Alright, alright, I know it's shallow, but here we go. The truth is, in an age where thinness is valued, many of us do want to look thinner in our clothes.

Anyone who's as skinny as she wants to be can stop reading here, but for everyone else (like me, after a winter of lard butties) here are some tips. 

* Aim for a long, lean, sleek line in everything you buy - don't buy clothes with volume. 

* Dress in one colour from top to toe, including tights and shoes. It's an age-old tip, but it really does work. If you tend to wear dark clothes and it seems too gloomy, make sure that your top half matches your bottom half (say, a jacket and skirt) but wear a contrasting blouse. Or wear dark brown, navy or charcoal instead of black. However, this trick also works in paler colours, including white.

* Matt dark fabrics with stretch are your best friend: think microfibre stretch tees, merino knit pencil skirts, suedette pull-on boots, poloneck sweaters. 

* Avoid texture, which adds bulk - mohair, boucle knits, guipure lace etc. If you like this sort of thing, save it for cushion covers and sofa throws, not your body.

* Stick to fluid, feminine fabrics such as wool or silk crepe, chiffon and knits. Avoid stiff, men's-type suiting fabrics or anything hard-edged such as patent leather or vinyl.

* 2-5 per cent stretch in any garment is usually a good idea.

* Don't wear your clothes too large. Jackets, coats and blouses should fit to the shoulder. Everything else should skim your figure, not envelope it.

* Don't wear shirts with a dropped shoulderline - these are men's garments, designed to make chests look broader (not something women generally want).

* Flip up your blouse collar at the back - it makes your neck look thinner. 

* Wear a long necklace or long thin scarf. If your necklaces have a tendency to drape themselves over one boob, try a heavy, flat pendant instead. 

* If your blouses gape, sew snappers inbetween the buttons for a better fit. 

* Wear your v-necks cut to the top of your bra or slightly higher. V-necks longer or higher than this, and crewnecks, tend to make your chest look vast. 

* Consider Henley necklines (round with a button-down front) or Moroccan necklines (round with a slit down the front), which bring emphasis back to your centre front. 

* Keep sleeves to elbow length or longer to hide bingo wings.

* Avoid short-sleeved garments - they're never the right length and it's usually more flattering to roll up the sleeves on a long-sleeved garment, which makes your forearm look daintier.

* Don't hide your ribcage area. This is the thinnest part of your torso, so it should always be visible. 

* Check that your bra is giving you enough uplift. Look for a 3-4 section cup, with or without an underwire, and thick straps that hoick your boobs up so your nipples are midway between your shoulder and elbow (or preferably higher). Lower than this, and your boobs will be hiding your ribcage, which will give a matronly look.

* If you have rolls of fat between bra band and waistband, wear high-rise knickers or an all-in-one control girdle. They're a lot more comfy than they used to be. 

* Make sure your clothes have vertical, not horizontal detailing. Vertical seams of the princess type are very slimming in jackets and blouses, giving a visual effect similar to boning.

* Diagonal shaping is also slimming - look for wrap tops, surplice tees, diagonal stripes etc. 

* Avoid bustline pockets and patch pockets on hips - these add bulk. Look instead for vertical pockets, or those that are inline with the side seam so they are invisible.

* Wear your jackets cut to the hip or high hip - NOT longer. A longer cut may comfort you with the idea that it covers your bum, but it also makes your legs look shorter. If you want to cover your backside, choose something with a more fluid structure than a jacket, such as a long tunic top. 

* Avoid dirndle skirts and pleated skirts that flare from the waist - they add bulk. If you like fullness in skirts, choose circle skirts, eight-gore flares or stitched-down pleats, which are flat at the waistline but flare out from about knee level. 

* Alter skirts so that they hit at the slimmest part of your knee - usually it's just above where it widens out into your calf. If you like narrow pencil skirts, have this done by a tailor because the side seams will also need taking in a bit. If you prefer longer skirts, have them about 4 inches above the ankle, in fluid fabrics, never at mid-calf length, which makes your legs look fatter.

