The Biggest Style Mistake
For some reason we think great style should be a given. We think we should be able to get up and dressed into a great outfit quickly and easily. We should be able to pop into town and easily choose a new outfit for an upcoming special occasion.
The reality (unless you’ve done the work!) is that this isn’t the case. We gaze into our overstuffed wardrobes searching helplessly for the ‘right’ thing to wear for an event.
Usually settling for an outfit that’ll ‘do’.
When we do go shopping or do some ordering online, it’s guesswork. It’s random and nothing fits the way you need it to.
This can result in feelings of frustration and not being good enough.
So, we turn to a friend or a family member for advice.
Now this person who has been trusted with advising you on your outfit will be sharing tips based on their own filter. What works for them. What they like. And this can leave you feeling even more confused. Because, spoiler alert, you are different to them.
I run a wonderful free Facebook group called The Style Place, (feel free to join us by clicking here!) and from time to time members share an outfit photo and ask for feedback. This being a gorgeous, judgement-free zone, it feels safe to do this without any fear of being criticised in any way.
When the share is from someone I’ve worked with in the past, it’s easy for me to give a quick reply to their question and add value. This is because I know their colour palette and style. I can be specific because I know what’s working in the outfit.
However, when the share is from a member that I haven’t worked with, any feedback I come up with is just guesswork. Getting to grips with and fully understanding anyone’s style requires a process, and without it, we are all just guessing. And my guesses might be more helpful than those of others simply because I’ve trained in Image Consultancy and have been working with women on their style for over 15 years, but I’m still just guessing, until we’ve done the work.
Sometimes guesswork works and an outfit feels much improved. But mostly it doesn’t, so you have to go through the guessing game again and again. This is tiring and over time can really start to make you believe that the way you look just isn’t good enough. You start lose confidence to try new things and can start to feel invisible.
I’m all about supporting you to get to your full style potential.
The thing is, we are all beautifully different, inside and out, which means we suit different things. On top of that we all have different taste and different lifestyles and that all needs to be taken into account too.
For now, I want you to know that there are four key elements to great style. And you need to think about each one of them to get your uplevelled style.
Without this information about yourself, you too are just guessing when it comes to building an outfit, shopping for new clothes or sorting through your wardrobe and deciding what stays and what needs to go.
Here are the four key elements of style:
- Colour: There are shades and tones of colour that’ll light you up and make you look gorgeous, memorable and magnetic. And there are others that’ll make you look like death. This is a great starting point but on its own, it isn’t enough.
- Shape: Knowing your shape is the quickest way to feel more confident in your body. Learning how to create flow in your outfits, draw attention towards and away from specific areas and say yes to, or rule out pieces that might be in your best colours but that’ll do nothing for your gorgeous body.
- Scale: This is how you uplevel your outfits in the right way for you. Every detail in your outfit has a scale number and you want that to match your scale. If you wear prints, accessories and other details in your outfit that are too small for your scale, you’ll look bigger and your outfit will likely feel too ‘fussy’. Wear things that are too big for your scale and they’ll overwhelm you. Your scale number is worked out using my very special algorithm. We start with your frame and then edit the number according to your style % (see next point).
- Clothing style: This is your style personality. Whether you are very classic (clean lines, neutral colours and fuss free outfits), dramatic (statement dressing), girly (pretty, feminine looks) or Natural (relaxed and cool). You won’t suit just one of these styles, you’ll have a unique mix that works best for you. There may be one that doesn’t work for you at all and is best avoided. You’ll find you can wear some of the styles from head to toe and others are just a small part of your look. I give my clients a specific percentage to work with, so they know exactly which styles they can combine for their smartest looks right though to their most casual.
So getting dressed for any occasion and feeling fabulous is, like many other things in life, something you need to learn for yourself. There is a process involved. There’s real reasons why some things work better than others and without the process we are all just guessing!
The most important thing is that you dress as you. You are unique and fabulous and following these guidelines means you can get it right every time.
If you are ready to discover this for yourself, get in touch. I currently have a special offer open on my fabulous online style program – The Style Plan. You can learn about your exact style from the comfort of your own home, in your own time and benefit from 4 x support calls with me to get my ideas and input as you learn. Find out more about this offer by clicking here.
And if you are an in-person person, get in touch by clicking here to find out about my private style services. At time of writing, I have one spot left this year but am now open for 2025 consultations.
