Did you see last week’s episode of Trinny and Susannah Undress the Nation? The dynamic duo had it in for black clothes this time, saying British women wear far too  much black, and that it’s time we stopped. Claiming that they were going to disprove the ‘myth’ that black is slimming and flattering, they took a woman who loves wearing black, and dressed her first in the most shapeless, baggy, sacklike black clothes they could find, and then in a neat little red dress that fitted her perfectly. Surprise, surprise, the red outfit was judged more flattering, but come on ladies, isn’t that cheating just a little bit? I’d totally agree that the black outfit they chose did nothing for their model, but the same thing in red or blue or yellow would have been just as bad, if not worse. If you really think black isn’t slimming or flattering, why not compare two identical outfits in red and black?

What made me laugh even more is that both Trinny and Susannah are often either photographed in the press or appear in their own shows wearing black themselves!
There is absolutely no denying that black is one of the most versatile, chic and flattering colours a woman can wear and that is precisely why we all do! It would have made a lot more sense if Trinny and Susannah had talked more about how to wear black clothes and how to team them up with colours and accessories that will create fabulous outfits.

Whether it’s a classic little black dress or the perfect pair of black trousers, I don’t know a single woman who wouldn’t put something black on the list of clothes that make her feel confident, stylish and yes, slimmer as well. So sorry, Trinny and Susannah, but I don’t think you’re going to banish black any time soon!

Have you got a little black dress in your wardrobe, that takes you anywhere, always looks flattering, and never seems to date? Then congratulations: you’re wearing a fashion icon. The Fashion and Textile Museum in London is holding an exhibition devoted to the LBD, which it calls ‘an icon of modern dressing’.

Apparently, before Coco Chanel invented the Little Black Dress in 1926, black dresses were only for funerals and domestic servants; the sleeveless silk shift she created rewrote all the rules, and hasn’t been out of fashion since.

There’ll be over 60 on show, from designers including Zandra Rhodes, Biba, John Galliano, Nicole Farhi and Ben de Lisi, and celebrities have lent their own favourites (rather them than me; if I lent mine out, I’d be sure to find myself with nothing else to wear one night and have to break in to get it back).

There’s a Jean Muir that Joanna Lumley says ‘transformed her life’, the sexy Julian McDonald number that Victoria Beckham wore on the cover of her fashion book, and a vintage LBD owned by supermodel Erin O’Connor, who says she never travels anywhere without one. ‘It’s like a blank canvas that can be dressed up or down, whatever the occasion,’ she said at the opening. ‘I think when you buy your first LBD, it’s a sure sign you’ve grown up.’

If you want to see how your own little fashion icon measures up to the ones in the exhibition, it’s on until August 25, at the Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF.

How many pieces of black clothing do think you have in your wardrobe? Five? Ten? Well, if you’re the average British woman, research has shown that the number’s actually more like 47! Apparently, our wardrobes are typically over 40% black, and on average, we’ll own three pairs of black trousers, a pair of black jeans, three black skirts, two black dresses, six black jumpers, 12 black tops, five black coats and 12 pairs of black shoes and boots.
I don’t know about you, but that pretty much sums up my wardrobe, and personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s all very well fashion editors declaring that we should all be wearing ultramarine, or purple, but for those of us who have to throw together a smart outfit in ten minutes flat every morning, black is a godsend. You can dress it up or down, it goes with everything, and it stays looking fresh all day (as long as you avoid Persian cats!).
Black looks expensive, even when it’s not, and while other colours have their moment in the limelight, and then scream ‘last year’, black never goes out of style – those little black dresses Audrey Hepburn wore so beautifully would still take you anywhere today. And best of all, you can put it on, even on a fat day, and instantly look taller and slimmer. So forget diamonds – it’s black that’s a girl’s real best friend.

