Hence my 'More Style Secrets' blog concentrates on common issues we all face in 'Dressing the body we have- not the one we want to have'
All 3 personal clients had very different natural colouring , body shapes, lifestyles,working environments and job roles. The common denominator was that they were all professional business owners/ managers, who all had some issues in creating a business or personal brand that suited their image and reflected their business ambition. Each wanted to create an image that was not 'too formal' or 'suited and booted', yet wanted to create a professional, yet flexible appearance that would be conducive and acceptable when working in the corporate/ group situation or in a one to one/ counselling/ coaching role. Additionally, all wanted to be perceived as friendly, approachable and needed to quickly build rapport with their clients, to build trust and develop those very special, long lasting business relationships.
Each client came to me to use different services:
- one wanted a colour consultation and a solution to previously always wearing black for business;
- another requested a style consultation and really struggled with creating a less formal alternative to the 'suited and booted' look;
- the third received my first bespoke ' shop your wardrobe experience' (an alternative in these harsh economic times, to having a personal shopper service and buying new clothes), where we looked at the existing contents of her wardrobe and created new outfits and exciting colour combinations for her to wear to deliver some forthcoming important business presentations. Another challenge we faced was that she was a wheelchair user with some physical and mobility limitations, and often struggled to get clothes to fit, yet still wanted to be stylish and make an impact on her audience by using colour to great effect.
My thanks goes to each of them, in providing me with the examples I needed for this blog. All provided real life examples of the different challenges we all face in life, work and business.
The following style tips are very general and very brief, but are commonly shared by many of us:
- Try and create the illusion of an hourglass figure- even if you are not that shape.
- If you are very curvy/ have a large bottom, avoid jeans or trousers with rear pockets or detail/ embroidery- it will only draw attention to the parts you may wish to minimize.
- If you have curves/ large tummy, avoid detail or front zips and aim for side openings/ hidden zips and create a sleek silhouette.
- If you have no waist, try and create the illusion of a waist- by drawing attention by using belts or by wearing dresses/ tops with draped fabric in the waist area.
- If you are wider at the shoulders , draw attention down to the hips by adding detail or decorations and create the illusion of wider hips to balance the body
- Use colour blocking to shorten or lengthen the body- use of vertical stripes helps to lengthen the body; horizontal stripes or bands can shorten or widen the body.
- If you have thick calves/ plump ankles avoid ankle straps on shoes.
- Size and scale of fabric patterns should take account of the scale of your body- smaller prints on petites, medium size on average scales, larger patterns on grand scales etc.
- Similarly wear accessories that complement your scale and body shape and reflect your personality.
Finally for a bit of fun, please describe your favourite everyday handbag- What size, shape, colour is it? Why did you buy it?
In my next blog I will attempt to reveal the responses to the questions posed.
'What does your handbag say about you?'