* Do your utmost to find a good pair of jeans - then buy three of them. Look for dark indigo, bootcut, slight stretch, a proper v-shaped back yoke and the stitching on the side seams visible from the front to give a long line down your outside leg.

* For evening, think of fluid matt black trousers with black ribbon, braid or lace down the outer seam - this works on the same principle. 

* Look for shoes with a low vamp and no straps, to visually slim the foot. 

* Avoid ankle-strap shoes, and don't wear ankle boots with skirts. 

* Wear heels - if you look taller, you look thinner. If you're not comfy in heels, keep your flat shoes feminine and interesting but beware of ballerina pumps which can foreshorten the foot if the toes are very rounded.

* Consider knee-length boots instead of shoes, in the same colour as your skirt, for a long, unbroken line.

I've been looking at the Fall collections from London Fashion Week to pick out what might be suitable for the over-40s babe.

Well, quite a lot, is the answer. Leaving aside the micro minis, etc, there were quite a few usable looks strutting down the catwalk and the whole ethos so far has seemed very grown up, classic and - quite often - countrified. I wonder if this is a sign of the infant terrible, London, finally becoming an adult?

First up, from Christopher Kane (probably set to be the lead influence this season), came some interesting florals, usually on a black ground. If you like this look, you could track down a black tote bag with a big, bold floral design and that would update your whole wardrobe for the season. Alternatively, a scarf would do the trick. One other option that might be fun is to take a black coat or jacket to a professional embroiderer and have them treat the collar, revers or cuffs with some big, bold floral designs. 

From Erdem came some interesting dark florals and other prints such as these swallows, again often on a dark background. I love prints with a dark background, which were de rigeur for women in the 1930s and 1940s, because they are both practical and slimming. I'd snap these up while they're available, along with the heavy laces in black, taupe and grey that also featured in this collection. Heavy lace of this kind - guipure and its ilk - are one of those revolving wheels in fashion: buy correctly now and you could wear your pieces for the next 30 years. I'd go for a sleeveless vest and a long, v-neck top with sleeves. 

From Nicole Fahri, who produced a nice grown-up collection, came lots of classic looks in beige and black. I like this kind of thing because it's pretty much how I dress (right now I'm in a long black pencil skirt and long beige v-neck cardi with pockets, which could have been lifted straight off her catwalk) but she also showed another trend - plenty of black patent.

Patent was something that also turned up at Kane's show, so I predict the shops will be full of it, and pretty good knockoffs too, by autumn. I'd go for boots, shoes, belts or bags rather than whole coats, and certainly not leggings. 

Fahri also showed quite a lot of asymmetric garments - like Comme des Garcons but not as hostile, so if asymmetry is your thing (and it is mine), that's another trend worth exploring.  Asymmetric garments suit intellectual women who want to be noticed for their difference, not their sameness and are a great design thread for women over 40. 

If you like to spend winter in big fluffy cableknit sweaters and grey tweed, there were plenty to be found at Julien Macdonald's show, along with some very nice tailoring in dense black wools and camelhair.  Since camelhair also turned up at Fahri, that could be a go-to colour for the winter (time to get out my camelhair car coat with black chenille embroidery). Macdonald also showed lots of black chiffon, and black lace over nude chiffon - a great colourway for lingerie or sexy eveningwear. My major complaint about his show, though, was the use of some of the most anorexically thin models I've ever seen - one of the girls looked frankly like a corpse. 

There were more cream cableknits and grey tweed over at Pringle, along with gorgeous cobweb knits in black and camel colour. Apparently this uses a new technique involving soluble fibres, which washes away to reveal the cobweb pattern. Very pretty anyway. 

So, overall, classic but not in any way sombre, with lots of food for thought for next winter. But how about we get this one over with first?