Is anyone else a bit, well, dazzled by some of the clothes in the shops this summer? The big, splashy prints, the yellows and the electric blues are all very well if you’re 16, but for those of us who won’t see 30 (OK, or 40) again, it’s all a bit too in your face; I don’t want to blend into the background, but I don’t want clothes that scream ‘look at me’ either.
If, like me, you’re looking for something a bit more chic and timeless, I don’t think you can go far wrong with black. We often think of it as a winter colour, but unlike summer’s brights, black looks great whether you have a tan or not, and of course it’s slimming too, which somehow feels even more important in summer, when there’s more of you on show.
Well-cut black linen trousers are a great alternative to the winter ones that most of us live in from September to May, while a sleeveless black shift dress is blissfully cool, yet still looks as though you mean business. At the weekend, a fitted black waistcoat instantly updates the classic white T-shirt and jeans combination, while a chic black sundress in crisp cotton is summer’s version of the classic little black dress, brilliantly easy to dress up or down for anything from a barbecue to a drinks party. And if you’re planning a holiday wardrobe, why not make it easy on yourself? Pack a capsule collection in black and white, and you won’t waste a second of your holiday wondering what to wear.

If you’re petite or even average height, chances are that long, slender legs are one of the things that would be on your wishlist, should you ever bump into a fairy godmother. While we disagree about whether we’d like curly or straight hair, big boobs or small ones, I’d bet there’s hardly a woman under five foot eight who’d turn down the chance to add a couple of inches to her legs. Luckily – what with fairy godmothers being so thin on the ground – there’s lots you can do to make your legs look longer. So if nature didn’t give you legs that go on forever, try these tips and get the lean, leggy look for yourself.

• Avoid cropped trousers; the horizontal line where they end makes legs look shorter.

• High heels are an obvious way to make legs look longer, but only if you can walk confidently in them. If not, you might as well be wearing a sign saying ‘I’m quite short but I want to look taller’. If you tend to totter, go for a lower heel and a pointed toe instead, so there’s a nice tapered line down to the end of your feet.

• High-waisted trousers and skirts, which are in all the shops this summer, make legs look miles longer, just because they seem to start higher. Short jackets and tops can have a similar effect, as long as you wear them over a slim, sleek bottom half.

• Choose bootcut or straight trousers and jeans, and make sure they’re long enough to cover your shoes, so you get a long, clean line. Skinny jeans and flats are cute, but they will make stubby legs look even shorter.

• Avoid horizontal details on skirts, like dropped waists, tiers, or border trims. They chop you into sections so you look shorter.

• Wearing one colour from head to toe, or even just below the waist, means there’s nothing to disturb the eye, so legs look longer. For the ultimate leg lengthener, you can’t beat well-cut black trousers, or a black skirt and black tights, with black shoes.

• For summer, fashion editors swear by  ‘nude’ shoes (that’s beige to you and me). Worn with bare legs or skin-coloured tights, there’s no colour break at your feet, so legs look long and slender.

Whether you’re dressed in Peacocks or Prada, your clothes – and you – will only look their best if you’re wearing the right underwear. Follow the five golden rules, and you’ll never go wrong.
• Never wear white underwear under white clothes – it always shows through. Instead, choose flesh tones, so the lines of your underwear disappear against your skin.
• Please, please don’t ever wear those plastic bra straps. They might be transparent, but they’re far from invisible. If you don’t like wearing a strapless bra, arm yourself with the stylists’ secret weapon, double-sided clothes tape (available from department stores). When you want to wear a strappy top or dress, just use the tape to attach its straps to your bra straps, so they don’t slide out.
• Never wear a lace-trimmed bra under a T-shirt or any kind of clingy, stretchy top; they’ll completely ruin the line of the top, and make it look cheap. Moulded bras (often sold as T-shirt bras) are the way to go here. They give a great shape and a nice smooth line, and you don’t have to worry about your nipples showing through.
• Thongs are often recommended as the best way to banish the dreaded VPL, but if you don’t find them comfortable, go for seamless ‘boy shorts’, cut straight across the leg. They work just as well, skim over any cellulite, and are a whole lot more comfy.
• A stretchy, flesh-coloured camisole top is the easy solution to tops that are a bit see-through, and knits with a big, open texture.

