MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

image via here

Lisa Wilkinson knows what looks good on her.

At 52 she looks fit, healthy, strong and stylish.  While her style might not necessarily be mine (or yours) what I love is that she knows how to dress to accentuate her best features.

All of us have something lovely about us – despite our age, size or shape.

Beautiful hands, amazing skin, great hair, a tiny waist, slender ankles, a good bum or as in Lisa’s case – toned shoulders.

It’s up to us to figure out our best features and then play them up.

Lisa knows she has good shoulders, so she wears clothes that draw attention to them.  (Barbra Streisand is another celebrity who often wears styles to bring attention to her shoulders as you can see here)   That’s what clever, stylish dressing is all about.

Too often we just look for faults. We search for them every time we look in the mirror.  We look to see how many more wrinkles we have, we look at our bellies, we look at big busts, our upper arms or our thighs that aren’t like they used to be.  We focus only on the negatives.

What about, just for a change, next time you look in the mirror and when you’re just about to search for a new grey hair, you ask yourself..

What do I like about myself?

What’s lovely and unique about me?

What am I neglecting to show off as best I could?

When I’m working with someone for the first time, I’ll have them fill out a questionnaire so I can get some insight into them before we meet.  I’ll ask them lots of questions ranging from, How would you describe your current style?  How would you like your clothes to make you feel?  and What are the features you like the most?   Occasionally someone will say, “eyes” or “hair” but sadly, often women leave it blank.  Either they don’t like to brag about themselves or they simply can’t think of anything they like.

When I ask,  “What are the features you dislike?” – there is often a list as long as my arm.

So for those few hours that we spend together, shopping or trying on clothes from their wardrobe, my mission is to make sure that person can see themselves for what they really are. How lovely they are.   How clever and special and amazing they are – just as they are.  And then my intention is to make sure we, together, work out how to accentuate and show off their best features.  In doing so, playing down the bits they least like.

This is what Lisa does.  Nobody would know whether Lisa has a tummy or a bottom she’s trying to disguise because we’re instantly drawn to her great shoulders and arms and her beautiful face and smile.

What are your best features?  Have you spent time focusing on them and not just on the bits you don’t like so much.  Take some time to look at yourself differently in the mirror.  Pay attention to yourself.  Be nice and gentle, rather than harsh and critical.  Then go about learning how you can make the most of those great features.  Keep them hidden, no longer.

READ: “That Dress Lisa Wilkinson Wore” here

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

Get to know me and my style on Facebook here

..& Instagram here

For those who are not familiar with the Mamamia site it has been described as “Australia’s leading independent women’s website”.  Launched as a blog in 2007 to coincide with the release of Mia Freedman’s book, Mama Mia, it has grown so much and is so popular that it now has more than 500,000 people (the majority being women) reading it every month.  On Mamamia you might learn what the latest trend in lipstick colors is, get a run down and summary of the Federal Budget or have the opportunity to share your opinion on the circumcision debate.  There’s always a thought provoking, often controversial topic to enter into a discussion about.

Back in February I received an email from them asking me if I would participate in a new project they were launching which was to be titled – Wardrobe Week.  All I knew was that Wardrobe Week would feature “Real Women Wearing Real Clothes” and what they would like me to do was submit photos of a week’s worth of outfits telling them what I was wearing.  It didn’t matter if it was a ballgown or if it was my PJ’s.  Just me being myself in my every day clothes.

Despite the fact that I was experiencing just a tad of hesitation when I first read the email –  picturing myself on a website where I might be seen by thousands of women who would very likely scrutinise how I looked, was scary  – but within 30 seconds of receiving the email I responded with a – yes.  It was a good opportunity for people to learn about me and what I do and it was also a challenging exercise. I’ve always been camera shy at the best of times, let alone on this type of platform.  Waaay outside of my comfort zone. Which is good right?