Damart can be horribly frumpy (they were once best known for thermal underwear, after all), especially in summer, when the majority of clothing available anywhere seems to turn to a dreadful hideousness, but as usual there are one or two gems there. 

Bypassing the vile leggings and cropped trousers, these jeans struck me as useful. You can choose from this pull-on type at top left (flat-fronted, but with handy belt loops, should you wish to hide your dreadful elastic secret), or a tummy-support design - IMHO, something every woman over 40 should have in her wardrobe. The former are only £16, while the latter are £35 and the nice thing about ordering from a catalogue is that no-one's watching when you try them on. 

This blouse (right) also has some very nice details - note all the vertical seams, the flattering neckline, the three-quarter sleeves that allow you to show off a bit of arm candy. It comes in ivory and a sort of grape colour on the UK site, but this taupe shade is only available on the .fr site.

This camisole (left) is also a good design - again with vertical detailing, wide straps you can get a bra under and enough length to be useful - while the piped navy cardi below is the sort of thing that would smarten up jeans or team with a white skirt or navy trousers for summer. It is a little formal for me, so even better is a navy and white striped one they have on the site.

Dressing smartly in summer is always a problem for mid-life women - especially for work. The office might be either air-conditioned or a sweatbox, while travelling can be a nightmare on public transport - at least in a car you can set your own temperature, but on a bus or a train, you never know what you're going to get. Meanwhile, if your look or your lifestyle doesn't suit strappy, clingy little bits of nothing and you do at least need to look respectable, the manufacturers aren't interested in you. 

Summer colours are often rubbish too. Pastels are often horrible shades of turquoise, peach and pink in cotton jersey or poly mixes that look cheap and nasty, and there are lots of overblown florals. Personally, when it comes to pattern, I favour stripes and polka dots for summer as they always look fresh.

With regard to colour, you can't go wrong with combis of a good neutral such as black, navy, khaki or taupe, mixed with white or cream, or self-patterned and tonal mixtures. The latter often work best in in medium-toned colours such as denim blue or taupe, as these go with virtually all other colours.

This classic shift dress shown right (what the Americans would call a 'jumper') is again available on the French site but I didn't see it on the UK one. Made of chambray, it could be worn almost anywhere from the city to the waterfront. I can see my friend C wearing this.

From the French site (not available in the UK) comes this crinkle cotton outfit (left), in khaki or blue. This is the kind of outfit beloved of French women in mid life: a bit of pattern, vertical detailing, no ironing required, a bit of flirt in the ruffles, and quite a lot of flexibility. You can team the dress with a cardi, shrug or the matching blouse, or go sleeveless, and the fabric can take an absolute hammering without showing a mark. I see a lot of women wandering round my supermarket in various dress-and-blouse or skirt-and-jacket combos like these. 

Sad that the UK site isn't offering these excellent clothes, given that it’s the same company, but there are some other nice dresses to choose from, including an A-line, button-down, princess-seamed dress in chambray. This is one of the most flattering dress shapes on most women, is cool for summer with that lack of a waist seam and can take a lot of dressing up or down with cardis, belts and bags. For my casual lifestyle, it would be a winner.

More on Damart later.

Purple with frustration recently at the awfulness of my bras, I decided to embellish them and see if I could improve matters. I have to confess, I am quite pleased with the results.

These bras, I should point out, are modelled on my mannequin, Isabella, and stuffed with old socks...

In deciding which embellishments to choose, I logged onto Figleaves and tried to define what I liked about certain bras. Apart from more embroidery on the top cups (something I'll try later using appliques), I noticed that pretty bras usually have the following:

* bows at the bottom of the front straps

* sometimes bows up the straps themselves

* a strong central motif between the cups

* embroidery outlining the cups

* pretty straps

* interest on the bra band

* a pretty back

* occasionally,  sequins on the cups

Some of these ideas can't easily be copied - there is a little you can do, for instance, to prettify a back band because that would affect its elasticity. The same applies to the straps, though I will try, at a future date, to applique a narrow lingerie ribbon on top of the thunderingly wide straps of the Doreen. But I decided to give some of the other ideas a try. 

