Chantelle Znideric, award winning personal stylist and Founder of iStylista, has put together her guide to our new collection based on the 5 key body shapes. And, to kick start the season, we’re offering you and a friend the chance to win “Breakfast with the Stylist”. We’ll take you for breakfast, over which you can discuss your wardrobe requirements with Chantelle. She’ll give you a full run down on what shapes, styles and colours suit you, and then we’ll head onto one of our gorgeous boutiques with £250 each to spend on new MV pieces, where Chantelle will be on hand to help you find your perfect fit. See below for details on how to enter.
As a personal stylist and shopper, there’s so much I love about the forthcoming spring trends, from the digital floral and edgy tribal prints to the beautifully breathtaking colour palettes in daisy fresh pastels. There’s every excuse to pep up your wardrobe this season and it will definitely give you something to smile about that’s for certain.
A key part of what I do is dressing clients in flattering styles that not only suit their body shape, but also offer practicality for their lifestyle. The best end result has to be a stylish and effortless capsule wardrobe that you can rely on for every occasion!
Styling yourself doesn’t need be hard work – busy mums will of course have different challenges to those career girls amongst you, but at the end of the day we all strive to look the best we can by making the most of what we have. The essential ingredients are combining the right colours and finding flattering clothes that compliment your shape. Buying one-off items just because you like them or because they are a bargain doesn’t tend to work long term, but thinking about how to combine them with other outfits means the cost per wear is justified – being able to maximise every item in your wardrobe is absolutely key.
As always, Mint Velvet has much to offer and I’m delighted to feature my Top 5 Stylist Picks for each body shape.
The Pear – Aim to broaden your shoulders to balance with your hips and emphasise your waistline.
This effortlessly stylish weekend outfit is perfect for a brunch date with friends.
The Rectangle – Aim to add curves and draw attention to your waistline.
We love this easy to wear outfit for shopping with your fave girlfriend.
The Hourglass – Aim to accentuate your womanly curves by keeping everything in proportion.
This stylishly understated outfit is ideal for that Thursday night date night!
The Inverted Triangle – Aim to balance your lower body with your upper body, by minimising the width of your shoulders and back.
From boardroom to bar without any hassle.
The Apple – Aim to create height and a strong shoulder line keeping the emphasis away from your waistline.
This elegant smart casual outfit is custom made for that mid-week lunch meeting.
To enter our “Breakfast with the Stylist” competition – simply tell us who you’d pick to share the prize with and why. Our favourite answer wins. Competition closes 2nd March 2012. Enter by commenting on our Facebook Page or this blog entry.
I would like to nominate myself and my friend Jules. My friend is going through a tough time at the moment as she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer last year and she has gone all through chemo, radiotherapy and is preparing herself to go through a mastectomy,as well as having to go through Herceptin treatment for the next year, not only that her mother has also been diagnosed with cancer. My friend loves her hair but although she was told the treatment was the type that meant she wasnt going to lose her hair, it is starting to thin and she is very down about it. I am trying to be supportive and be there for her, and I think breakfast with the stylist would be an absolute treat and something she would love,something very positive to focus on and not only that we both adore Mint Velvet with a passion!!.
I have just read the above suggestion and think that without a doubt this girl and her friend should
win. I don’t know her but all good. x
I would love to nominate my niece Carol and myself not only for ourselves to meet the stylist but for her to meet us and show her how Mint Velvet has changed our lives by giving us confidence with our shapes knowing we always ‘have something to wear’ from your varied collections offered for the size 18′s
Hi. I would like to nominate myself and my daughter Harriet. Challenging times here and a bit of fashionable distraction would be a great boost. We both love fashion and the Mint Velvet Relaxed Glamour concept and being different ages and body shapes and with differing lifestyles, it would be great to showcase just how versatile Mint Velvet is.
Thank you!
I would like to nominate myself and my friend Jackie. We both went on a health and fitness mission last year – and have lost nearly 5 stone between us. It is taking a while for our wardrobes to catch up with our new shapes, and we could both do with some help on what suits us now! We love Mint Velvet, and have found great joy in buying clothes in smaller sizes.
