MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

A couple of days ago I was in a store trying something on, when I heard someone say from outside my change-room,

“That’s not you!”

The comment, not directed at me, came from one of two women who were also trying things on in the common area.

The puzzled response was, “Oh, you don’t think so?”

I was intrigued.  I was wondering what one of the women had on, that made the other say that she didn’t think it was her.

When I left my cubicle I discovered the piece in question was a camel colored trench coat. I thought it looked quite nice.

The thing is, how can someone tell you – what’s you.  Only you know that.  Even if these women had been friends for 40 years or they were mother and daughter, nobody can tell you what you like.

In the same way that nobody can tell you whether you like mushrooms, floral perfumes or the sound of Justin Beibers music, nobody can tell you what your style is.  Only you know that.

..and if you don’t then you should spend some time figuring it out, otherwise you, like this lady in the change-room, will rely on others to tell you what to wear.

(Which can then result in filling your wardrobe in someone else’s style)

In the case of these two women, a better thing to say, would have been – “How do you feel?  “Is that your style?” And let the friend work out for herself whether the piece felt right and worked for her or not.

*Certainly there’s nothing wrong with asking a friend or someone working in a store what they think of how it looks on you, BUT you have to be careful when you request that advice.  Remember they’re looking through their eyes, with their own style, not with your personal style in mind.

For example: Imagine for a moment two people looking at Picasso’s Weeping Woman (above).  One might think it’s incredible and the other might think it’s hideous.  Both are right!

It’s quite possible in the case of these two women, that the friend giving advice didn’t like the piece or how it looked on her friend.  But just because that’s how she sees it, doesn’t mean she’s right.

It’s all about perception.

This is why shopping with friends, family members, etc, can be fun….but sometimes tricky.

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Years ago when I changed careers, I needed to transition my wardrobe from (largely) corporate clothes, to clothes than reflected my new lifestyle. When I set about doing that, the key things for me were to have less pieces, of better quality, but still with plenty of outfit combinations. I wanted to simplify my wardrobe and be ruthless with what earned a place in it and when I added anything new, I was strict about making sure it worked with what I already had.

If you look at these three photos, you’ll see the pieces all work together.  (Same blazer and same black pants throughout.)   You’ll also note that the pieces can also be worn in different ways, for different occasions.  This is important to me.  I want my clothes to be versatile.  For example, these black pants could be worn dressed up to a fancy event, if need be, or dressed down, for meeting a friend at a cafe for coffee.

In 2019 make conscious additions to your wardrobe. Don’t just buy something because it’s on sale or you saw one of your friends (or someone you follow on Instagram) wearing it. Build a wardrobe of pieces that complement each other.

If you need help identifying what could be added to your wardrobe (or removing for that matter) – and perhaps help finding them, details of my styling services can be found here

For details on my styling services, click here.

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My client was looking for black pants she could wear during summer for work presentations, out for a nice dinner or casually. She works in the health/fitness industry and so didn’t want anything that looked too corporate/office professional.

We sampled about 4 pairs of slim fitting pants but none of them worked for her shape. (She’s similar to an inverted triangle – very small through the hips with very slim legs)  Most were a little too snug on the tummy but then not fitting (too loose) how I wanted them to on her legs and bottom.

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

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