Does your Look match your life? - Advice from a Professional Stylist

As a personal stylist, I have worked with clients of all ages and backgrounds that find navigating life transitions with their personal style choices to be both exciting and challenging. The excitement comes from the opportunity to define our fashion choices on our own terms versus the dictations and labels of times past, however, significant life changes, such as career hurdles, becoming a parent, divorce, or health issues can add additional layers of uncertainty when it comes to self expression that energizes our spirit while remaining functional. How do we transition our wardrobe to keep up with our dynamic lives?

Our body and lifestyle changes certainly impact our fashion choices, but this doesn't mean we have to sacrifice our style or confidence. Instead, we can embrace our evolving style and feel confident in our clothes. When I am working with clients using my Styling With Purpose method, I create a clear plan for women looking for a path to reclaim their style and closets at any age. These same guidelines will work for you.  

Know Your Vision

An honest assessment of where we are in our lives, from our attitudes and beliefs, to our daily activities and styles that appeal to us, is key in attaining the wardrobe and style that resonates with us. I cannot emphasize enough how critical this step really is and how often it is overlooked. Simply making a list of words you want to use to describe your style, writing out your daily activities to determine your wardrobe needs, and creating a vision board, either digitally or physically, will ensure the actions you take are in alignment with the end result you are looking to achieve.  

Allow your imagination to wander and explore colors, textures, prints, and silhouettes that you may have shied away from before. Age, size, budget, and the expectations of others should never be a factor in deciding what you love. These factors can be made to work to your advantage down the line, but the focus of knowing your vision is to fully embrace the transitions you have made up until this point and honoring that you are right where you need to be in this moment.

Assess Your Current Wardrobe

Going through your wardrobe piece by piece can seem like a daunting process at first, however, there are ways of making it easy. Know that it does not all have to be completed in one sitting. Pick a drawer, a section of your closet, or a bin, and decide to work on that area first. When you see how satisfying the process is, it will encourage you to tackle other areas of your wardrobe bit by bit until you take a step back and see all the progress you have made.  

Exploring the unique finds in your wardrobe, from pieces that remind us of special occasions to laughable trends of times past, will help us unpack our emotions around the items we collect while also showing us what we need to acquire, return, replace, donate, consign, or store away. 

I always suggest grabbing a few friends and making a fun Sunday afternoon of it as it is in the company of the people that support us and energize our spirits where magic happens. They will also ensure you remain true to your vision and lifestyle needs which you will have a clear picture of by this stage. 

Know Your Body

What does it mean to know your body? This simply means learning what you feel good wearing and what is not serving you.  Understanding proportions by taking key measurements will influence the characteristics you look for in garments and accessories when analyzing pieces you currently own and when shopping for new pieces. These key measurements include shoulder width, bust, rib cage, waist, and hip measurements. They will be your guide as to how to pair garments together for a cohesive and flattering look. This is a no judgment, love yourself fully zone and any inner critic needs to be sent on her way.  

Determining the colors that enhance your overall appearance can be as simple as placing color cards next to your face, sans makeup, to see what resonates with you, or as thorough as a complete color analysis with the aid of a professional. Your measurements and color guide will be factors in the garments and accessories you experiment with to achieve your style goals. Keeping an open mind throughout this process and trying new pieces and pairings will be extremely beneficial in breaking out of old modes of dress and transitioning into a style that is authentic to you now.

Did Someone Say Shopping?

The smell of soft baked pretzels threatening to add inches to your waistline, piles of ill fitting clothes on tables, and sweaty fitting rooms will make anyone think twice before entering a mall, not to mention hours of aimless online shopping that leaves us feeling despondent and discouraged. This can be easily avoided, however, by having a shopping list of what you need and which garments to look for based on your wardrobe analysis and knowing your body.  

Look for sizes that correspond with your measurements when shopping online, keep abreast of consistent reviews about pieces that run large or small, and purchase only that which is in alignment with your vision and lifestyle needs.  Be open to trying different sizes and using your vision board as a guide when styling looks to help you achieve your favorite outfits. Practice makes perfect so keep shopping trips focused, stay hydrated, and bring a friend for a  more positive and productive experience.  

Getting items altered or repaired as soon as possible will ensure you are able to wear them sooner rather than later and keep your closet organized. This will result in dressing with excitement for every occasion in your life and ultimately allow your confidence to shine through everywhere you go.

If you would like to learn even more, receive guidance from experts and be part of a supportive community, visit www.youhavearrived.net .

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