled oxygen and only a day’s ration, Mallory and Irvine departed at 8:40am on 6th June. This is where the two find their place in history. Noel Odell last reported seeing the two as tiny dots in the distance on 8th June, attempting the second step, before clouds once again rolled in and covered the view. By 11th June there was no sign of the two returning, Odell had been between the remaining camps several times, in hope to find Mallory and Irvine, but no evidence was to be found. From Camp VI he signalled the base camp with six blankets laid in a cross meaning “No trace can be found, given up hope, awaiting orders”. The order was given to descend the mountain and five days later, the expedition left Everest without Mallory and Irvine.

For years the question was asked, “what happened to Mallory and Irvine’’? Among much speculation a possible answer was presented in 1975 when Chinese climber Wang Hongbao reported to his team mate “English dead at 8,100m”, no further evidence could be provided as the climber was killed in an avalanche shortly after but there was no doubt, this could either be Mallory or Irvine. In addition Andrew Irvine’s ice axe was discovered in the same area in 1933, as well as oxygen canisters found in 1991. It wasn’t until 1999 that some closure was provided, a team of expert climbers set out to solve the mystery once and for all.

In the short time they arrived in the area Wang had mentioned, they found a body lying face down, with clothes tattered by winds and skin bleached by the sun. With so little moisture, oxygen and at such a low temperature, very little decomposition had taken place. But who was it? There were rope injuries about the waist, a completely broken right leg and a large hole in the upper forehead, the same diameter as an ice axe. This evidence would dictate that the man had fallen and during the tumble had lodged his axe in his own head, a deadly blow. The man’s wrist watch stopped between one and two, was it AM or PM? Had it stopped during the fall? Searching the pockets the team found a pair of goggles, a broken altimeter and letters signed by G.H.L. Mallory, as well as name tags in the clothing, there was no doubt George Mallory had been found. This left two final questions, where was Irvine? And had the summit been reached? Unfortunately to this day Andrew Irvine has not been found and nothing but circumstantial evidence can be provided, Mallory did not carry the Kodak pocket camera, it is hoped this is with Irvine’s still missing body. But it was known that George had promised he would leave a picture of his wife at the summit, this picture was not on or near his person. Other promising evidence is the goggles, one pair was missing while the other were found in his pocket. Many like to think he was descending at night and so had no use for goggles, pocketing them but there are also suggestions this is simply his spare pair while the now missing pair were lost during the fall.

Lifetimes can be spent looking at all current evidence and creating diverse hypotheses on the sequence of events, regarding his possible summit and eventual death. Even going further down the rabbit hole to theories regarding a Chinese coverup of Irvine’s body. But it is likely this mystery will never be solved, which on its own merit is a romantic nod to the closing of the age of the great explorers. The body of George Herbert Leigh Mallory still resides on Everest. Now with a stone cairn erected around him, the Cheshireborn schoolmaster peacefully sleeps on the roof of the world, a deserving memorial to an inspiration of many avid mountaineers.

Clothing For Every Climate

North Sails C2 Collection

By Paul Cusimano, Joseph Clothing, Lancaster

It has often been said that I don’t promote myself, or my business, in my writing or in most of what I do. I am uncomfortable talking about me. It’s not a recent thing and it is getting worse.

I have, from a young age, mastered the art of ‘deflecting’ the topic away from me. It has served me well. I am also not a confident public speaker, yet feel comfortable talking to complete strangers endlessly, in my little shop. That’s my Castle and I am happy being King in there.

Iam writing this the day after the twentieth Anniversary of Nine Eleven. Watching Bruce Springsteen perform an almost haunting version of ‘I’ll see you in my dreams’, a song he wrote after the horrors of that day, at the Memorial Service, was so powerful.

It was this that got me thinking. I have always believed, and have often stated, that ‘relationships’ are key to everything. We must build them, and build them strong. That is still my fundamental belief, and yet more recently, I find myself questioning life, not in a morbid way, rather seeking to make sense of it.

I have had a somewhat eventful life, but not in ways I would have ever chosen, or on occasions, in ways that were remotely pleasant. The fact I have reached fifty-four is testament to the fact that it has been a charmed life, given how close to death I have unwittingly sailed on occasions.

To describe myself is to define myself. In defining myself I am opening Pandora’s Box because I, like everyone else, am shaped by my life’s experiences. The people encountered. The roles fulfilled. The love. The losses. The laughter. The joy. The hurt. These, and more, are all our direct experiences. Then there’s the impact of events and happenings in our community, country and the wider world.

