Twenty years - younger or older?

I don't believe in bringing people down, it serves no purpose and reflects more on the person who's doing the criticising.  However, reality checks are necessary in order to make sure that we're on course for where we want to go and not drifting off on a tangent.  Which brings me to the lady aged 50 plus (read "plus, plus") walking along on Saturday afternoon wearing pumps, black leggings and a rara skirt. If she'd worn the pumps she'd have looked good.  If she'd worn the pumps and the leggings she would have been pushing the boundaries but may have got away with it. But to add the rara skirt was just too far off course.  This lady had a youthful  figure and looked like great fun but wearing an outfit that only a teenager should wear made her look far older.  On the other hand I've also worked with younger clients who have dressed in a more matronly manner - their outfits have sapped the fun and energy out of them, leaving them feeling older and burdened.

The moral of these stories?  Follow your instinct, have fun - but every now and take a quick reality check and make sure that your clothes are conveying energy and drive rather than yearning for a previous, or future, life stage.

Clothe yourself with value

I believe that the beauty and confidence of a person is founded on their acceptance of her/him self.  Developing your style and wardrobe will be a continuing process that can occur after you have explored and accepted who and what are of value to you in life.  If you recognise that changes have to occur before you can happily accept who you are then make those changes.  Only then will it be possible to develop your appearance to happily reflect yourself.  Otherwise you'll continually look to change your appearance or not bother with your appearance at all...

Leaving connections to chance?

We breathe continually without making a conscious decision to breathe - it just happens.  Does style just happen?  Sometimes, and many people live in hope that today will be one of the days where style just happens to them and lets them connect to the people they want to be closer to - whether that's their partner, the colleagues they work with or the students they teach.  

But the smart folk don't leave it to chance, they find out why certain outfits will work for them, why the choice of colours, lapels or cuts of clothes will help them to connect with specific people.  Then they use that knowledge to make the connection.

Don't leave your non-verbal communication to chance.  Know that the clothes you wear do make a massive difference to how folk relate to you. Use your appearance to make the connection.

Revamp Your Summer Wardrobe Workshop

The Renideo workshop at Totty Rocks in Edinburgh last Thursday was a wonderful opportunity for like-minded women to meet and consider how to put a capsule wardrobe together for the summer months.  Not only did we learn new tips for our wardrobes but we enjoyed meeting new friends and sharing tips on where to find outfits for summer weddings.  
Eyebrow threading expert Ling Wi was on hand to prove how easy it is to create structure within our faces, even when we're wearing minimal summer make up.  Everyone left with beautifully shaped eyebrows without one hint of pain!  
Samples from luxury skincare brand, Nude, were given to all who came along and Serenity in the City provided vouchers for everyone to visit their little spot of zen in the centre of Edinburgh to have a file and polish.
It was fabulous to get thank you notes, comments included,


"Thanks for a great evening on Thursday. I had been working a 12 hour shift, and really struggled to get away in time, however your evening was really enjoyable and a great way to destress and unwind, and hopefully pick up some hints and tips at the same time.
Look forward to the next one"


"I can see us all looking forward to the 'autumn wardrobe' session!!"


"Thanks again for a lovely evening, we really enjoyed it and learned alot of good tips.... Its always good to get a head start. Thanks again and have a good summer."

"I really enjoyed the evening - so thank you for inviting me. Perhaps we could have another one in the run up to winter and do our winter capsule wardrobe?"

 

Take charge of your wardrobe.

The foundation of fashion isn't built on slim, tall, beautiful, young people but on those of us who feel that we should be slim or tall or beautiful or young. Fashion feeds on constantly creating a lack. A lack of new styles of clothes, accessories, skincare and make up as well as a lack of self esteem. It's fun to be creative with our appearance to add something new and see how it changes how we look and are perceived but it can also be time consuming, costly and frustrating. A style coach will not necessarily come from a background of fashion or retail, in fact it's best if the coach hasn't been affected by the fashion bullies who insist on telling us how short or long hemlines should be and whether shoulder pads are in or out. However, we ignore trends at our peril, instantly communicating that we're not aware of the contemporary world in which we operate.

Therefore, a style coach will work alongside clients, learning what the client's individual lifestyle requires from their wardrobe as well as helping the client build a clear picture of what he or she would enjoy wearing. Tools used within life coaching are modified to help the clients do this easily and take ownership of their style development rather than "be styled". Stylists will often leave a client feeling inadequate, a style coach will only have done their job well if their clients leave feeling empowered and confident about the clothes that they choose to buy and wear.

Colleagues

This will sound quite a strange question and definitely like a marketing ploy but I'm intrigued to find out why so many of my clients are genuinely lovely people?  Yes, they pay me money so I  recognise that I could be biased but I genuinely find my clients are people who enjoy so many parts of life that clothes can often be a hindrance.  Something that gets in the way of doing all the other great things that are there to enjoy.  I'm writing a profile for a client this morning who is accomplished in many areas of life.  I really enjoyed working with him as we considered how his wardrobe could reflect his interests and drive in way that he felt comfortable.  He didn't want to brag, yet often felt frustrated with his clothes.  So he paid me to come and sort out his wardrobe allowing him to get on with all those other wonderful parts of his life.  My clients aren't looking to be fashionable, although many want to include contemporary elements within their wardrobe, but they are looking to make EVERY part of life enjoyable - including opening the wardrobe doors every morning!  
I'm incredibly lucky to meet so many people who teach and inspire me as I work with them.  
Wishing you inspiration and motivation in your work today.

Accept your body shape

I was very fortunate last night to be treated to an evening watching Wayne McGregor's Random Dance. If you have the chance to see it then don't hesitate, a fantastic experience. However, the uniformity of the minimal outfits that each dancer wore was an illustration of how each of us enjoys a completely unique figure.  Each of these dancers must spend a large amount of time practising dance moves as well as exercising to build strength and stamina so we quite rightfully expect to see similar slender, well-toned figures.  What was more surprising to see last night was that while many dancers are quite flat chested others have curvaceous busts.  Boyish hips and flat bottoms were apparent but so were feminine curves and rounded buttocks. 

Yesterday I spent time with a client as we considered her body shape before carrying out a wardrobe edit.  She had enjoyed a boyish figure in her teens and now in her 20's was disparaging about her rounded feminine figure, feeling that she had "gained inevitable weight" as she had grown older.  Together we explored how her figure had changed and all the benefits and new opportunities her curves now presented for new outfits. Slowly she recognised that she hadn't gained weight but had developed her figure and she looked at her wardrobe as an opportunity to celebrate these changes.  There are some aspects of our figures, that no matter how rigorous our exercise regime, are an integral part of who we are.  We can only gain confidence and liberation by accepting each element of our figures and dressing to celebrate our bodies not punish them.