I’d like to nominate my friend Catherine and myself. We’ve been through thick and thin together, having known each other since we were two. She lost her sister to CJD a few years ago and her mother is now undergoing an aggressive treatment for a leukaemia-like disease. She’s turning 40 this year, is still seeking Mr Right, and I’d love to give her a Mint Velvet smile.
What a wonderful opportunity for myself and by best friend over 30 years Annita. We live over 200 miles apart and get to see each other once a year if we are lucky and when we do we are surrounded by children so there is no time for girlie shopping (something in our 40s that we still crave!). We keep dreaming of a weekend shopping in New York, but I know how much we’d love this dream MV trip as the advice would be an investment for the long term – just like our friendship!
I would love to nominate me and my friend Lisa. We have gone through so many fashion ages – from too grown up 80′s power suits at the University Interview where we met, relaxed student wear, frilly gowns at College Balls, early 90′s short skirt suits and heels when we started work, vast collections of cosy PJ’s for nights in when we shared a flat, wedding outfits and maternity wear as we moved on and started our own families. And now we are facing our forties and finally realising we are in fact “grown up” and need to act and dress accordingly! Your tips and advice will help us move on to the next fashion phase with confidence!
I would really like to nominate my mum. This year is going to be her 60th (shhhhh) birthday,and she has made me promise that I will not throw her a birthday party. However, I want to make her birthday THE most memorable day ever!
She is not only my mum, but my best friend too,.
Mum has been an absolute star, I’ve gone thru a couple of miserable years and she always cheers me up and spoils me rotten, and I really just want to return the favour.
Thanks MV
Ok – if I can’t nominate myself twice it will have to be my mum as I ge to borrow all her clothes!
loving the MV fashion.
Hi I’d like to nominate my sister and myself for the prize, we’re both fashion loving but our lives have taken very different paths recently. my sister is a mother and career woman and I’m newly single wanting to rediscover my inner va va voom again! We both need a bit of a kick start and would love to see what you can do for us, i love the pieces but could do with some help putting outfits together…
Thanks MV.. fingers crossed!
Zoë xx
Hello,
my mum seriously needs help with her wardrobe!?!?! Its stuck in hippy land and is full of what looks like fancy dress and what a charity shop couldnt even shift. Another issue is her bodies changing but she still tries to squeeze into clothes shes owned since she was 18!!!! I really think she needs professional help :L! I like to think I have some personal style but I dont have the mainstream body shape and often cant find clothes to fit well. I either have to settle with too tight or overly baggy which knocks at my confidence :/ so id also love your help to be taught which clothing stlyes benefit my figurep thank you so much, all my love!!!
I’m like to put me and my mum forward for this. I’m now 16 so I don’t spend a lot of time at home any more or pull my weight apprantly :L My mum only comes home on average about twice a week because she stays with her boyfriend but thats cool because my 21 year old brothes home during the week. Anyway this makes the time we do spend together argumenting and fleeting. So id love to spend some time together away from the house shopping as thats one of my favorite hobbies
I’d like to take my friend Jane who has lost her way a bit…she’s been such a support to me in the past and it makes me sad to see her losing her confidence. I love MV and one of my best buys, a spring coat that I must have bought at least two years ago never fails me.
My friend & neighbour Miranda. Just last week she found out that her son Alex’s Cancer (Neuroblastoma) has returned. Alex is only 4…..he’s my son Frankies bestfriend and it breaks my heart. Despits all this Miranda remains the sunshine of the road and the village. On Friday we took the boys out to Wisley Gardens in Surrey and I think she’s the most AMAZING MOTHER out there….everything she does is about making Alex happy….loads of hide & seek & fun!! At the Gardens she showed me her boot and the heel was hanging off….she was laughing about it and saying she needed a new pair. She is such an upbeat soul – I’d like her to win it…..if we are lucky she can have it all but I’d like to come for the brekkie – some girlie fun time much deserved for her!!!