The bras shown are all Doreens by Triumph. A Doreen bra, though fabulously supportive and shaping, generally has little in the way of adornment other than a small central bow, though the Luxury variety also has prettier lace on the top cups, satin fabric, and picot edging on the cups and straps, which the other types lack. 

On the black Luxury Doreen (right) I added scattered gold sequins in the centres of the flowers, a little gold cross pendant (more Madonna than 'the Madonna', I hope) and embroidery round the cups in gold floss. This is very easy to do - you just use a large-eyed crewel needle and push it through the fabric, weaving in and out of the lace, then tie a knot at the back (take care not to pull the thread tight, as you'll reduce the cup size!). If you keep the sequins to the top half of the cups, you can sew right through the outer layer and inner lining but it won't irritate your nipples, or you can take more care and keep the stitching to the front layer only. The bra looks pink underneath, btw, because of my pink sports socks!

This red Doreen (left) is the standard model, which has quite rough, opaque lace. I added a red and gold pendant as its central motif, and the same gold floss embroidery as the black bra. The little red bows at the base of the straps (see close-up at top left) came from the old central motif of both this bra and the other red one shown and are held on with a gold bead, while the gold braid around the bra band is - believe it or not - off a posh chocolate box. 

And finally this red bra is my favourite. The upper cups are liberally sprinkled with irridescent sequins, and the central rhinestone motif is taken from a broken bracelet, as are the rhinestone bars at the bottom of the straps. The jade embroidery floss is actually knitting silk. The more embellishments the better, I think and I like this belly-dancer's-top result: the key is keep it tonal - all these embellishments are in the pink/jade range, which matches well with the red fabric.

Because I sew and make jewellery, I tend to have sequins, thread and findings hanging around the place, but if you want to try this idea yourself, the bits and bobs are readily available - lingerie bows, lingerie roses, applique lace and rhinestones can be had from any haberdashery or craft shop - I even found lingerie bows in a office supply shop.

Keep the embellishments flat and smooth for the best results. Curiously, though, I found that the cheaper and gaudier the ornament, the better it looks - real gold chain and silver don't work nearly so well.

I'll post some more pictures later, when I've embellished some others. 

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead at his London home, aged only 40. Initial reports indicate that he committed suicide.

McQueen's mother died only days ago and he appears to have been overwhelmed by grief. It was also known that he was badly affected by the death of his close friend and mentor Isabella Blow some three years ago. Blow famously bought his entire graduate collection when he left Central St Martin's - an accolade that kick-started his career. 

It is always tragic when a person dies before their time, and when they have so much to live for and die by their own hand, the feeling of shock is only compounded. McQueen, after all, seemed to lead a life that most of us can only dream of.

It is a great loss to the fashion industry as well as a personal tragedy for his family for McQueen was prodigiously talented, with many years of designing life left in him.

He stood out in the fashion world because he was so very working class, an image he played up to at first but gradually outgrew as he gained in confidence. The son of a taxi driver, he made no bones about his origins but went on to become a four-time winner of the British designer of the year award, head of Givenchy, owner of a string of boutiques around the world and - presumably - a millionaire.

He was awarded the CBE in 2003 for services to the fashion industry.

Although many obits will doubtless concentrate on his shocking clothes, often sent down the runway on bare-breasted models, I will remember him as a really superb tailor who, like Galliano, never had any problem translating his ideas into garments that could be worn on the body.

He learned those skills in Saville Row and later in Milan before coming to designing studies later in life - he applied for a job as a pattern cutter at Central St Martin's and was asked to enroll when they spotted his portfolio. That college knows talent when it sees it, and the rest is history.

RIP Lee Alexander McQueen.