MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Recently I went shopping with someone who among other things wanted to find a great pair of jeans.

We were lucky enough to find the pair at the first store we visited BUT it took time to determine the best style and fit.

The first pair I gave my client to try were skinnier than she was used to.  Although she wasn’t sure about them initially when I handed them to her, (in her assumed size) I told her to give them a try and yell out when she had them on.  When I went into the changeroom the first thing she said was that they were too small.  But after I got her to do my jean stretching routine and I had a good look at them, I told her they were too big and that she needed to try the next size down.  She looked at me like I was crazy, but I knew the right size in this particular style would look amazing on her.  We just needed to determine what that right size was.

To cut a long story short, we went down 4 sizes and bingo! we arrived at the perfect fit.  I could tell as soon as I walked into the changeroom to check out the fourth pair, that these jeans were the one.   They made my clients legs and bottom look amazing and most importantly she felt great in them.  Exactly how a great pair of jeans should make you feel.

The moral of this story is that my client thought the first pair were too small… where in actual fact, we had to go down four sizes to reach the size that fit her properly.  If she had tried on a bigger size or bought the pair she thought were a bit small, she would have worn them once and they would have gone baggy in the butt, knee and across the top of her thighs, and she would have felt very average wearing them.  When trying on clothes you need to take your time, try many sizes (not just the size you think is “your size”) and styles and assess the difference in each.  Learn to know when something fits and feels right for you.

The No. 1 thing I see in most wardrobes I help edit, is clothes that don’t fit properly.  As I’ve mentioned previously move around in the changeroom to make sure you see how a piece fits from all angles and if you find that you have things in your wardrobe that don’t fit you well, have them tailored.

You can read what styling services I offer here

Follow me on Instagram here

Chinos.

An alternative to jeans.

Wear them casually with sneakers or dressed up a bit with heels.

In summer with a t-shirt or winter with a knit.

Just like jeans, not all chinos are the same.

They can be slim, wide leg, high-waisted, relaxed, etc, etc.

Tip 1. – Try different sizes.  I have some that I wear quite firm and others I wear looser.  (ie I’ve bought them in two different sizes)  *Nowadays I prefer them slightly slouchy.

Tip 2. – Show some ankle!

If you’d like some help shopping for a pair of chinos (or another alternative to your jeans if chinos are not your thing) you can contact me to enquire or book in here 

Follow me on Instagram here

image via here

I’ve talked before about using Pinterest to help you develop your style.  This time I thought I’d give you an example of how I use it to give me ideas for new outfits using the clothes I have in my wardrobe.

Recently I can across the image above while I was scanning through my feed.  It instantly caught my eye. To be honest I think it was probably the red shoes that grabbed my attention.  (If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I have a thing for red)

The simplicity of the outfit and the combination of gingham, white and red, appealed to me.

While I don’t wear shorts (well maybe if I was on a beachy holiday) and I’m certainly not as young or tall as Alexa, I was inspired by the photo to come up with this outfit (Using all pieces I had in my wardrobe)…

When you’re looking at images on Pinterest I want you to try and look past the fact that the women in the photos might be younger, older, thinner, taller, shorter than you.  I want you to use the photos as inspiration and ask yourself,  if you see something that appeals to you, how you could interpret the look to suit you.

To see what I pin you can follow me on Pinterest here 

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

Get to know more about me and my style on Facebook here

..& Instagram here

When I was growing up wearing blue and green was not the done thing.  I still remember when I first started working at a stockbroking firm (in the mid eighties), wearing something combining the two colors and my boss politely suggesting, “Blue and green should not be seen”.  For years after that I avoided wearing the two together because I thought doing so was committing a fashion faux pas. But just like many of those old-fashioned style rules that notion is now dated.

I think blue and green look great together. What do you think?

You can read what styling services I offer here

Follow me on Instagram here