Your Colour and Style

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Get the right wardrobe

The change in weather means only one thing …

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The change in weather means only one thing … your warmer clothes need to come out again!

But, what if when you try them on they are a bit tight? What are your options?

  • Buy new bigger sizes?
  • Try to slim into them (eat less / exercise more)?
  • Have your favourites altered?

Buying new

Have you noticed how some clothes make you look slimmer and some really don’t flatter? If you struggle to get the flattering ones all the time, please contact me to discuss how to nail this every time.  (I really do make shopping easier; here’s one example of how!)

Of course, you may not want to spend a lot of money on new clothes if you think your increased size is going to be temporary, so you might like to shop in charity shops or online (Ebay, Vinted etc). You can find some absolute treasures there, and I help people find them there as well as brand new in shops.  (I have some tips on ‘recycling’ clothes here, too).

Slim

How realistic is this with Christmas on the horizon? Well, if you are determined it could be the answer. You can certainly feel excess through your clothes. You don’t have to watch the scales!

Alterations

This might be your last resort, and not one that people generally think about. If you find a good dressmaker, they can work wonders with your favourite (or expensive) pieces. If you need inspiration about what can be done with something, please get in touch. Although I am not a dressmaker myself, I do have ideas that you might not. Plus I can input what will suit you from a body shape and clothing personality point of view, not just from the colour perspective. Worth a conversation before you let go of something and regret it later.

Letting go

Of course, you could let go of something either for free or to sell on. If you loved something, my advice before you do this is to at least take a photo of it, so you can recreate something in future if you ever want another one, and you can have it in a different material, colour, etc if you have it made.

If you want any help with your wardrobe, please contact me. It may surprise you what I can suggest, and what compliments are waiting for you.

 

A final thought but we tend to see more static in our hair and clothes at this time of year, too.  If you want to read my tips on how to help prevent this, try this article.

Wardrobe lessons

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Not taking the easy route

I recently offered to clear my late mother’s clothes. It was a joyful experience, as I had time to remember her in some of the clothes that I had seen her wear, and to reflect on a long and fortunate life. She enjoyed shopping for new things and using them.

My sister suggested I spend less time sorting them all and just take them to charity shops to be done with it. Clothes mean more to me than items to wear. They represent that person – their choice of what to wear in terms of colour and style, likes and dislikes. They tell a story of that person. My mum had never asked me to colour-analyse her (she believed that she knew what suited her), and being a jolly person who loved colour, she certainly had a variety of plain and different patterns in what I would describe as “all seasons” colours.

Although I believe everyone is unique, and they need to find their clothes to represent their personality, I also believe in recycling. It’s like when you’re looking at something on-line and now a pop up appears telling you x number of people have viewed that in the last 10 minutes! Where we don’t often think to have our clothes bespoke or make our own any more (well, most people don’t as it is no longer time or cost-effective), we do need to buy off the shelf from the range on offer, and that is going to mean that similar people will be buying the same item, even though they may have different lifestyles or personalities.

Recycling must happen

Mum’s clothes need to be found new loving homes to continue their story. They are too lovely to not land in the right people’s hands. I intend to make that happen, and there will be more blogs and information about that in the near future, especially as lots of them are summer fabrics. I am currently washing and tending to them to prepare them for their new owners…

5 reflections on wardrobe sorting

I have learned a lot through reflecting on her wardrobe contents, and how I found everything, but it also reminded me of key aims for my clients, such as:

  • If you organise your wardrobe somehow, you will avoid unnecessary duplication.
  • If you are able to see everything you have, you will wear it, and not forget you have it.
  • Hangers are important. Getting the right hanger for the task is vital: consider the hanging space, garment material, and shape and size of hanger.
  • Buying pieces that are laundry-friendly for you is as important as the colour and style. (If you have to have things dry-cleaned or ironed, and this is too much effort, you will not bother and therefore not love and wear them.)
  • We are psychologically invested in our clothes, whether we realise that or not. Of course there are practicalities, like how much space we have for these items in our lives, but clothes are so much more than “items to wear”. When we understand how our choice of clothing and presentation represents us, and what messages we are delivering, we can enjoy being ourselves more and being confident that we are dressing how we should.

If you would like to learn what comes of this wardrobe-emptying exercise, keep tuned, or get in touch with me. It’s going to be awesome!

What a delight! Carole needs bright!

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I met Carole earlier in 2020, when she'd just started her business as a 'Virtual Office Manager'. She seemed lovely (just the type of person who I'd love to work with). I kept meeting her at different events throughout the year. She saw one of my posts, which prompted a conversation about colour analysis, and you can read Carole's story about what happened from her perspective over on her website:

www.caaadmin.com/new-blog/colour-your-life-with-change

I was really delighted to help Carole examine her wardrobe in a new light. She now knows she needs light, 'warm' and bright colours to light her up and make her look younger and healthier. She's happier in her clothes too, and enjoying quite a lot of compliments from what she tells me! Funnily enough, she already had some great pieces in her wardrobe to work with, and can now be more confident to wear them.

What do you think?

Carole's "before" photo, wearing darker colours she now knows to avoid.

Carole's "after" photo: with blue and pink already in her wardrobe.

Carole wearing a black cardigan over a grey cami
Carole's "after" picture

Carole's colour analysis was conducted in September using the 'remote' process I devised during the Coronavirus 'lockdown' in March. My process is to post a goody bag of essentials to my client. When they receive it, a two hour Zoom call is set up. After that a one hour meeting is held at the client's home to finish off the process when allowed, and it can be safely conducted. The process includes information about the make-up and clothes you already own, and a wallet of 30 colours to represent your "season", if the process can be concluded this way. (I cannot guarantee it will work over the internet as there are some variables like lighting and screen colours. If I cannot be sure of the result I will tell you and we can make alternative arrangements, or you can have your money back.)

If you would be interested to find out how £150 investment in yourself can improve your life, please contact me on the number below. I look forward to your call or email!

Fiona

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722 / fiona.yourcolourandstyle@gmail.com