MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

In the early days of trying to figure out my style, Jane Birkin had such a massive impact.

I was inspired by how she knew exactly what her look was – and rarely strayed from it; I loved how she dressed in a masculine/feminine/nonchalant/effortless way; I admired her daring, sassy attitude. (Wishing I was just a little bit as brave.)

Also, I wanted that fringe. I hate to think how many times over the years I’ve given a hairdresser a photo of Jane’s fringe to copy, only to be told I don’t Jane’s hair. 🙁

And, she was cool.

It appeared to me that she was more about style too, than fashion. I guess that’s why the many images I have saved of her are timeless and still influence how I dress even today.

So sad to hear of her death. RIP Jane.

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I just bought some newies, so I thought I’d use me as an example to talk a bit more about sneakers and personal style. (If you missed my last post, you can see it here)

So,.. I just bought these new jeans and wanted to be able to wear sneakers with them.

I tried this white pair I have, (above) and I didn’t feel right. They even made me have second thoughts about the jeans. Even though I love the sneakers, with these jeans I feel a bit frumpy and masculine – like Jerry Seinfeld – it’s not what I want. I like to feel feminine in my clothes.

I knew, for my style, to make the jeans work, I needed a shoe that wasn’t as heavy. Something that felt more elegant on my foot. The ones I’m wearing in the first pic feel much better.

It just goes to show, you need to play around with styling…and you should know how you do and don’t want to feel in your clothes.

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Even buying shoes, you want to think about your personal style.

For example, my client wanted white sneakers.

We were in DJs and got it down to two contenders.

Both were plain white, (which was a criteria) but one was very simple, timeless with no detail, and the other had some tiny features, a small platform, and was a bit edgier and perhaps more fashionable than classic.

While my client was trying each sneaker on, the person working in the store came over to ask if we needed any sizes and offered her thoughts. She suggested the brand she worked for (they were two different) was a lot more elegant than the other one – which she felt was better and what my client wanted.

In fact, it wasn’t.

While my client was trying both sneakers on, we talked about her style. I asked her which one she felt best represented the direction she wanted her style to move in and the look she wanted to achieve. The ones that were slightly chunkier and cooler, were it.

So, there are a couple of takeaways from this…

All white sneakers are not the same. When you’re shopping for a pair, think about what it is you want. Sporty, non-sporty, chunky, elegant, leather, canvas, details, embellishment, no details, etc. It’ll make it so much easier for you to find them.

Know your personal style, and you won’t buy or get talked into buying something that isn’t right for you.

Take your time when you shop. Have a good think about the piece before you make the purchase. Don’t feel rushed to make a decision.

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If you’ve got a pair of white jeans sitting in your wardrobe, that you only ever wear in summer, pull them out and see if you can make them work for you this winter.

Sometimes when we feel bored with our clothes or like we have nothing to wear (despite a wardrobe full of clothes), it’s because we’re not using what we have in different ways. We have this idea in our head that, that top only goes with that skirt, or that dress is only for weddings or christenings or those pants can only be worn with those shoes.

Try and expand that thinking a little bit. Maybe the lovely silky shirt you bought when it was hot could be worn under a sweater now that it’s cooled down. Perhaps you could layer pieces over that strappy little dress you love but hardly wear, with tights, a jumper, a jacket, and boots. And maybe those white jeans can be worn in winter with knits, coats, boots, pumps, loafers, or sneakers.

Contrary to popular belief, white jeans can be worn by all of us. (Here’s my Mum wearing her white jeans) Like all jeans, it’s just a matter of finding a pair that works for your shape and getting a pair that have the right fabric and the right fit. (i.e. not too thin or too tight)

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You can read what styling services I offer here