I know that a lot of women find choosing what to wear for any given occasion quite stressful so I aim to make getting dressed as simple and straight forward as possible you so that you can spend less time worrying about your clothes and more time enjoying life.
We women are often our own worst critics, tending to focus on our perceived faults rather than appreciating our good points. Our insecurities about our bodies can make it difficult for us to find clothes that we look and feel good in, so that we sometimes feel that, despite having lots of clothes, we have nothing to wear. As a personal stylist, I am very mindful of the fact that you are putting your trust in me to help you understand what suits you so that you can feel confident in making your own clothing choices.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good
Dressing well is all about understanding what flatters your shape, scale, proportions and colouring. A good stylist will explain the “rules” governing what colours and styles will work best for you and why. However, going shopping with the mission to buy only perfect clothes that tick every single box in terms of style and colour will just lead to frustration and disappointment. Making a few judicious compromises is absolutely fine.
So what are judicious colour & style compromises?
These are compromises that we can make over some details whilst still broadly following most of the rules. For example, you may find a dress that you love and that flatters your figure but is not in one of your best colours. So long as it’s broadly in-line with your colour palette, you will still look lovely. Or, perhaps you find an outfit that’s a stunning colour for you but, say, the neckline isn’t your best. If you can mitigate the neckline (perhaps by wearing a scarf or necklace) this could be a really good buy for you.
If you have an hourglass figure, you will look best in styles that highlight your waist. This doesn’t mean that you always have to wear waist-cinching styles though. Everyone needs to cosy-up under a big thick jumper from time to time. If your baggy jumper is in a one of your best colours and you wear it with figure-flattering jeans, you’ll still look great even though you’re not showing off your waist.
Style Personality
Whilst we stylists love to talk about “style personality”, it’s really just a short-hand for identifying the types of clothing that suit your personal style, whether that’s casual and relaxed, smart and tailored or sassy and dramatic, whatever. Knowing your style personality can be helpful in understanding why you’re drawn to certain clothing styles and what you are likely to feel good in but please use it as a guide rather than a straightjacket.
What really matters
Sometimes people can get so hung up on following “the rules” that they stop trusting their own instincts. The three most important questions you should ask yourself when deciding whether to buy an outfit are:
- Do I love it?
- Do I look and feel good in it?
- Can I justify it? (ie Will it I get enough wear out of it? Can I afford it? )
If the answer to all three questions is “yes” then it’s a winner.
In summary,
A good stylist will help you identify a style of dressing that works for you so that you look and feel your very best. S/he will give you a set of guidelines designed to simplify your shopping trips so that you can quickly home in on your best colours, styles and fabrics and therefore have a better success-rate on what you take into the changing room. However, don’t feel that you have to slavishly follow every “rule” you’re given. You are a unique individual and the most important thing is how you feel in your clothes, so, if a particular outfit puts a smile on your face, it’s right for you, even if it does break a few rules. After all, it’s you who’s going to be wearing it, not your stylist!