If you thought finding clothes in the right colour and size was tricky enough, get ready for shopping to become altogether more complicated: within a couple of years, scientists say, we could be choosing clothes not just on what they look like, but for what they can do for us. Companies like Philips, Hewlett Packard and Casio are working on ‘wearable technology’, that can turn our clothes into computers, phones, music systems and more, so instead of toting gadgets around with us, we’ll simply wear them.
Want music while you walk? You’ll be able to buy a jacket with a built-in MP3 player. Like to keep in touch? Computer technology embedded into fabric means you could send emails from your coat, via a drop-down keyboard in the cuff. Special fibres could be used to produce clothes that’ll cool you down or warm you up, as required, while with sat nav built into your skirt, you need never get lost again. For the hypochondriacs among us, there’ll be clothing that constantly monitors your heart rate and blood pressure, while paranoid parents can dress the kids in T-shirts with tracking devices (no word yet on whether they’ll be available in adult sizes for straying spouses).
Scientists at Bristol University have even worked on a jacket that can be set to beam out information about the wearer to other people with the same garments, so if you’re eyeing up someone in a bar, for example, your jacket could tune into his and report back that he’s a model railway enthusiast who lives with his mum and sixteen cats. Which should streamline the dating process quite a bit.
It all sounds thrillingly futuristic and Star Trekky, but couldn’t they just have invented clothes that washed, dried and ironed themselves instead? Now that’s what I’d call technology.

I was astonished to read recently that half of all adults would consider having cosmetic surgery, and of those, one in five women had thought about a boob job. Maybe it’s the influence of Hollywood, where even the skinniest stars seem to sprout enormous bosoms, but I’m amazed so many women would willingly go under the knife just to get a bigger bust.
As someone who’s not overly blessed in that department myself, I’ve learned over the years that if nature hasn’t given you curves, you just have to create them yourself – or at least, make the very best of the ones you’ve got. If you’re in the same position, why not try some of my tips?
Buy a good bra: I know lots of small-busted women prefer not to bother with a bra at all, but a really good one, in the right size, makes a massive difference. It lifts your bosom up, making it more defined and shapely, and makes your clothes hang better too. Most department stores have trained bra fitters, who can check your size (apparently 80% of us get it wrong on our own) and advise on the styles that’ll suit you best.
Choose the right necklines: Deep round or v-necks emphasise a bony chest, so avoid them, or wear with a camisole or vest underneath. Sweetheart necklines (like a square but with a dip in the centre) work well, creating the impression of  a cleavage, and asymetric and polo necks look great too.
Define your bust: When you’re choosing tops or dresses, shapes that make a feature of your bust can help add curves. The empire line, which is fitted across the bust and then flares out (think Jane Austen), is incredibly flattering on a smaller bust, and luckily there are loads of tops and dresses with this shape in the summer collections. Look out too for tops with a ‘milkmaid’ neckline, where fabric is gathered over the bust and then pulled in to a scoop or square neck – there are lots of these this summer as well. In fact, any kind of ruching or gathering in the bust area is great for smaller busts.
Show some skin: Delicate tops with spaghetti straps will look great on you, so don’t be afraid to wear them. Sleeveless vests that show off your arms and shoulders are a great choice too.
Get a little help: If you want to add inches, there’s never been a better choice of padded bras. At one end of the spectrum, lightly padded T-shirt bras give a nice smooth shape and a little bit of extra volume, while at the other, a fully padded bra can make your bust look a size bigger. If you want a cleavage, look out for bras that are more padded at the bottom of the cup -  they push up your natural assets and make the best of them. Again, a good bra fitter can advise on the best bra for the effect you want. Alternatively, take a tip from Trinny and Susannah (and countless models and actresses) and invest in a pair of silicone breast enhancers. Known as‘chicken fillets’ because that’s what they look like, they look and feel completely natural, and work inside most bra shapes. You’ll find them in most lingerie departments.

If you have any tips, please post a comment and let me know!

