MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

I spent last Friday afternoon getting my beautiful niece ready for a year twelve school formal – doing her hair and make-up and …. repairing her shoe when it broke five minutes before we were about to leave.  My cool, calm and collected skills were certainly put to the test.

This is what she wore…

A vintage black velvet dress that was modified and altered to her size, shape and style, Prada gold and black ankle strap heels (see the loose undetected button on the pic of the left heel) and a vintage beaded bag.   She also wore a tiny pair of earrings and that was it for jewelry.  She didn’t want anything to overpower and compete with the shoes.

Channeling a young Brigitte Bardot, I curled her hair (with old fashioned heat rollers) and she wore it natural and slightly messy/tussled. (I used some Schwarzkopf Volume Powder at the roots and lots of Elnett hairspray)  I put a few tiny false lashes on the outside corners of her eyes, a sweep of black liquid liner and lots of black mascara.  She had pink dewy cheeks, a little dab here and there of liquid illuminator and she wore fire engine red lipstick to match her nails.

Tip

For any occasion, whether it’s a school formal, a wedding or a fancy party, the outfit you put together (including hair and makeup) should reflect your personal style and flatter your body shape.

If you never wear your hair up, never wear soft floaty pretty dresses or red lipstick, ask yourself, will you feel comfortable and confident wearing it for a special event?  (i.e. if you’d never dream of wearing pale pink or gold in your day to day, why on earth would you wear it on your wedding day)

If you wear a dress or hairstyle that is not flattering to your shape or not really your style, there is the chance that you will spend the entire night (or day) feeling uncomfortable and self conscious.

My niece nailed it. She often wears black, she often wears red lips, she often wears her hair down, natural and wavy and she doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry.  When she ran out the door she was a gorgeous,  glammed up version of herself.

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While some of the fashionistas attending the autumn/winter 2013 ready-to-wear shows are following the current trend of wearing their coats and jackets oversized, Emmanuelle Alt, Vogue Paris editor-in-chief, is true to form, doing her own thing and wearing her coats pulled in at the waist with a belt.

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We all know I do love a belt and I’m a big proponent for accentuating the waist, so the inspiration I’m taking from these photos of Emmanuelle is that I’m going to follow her lead and attempt to add new life by changing the look of some of my winter coats with different belts. I’m going to pull out all my coats, try them on with my various belts and see what works. Perhaps before winter comes around I need to add a couple of belts I can wear around my waist, to my shopping wishlist and keep an eye out for new ones to add to my collection.  (TIP: Don’t wait til winter is here. Plan ahead. Give yourself plenty of time to search for interesting pieces and bargains. Some of my favourite belts have been found in op-shops and vintage stores.) 

And the most inspirational thing for me, one that I always take from Emmanuelle and her style, is to do your own thing.  If you want to just wear black – wear black.  If you want to only wear pants – only wear pants.  If you want to wear flats – wear flats.  If you want to cinch in the waist of your coat when everyone else is wearing it shapeless and oversized – cinch in your waist.

Do your own thing……if it makes you feel great.

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A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, originally published in 1964 has been described as being “the original what not to wear from one of fashion’s most enduringly stylish women” and “a classic style bible for timeless chic, grace, and poise”

Certainly much of the advice is very dated and ridiculously old fashioned.   There are many humorous statements like, ” Salesgirls in the sports departments should be required to verify a customer’s birth certificate in order to avoid selling a pair of shorts to anybody over forty years of age”,  but every few pages comes some relevant and clever advice.

One of the things I try to get across to my clients is that you really don’t need as many clothes as you might think you do.  (I wrote about the subject here a little while ago).   Sure, some of us love shopping and like to have enormous wardrobes full of clothes, but for those who feel cluttered by all their stuff and find dressing frustrating and confusing because there’s simply too much to see what they have,  this piece of advice is quite pertinent.

Under the heading QUANTITY, Madame Dariaux writes..

“One of the most striking differences between a well-dressed American woman and a well-dressed Parisienne is in the size of their respective wardrobes.  The American would probably be astonished by the very limited number of garments hanging in the Frenchwoman’s closet, but she would also be bound to observe that each one is of excellent quality, expensive perhaps by American standards, and perfectly adapted to the life the Frenchwoman leads.  She wears them over and over again, discarding them only when they are worn or outmoded, and she considers it a compliment (as it is meant to be) when her best friend says, “I’m so glad you decided to wear your red dress – I’ve always loved it!”.

Americans are often shocked by the high prices in Paris shops, and they wonder how a young career girl, for example, who earns half of the salary of her American counterpart, can afford to carry an alligator handbag and to wear a suit from Balmain boutique.  The answer is that she buys very few garments; her goal is to possess a single perfect ensemble for each of the different occasions in her life, rather than a wide choice of clothes to suit every passing mood.

An elegant Frenchwoman expects her coats to last for three years at least, her suits and dresses at least two years, and her evening clothes almost indefinitely.  She owns very few sets of lingerie at one time, but she replaces them frequently.  The same is true of her shoes and gloves, while her handbags last for years and years.  It is only her vacation wardrobe that she renews every summer, most often buying these expendable items ready-made in a department store or an inexpensive boutique.

Of course, these two different attitudes spring from two different ways of life, and it is undeniable that the American woman is constantly surrounded by new temptations and assailed by the most irresistible kind of fashion advertising. Moreover, she has been told that her role in the national economy is to continually buy and consume.

And yet, I wonder if she wouldn’t profit by replacing once in a while her penchant for quantity with a quest for quality. She might find that not only is her elegance increased, but also the enjoyment and even the confidence that she gets from her clothes.”

In my wardrobe there’s a combination of cheap and cheerful and good quality, expensive pieces.  Some items like coats, handbags and shoes I’ll save for and “trendy” pieces like my patterned pants and my denim jumpsuit, I’ll grab when I come across what I consider a bargain.  BUT I would certainly prefer to have one beautiful white shirt that cost me $150, that I saved for weeks for, that will last for several seasons, fit beautifully, be made of lovely fabric and make me feel good every time I wear it, than ten $10 or $20 tops that are of poor quality, that fall apart in the second wash, that don’t fit quite right (puckers here and pulls there) and that aren’t at all flattering.

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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.

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Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

Get to know me and my style on Facebook here

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