Let’s face it, most of us have plenty of clothes but are they doing the right thing for you? Do they make you feel the best version of yourself? We all want to look our best, and what my clients often say is that they want to look stylish in an unfussy way. We want to be contemporary without being slaves to fashion. We want to make the most of our bodies, disguising the bits we feel more self-conscious about so that others notice our best features. But all too often we feel our age, are dissatisfied with our wardrobes and get frustrated by the effort it requires to feel good when we look in the mirror.
The answer is simple – less is more – the more you have, the harder you are making your job. You need to curate your wardrobe around your lifestyle needs with key pieces that suit your body shape and colouring. If you have the right foundations in place, the rest is so much easier.
So, my advice to you when you are feeling negative about your wardrobe and not feeling confident in your style, is not to go out and buy something new. Yes, a new purchase will kick in those endorphins and give you a high, but it will be short lived. Instead, you should be aiming for a more considered approach but one which will provide you with a lasting impact. That means working out what really should be in your wardrobe to make it a place of fun and inspiration.
I really can help you with this; help you to transform your wardrobe, identifying those key garments that should be on your shopping list and here are 3 things you can start to do straight away –
- Identify what’s your style – what sort of brands do you like? What images from the likes of Pinterest or Instagram grab your attention? What is it about those elements that you are attracted to? For example, this might be the colour, a particular aspect of the style, how it’s accessorised or the mix of certain pieces together. Also, it can be helpful to identify what you don’t like about an outfit to narrow it down.
- Review your existing wardrobe – how close is it to the style you’d like to represent? And how well does this fit with your lifestyle needs? For example, if you work from home in a draughty office, you want warm layers but nothing too bulky to feel restricted. Are you often on zoom or team meetings, in which case, how do you stand out best if some can only see your top half? Do you want to look cool on the school run but then morph into a different version of yourself for the rest of the day?
- Make yourself a shopping list of the key items you think you are missing. Then, instead of rushing to the shops to make these purchases, spend some time thinking about what they really look like. For example, you might have decided you need a new pair of shoes. So, you then narrow it down – what do they need to go with? What colour do they need to be? What height of heel to work with your hemline etc. This shouldn’t be something to rush into, take your time so that when you eventually make the purchase, they are going to be an investment that really works.
We often buy clothes with little thought and planning, so quickly realise that it’s not quite right and go out and replace it, ending up with too many mediocre pieces that clutter our wardrobes and contributing to the over consumption in the industry. Newness isn’t the answer to happiness – thoughtfulness is much more effective. We wouldn’t go out and buy a large value significant item such as a washing machine without doing some research, why should clothing be any different?
We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time – we need to turn this around. By challenging yourself in this way it will help you transform your wardrobe and evolve your sense of style.
And needless to say, if you need help with any aspect of colour or styling, don’t hesitate to get in touch!