A FORMER Thomas Hardye teacher is turning her talent to fashion.

Hilary Fecher-Roberts, 55, from Poundbury describes herself as the female and older version of television fashion guru Gok Wan.

The former German and French teacher retired last August after 21 years at the Dorchester school and decided to embark on a new challenge by launching an image coaching business.

Mrs Fecher-Roberts, owner of Wessex Image Coach, said she aims to help people improve their confidence as well as their image, show them what colours and shapes suit them, learn how to put outfits from their existing wardrobe together and become a savvy shopper on a budget.

She said she started considering going into image coaching as she approached retirement age.

Mrs Fecher-Roberts said: “Because teachers can retire at 55, I always had that in the back of my mind.

“I absolutely loved my career as a teacher but this is the next step.

“I have always been interested in style and impressions that clothes make and I have always taught my students to make a good impression when they go into a classroom or job interview – not superficially but on a much deeper level.

“It’s not just about the impression you give, it’s about confidence building.

“I thought that I could attribute the skills I have learnt as a teacher into another branch and image coaching seemed to be a good thing.”

She thinks image coaching could help lots of different people, including someone who has just gone through a divorce or someone who has just had a major operation to help build their confidence.

Mrs Fecher-Roberts, who lives with her husband Keith, said an image coaching session could appeal to an individual, a mother and daughter or even a party.