MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Someone I worked with recently had 23 long sleeve tees in their cupboard – but not a single pair of (decent) pants.

She had two pairs of jeans and a pair of (unflattering) three quarter length cargoes she didn’t like, but wore because she didn’t have anything else.

She felt like she had lots of clothes – but nothing to wear.

Another girl I worked with had a wardrobe full of dresses but when I asked her to show me which shoes she wore with them, she said she didn’t really have any.

She kept collecting the dresses, because she “didn’t like herself in pants” – yet every time she put the dresses on, they didn’t feel right – because the shoes she had to wear with them were dated and daggy.

She felt like she had lots of clothes – but nothing to wear.

One lady had an amazing beaded jacket she bought in a vintage sale (“it was only $50”) but had never worn it because it went with nothing in her wardrobe.

And then another had several pairs of amazing killer heels, (rarely if ever worn because her lifestyle involved going to parks, cafes and kids birthday parties) a couple of pairs of worn to death trainers and not one pair of comfy, modern stylish flats.

Both felt like they had lots of clothes – but nothing to wear.

See a pattern?  There’s big gaps in these wardrobes. That’s why these women feel like they don’t have anything to wear – despite having a lot of clothes.

They keep buying the same thing over and over and then wondering why they can’t put an outfit together.

They’re buying random things, in the hope that it will give them something to wear – but it doesn’t because they don’t have the pieces (often basics) to wear with it.

They haven’t identified what the gaps are in their wardrobe.

They’re buying things that don’t tie in with other things in their wardrobe.

They’re not building on what they already own.

What’s missing from your wardrobe?  Is it a bra or a slip you need to wear under a certain dress; is it a bag you need to complete a particular outfit or is it a great coat you’ve been meaning to buy for five years?

If you keep buying random, spur of the moment purchases, without thinking about what they go with, or whether you really need another one the same as several others in your wardrobe …..you’ll continue to feel like you have nothing to wear.

READ: “What To Do When You Feel Like You Have Nothing To Wear”  here

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

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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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When you’re giving your wardrobe a good edit and clean out, always keep this in mind.

Pieces can be remodeled and reinvented.

A pair of long, wide pants can be slimmed and cropped, a blouse can have the sleeves shortened or removed and just like here, a dress can be made into a skirt.

All that’s required is a creative eye and a clever sewer/tailor.

This dress is available from H & M.

If you don’t really have a creative eye and would like me to help you go through your wardrobe details of my wardrobe styling sessions can be found here 

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When you decide you want to update your style and your wardrobe, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to buy lots of new clothes. Not everyone is in the position to do that.

It might mean reinventing some of the pieces you already have or being creative and coming up with new outfits, that feel fresh and different.

Last week I worked with a lady (reviewing her wardrobe) who had a beautiful dress in a fabric and color she adored, but the shape of it was no longer working for her. Rather than getting rid of it I suggested she have it made into a skirt. She loved the idea. I do it myself with my clothes, when I get bored with something. I might change a sleeve, adjust a length, dye it or in the case of this blazer….swap over the buttons.

You can read what styling services I offer here

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