My strategy, when putting together the outfits was that I wanted to be authentic to my own style and look just like me.  I didn’t want to get my makeup done or my hair blow waved.  That’s not me.  I could have borrowed clothes, or I could have dressed up glamorously – but I didn’t want to do that.  I wanted people to see the normal, average, real me and realise that I didn’t dress in Prada or Chanel every day.  Sure I like nice things and I have the odd designer piece, but I’ll mix them up with some Kmart, Big W or Target.   In this picture below I’m wearing a pair of pants I bought in Paris, with a Cotton On men’s shirt.  To me, dressing this (high/low) way is more interesting and creative than dressing head to toe designer.  As I’ve told you many times before, I find “Chic on a Budget” shopping fun and often rewarding.

I want to say a great big thank you to my two lovely friends Carol and Sarah for taking time out of their busy schedules to shoot some pics of me (& tell me to stand straight, pull my shoulders back, smile, fix my fringe and put some more lippy on) and thank you also to the team at Mamamia for giving me this great opportunity.

For anyone who hasn’t see the article and the photos you can do so here.

Follow me on Instagram here

You can read what styling services I offer here

image via garance dore

Some people find it an odd concept to wear a blazer any other way than as part of a suit.

They’ve worn them to work for so many years, they can’t fathom the idea of wearing one with a pair of jeans or over a dress.

If you’re one of those people, that’s fine, they’re not for everyone.  The structured, tailored nature of the jacket may feel a little too stuffy and constricted for you, especially if your style is verging on bohemian slash relaxed slash natural.  But if you’re like me and you tend to be a classic dresser, then consider giving the blazer a try.

I like it because I can wear my jeans and yet still feel stylish and sophisticated.  It’s a step up from wearing a cardie.

To make the blazer feel less stuffy and formal and look a bit more interesting, try pushing or rolling up the sleeves.  This is a particularly flattering look because it exposes  your slender wrists, which you can play up with a fabulous watch, a stack of bracelets, bright nail polish, a cocktail ring or an interesting clutch bag.

As mentioned, you can either roll the sleeves back or just push the sleeves up and if you’re lucky they’ll stay put , depending on how silky the lining is.  If you want to guarantee they stay up without you annoyingly having to keep pushing them up, keep them in place with a rubber band.  Just make sure you conceal it among the gathered fabric.   Then all you need to do is decide where you want them to sit – above, on or below the elbow.  (FYI – the elbow can be a bit restrictive, above or below is probably better)

Play around with your clothes and get the most out of them by wearing them in new and different ways.

image via The Sartorialist

image via here
image via here

image via Garance Dore

image via here

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

Get to know me and my style on Facebook here

..& Instagram here

image via here

I wish I had a dollar for every dress I’ve seen in wardrobes that either still had the tags on or was under a piece of dry cleaning plastic, where it had been for years and years.

Unfortunately, many of us buy dresses for occasions and wear them, feeling less than fabulous in them.

Either the dress was bought last minute, or because it was on sale, or because nothing else could be found and it was a “that’ll have to do” purchase.  And because the item was never really loved and it never really flattered the owners figure or made them feel amazing when they wore it – it just remains in the cupboard, hanging there and wasting space.   Or it could be that the dress was in fact lovely, and it did make the wearer feel good, but now they have no idea what to do with it.  They don’t really go anywhere to wear it or they’re not sure how they could wear it again.  Sound familiar?

When you shop for a new party dress there’s a few things to ask yourself so that you end up buying something that not only makes you feel great, but something that becomes a versatile piece in your wardrobe.

• Is it my style?  (Remember how I told you before I understood my style I bought dresses that were other peoples style because I loved it on them – Read about it here)
• Is it accentuating my best features?
• Is it the best length for my particular leg shape?
• What underwear will I need to wear under it?
• Can I change the look of the dress, so I don’t get bored with it,  with the use of different accessories?
• Can I move in it? (Sit, dance and walk elegantly)
• Is it flattering?
• Could I possibly dress it up and dress it down and wear it for other occasions?
• How will I need to take care of it? (ie. will it need to be drycleaned or can it just be hand washed)
• Does the color complement my hair and skin?
• DO I LOVE IT?

READ: “You’ve Bought The Dress But Have You Thought About The Underwear?” here

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

Get to know me and my style on Facebook here

..& Instagram here