MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

It doesn’t matter if something is fancy designer and costs you a lot of money, if it fits badly, it looks bad.

Remember when Gwyneth wore this pink dress to the Oscars?

It’s not that it wasn’t a nice dress – it just didn’t fit her properly.

Supposedly, Gwyneth removed the piece designed to wear under the bodice (Breast pads or a structured bustier??) leaving the top part too big for her. *I’m not suggesting Gwyneth didn’t look lovely, she did – the dress was just not right.

Despite the dress being Ralph Lauren couture and worth a squillion dollars (I heard her say in an interview it was before the days of stylists, and she bought it herself), it didn’t look great, because of how it fit.

When something doesn’t fit well…

You might put it on to wear and then take it off again. You can’t put your finger on it, but it’s not quite right.

It can make you feel frumpy.

It might make you look like you have a different shape than you do. (Not in the way you want!)

Your outfit can look messy, rather than clean, sharp, polished, etc, etc.

Maybe in a work environment, it could send a message that you don’t care. (i.e. “That’ll do”)

And the most important one – it could affect your confidence.

Most of us are not taught what to look for, to know when our clothes fit us properly. Growing up, if we could get it on and do it up, it meant it fit.

So, if it matters to you, spend some time really looking at the way your clothes drape over your body. Is anything pulling, puckering, not sitting where it should be, or even making you look wider than you are? If so, figure out why.

If you’d like some help, learning how your clothes should (and shouldn’t) fit you, book a Wardrobe Overhaul or Personal Shopping.

If you’d like to learn how to know when something fits or doesn’t fit you well, book in for a Wardrobe Overhaul or Personal Shopping here 

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It was 2000 – 2001-ish and I was looking for something to wear to one of the Spring Carnival race days. 

On my lunch break one day, I spotted this suit in Bettina Liano. While I rarely wear pink it was actually the beautiful color that caught my eye – but, at around $1000, it was way beyond my budget at the time. Nevertheless, I went back and tried it on and looked at it 3 times until I finally decided I had to give up on it. I just couldn’t afford it…

Then a few weeks later I was shopping with my sister and we stumbled on a Bettina Liano outlet store…..and there was the suit – for $50. I couldn’t believe my luck. We both bought one. Some things are meant to be…

I got heaps of wear out of it. To the races, to Christmas parties, weddings, etc – and then I retired it. I think I got a bit tired of it, but also then it felt slightly dated and it became too snug…

Recently I pulled it out – it hasn’t seen the light of day in about a decade – tried it on and had a good look at it. It was too firm across the back (could hardly button it up) and tight on my bum. (I could stand but not sit) It looked silly. Like I was squeezing into it. So I took it to Jose to see whether he thought he could do anything to it. (We worked together. I told him how I wanted the suit to look and what I thought needed to be done and then he looked at it and told me honestly, whether he thought that was possible.) He wasn’t sure how much there was available to work with at the seams, but he’d give it a go. When I went to pick it up, it was spot on. He has let it out in exactly the right amount of places, (in the right places) so that it wasn’t too much, or not enough.

Then next up I replaced the old buttons to update and modernise the look. (The original wooden buttons had been broken at the dry cleaners many years ago and new ones were put on that I was never really happy with) . *I just found these ones at Lincraft. 

…and yesterday I wore it again to Oaks Day. It’s looking a bit disheveled here. I got wet on my way home. If you scroll down you can see what I wore on my head, etc. (The headpiece was bought at the same time as the suit. My sister and I went halves. She’d wear it when she wore her suit and I’d wear it when I wore my suit… 

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My favourite way to dress is to combine pieces that are designer (expensive) with low (inexpensive), from near and far and old and new. .

For me it feels more creative than wearing head-to-toe current season (which I do do occasionally – but it doesn’t seem as interesting).

For this reason I think about building a wardrobe, rather than just having clothes in my wardrobe for a season. .

Here I’m wearing a vintage embroidered blouse, which I found in a local opshop (about 8 yrs ago) for $5. With it I’m wearing, my favourite Levi’s, (bought in Melbourne), a pair of Scanlan Theodore shoes, a Maje necklace I bought in Paris and a Clare Vivier bag my sisters gave me for my birthday (which they had shipped from the States).

SIDE NOTE
While this top only cost me $5, I liked it so much I thought it was worth spending the money to have it altered. When I bought it the sleeves were too long. I wanted them to sit above my wrist bone – so I took it to my tailor and he removed the embroidered strip, shortened them, and then replaced the embroidery. Much better!

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Two (generally) size 12 women go into a store together.

One is five foot 2 (considered petite) – she has a defined waist, and her hips, bottom, and thighs are wider than her bust and/or shoulders. (Commonly known as triangular in shape).

The other is five foot 9 – her shoulders, bust, and hips are about the same size, with no defined waist. (Commonly known as rectangular in shape).

Remember both generally wear a size 12.

There is no way that the size 12 in the store will fit them both beautifully. It might roughly fit, (ie they might be able to get it on) but that’s about it.

In this case, when something fits you – sort of ok – it’s up to you to decide whether you walk away or whether you commit to having it altered. Near enough, is not good enough. 

*As a petite it can be challenging to find clothes that fit me well. If I find something I love that doesn’t fit just right, I buy it with the proviso I can return it, then I take it to my tailor to see if he can alter it to fit me. This might mean having it lifted on the shoulders or waist, the seams running in through the middle, the sleeves shortened, or just a simple hem taken up.

Learn how to tell when something doesn’t fit you properly. It’s the number one thing I see in the wardrobes that I help overhaul. Lots of women buy clothes that don’t fit them, then just settle for wearing them ill-fitting. Often they can tell something isn’t right – because they know when they put something on that it doesn’t feel great – but they’re not sure why.

Despite your budget, ensuring each item in your wardrobe fits well, (whether it’s a t-shirt, blazer, or pair of jeans) will instantly give your look a stylish upgrade.

*If you’d like me to teach you about how clothes should fit contact me here 

You can read what styling services I offer here

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