Mia Tui Autumn/Winter Colour Collection by Helena of Radiance By Helena

Earlier this year as we were launching our Spring Summer colours, I asked Helena from Radiance by Helena if she would sample a bag and write a guest post to help our customers with colour and style. The blog was fabulous and so once again I approached Helena to see if she would be happy to look at our Autumn/Winter colours and write another post to help us all with styling and accessorising our colour palette. I am delighted that Helena agreed to write for us again. 

I do hope you enjoy it as much as I have and find it helpful if you are a little nervous of colour......

Mia Tui London is a brand that offers something unique that I really relate to. My style is a mixture of elements; I enjoy combining glamourous & opulent with simple and practical pieces.

I really love the freshness and the classic glamour of the whole A/W18 range: the new colours have a delicious depth about them, a chic feel that is so easy to style.

I’m so happy to see the Rose Gold make an appearance again this season. Ever since I got my Rose Gold Mini Jen last year I’ve been obsessed with the rosy hue. Adding a splash of rose gold is a quick and easy way to bring a little ‘Autumn’ to your look and it flatters most skin tones so what’s not to love? For the Autumn/Winter seasons, rose gold pairs perfectly with blush tones and dusky pinks or combine it with nude, beige or taupe neutrals to create a fabulously elegant outfit. For serious business, update classic charcoal grey with some rose gold accessories. Grey is seen as a pretty neutral colour. While ‘neutral’ may seem synonymous with ‘boring’ to some of you colour lovers out there, it’s actually quite the opposite. In fact, I would go as far as to say that almost half of my wardrobe is grey, - and they call me ‘The Colour Lady’! Ha ha. Because of its versatility, grey can work with so many other colours, prints and accessories and this is why I was so pleased to see the Metallic Grey included in MiaTiu colours this season as well as the gorgeous Silver. If you’re a fan of neutrals but want a softer look than black, a grey bag should be a staple in your wardrobe. By figuring out how to style this hue in the best way for you, you can create countless different looks for all occasions. If you have cool undertones, you can rock virtually any shade of grey. If you have warm undertones, keep your skin looking bright by wearing grey on the bottom half of your body or by choosing some fab grey accessories.

Get bold with the Metallic Grey and pair it with a darker colour. Jewel tones like a deep purple, ruby or a striking royal blue work extremely well with light grey. And conversely, try pairing your darker Graphite grey with softer, less intense colours, like a light pink or a baby blue, to keep the balance of your outfit. Of course, you don’t have to team your grey with a bold colour to have an eye-catching outfit. Create a refined, sophisticated look by keeping it all neutral and break up tonal combinations with a hint of metallic or a flash of black.

If you’re a fan of neutrals you are going to LOVE the new Chestnut Brown. This delicious hue has ‘autumn warmth’ oozing from it! Sure, we all love black, it’s the easiest to wear, right? (Well, wrong, - but we’ll save that for another day…). As it turns out, brown is just as versatile, plus it’s a lot less predictable. When paired with the right hues, chestnut brown never fails to look sophisticated. So if you’re planning on standing out this Autumn/ Winter, this shade will make a great replacement for your standard-issue sombre colour. Style stars have been giving brown a fresh and exciting look by wearing it with burgundy and a bold red lip. Then there is light blue, which when paired with brown gives just the right amount of contrast in an outfit. Khaki and brown are definitely siblings on the colour spectrum so it makes sense that they complement each other well too. Another sure hit is to pair your chestnut brown with cream; it’s the grown up way to do it. And of course camel, essentially brown upon lighter brown – you warm-toned ladies are in for a treat with these hues!

Autumn is really not the time for harsh colours. Weather and light can be unkind, so we’re drawn towards something with warmth, but at the same time, we want to be cheered. Luckily for us, Mia Tui has brought out a fabulous and on trend Mustard yellow this season and it has endless possibilities. Mustard is naturally hot, so it’s going to work brilliantly with all the Autumnal warm tones, - khaki, reds, browns, and forest greens and of course it always looks amazing teamed with animal print – which we’re all going wild for right now.  If you and your wardrobe are not ready to seize the mustard moment, a beautiful bag is a perfect place to start,- show you are au fait with the trends with a pop of this sunny shade. Restrict the rest of your outfit to neutrals to be sure that you WOW with your statement piece. Don’t forget to have a care for your own colouring when it’s up against such a strong shade, - you can decrease the temperature by coupling warm mustard with a classic cool navy.

It isn’t hard to get women in fashion to gush about navy blue. Those who want to sidestep the frantic pace of next-season-now, choose navy. It signifies a sense of wardrobe calm. When I see someone in navy, I think they are sophisticated, effortless, not trying too hard but with an innate sense of style. I wish that was what I thought when I see myself in navy. Basically, what I’m saying is you NEED a Mia Tui in navy this season. A lack of navy in all its expensive-looking, sophisticated glory, which looks both classic and sharp at the same time, is a wardrobe nonsense. I believe there is very little that the navy doesn’t go with – the colour will work hard for your investment. If you have cool and soft tones, couple it with pretty pale pinks, if you are cool and bright, opt for deeper hot pinks. Add silver accessories for an extra touch of class. Warm-toned ladies choose a classic camel, coral or a gorgeous mango yellow. Bright warm colours are surprisingly easy to pair with navy and you’ll find that most colours work. Pair with gold and you’ve got an easy recipe for refined elegance.

Moving on to the Berry. Oooh I love this colour! A mug of steaming hot mulled wine by the cosy fire instantly springs to my mind – it’s totally my Autumn/Winter go-to colour. Being officially obsessed with animal print, the next thing that springs to mind is how fab this would look with almost any of my different coloured leopard print pieces. As an accessory, a hint of berry is especially fabulous worn with pink and with camel or beige, (or with pale blue, but you may not wish to look like a West Ham United supporter). If you like to wear your berry ‘more than a touch’, style your bag with a top in berry and trousers in a toning shade. Why not add shoes or boots in berry too?

Finally, to Pantone’s colour of the year, Purple. For some reason, this colour, - once the most regal and sought-after of shades – had been edged out of fashion. However, this year has seen it come back with a bang. Purple has been powering up the runways and with our colour-blocking skills at an all-time high, it’s great to see Mia Tui has responded to this cool colour trend. If you’re up for the challenge, Winter ladies you can colour-clash this cool shade with many of the bright and deep hues in your palette. Your emerald and pine greens will be especially complementary as they are opposites on the colour wheel and provide the perfect level of contrast for you. I’ve also seen a lot of purple and red colour-blocking this season. Both purple and black are seen as powerful and authoritative colours, so style these two hues together if you want to show who is in control. Softer-toned ladies, try going tonal in lilac or lavender and then ground with black boots.

I’m so happy to see Mia Tui adding further clout to their already illustrious CV as the go-to for all handbag needs, with Autumn/Winter offerings that ride high in the fashion stakes. The nifty details such as keyrings for your keys, bottle holders, hidden zips and endless practical pockets bring a freshness and an understated style that will leave anyone wondering where they too can get in on the act.

Helena's website is  www.radiancebyhelena.co.uk if you are looking for a colour consultation ready for the coming Season!