The events of that day twenty years ago, have had a wide reaching effect, that have quite possibly defined the lives of tens of millions of people. In accepting that these are the things that shape us into who we are, who we are is a reflection of everything and everyone we surround ourselves with. My shop is my Castle and that’s where I am King. So let’s talk shop.

At nine years old I wanted to be an ambulance driver when I grew up. That idea lasted a couple of years. By twelve, I wanted to work with my Dad. I wanted to be a tailor. He told me to try other things first. I did. I didn’t like. Then I was offered a job working at ‘Joseph Clothes’, as it was known in nineteen eighty five. I took it and here I’ve stayed. 

“My shop is my Castle and that’s where I am King”

A More Casual Bond

Daniel Craig - James Bond

Although many would consider it a lowly job, being a shop assistant, it combined the two things I loved; clothing and the principles of ‘tailoring’. We are all built differently and regardless of the trend of the time, clothing should always fit properly, and that’s imperative.

Tramarossa - ‘The Best Jeans In The World’

Take Daniel Craig as James Bond, his clothes fit him perfectly. I use him as a reference to explain fit. Undoubtedly the clothes will have been tailored to him, and that’s a service we offer, we will do any tweaks required to obtain the perfect fit, whether it’s a polo shirt or a three piece suit. If you leave with a perfectly fitted garment, you immediately become my best advert.

The service we offer has to be matched with the products we sell. The beauty of being an independent business, is that you decide what you do and don’t sell. I choose everything. The buck stops with me. From sock to suits, and everything in between. The brands. The styles. The colours. It makes it simple, if I don’t like it, I don’t buy it.

Having taken over the business in twenty ten, I did not anticipate the City centre being constrained for twenty months as the Victorian sewage system needed overhauling (2013-14), which was to be followed by being flooded twice (2015 & 2017), then vital structural works being carried out on one of the two bridges into the City. This caused huge disruption, all day every day, for another ten months (2018). 

Above: Paul Smith - You Want Colour

Enough. No. Twenty-twenty sees the world plunged into utter chaos by a virus, originating from a little known place in China, Wuhan. My life experiences have moulded me into being the ‘ever optimist’. By March twenty-twenty one, even my optimism was wearing thin but I wasn’t going to roll over.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you have to face the challenge head on. Sometimes, doors open, opportunities arise. I had been looking to add a new brand or two to our offering for a couple of years. There was nothing that I felt would sit, and that was commercial, for me to stock in Lancaster.

Then, out of the blue, a (clothing) agent walked into the shop. This wasn’t an uncommon. Amongst the Brands his agency carried, was ‘Pal Zileri’. I had always admired this Brand. It isn’t as well known in this country as Armani, for example, but it is equally as beautiful but slightly more understated. 

Below: Pal Zileri - Beautiful Lines Above: Pal Zileri - Beautiful Fabrics

Below: Pal Zileri - A Hoodie But Not As You’ve Known

We talked, as is my customary way, and I agreed to view the collection. Like a child in a sweet shop, I loved the collection. Similarly, I loved the ‘Baldessarini’ collection, oh and well, I couldn’t leave without some ‘Jacob Cohen’. As I said, child in a sweet shop !?

What had begun to eat away at me during the Lockdown at the beginning of this year, the third one of this pandemic, was the uncertainty around further Lockdowns, further disruption to the business and to my life. After all, the business is my life, what I love doing and being involved in.

My business had been closed for a total of thirty weeks during a fourteen month period. Uncertainty plays with your mind, and it was playing with mine. Thankfully this was happening to me towards the end of March, literally days before the announcement was made that ‘non-essential retail’ would be allowed to reopen on the twelfth of April.

Uncertainty was suddenly gone, like the flicking of a switch. Replaced by the excitement of reopening and receiving my first shipments from ‘Baldessarini’ and ‘Jacob Cohen’, having already received the ‘Pal Zileri’. Contrasting emotions !

In the mid-eighties I remember there was a film called “My Beautiful Laundrette”, well this is ‘my beautiful shop’, perhaps not the most beautiful to everyone else, but it is to me, and it is filled with some pretty special clothing and a great deal of passion for it.

Above: Jacob Cohen - Ultimate Luxury Denim

Is the shop defined by me, or am I defined by the shop. I still can’t figure that one out. Call in, have a chat and you decide. 

Paul Cusimano, Joseph Clothing

M 54 North Road, Lancaster LA1 1LT

Above: Jacob Cohen - Trying Is Believing