TV presenter Lara Lewington: ‘Bright colours are quite anti-ageing’

It’s easy to assume otherwise, but not everybody on television has an army of stylists. At least that’s not the case for Lara Lewington, co-host of BBC technology show Click, and a documentary maker.

She’s the first to admit that she’s ‘not a fashion person’, but her 18 years’ experience in front of the camera has given her a clear sense of what works for her job and her lifestyle. The result is a set of personal style rules that make for useful lessons in looking polished and pulled-together off-screen, too.

Colour, as you’d expect, is important. ‘I like bright colours,’ she says. ‘They look good on TV, and I feel good in them. They’re quite anti-ageing as well.’ Lewington rotates a number of bright tops and blouses from affordable high-street brands like Zara and River Island – it’s no surprise that she’s price-aware given that she’s married to Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis.

‘I’m a big fan of off-the-shoulder. I had surgery on my left shoulder years ago, and I’ve got these four keyhole marks. And annoyingly, all of my off-the-shoulder tops have the left shoulder out and not the right. But I still feel it’s very me.’

It can be challenging to find pieces that fulfil all of her criteria, though. Fabrics that don’t crease easily, prints that don’t ‘strobe’ (although this is less of an issue these days as camera quality has improved), and nothing so bold that it will distract the viewer from the topic at hand. ‘When I’m talking about AI in a serious context, do I want a big frilly top on?’ 

And she doesn’t wear anything noisy: ‘I can’t wear a stack of bangles, because the microphone will pick up that sound.’

Then there’s shape and fit: ‘My stomach, since having my daughter 10 years ago, has never been the same,’ she explains. ‘So when it comes to tops I want something that has a well defined shape to it, so I don’t look like I’m wearing a duvet cover, but is a bit loose around the stomach. I don’t want to wear anything too low cut on television, either.’

Needless to say, when she does find something that works, she’ll buy it in several colours – a strategy that we know is also employed by the Princess of Wales. 

The foundation of her go-to look is low-rise skinny jeans – to hell with the high-waisted trend: ‘They are the thing that makes [an outfit] feel me,’ Lewington says. ‘I have three pairs, and cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to repair them. They’ve gone from being black to grey, I’ve had zips broken, I have holes…’

Until recently, she’d complete her outfit with heels. ‘Even if I was sitting down, or in a shot when no one could see my shoes, wearing heels was a psychological thing that helped me to feel ready,’ she says. ‘Over the last year I’ve moved on from that. It’s partly been a practical thing, now that I’m making documentaries, I’m filming more stuff for longer in one go.’ 

She now has several pairs of ‘fashion’ trainers, to which she’s become rather attached. ‘I now feel like they’ve become part of my uniform, which I never thought would happen.’

Five personal style rules

Be comfortable

‘I don’t want to be distracted by my clothes. I tried some tailored trousers recently and felt so wrong in them, they were restrictive and itchy. I feel comfy in my skinny jeans, which makes me feel confident too.’

Learn what suits you 

‘I know my body shape and pencil skirts don’t suit me. I’ve got small hips, and don’t find them flattering.’

Dress for the weather 

‘I’ve mastered the art of cold-weather outfits that still look dressed-up: it’s not just layering, but the right type of layers. It’s harder in hot weather – when I was filming in Taiwan, I tucked napkins up my top so the sweat didn’t show through.’

Don’t be shy of brights 

‘I find a big burst of colour can lift my mood.’

Consider the context 

‘When I’m doing Click, I’ll ask my co-presenter what colour he’s wearing – he has a lot of blue, so I might go for a different tone of blue, which works nicely together.’

Shop Lara’s look

Clockwise from left: Silk pussy-bow blouse, £250, Me+Em; Eliza jumpsuit, £268, Reiss; Mid-rise skinny jeans, £29.99, Zara; Halterneck top, £79, Mint Velvet; Leyton trainers £45, Hush; Melissa Odabash gold hoop earrings, £40, John Lewis