MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

You don’t need to wear all the latest trends – but at the same time, you also don’t want to look outdated and old-fashioned. (Which can be aging).

What I encourage you to do, if you want to keep your look modern and current, is be aware of changes in styles, shapes, and proportions so you can make some adjustments to your wardrobe if necessary.

Are current style jeans wide in the leg, or are they slim? Are the waistbands sitting low or high on the waist? Are shoulders big or small, sleeves narrow or wide? Dresses long or short? And are shoes pointy, round, or square? Boots long or short?

I know what’s in, and what’s not can be confusing – particularly if you’re not a keen fashion follower.

For example, you might have a pair of wide-leg trousers you wore to work 9 years ago, and you’ve noticed they’re in the stores again.

You might be asking yourself – “Does this mean my pants are fashionable again? Can I pull them out and wear them?” “Or have they had their time, and should I just let them go?”

More often than not, no! Wide-leg pants (or padded shoulders, or long-line jackets, etc..) might be “in” again, but they may higher in the waist, or narrower in the sleeve. Things will come around again, but shapes change…

If you’re unsure whether some of the pieces in your wardrobe are current or outdated (or if they could be altered and updated) book a Wardrobe Overhaul, and I can help you decide what should stay and what should go – and possibly show you how to wear some of your old pieces in a new, modern way. You can read what styling services I offer here

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It doesn’t matter if something is fancy designer and costs you a lot of money, if it fits badly, it looks bad.

Remember when Gwyneth wore this pink dress to the Oscars?

It’s not that it wasn’t a nice dress – it just didn’t fit her properly.

Supposedly, Gwyneth removed the piece designed to wear under the bodice (Breast pads or a structured bustier??) leaving the top part too big for her. *I’m not suggesting Gwyneth didn’t look lovely, she did – the dress was just not right.

Despite the dress being Ralph Lauren couture and worth a squillion dollars (I heard her say in an interview it was before the days of stylists, and she bought it herself), it didn’t look great, because of how it fit.

When something doesn’t fit well…

You might put it on to wear and then take it off again. You can’t put your finger on it, but it’s not quite right.

It can make you feel frumpy.

It might make you look like you have a different shape than you do. (Not in the way you want!)

Your outfit can look messy, rather than clean, sharp, polished, etc, etc.

Maybe in a work environment, it could send a message that you don’t care. (i.e. “That’ll do”)

And the most important one – it could affect your confidence.

Most of us are not taught what to look for, to know when our clothes fit us properly. Growing up, if we could get it on and do it up, it meant it fit.

So, if it matters to you, spend some time really looking at the way your clothes drape over your body. Is anything pulling, puckering, not sitting where it should be, or even making you look wider than you are? If so, figure out why.

If you’d like to learn how to know when something fits or doesn’t fit you well, book in for a Wardrobe Overhaul or Personal Shopping here 

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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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You can read what styling services I offer here

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.

Follow me on Instagram here

You can read what styling services I offer here