"How do I elevate my outfit?" has been a common question from all of my clients. We're all heading back into the office, we got promoted and are going back with a new title, we're going to bars and restaurants, art fairs, friends houses, and everything in-between. Soooooo what are we supposed to do when we purged everything from our closet during lockdown? Or we lost or gained weight so nothing fits? We've been living in yoga pants with a ragged tee that we use for gardening so now we're supposed to put on real pants? I don't have any!!
You all are not alone.
I'm here to tell you as a professional personal stylist that there ARE ways to look like you spent an hour getting ready when in reality it took half that!
Sarah and I typically work with clients that are going through a transition whether that's a lifestyle change, new job, coming out from a traumatic situation, divorce, you name it. With that said, our approach is to treat fashion as a self-care item, because it truly is!! If you're having a bad day, you can mask it with clothes. If you're having a great day, you can express that through your clothes. If you're going into a meeting full of powerful men or women, you can dress to impress so you feel empowered! However, remember....they're going through a transition which can be scary. It's typically their first time working with a stylist, or even their first time investing in clothes, for that matter. So, baby steps is key!! But if baby steps are key, how do you REALLY invest in clothing and change your look?? This is what I always instruct my clients to do when I'm not around:
1) Incorporate layers - When weather permits obviously 😉
2) Add in a little color - Baby steps with color would be jewel tones, such as navy, dark green, eggplant, dark red, deep magenta, mustard yellow, rust, etc.
3) Add in a little pattern - When it comes to patterns, I always start with classics like stripes, polka dots, leopard, etc. This one can be a big jump for people. If you're this person, keep it away from your face. Example: shoes, pants, handbag, etc. Also, make sure the pattern is a darker color. If you jump right in with a pattern that's a bright color, you may not like it and people WILL BE able to tell. If you've never noticed, you wear how uncomfortable you really are on your face and in your body language
4) Accessories - From necklaces, to bracelets, earrings, scarves, handbags, to even shoes!
5) Finally, the little finishing touches - Cuff the sleeves on your jacket or pull up the sleeves, front tuck or tie a knot on your tee, cuff your jeans, add some color on your lips, throw on a statement shoe or put on some fun earrings!
If you want an example of what an elevated outfit really looks like, I just did a video on how to change up a simple tee, jeans and flip flops:
I hope these few bullet pointed tips and my video truly help you! If you need additional help, don't forget that I have 30 minute Virtual Consults where you can ask me anything for $1 per minute. If you want more hands-on help, we have a ton of packages at all different price ranges including a new one where it's the ultimate package - Image Consulting!
As always,
**excuse the mess on Pinterest, we're currently revamping it to help all of you 😉
And of course, don't forget to visit the rest of my blog posts!
Until next time,
Melissa