These days we talk a lot about sustainability and of course with good reason I may add.
I realised that this is exactly what I have been doing for years when working with my clients.
Some of my clients have been quite surprised when I tell them to organize and shop in their own wardrobe before going shopping.
I’d like to explain how I work and why I see Personal Styling as something we all can gain from, not to mention Planet Earth.
I’m an Image Stylist / Image Consultant. Often people assume that a stylist’s work is just about fashion.
But I’m just creating the foundation, giving my clients the tools to work on their personal style.
I want my client to find her own style/way
Whether she has a passion for fashion and trends or not, is not important to me. Important to me is her, the client. I want her to take a good look at herself, figure out what she likes and what makes her feel comfortable.
When she feels comfortable in what she is wearing she signals confidence and that is the trick.
Of course we talk about colours and go through a lot of scarves, as well as making combinations for all kind of occasions, etc…
We talk about optical illusions, different styles, analysing how to get in the right direction to make sure she finds her unique personal style to exactly express her personality.
We analyse her bodylines (straight/curvy), her body proportions (length of legs, width of shoulders etc.) to find the perfect cut and style for her. NO measuring tape though!
It is a journey making her outside match her inside, fashion or not!
After working together on colours and style, we go through her wardrobe. We start by organising clothes in piles: for charity (the mistakes, too small, too big, too old), to have tailored, etc…
About the charity pile: We’ll think sustainability. She can sell it online or in second hand shops, give it to friend or give it to charity (plenty of options).
After tidying up we talk about how to organise the wardrobe. Does she want shirts next to shirts, trousers next to trousers, or does she want a business section and a casual section? It can be done in hundreds of different ways – it just has to suit her and her lifestyle.
When the wardrobe is organised we go shopping… in her wardrobe! We’ll find key pieces and new combinations. After weeding pieces out it is so much easier to figure out if she really needs to purchase something new. Maybe a skirt or a new jacket could add value for a lot of new combinations with the remaining clothes.
Sometimes we make her a need-to-have list, so that if she has the urge to shop, she knows what to look for and doesn’t get distracted by comfort shopping.
She now knows her colours, her style and can remember what’s in her wardrobe, which also makes it easier when shopping in the future. New clothes should match the clothes in her wardrobe.
I advise avoiding comfort shopping as these items often just end up hanging around and not being used.
A little tip: when tempted by something new, put the money in an envelope instead and make your own little savings. After a while you will have enough money in the envelope to buy yourself something nice.
Hopefully you will find something good quality and produced in a more sustainable way.
We all need clothes and we should not stop buying clothes at all, we just need to think about how we do it! Buy better, feel and look better!
Please contact me for more information www.image-style.dk
This blog is inspired from a talk I had with Katharina Andrés – she is working for sustainable companies and organisations. Feel free to have a peek here.
(Written by Anne Byjerg)