Style is:
Knowing what shapes look best on you and which do not.
Getting it right, first time….it may be the only chance you get, if the outfit is for a wedding or…..bliss….. meeting Pierce Brosnan.
Making the most of your figure, by highlighting your good points and learning how to conceal your 'imperfections'.
Once you understand these simple rules looking terrific is easy ! Whether you are 18 or 80, when you really understand what suits you, you can interpret any fashion trend. So when you are invited somewhere posh, instead of "what will I wear ?" and answering " I haven't a thing in my wardrobe" ……you too, huh?…….you can take care of this anxiety, not only by knowing what is appropriate but by finding the outfit in your own (probably bulging) wardrobe. If you have lots of clothes but still think you have nothing to wear, the chances are you have built a wardrobe that doesn't suit your lifestyle.
Are you constantly buying clothes, somehow convincing yourself every time that this is THE outfit that will change your life forever ? And if you are not wearing the clothes in your wardrobe, what's happened ? And at what cost? Maybe your clothes have passed their sell-by date? If you are forty plus you will have changed magazines, cars , pubs , restaurants , hairdressers , tvs , carpets and furniture….. and possibly your life partner!….. in the past 15 to 20 years. Why ? Because your taste has changed.
Dump the Oldies
Have YOU changed as your personal taste has? At 40-50 yers of age we are a lifetime away from our 20s but are our clothes reflecting this ? We can ruthlessly chuck out food that has passed it's expiry date, yet we have great difficulty seeing when our clothes have "gone off". They lurk in our wardrobes for years. No dear, they won't improve with age. They just look dated and make you look dated - and older. TIP: If it hasn't moved in the past four years, let it die peacefully. GET RID OF THEM!
Dress for the body you have now. From forty years of age onwards we begin to see the changes - mother's jowls, gran's saggy middle etc. Now is the time to give yourself a break. Stop demanding that it be the body you had 10 years ago. Enjoy it NOW.
The following are some instant tips for making the most of your very own sense of style, ideas for expressing yourself fully:
Enjoy your clothes, even if you're not the size you would like to be. Forget about sizes on clothes - they are only numbers and mean absolutely nothing.
Wear clothes that fit well . Keep trying on clothes until you are happy with the fit.
Find a good dressmaker or "alterations technician"..…doesn't political correctness make you sick?
Revamp your outfits. Sometimes something as simple as changing buttons can totally alter the look of your outfit .
Get comfortable by learning what styles you wear well.
Dressing to suit your shape is all about camouflage.
Draw attention to your best areas by knowing your assets, what they are, and how to focus on them.
Wear colours that match your eyes, skin tone and hair.
Win with Accessories
Learn to accessorise. Many people suffer from accessory panic. Stylish people may wear ordinary, inexpensive clothes, yet their accessories will enhance the total visual impact. Handbags and shoes will work with the outfit, jewellery will flatter, a scarf will bring face and clothes to life. When everything works there is balance.
Start looking for style around you. Observe it in magazines, at the cinema,in the park, at parties. Enjoy it and see how you can make it work for you.
Make a collage of styles and colours you admire. Learn what you find visually attractive and see how you can make it work for you. Do you like solid colours or prints, straight lines or frills? Which look do you prefer - casual or formal? Are you a designer label aficionado or do you like to mix and match ? Do you like to blend in or stand out ? Studying and identifying what you really love will give you so much information about yourself. You can then develop this to enhance your personal style.
Buy yourself a full length mirror and really study yourself. Are you happy with what you see? If you are wearing clothes not suited to you, you will feel and look like you are dressed in someone else's clothes; someone else's identity! If you are not comfortable with yourself, it shows. Look at your eye colour and your hair colour, and see how you can carry them through your clothes.
Match your jewellery size to your body size
Chic designer Paloma Picasso's jewellery was bold, dramatic and very large-scale - just like herself. There was great symmetry between her jewellery and her own looks. So learn to copy your looks. If you are large of whatever , how does your jewellery reflect this ? Repeat your unique colouring in blouses, sweaters, scarves, jackets etc.
Study your eye colour and carry it through your clothing. Colours that enhance your natural colouring will be very striking. They will instantly make you appear more beautiful.
And here's the "Killer" application!
And last but certainly not least. Buy yourself some really nice elegantly sexy underwear and nightwear - whatever age you are! Get rid of all those "greyed" bras and knickers. In fact, dump anything that looks jaded and saggy. Chuck out the laddered tights (pantyhose to low flying Americans *G*) and snagged stockings - they are another item that feel fabulous when upgraded to something more expensive, by the way. Surrender all your tired and weary undies to the undies crematorium! Wearing something precious close to your skin will make you feel so special. And the REAL you deserves the best!
Go on, go for it! You'll wonder why you waited so long.
Keep Making it Better!
Maggie Gibbons is a leading Irish Style and Image Coach & Consultant. She has dressed many well known personalities, and is the weekly Style Presenter on the popular R.T.E. tv show "Open House". She speaks on style matters to many groups and contributes regular articles to several fashion and style magazines.
