MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Black is incredibly chic.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

As someone who has a lot of black in their wardrobe and wears it often, I’ve had plenty of people comment over the years that I wear too much black or that I’d look lovely in a bit of color and I’ve had a couple of clients tell me they hear the same thing from their family and friends.

My response is always, if you like black and you feel comfortable and confident wearing it – then go for it.

But be aware that wearing head to toe black can look a bit bland and boring, so you need to be conscious of trying to make it look interesting rather than flat and dull.

Having an interesting and stylish all black outfit can be achieved by..

• Mixing different fabrics and textures. (ie Wool, silk, denim, suede, patent leather, etc)
• Adding unique accessories.
• Ensuring the clothes fit and flatter your body shape beautifully
• Wearing nothing that is faded, stained or pilled.
• Considering your makeup.  You might find you need to add a bit more color than usual to your cheeks and lips.

I adore color, but I always feel the most stylish when I’m wearing black. (You can see me wearing all black here)

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Sometimes it’s not until we try something different, that we realise the impact clothes can have on how we feel about ourselves.

I have had ladies burst into tears in the changeroom after they’ve seen themselves in a great pair of jeans. They had no idea they could wear that particular style, let alone how they would feel when they saw themselves in them.

Looking your best and feeling stylish can help you be more confident and self assured, while wearing the wrong clothes can have the opposite effect,  so it saddens me when I hear some of the reasons women have for giving up on themselves. These are just some of the excuses I’ve heard…

• “I’m old now. Nothing looks good on me”
• “I’m too fat to look good in clothes”
• “I’ve got no one to dress nicely for”
• “Everything I like is too expensive”
• “Once my kids leave home I’ll have time and money to spend on myself”
• “I’d love you to come and look in my wardrobe and help me clean it out and show me how to wear what I have, but I’m too embarrassed to let you see inside it”
• “I don’t have the time and patience to shop”
• “There’s no point in me trying to look stylish at the moment while I have small kids.  I always end up with food or vomit on my top and I can’t run around after a 3 year old in stilettos”

Are you telling yourself you’re not worth it?  Are you thinking you’re beyond help?  Are you stopping yourself from looking and feeling the best you can?

Of course not all of us have the money to spend on new clothes, (high maintenance) hairstyles and makeup and not all of us have lots of time to go shopping, but there are small things you can do that require little time and little investment that will make a big difference.

It’s upsetting when I talk to someone who thinks that “it’s all too hard” and they have given up on themselves. 

All of us deserve to feel good about ourselves at every stage of our lives.

It might be that you need to stop wearing sloppy unflattering comfy clothes, maybe your  hems needs taking up, (or going down) perhaps you could do with a new bra or lippy, or having your eyebrows shaped.  Maybe all that you need is in your wardrobe, you just can’t find it for the clutter.  I’m here to tell you (& encourage you) that baby steps can make a big difference.

Promise me, you won’t ever give up on yourself and remember that I am here to help if you need some motivation, support and guidance.

READ: “It’s Not Just About The Clothes” here

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 I received an S.O.S text message from a girlfriend this morning.

“Help!!!  I bought a dress online.  Black chiffon with a ¾ sleeve with lace and just a sack on me.  I did all the measurements and it fits but it is the wrong style for me. I am ashamed to say that it was very expensive”

Immediately I called her because I knew the dress she was talking about was for a function she was going to tomorrow and I knew she had taken my advice and shopped online. So I felt some responsibility.  When I spoke to her she said she’d done everything I’d told her to do.

• Taken her measurements to make sure it would fit
• Enquired about the return policy
• Asked questions about the fit
• Checked how long delivery would take
• Made sure the dress was her style
• Asked herself whether she’d be able to wear it in different ways and therefore be able to wear it on several occasions

She did everything I told her to do, BUT it soon became apparent during our chat, that she had neglected to ask herself (possibly the biggest and most important question)

“Will this dress flatter my shape?”

When the dress arrived, promptly and conveniently to her doorstep and she excitedly tried it on, the answer was no.  The dress did not flatter her shape.  In fact it did the opposite.  It made her appear bigger and boobier, than she is.  She “looked like a sack of potatoes”.  The fact is, she actually has a very voluptuous, womanly figure that would look amazing dressed in the right style and fabric.  But a dress like the one she had purchased made her look completely shapeless. Her boobs were squashed, making them look larger than they are, her neck looked short and her face looked chubby.  Worse still was the dress was over $300. This is a lot of money for her. Like most of us, she can’t afford to make costly shopping mistakes.

She’d finally taken my advice and bought something online and it hadn’t worked out. Certainly I felt a little bit bad that I’d encouraged her to dabble in online shopping and on this occasion it hadn’t worked out, but I reminded her that the most important thing when shopping in stores, online and even in your own wardrobe, if you want to find something to wear that makes you look and feel great, is to wear something that flatters your particular body shape

Fortunately, after she emailed me a photo of herself wearing the dress, I was able to give her a few ideas, (with the use of some cleverly placed accessories and a suitably shaped jacket) as to how she could make the dress work for her so she could wear it tomorrow.  But I was very quick to remind her that if she didn’t want to continue to waste her money on bad buys, she needed to learn and understand the styles that suited her body shape best.  Then she needed to get into the habit of assessing every part of the garment, until it became second nature and she knew immediately as soon as she put something on whether it was right or wrong for her.  Otherwise, she was going to have a huge wardrobe full of clothes that cost her a lot of money and that didn’t make her feel good about herself.

Ask yourself, are the clothes in your wardrobe making you look like the voluptuous, curvaceous, attractive woman that you are or are they making you look like a frumpy, shapeless sack of potatoes?

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You can read what styling services I offer here