Looking Good

Alpha Women can be girly too

Good news. This is officially work. Once you are a senior woman and certainly once you are the boss your appearance is judged every day. You might not like it and it takes a bit of getting used to, but you're in a goldfish bowl now. This is one of those uniquely female problems. How many male bosses outfits are scrutinised? Only if they turn up in the shirt they wore yesterday.

I find it easiest to accept it will happen, treat it as another aspect of working and that detachment helps me to feel confident. One of the joys of being a women that we can celebrate so many great things that men just don't get to do. Shoes for one. And make up. And following fashion weeks even if I have no more intention of rushing out to buy the latest catwalk styles than flying to the moon. I've been in PR for nearly 25 years and guess what, I know how beauty products make it onto the pages of the magazines. But I still read those columns avidly and time and time again I fall for buying the 'ultimate' mascara or the foundation that will make you look 21. After all, how can someone as utterly grown up and likeable as Sarah Vine (her husband's in the Cabinet for heaven's sake) ever be influenced by anything other than her own good taste?

Here's what works for me. Please let me know your ideas too.

Clothes

This is the classic "know what suits you and stick to it". This will be different for everyone - in my case no high necks (great advice from Trinny and Susannah), lots of tailoring (Zara jackets are great and incredible value), dresses most days (easy, quick and smart). I own most of the dresses ever made by LK Bennett (the Guildford branch is apparently the largest in the country - this is mainly to accomodate me). Good value, the fit is good for anyone with curves and unlike many other stores their ‘business’ dresses don’t all come in variations of ‘barrister chic'. Jaeger is great when you feel like splashing out. Reiss when you don’t (I've been upstaged by Her Maj on this one but I found it first). A great coat for winter and a trench for the rest of the year. TK Maxx have good selections of both if you like snaffling a designer bargain and who doesn't. I don't wear trousers to work much but I have a fantastic Joseph pair. They were admittedly expensive but fit wonderfully and suit every event where you feel classic trousers are the right way to go. I read somewhere years ago that every woman should own a pair of Joseph trousers (great PR) which I thought was ridiculous until I owned a pair. I also swear by Not Your Daughter jeans. These are the only jeans I have found that have a zip longer than two inches without making my bottom look like it needs it's own postcode.

Accessories

Shoes. Ah shoes. I do own a few designer pairs but always buy them abroad, particularly in the US as they are invariably cheaper. Mostly these come from the the Saks shoe department in New York which I can't recommend highly enough.  If you're having a meeting in MidTown you can do it there and back in the lunch hour helped by the dedicated lift straight to the 7th floor.  Be even more efficient and skim the website before you go so you can target shop. The service is incredible. For when you get them home and inevitably scuff your designer heels, there is a great shoemender in Camden that all the designer shops use who can fix Louboutins, Roger Vivier you name it for a surprisingly small amount of money. I'm much less into bags and tend to buy them at airport shops. Outlet shops outside Milan are great if you have a spare hour before a flight. I don't go big on jewellery (no money left after the shoes). I have some tiny diamond ear studs my husband bought me for a birthday about ten years ago which go with everything. And some necklaces to go with the dresses. A good watch. That’s about it.

Hair and nails
It probably goes without saying you need a trusted hairdresser.  I have had the same one for twenty years - we compare wrinkles now - who is unfailingly honest.  Between us (well him really) we've settled on a low maintenance cut and serious attention to hide the grey. I am counting down to doing a 'Helen Mirren' at the moment. You don't need to be too experimental in this area - stick to a style that suits you and doesn't need too much maintenance. You don't want people to be looking at your hair - but at you. Nails - I think Nigella gave me the idea of "squovals" as a shape. In rare warm weather I  buff them but the rest of the time I love the Essie colours - dark purples and very dark reds. Use at least two coats of topcoat (Essie do an excellent one which dries very quickly and is very shiny). If you're going to have dark nails they have to look immaculate.

Have fun.