How to live more colourfully
Lessons from a walking rainbow
In my next book The Vintage Shop of Second Chances there’s one phrase that comes up throughout, a sort of motto that I think sums up both the book and also my own personal philosophy. Live life colourfully.
To me, living life colourfully means not being afraid to stand out or to be the most YOU version of you. It’s not caring what other people think and not changing yourself to fit other people’s expectations of you.
There have definitely been times in the past where I’ve toned down my love of bright colours, sparkle and my general MEness for other people, but it’s never made me happy. Now, I try to live my life in a way that brings me joy and that has infiltrated into my wardrobe.
On low days, bright colours give me a boost. Pulling on a luminous yellow jumper makes me smile even when I don’t feel in the most yellow of moods. That’s the transformative power of clothes, something I explore in my new book.
When I talk about how much I love bright colours, people often tell me that they’d love to introduce more colour into their lives but don’t know how. They’re stuck in a routine of grey and black and it can feel daunting to step outside of that comfort zone. This is true for one of the characters in my book, Maggy, who is a woman of a certain age who used to dress more adventurously but has become more self-conscious as she’s gotten older, wanting to hide away behind a cloak of baggy black.
I think a lot of women feel that way, perhaps because there’s so much pressure on us to look a certain way that if we don’t fit that mould we feel we don’t deserve to take up space. But we do!
If you’re someone who shies away from colour but would like to add a bit more brightness into your life, here are some of my top tips, gathered from a lifetime of living colourfully…
How to add more colour to your wardrobe
Start small with accessories like a bright hat, a pair of gloves or a swipe of colourful lipstick. I’m a big fan of coral or bright red lipstick as an easy way to brighten an outfit whilst also looking like you’ve made more effort than you actually have. I particularly love Laura Mercier’s Fire and MAC’s Hot Paprika for a coral-toned red and MAC’s Feel So Grand for a classic red.
Invest in a brightly-coloured coat. Particularly in the winter I like to add a pop of colour when everything around can feel so dark and grey. And with a coat it doesn’t matter so much if it doesn’t co-ordinate with what’s underneath as you probably won’t see much of your outfit under it anyway.
Swap black for other lighter neutrals. I think people often end up in head to toe black not because they love black but because black ‘goes with everything’. But other colours do too, like cream, navy and blue denim. Using these shades as a base instead of black can lighten a look and make it feel easier to add in other colours. I particularly like wearing navy or cream tights instead of black, and a cream cardigan goes with every colour.
Buy a statement accessory in a colourful print, and then you can use the colours in that print to build in more colour in the rest of your outfit. I love Miss Pom Pom scarves for this - I have one in lots of bright colours and I like to co-ordinate other parts of my outfit to match some of the colours in the scarf.
Most importantly, don’t worry about what other people might think or if a certain colour ‘suits’ you. Does it make you happy? Wear it! I always used to think that yellow didn’t suit me but I love yellow - it’s a colour full of joy and optimism - so now I have lots of it in my wardrobe (and have written a book centred around a very yellow dress!). To me what makes a great outfit is feeling happy in it.
A few updates from me…
It’s now less than four weeks until the launch of The Vintage Shop of Second Chances! If you haven’t already preordered and would like to you can do so here or via your local bookshop. Preorders really help authors out as they help build buzz before publication which might help more readers find the book. If you’ve already preordered, a big huge THANK YOU from me.
To celebrate the launch of my new book I’m going to be holding a party with my local bookshop in my hometown of Frome which also happens to be the setting for the book! If you are local and would like to come along, just reply to this email and I’ll send you the details.
I’m very excited to share that this month I am joining The Novelry as a writing coach. After writing four novels of my own (with my fifth well underway ) I’m really looking forward to helping aspiring authors tell their own stories.
Recently I wrote an article for the i paper about how my experience of meeting my son was nothing like what I had expected. In the article I wrote about how it’s been all the small moments that have happened afterwards that have felt the most meaningful and joyful to me, not that one filmic scene I’d had in my head. Thank you to all the women who have reached out to share their own experiences of birth trauma and falling in love gradually with their children and I hope the article helps others feel less alone.
What I’ve been reading
The Woman in the Middle by Milly Johnson was one of those books that you want to hug when you’ve finished reading it. It’s about a woman who is juggling looking after ageing parents with worrying about grown-up children and a marriage that’s on the rocks and although it’s a life stage that’s a bit different from my own, I found the main character Shay so relatable and believable. Life keeps squashing her but (no spoilers!) she pushes back. A warm-hearted and emotive read.
Another one I loved recently was Yinka Where is Your Huzband by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, a funny and engaging story with characters you fall for and a message about the importance of self-love at its heart.
I’m now reading Thrown by Sara Cox which seems right up my street with its themes of community and friendship.
What have you read and loved recently? I’d love to hear!
Libby I love this! I now only think of bright colours when I think of you and your books! So excited to read your new one 🤩 Also Yinka was one of my favourites of last year! Such a fab book!
I have just finished ‘Thrown’ and it was brilliant. Couldn’t put it down.