STYLE NEWS / STLYE FILE: LISA PIDDINGTON

Featured in Style Guru  Date 22nd May 2008

A renowned lifestyle journalist, Lisa Piddington is the new Editor of stylebirmingham.com. Here she reveals what goes on in the recesses of her wardrobe.

1:  When you need to feel great, which item of clothing do you reach for? I have this wonderful black net mid-calf ballet skirt that has come to rescue time and time again. People tend to think it's a designer offering but it was actually a fiver from Asda!

2: What is your biggest fashion faux pas? Far too many to mention. Not being a perfect size ten it took me many years to really work out how to dress for my shape.

3: What does "style" mean to you? To me, someone I would consider stylish doesn't need to spend a fortune on clothes – they team Primark shoes with a Chloe bag and it works. I also think style is much more than fashion – it's how you live you life; where you eat and drink; what you aspire to; and how you spend your spare time.

4: What is the most embarrassing CD in your collection? Undoubtedly Meatloaf, but what girl can't resist singing her heart out to Paradise by the Dashboard Light?

5: Describe the best night out in Birmingham? Drinks at Mal bar, dinner a Filini at the Radisson SAS hotel followed by cocktails at The Vaults.

6: What would you say to people who think Birmingham is lacking in style? They obviously haven't visited for the last ten years. Yes, there was a time when you held a shell suit to your ear and you could hear Birmingham, but these days it would be more likely to be an Alexander McQueen suit.

7:  Which celebrity would be your dream date? Woody Allen or Eric Cantona ... or both (now that would be an interesting evening).

8: What are your guilty pleasures? Karaoke, boy bands and Man Utd.

9: When it comes to shopping in Birmingham, where do you splurge and where do you save? Splurge at Harvey Nichols and save at Matalan or H&M.

10: What's your top fashion tip? Learn what suits your shape and forget the size on the label – if it suits you and fits well then it will look great. You see so many women squeezing into a pair of jeans or have shirts that they are bursting out off when it would look so much better if they just bought a bigger size.