Have a stylish Halloween

My friend Caroline from London was on the phone to me this morning. You'll recall that she's a top fashion editor for a well-known magazine over there. (Yes, that one). She was telling me about a feature that's in the current issue called Yes, Halloween CAN Be Stylish.

There's something of a rebellion it seems against the tacky costumes that people have tended to wear in recent years and today people, women especially, are looking for something that gets into the spirit of the event (sorry) but in a stylish and sophisticated way.

She's always liked capes - I remember she had a full-length one when we were students together - and if you scroll down you'll see a lovely example she recommends. Capes hide, as she says,'a multitude of sins' but are also stylish, sexy and sophisticated.

They are very flexible too. They can be worn during the day, for evening or for almost any occasion.

NOT JUST FOR HALLOWEEN

Why buy cheap costumes for Halloween when you can look suitably sinister in a garment that you can wear all year round? Those cheap costumes you can buy almost always fall apart after one wearing (particularly if you're partying heavily) so it simply makes sense to spend money on a year-round item.

For Halloween though, Caroline says that the very best accessory to wear with your cape is an Alexander McQueen skull scarf - an object which Caroline declares in her high-fallutin' fashion editor's way are the design classic that every woman should own. (Actually,I agree. They are design classics, after all).

She constantly reminds me that classics are the most useful purchases and the most flexible items in your wardrobe because they are timeless and never date.

All year round, you'll find that this lovely cape is suitable to wear for work, for casual or formal wear, for shopping, traveling, the list goes on. It can be worn with almost every type of outfit, from jeans to evening wear.

BUT TO BE SPOOKILY SOPHISTICATED

Wear this cape, which incidentally is also available in a gorgeous pure white, with tight and shiny leggings, as seen here and some high boots. A wide brimmed hat will add to the mystery as will a discrete piece of skull jewelry.

SUGGESTED ACCESSORIES

Here are just a few accessory ideas. Wear them all year round too. Caroline is always telling me that the most expensive clothes in your wardrobe are the ones that you never wear - even if they were inexpensive in the first place.

It does make sense. If you buy a pair of expensive boots that you wear two hundred times a year for several years, they cost only pennies per wear.

But a cheap t-shirt than you never wear is terrible value. Even if it only cost $6.99, if you've only worn it once, that's $6.99 per wear. It does make sense.

Caroline has a hat that is exactly like this one. It looks so very stylish. Sometimes she adorns it with feathers, a brooch or whatever takes her fancy and suits her outfit du jour.

WANT SOME FUN MAKEUP?

I did tell Caroline that her suggestions were very sophisticated and stylish certainly, but just for fun, some of us want to try some spooky makeup. The girl in this video is annoying in that she says 'you guys' and 'let's go ahead' every second or so but she knows her stuff when it comes to vampire makeup.

It's a cheap way to get into the Halloween mood - and look - and you can use makeup that you already own, there's no need to buy anything especially for the occasion. You're just using what you already have - just in a different way, that's all.