LeRato-with love

12/05/2026

What a privilege and pleasure it was to share the stage with other designers in support of a worthy cause. Thank you and well done to Combined Action Team (CAT) for an amazing event.

08/03/2021

Celebrating you today, whatever your age 🎉

06/03/2021

Do you know what your style profile is?

01/05/2019

16/04/2019

Your greatest resource is YOU! Take time to refresh and get back to doing what you love with 100% determination and energy!

27/03/2017

STYLE PERSONALITY
THE NATURAL

Personality Type - The Natural is very friendly, informal and carefree. You enjoy the great outdoors and can be quite sporty. The woman is a bit tomboyish too. You are generally not too concerned about your appearance as comfort is your top priority. You choose practicality over making a statement. You feel best in relaxed clothes that allow for unrestricted movement. Style to you is fuss free.

Physiology - The man is short to average height, rugged and has an athletic appearance. The woman has a small to medium bone structure. Generally you are fit and agile.

Career/Lifestyle – The Natural personality can range from being an artist, photographer or activist/environmentalist to being a professor, engineer or vet. You could even be a sports coach!

Values – You value nature, human and animal rights. You rate freedom and authenticity highly in all that you do.

Your Look – You tend to feel more comfortable in casual and business casual wear rather than formal wear. Classic cut comfortable clothes made in durable natural fabrics such as linen, cotton, cord and tweed are more you. You prefer medium to low colour contrasts in natural tones ranging from stone, khaki and olive green to rusty or burnt orange shades.

For the man, your business or ’formal’ look consists of chino trousers, button down shirt, blazer and lace up leather moccasins. Your work wear which all too often tends to be casual by nature because of the job, is made up of safari style cargo pants, shirts and jackets worn with dessert boots. Or, denims, polo shirts or crew neck tee shirts with a chunky sweaters and loafers. For the sporty Natural, sweatshirts, joggers and baseball jackets worn with sneakers are the order of the day. A rucksack or canvas messenger bag is convenient for keeping all your particulars.

For the woman, your business look is pretty much like the man’s, simple and uncluttered. Long or midi length skirt teamed with a cotton shirt, blazer and moccasins or kitten heels. You like jeans, shorts and knit tops worn with flat shoes or boots for your casual look. You are bored by beauty routines and prefer to go natural but will add minimal make up for the right occasion. Your jewellery is made from natural materials such as wood, shells and stones. The occasional leather handbag is great but a hands free to throw over your shoulder is your ideal.

…..Enjoy, and live life to the max! With your high energy levels, you could probably scale a mountain.

13/03/2017

STYLE PERSONALITY

THE DRAMATIC

Style Personality is your innately unique character expressed through style choices. It’s your signature based on your personality and your physical characteristics. An expression of your true self (inside and out) portrayed in the manner in which you present yourself overally.

You might be wondering, “How do I get to know my style personality”? Well, start by asking yourself a few simple questions.

Who am I physically and mentally?

What do I like and not like?

What are my goals and aspirations?

Self awareness is a key factor in successfully identifying your style personality. Creating a vision board with magazine cuttings of what appeals to you will also be helpful in recognizing your style as we go through the sessions.

Personality Type - The Dramatic man and woman loves attention and power. You are confident and always in control of yourself and your situation. You are decisive and determined, glamorous and love the luxurious things in life. Anything for a red carpet occasion just so you can wow people with your grand entrance.

Physiology - The man is toned and well built whilst the woman tends to be curvaceous. You are well manicured and take great pride in your overall appearance.

Career/Lifestyle - The Dramatic chooses careers in executive or entrepreneurial roles that will finance their lifestyle. Because you love to be the centre of the show, you do well in the entertainment industry as well.

Values – You value success and prosperity and have an appreciation for quality. You are independent and well versed in the latest high tech gizmos.

Your Look – Your look is one of sophistication and success. You are striking, very fashion forward and enjoy reinventing yourself and trying out new looks to the extent of sacrificing comfort for style. You have trouble toning down your look for work! You like to wear bold colours and striking accessories.

For the man, sharp suits worn with pointed shirt collars, bold high quality ties, pocket square if in fashion and polished fine shoes.

For the lady, animal or geometric prints worn with bold contrast solid colours. Make up is drama: striking red lips, long lashes and smoldering eyes. Nothing about you is classic!

Go on, be dramatic and make no excuses for being yourself.