Get the layered look - and beat the weather!
Well, the weather’s really gone nuts this month, hasn’t it? The other day, I went out all muffled up in a coat and scarf, only to find that by lunchtime, summer had suddenly descended and everyone was strolling about in T-shirts. Not wanting to be caught out twice, next morning I swapped the coat for a jacket, and guess what? Britain had been suddenly temporarily relocated to somewhere east of Siberia.

We seem to be getting all four seasons at once, and I don’t know about you, but my morning routine doesn’t really allow for a detailed consideration of the weather forecast before I even start getting dressed. Then there’s the fact that even when it’s cold outside, offices are often heated to sub-tropical temperature, so if you’re warm enough on the way to work, you’re sweltering when you arrive.

What’s needed are adaptable outfits that can cope with Siberia and Sorrento in the same day, and that means layering. Two or even three thin layers can be as warm as one chunky knit, because they trap warm air between them, and if it warms up, you can just peel one off. The key is to avoid the bag lady look by making sure the base layer is something close-fitting, like a vest, T-shirt or camisole, so there’s a bit of structure.

Gap is always good for this kind of look, and they’ve got some great short-sleeved and cap-sleeved fine knits that layer beautifully over their long-sleeved T-shirts. If you’re thrown by the idea of wearing long sleeves under short ones, try keeping the colours close together rather than contrasting – it’s a less scary way into the look. Another idea is to wear a jersey camisole under a shirt with a suit - it really freshens up a formal outfit, as well as adding a bit of extra warmth.

For the coldest days, you need some lightweight knitwear that can be layered over a shirt or T-shirt. Cashmere’s perfect for this time of year, because it’s warm but not weighty, so you can slip a coat or mac over the top without feeling like the Michelin man. M&S has a fabulous cashmere empire line cardigan, in grey, dark pink or a really pretty spring green, and I’ll also be looking at the Japanese store Uniqlo, which has branches springing up all over the country. They have a fantastic cashmere range at amazing prices (currently from around £20 for a sweater) and their spring colours are beautiful.

My other tip for the great British winter is to always carry a hat. Apparently 50% of body heat is lost through the top of your head, so if you’re caught out wearing that spring mac when you should have been wrapped up in your warmest coat, a hat can make all the difference. Accessorize has some great knitted berets that you can just squash into your handbag; with one of those and an umbrella, we can be ready for whatever the British weather throws at us!

How to find the perfect black trousers.

If there’s one fashion item every woman needs, it has to be a good pair of black trousers. Get them right, and they’ll make you look slimmer and taller, go with practically every top in your wardrobe, and take you anywhere from a business meeting to a cocktail party. But tracking down that perfect pair of trousers is only slightly less difficult than finding the perfect man or the perfect job, so I’ve gathered together all the tips I can find to help narrow down your search.

Petite? Look for straight, bootleg or slightly flared legs; very wide trousers will make you look square. Trousers that sit on or very slightly below your natural waistline will help make your legs look longer. Avoid turn-ups, which have a shortening effect.

Hourglass figure? You’ll probably find that most trousers that fit on the hips are way too big at the waist, and anything that would fit your waist won’t zip up at the hips.The best solution is to buy a pair that fits at the hips, then get them altered to fit your waist – most good dry cleaners offer an alterations service. It means spending an extra £20 or so, but the result will be a pair of trousers that feel like they were made for you.

Pear-shaped? Bootlegs or a slight flare will balance out your hips and make you look more in proportion. Avoid anything skinny or tapered; you might as well wear a sign saying ‘Look at my hips. Big, aren’t they?’

Boyish figure? Most trouser styles will look good on you, but if you want to give the illusion of more curves, choose a bootcut style that sits below the waist.

Tall? Your main problem will be finding trousers that are long enough. It’s worth looking at the younger end of the market, whose standard leg lengths are often a little bit longer than average. Top Shop and Long Tall Sally are both good for Tall ranges. And my very best tip? When you find that perfect pair, buy three of them!