I need colour.  For many years of my working life I dressed like a penguin.

There was a strict code at the Bar of dressing in black and white. No colour. One female barrister was so incensed that she claimed Tax relief on the grounds that “nothing on earth would make her buy clothes and dress like that unless forced to”. Unsurprisingly she was unsuccessful. If men could do it – so could we. When I transferred to become a Solicitor there was a relaxing of this, obviously – it was my own office I could dress as I pleased. But then you had the client’s expectations of what they wanted to see when they walked in to see you – no dressing like Joan Collins unfortunately, they wanted someone serious or at least convincing.

Now you would think that once I retired I would break out. But according to the records I have kept in my fashionary I am just as boring with colour as I ever was. If you look in my wardrobe you will find blacks, greys, navy blues, brown  and a muted green for skirts, white and blues and one not very bright green for shirts. Where is the colour? 

I do have a red jacket that I bought in 1989 still sitting in my wardrobe, fairly newish looking, which shows how often I wore it and when I did it was with a white shirt and black skirt!  If I was braver I would buy oranges and purples and jewel colours and yellow. I  love yellow..the sharp citrusy yellows, the pale primrosey yellows, not custardy yellows however. I wonder if it’s too late?

All Barbara Hulaniki [BIBA]

I am trying to be disciplined and work through my stash – uninspiring colourwise. I said I wanted to make the clothes I would wear everyday, which by habit seems to be a bit colour restrictive. The days are grey, we long for Spring, and I find myself humming the Queen song “I want to break free”! I have broken out of the stash-busting mode a bit – I have arranged a trip to a fabric shop in Reading next Wednesday, primarily to look for good wool fabric for the littlies’ coats in pleasant colours,  I might have a look at other fabrics [I dont want to waste the journey do I] I wonder if I will break out colourwise as well?