Here is Alexs Blog….photographs in there too.
Thanks Mint Velvet!
XXXX
http://alexsharpsblog.wordpress.com/
Sorry – above is Alex’s blog.
I’d like to nominate myself and my friend Jo. I’ve only met Jo over the past year and she has become one of those people who I feel like I’ve known forever. We have both been through some pretty horrific times with depression and Jo suffers from dreadful endometriosis which has meant she is facing the possibility of a hysterectomy in her mid-thirties. With our issues with depression, both of us have got little to no body confidence and feel our smart sexy sides have no get up and go, in fact they’ve got up and gone! We both could be doing with boosting our confidence with some new clothes and a bit of advice on how best to dress for our shape.
I would like to nominate my work partner, Jules and myself because I feel we would really benefit from having “Breakfast with the stylist”. We work really hard running a complementary therapies clinic and give all our time and energy helping people who are very ill. We hardly get any time to take care of our appearance these days. I love MV and just found (from your above information)that I’ve bought a stone trench coat for completely the wrong shape!
I’d love to nominate myself and my lovely daughter. At 45 and a little rounder than I’d like to be, I’ve really lost my way in terms of my favourite style – grown up, fun and a little bit glam. I couldn’t think of anyone better to share a treat with than my daughter Emily. She has recently turned 21 and the MV collections seem flexible and stylish enough to suit us both. We’ve had a bit of a rotten few months between us and a this would be a fab pick me up for us both. Plus actually – I’ll admit, I’d just love to be spoilt!
I would share the prize with my bestest friend in the world, Vicky. She has supported me through my divorce and my illness and is now facing tough times herself. She completely undervalued her own worth and beauty and I would love to brighten her world and wardrobe at the same time with some Mint Velvet magic, as you can never underestimate the power of fashion retail therapy. -x-
I would have to share it with my older sister. She knows nothing about fashion and I think only a stylist (a professional) could convince her to experiment with fashion and prove to her that certain items do suit her body shape! She is incredibly insecure and I feel that she would gain so much more confidence if she knew she was wearing nice clothes. She goes to an all girls college and I know that often she feels intimidated by others and she avoids going out as she never knows what to wear. She’s been studying a lot for her exams lately and I feel that she deserves a break and she deserves as well as needs some attention from a stylist.
I nominate myself and my fried Tara, she too is battling aggressive breast cancer at 36. Her father has battles cancer in the past and her mum does not enjoy good health. H latests grip is with her skin and hair……..she likens its regrowth to that of my Autistc 12 year old son!!! I think she looks v chic but she hates it. It’s been a tough 18 months for her and her husband, with more to come as he jets off to the Falklands in September fo 6 months on detach,ent with the RAF, no 6 week short jollies like HRH William.
She is trying to lose the weight she put on during her last round of treatment but is struggling ……..
She needs this!!!
I was going to enter until I started to read all these amazing stories and now i feel totally not worthy!!
Really sure it will be given to someone who truly deserves this!!
Good luck ladies!!!
Emma – totally agree with you, some awe-inspiring stories from MV customers.
I would love to share the prize with my wonderful best friend Suzanne. She has always been by my side – she was my best woman at our wedding and was recently my birth partner when I had my baby boy. We both discovered Mint Velvet during a personal shopping trip in Manchester and instantly fell in love! Suzanne never has time to shop for clothes for herself with three young children to look after so it would be great to treat her. And I know I would benefit from the advice of a personal stylist in dressing my post-pregnancy figure!
Thank you for all your entires to our Breakfast with the Stylist competition. We were really touched by all of your entries. Congratulations to Kate Bowers – we look forward to meeting you and your friend for breakfast!
MV
Recently found Mint Velvet and as a 60plus overwhelmed with the options and feel I could wear with the right imput over breakfast –and certainly we are an part of a very large age group looking for a modern look—along with a friend who feels the same way.