How do I create outfits that respect my natural style, my soft cool light colouring and my curvy X shape body with the season of winter.
How do I feel stylish and comfortable at work – I need to be able to walk easily, but sneakers are not an option at the office, I’m also a very top-heavy body shape (2 sizes different top to bottom)?
Have you lost your sense of style or feel like you never had one?
What is a Signature Style Anyway?
It can be a look that is almost like a uniform, think Vogue editor Anna Wintour (signature bob, frock and sunglasses), or Ellen Degeneres (pants, shirt and sweater or vest), or Jackie Kennedy Onassis – where you can pretty much guess what they will wear each day. It’s a very defined look if you go for the uniform version.
My biggest problem with my style is that I seem to have lost it! I began dressing casually when I had kids and I just never seemed to get my flair back. I am also a theatre nurse so when I go to work I get changed into my “pajamas”. So I haven’t put much effort into how I look as I just get changed. I guess I’ve just lost my spark and aren’t sure how to get it back. I see lots of stuff I like but at 51 I’m not sure what works for me and I find it easier to just fall back into track pants/active wear.
If I wanted to put it in a nutshell, my biggest style struggle is overwhelm. I’ve been told that my colouring is Clear and deep winter, and true winter and bright spring and vivid winter and so I’m totally confused and then as far as body shape goes there are so many systems, from Kibbe to Trinny and Susannah (What not to wear) and so many more. I’m so confused I don’t know who to believe and what to do. I wish had the self-confidence to dress with certainty rather than always feeling confused about what is right.
In This Episode 0.08 If you want to wear analogous colours how can you get your colour contrast if you are medium-high colour contrast? 2.21 Silhouettes are changing in fashion and new proportions are key to looking current’…I’d love to hear your perspective. How can we stay true to our own personal style without being…
In This Episode 0.10 My lifestyle is very casual and my personal style is relaxed/romantic/classical. While relaxed is easy to style as casual. how do I add romantic and classical elements to my outfits? Do I use specific colors? Warm pinks maybe? Specific shapes in Jewelry or shoes? 3.38 Could you share about finding a…
I called my blog Inside Out Style because I’ve found when you align your outside with your personality – who you are on the inside – you feel your most comfortable and confident. That said, not every day do we feel like the best version of ourselves which led me to think about Outside In style (and Inside Out style in a different context which I’m discussing here.
The relaxed personality style report you sent to me is 100% me but little of my wardrobe reflects that. I have recently retired at 66. I haven’t really transitioned into my style from work clothes, dead easy to buy, Reiss and Hobbs and silk blouses, these still fill my wardrobe yet are unworn. I’m slobbing around in shorts and tees hirts or black leggings. When I pluck up courage to go shopping I can’t decide what to buy, I dislike buying on line as depending on brand and cut I might be an 8 or a 10. Often I am overwhelmed by choice. So really where do I start?
My biggest problem is I am short (1m58), curvy (but not curvy enough to fit in plus-size models) and that’s sometimes hard to find. Help
Footwear issues: what to wear with each kind of outfit? I can’t wear heels because of a bad back and I never know what type of shoe to wear that is both stylish and season appropriate (warm in winter. etc) and what kind of leg covering goes with what: leggings and socks, just socks, foot leggings, what? The regular panty hose is not warm enough for the cold winters in my region.
How do you know which is which so that you love what you buy rather than realise that it’s “just not me”?
Where do you get the inspiration for your personal style from? In this video Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss the idea of style inspiration. As the inimitable Dolly Parton (one of the most authentic people around) says: “Know who you are, and do it on purpose” What Inspires Your Style?…
What is Authentic Style It’s one of my central principals as my aim in life is to help you find a style that is authentic to you, It’s why I don’t do lots of “you must buy this garment” posts because just buying what I wear or what I recommend is unlikely to be authentic…
Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss aspects of shopping for clothes that you may never have thought of before in this video. What is really going on with ourselves psychologically when we are shopping? All of Us Shop Some of us have a good relationship with shopping, whilst others have a more…
This is an interesting question as I’ve heard persuasive arguments for both options. Which would you rather be? Underdressed or Overdressed? Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss this topic in this video. The Underdressed to Overdressed Continuum and Personality Type This isn’t a black and white question, as really the overdressed…
Do you ever think about having a future-focused wardrobe? It’s something that will occur to some of us, and for others, it’s something that feels like a completely foreign concept. When you think about your current wardrobe, every single thing in there is based on a decision that happened in history (even if you just…
Are you in a style rut? They have been pretty common after the pandemic lockdowns as there wasn’t a need to get dressed up. Then we can get out of the habit of getting dressed up or just feeling conspicuous as everyone else is still dressing down in their activewear. The lack of being able…
Do you have a preference in your life for things to remain more stable or to have more variety and difference? What’s interesting, is that this may influence your wardrobe choices as well as other choices in your life. Discover How Your Personality Type May Influence Your Style and Need for Either Stability or Variety…
How much do you want your style to blend in or stand out? Do you want to be the focus of attention or to disappear into the background? Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss this in the video. Watch the Video on Blending in or Standing out with your Style This is…
What does playing it safe with your style mean to you? Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss this in the video below and link it to personality type. Do you want to stand out or blend in? Do you naturally want to play it safe? It feels comfortable? or Do you feel…
One reason there are so many mistakes are made shopping for clothes, and why so many have a wardrobe full of clothes yet nothing to wear, or just feel dissatisfied with our style is that we haven’t defined the starting point to your style. Just like when you plan any journey, you need to know your starting point before you can plan your route. The same can be said for your style, if you don’t know where you are now, and what your criteria are that you need to focus on to make the best shopping decisions.
It’s not what is the same, it’s what is different, and we often perceive those differences as flaws to be hidden not uniqueness to be celebrated. It’s time to embrace the Japanese concept of Kintsugi and taken what you perceive to be broken and instead realise how resilient you really are and see the beauty in those metaphorical scars.
