You’ve probably experienced this without quite naming it. You put on an outfit that’s perfectly “fine” – good fit, flattering colour, nothing technically wrong – and yet it feels a little flat. Then, on another day, you wear something with just a hint of sheen… and suddenly everything feels more elevated. Not overdressed. Not flashy.…
Before You Buy a Single Thing, Do This First Patricia is 80 years young, and she wants to look fabulous again. After five years as a full-time caregiver, she wrote to me asking where to start. Her words: “By necessity, I fell into lots of bad personal care habits, and now I would like to…
The final of my top 10 most Googled personal style questions is “What colours look best on me? I’ve been asked this question more times than I can count. In consult rooms, on comment threads, in DMs at 11pm from women standing in front of their wardrobes having what I can only describe as a…
A lovely reader wrote to me with this fashion issue: “My height and build, which is petite, is my main challenge when it comes to shopping for clothes. Most especially trousers. I’ve bought crop trousers, however, the fit isn’t that good. Tops with V-necks or cro crossover dresses are a problem as the V comes too low.…
Here’s a question I get all the time, and it makes complete sense that you’re asking it: “Imogen, I keep buying things I never wear. What is wrong with me?” Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong with you. But something very interesting is happening in your brain, and once you understand it, you’ll have a much…
A lovely reader recently wrote to me with the following conundrum: “I have smooth, wavy hair, with textured skin and have read your post about how to wear texture when you’re naturally smooth, but as I’m the opposite, I wanted some tips on how to wear smooth fabrics when you’re textured.” Ways to Add Smoothness…
I have been asked this question so many times I could answer it in my sleep. And honestly? That tells you everything. If “business casual” were actually clear, nobody would need to ask. Here’s the uncomfortable truth. “Business casual” and “smart casual” are not dress codes. They are dress code suggestions written by people who…
Lois wrote to me recently with something I hear all the time: “I’ve got too many clothes and I love them all. I need to donate more and I can’t seem to cull them out.” Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Wardrobe overwhelm is one of the most common things my clients come to me with,…
I had a question from Margie recently that I suspect a lot of you will relate to. She’s a Classic style personality living in Texas, where summer temperatures sit in the high 90s to low 100s Fahrenheit, which is roughly high 30s to low 40s Celsius for everyone else. She wanted to know: how do…
You’d think finding a pair of comfortable pants would be straightforward. Something you can move in, bend in, sit on the floor in… and still feel like yourself in. But if you’ve ever stood in a fitting room wondering why everything either feels good or looks good – but never both – you’ll know it’s…
The Most Googled Style Question That Isn’t Really About Style Have you ever typed into Google something on the following lines: How to wear [specific item] (e.g., barrel-leg jeans, sneakers, oversized blazer)… Every day, millions of searches are typed into Google that follow a familiar pattern. How to style a blazer. How to wear an…
There’s a quiet assumption that trips a lot of women up – that feminine style and low-maintenance style sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. That if you love softness, detail, or a more romantic feel, you’re signing yourself up for effort, upkeep, and complexity. But that’s not actually what’s going on. What’s really happening…
In our Top 10 Most Googled Style Questions, the next on our list is “How Can I Dress More Confidently and Powerfully?” It’s an interesting question, as research on confidence suggests that it comes from action and building skill. This is why just following the style formula of someone else, who is not you, won’t…
There was a moment at Australian Fashion Week 2025 where it became impossible to ignore – underwear had officially stepped out from beneath the outfit and into full view. Lace bodysuits worn as tops. Corsetry layered over shirts. Silk slips styled as dresses rather than hidden foundations. And while it might sound like just another…
You don’t actually need more clothes. What you need is a wardrobe that works harder for you. A wardrobe full of clothes that work seamlessly together, rather than separate outfits that you can’t split. Because more clothes rarely solve the problem. They usually make it harder to see all your options, even though having those…
The Wardrobe Problem Nobody Warned You About Nobody tells you, when you are building a career, that you will spend a significant portion of your professional life trying to solve a problem that has no official name. It sits somewhere between “what should I wear to work?” and something considerably more complicated, something closer to:…
Following on in our deep dive into the most commonly Googled style questions is “What are the latest fashion trends and how do I wear them?” It’s an interesting question: as fashion trends change, the older we get, the less aware we often are of them. Yet how we are perceived can be influenced by…
You do not need a wardrobe full of shoes to create stylish, cohesive outfits. In fact, having too many options often makes getting dressed harder, not easier. What matters far more is choosing the right shoes that work across multiple outfits and occasions. When you understand how to match your shoes to your outfit using…
How do I dress for my body shape? is one of the most Googled questions around personal style for women. In fact, I’ve got many of the answers here on Inside Out Style if you want to find out – take my free body shape calculator quiz and download your body shape bible for the…
As a child, I learned to sew. I was lucky, my grandmother taught me to knit, and my step-mother taught me to sew (as she sewed), and I always loved making things (we did a lot of toilet roll craft in our house and for many years had napkin rings covered with wool made from…
“What does my clothing say about me?” is the next in the top 10 list of most Googled style questions. Every morning, after deciding what to wear and donning your outfit, before you have said a single word, you have already made a statement. You have communicated something about who you are, what you value,…
