MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Belts played a big part in a couple of last week’s wardrobe sessions.

We…

Reinvented the look of a sleeveless jacket/waistcoat with a belt

Made a dress fit better around the waist with a belt

Made a head-to-toe one-color outfit have more texture and therefore interest, with a belt

Removed a belt, which made the dress look cleaner and simpler (suiting my clients’ style)

Gave a pair of pants more shape at the waist with a belt, while also adjusting the length to just where we wanted it.

Used a belt to create shape at the waist by cinching it in between a blouse and skirt

Made an old 20-something-year-old skirt look modern again with an interesting belt

I get asked quite a bit – “How do I know when to wear a belt or not to wear a belt?”

Firstly, it’s about knowing what type of belt works best for you. (e.g. thin or thick) and where to wear them.

Then, if you remember that dressing is about balance, it’s learning to look at your outfit, once you’ve put it together and deciding whether adding a belt will complement it or not. Play around and experiment and ask yourself what feels right and what doesn’t.

Some days I’ll put a belt on, and then once I’ve finished getting dressed (including, my bag, jewellery, jacket, etc) I’ll assess how it all looks head-to-toe together in the mirror….and I might decide to remove it. I may feel there’s too much detail on my shoes or texture on the bag, jewelry on my wrist….. that there’s already enough going on, and that the belt would just be too much.

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If you’re trying to define your personal style or perhaps refine your look, see if you can find a style icon whose style you like.

It could be Sophia Loren, Debbie Harry, Grace Kelly, Kate Middleton, or whoever you identify with.

I have several, among them being Emmanuelle Alt, Lauren Hutton, Jackie Kennedy, and Charlotte Rampling (pictured).

I wouldn’t always wear what they’re wearing in the images I’ve collected, (on Pinterest) I’m just inspired by their style. I like Charlotte’s masculine/feminine style; Lauren’s classic American seventies style; Jackie’s simplicity and Emmanuelle’s classic casual French style. Together, they’ve all influenced me to come up with my own style.

Do you have a style role model?

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…. casual them down with some of your basic pieces.

You can read what styling services I offer here

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Are you limiting your wardrobe possibilities by putting your clothes into inflexible categories?

Being strict with how and when your clothes are worn could limit your outfit options.

For example, a client asked if I could come over and help her because she was sick of staring at her (full) wardrobe and feeling like she had nothing to wear.

She suggested I have a look at what she has and tell her what she needed to buy.

After chatting and making sure we were both clear on the look she wanted to achieve, as well as what she needed outfits for, we got stuck into the wardrobe.

I started by pulling out a few pieces and getting her to try them on. A beige trench, a striped tee, a pair of blue jeans, a kitten heel, and a little cross-body bag. She looked at me a bit confused and said, “But that’s my work coat. I wouldn’t wear that with my jeans”. But then, when she put it on, it looked great, and she loved it and asked me to take a photo. (We took lots of outfit pics for her to file and save)

After a few hours of trying on things she already had in her wardrobe, my client realised she didn’t need anything new (just one or two small gap fillers) – she just needed to be creative and use what she had.

Another client had a beautiful lurex knit she’d never worn, that we teamed with a pair of cargo pants and sneakers, so she could wear it casually, rather than wait for a fancy occasion. Someone else had a hardly worn dress that was being saved for weddings, and the like, that I got her to try with her knee-high boots and a blazer, so she could wear out for drinks with her girlfriends or on dates.

Think creatively and challenge yourself to use your clothes in different ways. You may find that you have many more outfits than you thought you did.

If you have a wardrobe full of clothes but still feel like you don’t have much to wear, consider booking a Wardrobe Styling session. You can read all about my wardrobe styling services here

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