One of my close friends has amazing style. She never really thinks about what she’s going to wear. And she never dresses to impress anyone else. She just does her own thing, throwing clothes on in a seemingly random way and looks effortlessly great. But she is an exception. Unless, like her, you are one of the lucky ones and born to it, style takes practise. It just does and is one of the reasons it often takes women until their 40s and upwards to feel more comfortable in what they wear.
Confidence plays a huge part in this but so is understanding the silhouettes that work for your body shape and the colours that suit your complexion. It’s the first thing I explore with my clients. And while there are no hard and fast rules in fashion, I promise you that getting the basics right simplifies and makes the process so much easier.
So how do you get style? It helps to have a uniform. By that I mean having a formula that you can depend on. That doesn’t mean looking the same every day. Most stylish women might wear something two or three days in a row but change the look and feel of the outfit by adding different accessories or shoes. Take a great pair of tailored trousers and wear it formally with heels and a well cut jacket. On another day, wear the same trousers but swap the shoes for trainers, throw on a white T-shirt and denim jacket.
One tip is to set aside a morning or afternoon and try your clothes out in front of the mirror. Don’t think of this as frivolous or a waste of your time. Practise really helps to cement good looks and will pay off in the long run. Have fun with your clothes, experiment with the pieces you might not have worn in an age even if it seems silly. It doesn’t matter if not everything works.
Nobody gets it right first time. And I would urge you to bank any good outfits you put together by taking a selfie. You think you’ll remember but trust me, when you’re in a rush and a bit panicky about what to wear, all that goes out of the window. Having a folder of successful outfits on your phone (or in a small photo album) will be a godsend.
