MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

I’ve had this brilliant fuchsia Bettina Liano pant suit for 8, 10….maybe 12 years.  It’s been one of my favourite trusty items in my wardrobe where I’ve worn it to weddings, the races, dinners and Christmas parties.  It’s a very classic cut so although it’s years old, it’s still current.

When I first bought it I took it to my tailor and got him to alter it so that it fit me like a glove – so I know it flatters my shape. I’ve always felt great every time I put it on…until recently.

A little while ago I pulled it out and put it on to wear to a luncheon at the races and it felt all wrong.  I looked in the mirror and felt blah.  This was odd.  It always worked.  It was my fail safe item I reached for when I couldn’t decide on anything else. This time I had to take it off and put something else on.  I felt like I was over it.   I put this down to two things. Firstly, about a year ago when my jacket came back from the cleaners, two buttons were smashed and I had to replace them.  Despite searching endlessly for something that matched perfectly, I could never find something I really liked.  Secondly, I was bored with it.   It needed to be revamped, I just wasn’t sure how.

So I put it back in the wardrobe and there it stayed, rejected, waiting for me to come up with an inspired idea as to what I could do with it.

I searched…and researched…and researched and one day came across this….

…so I did this….

I really wanted round gold buttons like the photo but couldn’t find them. (Still searching!) These will do for now, until I come across the ones I really want.  When I was sewing these on, I wasn’t convinced it was what I was after, but as soon as I tried it on, I loved it. I felt like I had a new item of clothing, and I hadn’t spent a cent.

People are often surprised when I help them go through and clean out their wardrobe, that I don’t come up with an enormous expensive list of what they need to buy to have a half decent wardrobe.  Sometimes, once we’ve gotten rid of what doesn’t need to be there and we can see what’s left, we find some hidden little treasures that can be reinvented.  There are lot’s and lot’s of things you can do to make your wardrobe feel fresh and updated without buying a single piece of clothing.  Here are five things you can do right now.

• Pull all the dresses and skirts that you don’t regularly wear out of your wardrobe and consider whether they might work better on your shape and with your lifestyle, with a different hem length
• Soak all your whites overnight in NapiSan or similar to bring them back to white white, rather than grey white
• Try all your daggy jeans on and think about whether they’re making your legs look bigger than you are and if they would look more flattering if they were slimmer in the leg.  If so, take them off to a tailor (or do it yourself if you’re clever) and ask him to run them in down the leg
• Give your leather bags and shoes a clean and polish. (I often just use Mr Sheen)  Make sure you test a small patch before you do the whole item
• Buy a thick piece of velvet ribbon and wrap it around your waist and tie it in a bow with your blouses and dresses. Attach a vintage brooch.

**I wrote this back in 2011.  It’s now five years later and this suit is still alive and kicking.  I’m about to reinvent it yet again by having the pants cropped.

READ: “What’s Hiding In Your Wardrobe That Could Be Reinvented?” Here

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Janet is 46 and has been divorced for nearly three years.   She works in accounts at Bunnings. When she’s not working she’s being mum to her teenage daughter and son.  Running them around and watching them at sporting commitments, helping them with homework, cooking, washing and cleaning.

Eating healthy has not been a priority since her husband left.  Often now meals are whatever’s quickest so she can get her kids to basketball and soccer training or grabbing a drive-through burger from somewhere on the way home.  Exercising has gone by the wayside.  She’s often too exhausted to even think about it.  After initially losing a lot of weight when her husband first left, in the last three years, Janet has gone from a size 12 to a size 16.  A lot of her wardrobe is too small for her. What does fit is shapeless, unflattering and makes her feel frumpy. None of her clothes represent and highlight how kind, attractive, interesting, vivacious, fun, youthful, etc, she is.

Janet would love to start dating and meet someone but doesn’t feel good about herself and the way she looks at the moment.  She feels that she’s let herself go and has lost her confidence. Despite the fact that she doesn’t have a lot of money to buy new clothes, she wouldn’t know what to buy if she did go shopping. She finds the whole shopping experience painful – her body’s such an odd shape (Wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that description), nothing ever looks good on her and often she ends up buying something  that never gets worn.  (Like she can afford to waste the money) The only chance she gets to see what people are wearing or what’s fashionable is seeing what the other mums wear to basketball or soccer training or what her daughter and her friends wear. And she’s 14.   She doesn’t really know whether any of her clothes are still current or dated. She wears a uniform to work.

Once a month she meets with her book group and from time to time they go to a local bar or hotel.  She often feels daggy and intimidated by some of the other women who always look nice and wishes she could put outfits together like they do.

She’s frustrated and wants to make some changes in her life but has no idea where to start.  She wants to feel good about herself again.

Does this sound familiar to you?  Can you relate to Janet’s story?

Well Janet is really a fictional character but her story is almost identical to many I hear.

Women I meet and talk to are often frustrated with how they look and the idea of making changes is daunting and overwhelming and they don’t really know where to start.

All you need to do is start.

Start small.

• Open a Pinterest account and start pinning images that speak to you.
• Start asking yourself what you like and what you don’t like – whether it’s a song on the radio, the scent of a candle or the style of a dress.  Start getting a good idea of what you do and don’t like.
• Book in for a consultation with a hair stylist or two (without commitment) and get some advice and ideas about what you could do to freshen up your hair. (This is where Pinterest also comes in handy)
• Start following my Facebook and Instagram for ideas and inspiration.  (One of the reasons I post photos of myself on Instagram is to show you how I use my clothes in lots of different ways, to give you ideas to do the same with your clothes)
• Wander through the shops.  Perhaps pick three and go in just to look at what they sell, noticing what shapes and styles are in fashion (according to this store).  If you feel the urge, try some clothes on with the view to just sampling them.
• Buy yourself a new lippy. (Or mascara, or foundation, etc)  Something a bit different to what you’re used to.

And if you feel like this is something you can’t do on your own. If you want support, encouragement and guidance (and perhaps even a gentle push).  If it seems too overwhelming to even make a start, begin by reading through my styling services to see if anything sounds like it might be what you need to get some help and advice.  And, again, if you get the urge email me to book in for a Wardrobe Overhaul or Personal Shopping or to simply arrange a time for us to have a chat. I promise, I will do everything I can to help you.

Take at least one baby step.  A move forward in a positive direction.

But what ever you do, don’t ever give up on yourself.  You deserve to look and feel the very best you can.

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