MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

When I’m working with a client at her home,  helping her overhaul her wardrobe, our aim is to be left with only clothes that work.  Pieces she loves, pieces that are flattering and pieces that represent her style and the image she wants to portray.

If together we decide something is a keeper my next challenge to my client is that she comes up with at least 5 ways to wear it.

(What often happens when people get bored with their clothes, is that they go out and buy new ones. When in actual fact what they could be doing is playing around with the clothes they have and coming up with new outfits)

Check out these images of French magazine editor, Virginie Mouzat and take some inspiration from what she’s doing with her clothes.   *She may not have the same style as you, but you can still be inspired by how she’s using her clothes.

In all five of the photos Virginie is wearing the same pair of khaki cargo pants BUT not once is she wearing them the same way.

You don’t need to have lots and lots and lots of clothes.  You just need to learn how to wear what you have in several varying combinations.

So next time you reach for that red skirt, blue dress or patterned pants, come up with a way to wear them differently to how you wore it last time.

Challenge yourself to wear each piece you have hanging in your wardrobe at least 5 different ways.

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A simple white top and black pants can look boring (or like you’re a waiter) – or it can look chic – as in the case with this woman.

Imagine if she was just wearing the top, the pants and a pair of dull, sensible or frumpy black shoes.  It would be a completely different look.  It could even be aging. (She’s 60)

The decoration (in this case, the glasses, the jewellery, the makeup and the shoes) is what makes an outfit stylish, unique and interesting.

Remember – It’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it.

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Right or wrong, fair or not, the way you dress projects something about you without you even having to open your mouth to speak.

Your clothes, adornments and grooming communicate a non-verbal message about your identity and therefore help people form an immediate impression about you.

Designer Maxime Simoens says,

“People who set out to project nonchalance construct a disheveled look.  People who want to send a more aggressive message choose more aggressive clothes.”

Of course it’s very important that we’re true to ourselves and that we dress in a way that feels authentic to our individual personal style – it’s when we do that, that we feel the most confident.

However, it’s also important that you continue to ask yourself what is the style and image you aspire to project and then consider whether you are in fact achieving that.

Are your clothes saying what you want them to?

Here’s an article I found really interesting, on the topic.

You can read what styling services I offer here

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When you haven’t spent time thinking about, defining and developing your own style, there’s the possibility that you’ll adopt someone else’s.

You might be buying the same things your girlfriends or colleagues are,  wearing clothes your mum or your husband have bought for you,  or copying the style of a character on TV.

Of course that’s perfectly ok if it feels right for you – but often it doesn’t.

It’s quite common to hear, when I first meet a client to do a Wardrobe Overhaul,  that they have lots of clothes, but not really anything they want to wear.  Chances are this is because their wardrobe is full of someone else’s style.

Think about it.  You wouldn’t have a collection of music that wasn’t your taste.   You wouldn’t have art on your walls that wasn’t your taste.  So why collect clothes that really aren’t your taste.

Here’s a good example.

I can imagine there are women all over Australia with pieces they’ve bought purely because it looked like something similar to what Nina Proudman wore, on the show Offspring.

This is great if your style is a little bit bohemian.  You can use Nina’s style as inspiration for what to buy and how to wear your clothes.  But what if it’s not really your style.  What if you’ve just bought maxi skirts, vintage tan belts, scarves and denim jackets because you like Nina’s quirky character and how she looks.  (Think about this: Would you like this style so much if Billie was wearing it?)

What then happens when the show finishes or you discover you’re really not a bohemian dresser at all and your wardrobe is full of Nina’s style – not your own?  You feel confused and frustrated with your wardrobe and feel that nothing works and if you’re anything like me when I was making costly mistakes before I worked out my personal style, you feel annoyed at yourself for spending all the money you did on things that weren’t right for you in the first place.

If you think your wardrobe might be full of someone else’s style why don’t you make 2018 the year you define your own authentic personal style.   Being clear on your personal style and the look you’re wanting to achieve, makes shopping and dressing so much easier ….and it can save you a lot of money.

Book in for a Wardrobe Overhaul (where we spend time together defining your personal style) here 

You can read what styling services I offer here

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