27/02/2017

STYLE PERSONALITY
Did you know that everything you wear from the top of your head to the tips of your toes communicates a message or attitude? Your image and style speak loudly on your behalf such that when people meet you, especially for the first time, they make judgments based on your appearance. Studies have shown that visual appearance influences 85-95% of your personal presentation. Is your current image a good reflection of who you are? Are your clothing choices working for you or against you? And what's Style Personality got to do with it all?
Let's begin by defining personality.
Personality is the combination of behavior, emotion, motivation and thought patterns that define an individual, influenced by temperament and environment. Style Personality is your innately unique character expressed through style choices. It's your style signature based on personality traits and physical characteristics.
Whilst it may be fun to find inspiration from someone else's style, it is important to first gain an awareness of the attributes of your own style personality. This will influence your choice of clothing, colours, hairstyle, shoes, make up and accessories to work together in harmony reflecting your true self. That way, you will be able to project the image you want and feel comfortable with, whatever the occasion.
Most people fall into one of five basic Style Personalities:
The Romantic
The Classic
The Creative
The Dramatic and
The Natural
Interestingly, we may have a core style personality but tend to flow between one or another, depending on mood or between work and play. Join me over the next couple of weeks to discover your style personality.
It's good to dress for your body shape, but even better when you dress in line with your style personality too. First impressions make long lasting impressions. Find your style personality, make a great impression and above all, be true to yourself.

10/02/2017

Hi and welcome to this week's article as we look at the last of our five basic women's body shapes. Every body shape has its own characteristics which need to be addressed when choosing clothes. Making the right choice brings balance to your silhouette. Whilst you may not be able to follow all fashion trends, there will always be something out there to bring out the style star in you!

Today we will focus on the Hourglass body shape.
Do you find that you have a well balanced bust and hip, you have a beautifully defined waist that gracefully curves out to your hips and that your upper body is proportionate to the length of your legs?
Well, if this sounds a lot like you then you have the classic feminine figure of the day. With the Hourglass body shape, you have the most flexible figure when it come to choice of clothes. Balance is your best asset and you wear roughly the same size top and bottom. Your goal is to make the most of your fabulous figure!

Quick tips for enhancing your figure:
Whatever your choice of clothes, dress proportionally at the top and bottom to maintain balance and harmony.
Tops - Choose tops that will accentuate your waist such as form fitting tops (Body tops), tailored shirts and jackets with darted waists, belted tops and wrap over tops.
Dresses - Fitted or belted shirt dresses are great, whilst the body hugging Bodycon/Tube dress just seems to have been made with you in mind! It defines your waist and comfortably fits around your curves especially if it's made in soft knit fabric. Whatever length you choose, you will look stunning!
Bottoms - You can choose to wear any style as long as it pairs well with your top. So for instance, if you wear straight leg pants, pair them with a tailored shirt or body top. A bias cut skirt teams up well with a ruffled top. Remember, your aim is to balance both top and bottom.
A couple of things for you to avoid. Straight, baggy or masculine styles that hide your fabulous figure. Avoid styles with a lot of fullness around your curves. Also, stay away from styles that emphasize either top or bottom as this then makes you look unbalanced.
Lastly, finish off your look with beautiful accessories and a splash of your favorite scent. Don't forget to add to that your sparking personality too!

..... Now that you've nailed the outward frame, strive to achieve and maintain a balanced inner self. With a smile on your face and your best foot forward, confidently step out. Your world eagerly awaits your presence. And remember.... YOU are worth it!

31/01/2017

Hi and welcome yet again to this week's edition of as we look at women's body shapes.
Today we will focus on the Rectangle or Column figure.
Do you find that your bust, waist and hip measurements are similar? Do you have quite a straight rib cage and flat bottom? Is your shoulder line quite straight?
If this sound a lot like you then you most likely fall into our figure of the day. With the Rectangle/Column body shape, you have very little waist definition and tend to have a boyish figure.
My goal is to help you create the illusion of curves, define your waist and add femininity to your figure.

Quick Tips for enhancing your figure
Generally, layering adds more dimensions to the figure, and for the Rectangle, you need to add to both your top and bottom, whilst maintaining a snug fit at the waist. Tops with ruffles or cowl neck designs will do good to flatter your chest and petticoat layered or flared skirts will add fullness to your lower half. Wrap over tops and dresses work well to add curves and emphasize the bust and waist. Dresses with curved ruching design lines are a plus. Tailored jackets that define the waist help create a flattering silhouette. Choose pants that are boot cut or flared in the leg and maybe with some pockets at the back to add some fullness. Cargo pants make a great choice here if you like that sort of look. Structured 'A' Line skirts and pencil skirts with peplums are great whilst skirts cut on bias swirl around your hip and thighs creating feminine curves. Feel free to wear abstract or bright prints to add interest and shape. Wear belts to help define the waist and accessories for a more flattering look. The more feminine the style, the better the outcome.
Avoid straight styles like tunics and shift dresses or straight leg pants. These only emphasize the column shape of your figure.
Lastly, take advantage of body shaping underwear as this will help create the perfect foundation for your clothes!

...There's so much more to you than meets the eye. Enjoy life's journey as you express your style in a comfortable and effortless way. Treat yourself every so often, cause you deserve it. And always remember....YOU are worth it!