MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

You don’t always need to buy something new to update your look, it can be as simple as restyling (or remodeling) the pieces you already have in your wardrobe.

Things to try…

Combine unexpected pieces – For example, wear something casual with something dressy, like a suit jacket with your jeans or a logo t-shirt with a pants suit.

Put two colors together that you’ve never paired before – like black and brown or pink and navy.

TIP: Take notice of what colors some of your favourite labels are teaming together.

Experiment with different proportions to what you’ve become used to. If you’ve been wearing loose tops with skinny bottoms, try something loose on top and loose(r) on the bottom.

Scrunch, push up, roll, undo, do up, half tuck, full tuck, belt, tie, etc, etc…

And finally, pull out those things that hide at the back of the wardrobe that haven’t been worn in a very long time and see if you can come up with a new way to wear them. And remember, if they no longer work for you, they might be great for someone else.

If you’d like my help styling the clothes you have in your wardrobe, click here for details of my styling services.

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If your new jacket or coat (or skirt) features a *vent, then generally you’ll find two small threads in the shape of an X (securing the vent) that need to be carefully snipped and removed before you wear it.

The vent stitch is designed to keep the garment from getting wrinkled and creased during transportation to a store and while it’s hanging on the rails or in storage.

If the stitch is still in place once the jacket’s on the body, it can prevent the garment from fitting and falling the way it’s supposed to. (i.e. It might make it pull across the hips)

*A vent is a vertical slit at the bottom hem of a jacket, coat, or skirt to allow for ease of movement. (e.g. Back in the day they were designed to make horse riding easier.)

**It’s easy to forget. I’ve done it myself and I’m sure to do it again. ?

You can see in this pic, that the vent stitch here is yet to be removed.

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When I changed careers several years ago, my clothes needed to change too.

I was working at an Investment Bank so most of my wardrobe was made up of suits, crisp shirts, blazers, and heels, but when I started my Personal Styling business, my needs were different. My style was still classic, but it needed to transition from corporate classic into a more casual, fashionable classic.

Before I invested in new clothes I made the conscious decision to simplify my wardrobe, and how I dressed and also decided that I would build a wardrobe around a color palette, of black, white, grey, and navy.
Having these colors as my primary base means that everything works together, and therefore dressing is easy.

Over time, for variety, I would add bits and pieces in other colors – red, orange, cobalt blue, fuchsia – that would complement the neutral basics.

I’m now ready to introduce a new neutral. One that I know will work well with all the others, as well as some of my colored pieces. This autumn, I’m keen to incorporate some khaki into the mix.

What are the primary basic colors you’ve built your wardrobe around?  (For you it could be beige, charcoal, cream, white, etc) If you haven’t (and your wardrobe is only made up of lots of colors and patterns) it could be one of the reasons you find putting outfits together difficult and you feel like you have nothing to wear.

You can read what styling services I offer here

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This pea coat was about to be thrown out.

While I love it, in fact, it’s one of my favourite pieces – I knew I couldn’t wear it like this (below) anymore. I had to do something to save it, or it needed to be let go of.

Firstly, I tried using this little comb (testing it on a small area), but it didn’t work. It was pulling and tearing at the fabric – it was too rough.

So when I saw someone mention a little de-pilling device on Instagram, I thought I’d give it a go …and it worked a treat!

It now looks as good as new.

You can watch how I did it here

How you take care of your clothes is very important – both for ensuring they wear well and last as long as they should, but also so that you look well put together. 

You’ll never look stylish if you leave the house with frayed, scuffed, faded, stained, pilled, creased…or like you slept with your dog in their basket – hair all over your clothes. 

Go the extra step and take great care of the pieces you invest in.

You can read what styling services I offer here

Follow me on Instagram here