MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

I wanted to show you these photos as an example of making sure when you buy a dress (or anything for that matter) that you always consider what underwear you’ll be able to wear with it.

In this case Meghan has worn a strapless bra – because of the boat neck.

(To be honest,  I think the visibility of the bra also has something to do with the fit of the dress. You can see it’s pulling under her arms and across her chest)

Recently I was shopping with a client in Camilla and Marc (an Australian designer) and some beautiful silk slip dresses in gorgeous colors caught my eye.  All I could think when I was looking at them, was what on earth would you wear under them.

*FYI – years ago I wore a similar style as a bridesmaid and I took it to a dressmaker and had her sew in a bra so that it became part of the dress.  By doing this, there were no signs of visible underwear under the dress at all. 

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This is my favourite piece of clothing (and one of my most treasured things) that I own.

My Nan made this jumper for me when I was 19. (I’m turning 51 in a couple of months)

It’s so special because it was a project her and I worked on together. (I saw a picture in a Vogue, took it to her to see if she thought she could recreate it and then between us we had to find a pattern and then the right type of wool so that it looked just like the one in the magazine.

When it was finished we were both thrilled with the result. It was just like the one in the photo.

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Before you wear your new coat or jacket, make sure you’ve removed the vent stitch.

The stitches are designed to stop wrinkling and creasing as the coat or jacket is moved between where it was made, to the shop floor and it is meant to be carefully removed before wear.

If the stitch is not removed it means the jacket sits differently to how it’s intended and may pull across the hips and even the tummy.  (And it will look silly!)

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Do your clothes represent who you are?  Are they where you are now in 2018 or are they where you were five, ten, fifteen years ago?  Were they ever you? Or are they someone else’s style?

Think about it…..

Are they outdated?

Are they tired and worn out?

Are they too bright and colorful?

Are they too conservative?

Are they too old?  Or too young?

Are they too business like?  Or too casual?

Are they too pretty?  Or too boyish?

Example

I arrived at a clients home recently and as soon as she opened the door to greet me I could tell she had a warm and friendly, gentle, inviting, laid back nature.  She had a beautiful big smile, amazing (signature) hair, great skin and a curvaceous figure.  She looked much younger in real life compared to how she looked in the photos that she’d sent me.  The combination of lovely personality and lovely features, meant she was a very attractive woman.

However her clothes were letting her down.  Who she was and the clothes she wore, didn’t match.

In the photos, and I soon discovered in her wardrobe too, she mostly wore black – but not in a good way. Black can be very chic, flattering and interesting or it can be faded, tired and boring. Hers was the latter.

She was creative, she was energetic, she was bubbly, she was sexy, intelligent, entertaining and interesting….her clothes were drab.

Some were too tight (she wore a lot of exercise gear for comfort) and some were shapeless. (Covering up the bits she didn’t like but along the way some of her best features also)  Her lovely figure, that she didn’t really acknowledge she had, was often hidden in ill-fitting garments.   …and because many of the pieces she had in her wardrobe were decades old, they were now outdated – which in turn was aging her.

So here’s your exercise.  Make a list of all the things you are.  I’ll get you started….

I am relaxed

I am fun

I am intelligent

I am a traditionalist

I am the life of the party

I am artistic

I am confident

I am shy

I am ambitious

I am sophisticated

I am subtly sexy

I am youthful

I am conservative

Once you’ve done that, open your wardrobe, look inside and ask yourself, do these pieces express who I am….or do they tell a different story?

*It might even be an interesting exercise to ask a friend or loved one what they think your clothes say about you.

If you don’t find it easy letting go of pieces from your wardrobe (and perhaps this is one of the reasons your clothes don’t represent who you are) keep in mind I am here to help. Enquire or book in for a Wardrobe Overhaul here

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