What you need to know to create a versatile wardrobe?

Having just had two presentations to groups of ladies over the last week I’ve decided to write blogs about what I talked about, firstly this explains ways of helping you build a versatile wardrobe.  When I say versatile this doesn’t mean it has to have lots of clothes in it, it just needs to be items of clothing that work with other items of clothing that you already have and also pieces and outfits that you can transition through the day if you need to by making some small changes.

In this blog I am going to share some important things you need to know to get this versatile wardrobe happening ;

First up :

Colour;  You need to know what colours suit you, wearing the wrong colour can be unflattering, ageing and it can make you look sallow.  Wearing colour has the most immediate impact when someone looks at you, it’s not the style of the garment it’s the colour…. so, getting it right is important.

We want to see harmony between your hair colour, your eye colour, your skin colour and the colour you are wearing.  It’s also not enough to just say you can wear red, you need to know what sort of red, is it cool or warm?  Also differentiating between muted and clear colours is necessary.  Everyone has shades or variations of every colour and when you know exactly what that is it can cull your shopping by about 30%.. you can scan a shop and go directly towards your best suited colours and walk away from those that don’t suit you.

Style;  May I please highlight here ladies, Style is not about Fashion, it is about YOU!  You could wear the most expensive designer outfit and it just looks terrible –  quite simply because it’s just not YOU!

You need to know the following about yourself :

Your Personality;  Your clothes need to be an expression of you, they need to represent who you are, whether that is a high performing Corporate, a Mum spending time at home running around after toddlers or a person that works a creative lifestyle.  You need to buy clothes that resonate with you.

Your Lifestyle;  Knowing what clothes work for different occasions and the life you lead.  Where do you spend your time and what style of clothing should you wear?  When you are about to make the purchase, ask yourself how many ways can I wear this and how many items of clothing can I match this with?

Your Unique Figure;  It’s important to know what your figure challenges are and your figure highlights.  Remember to wear clothes that fit you today not something that fitted you 20 years ago.  Wearing clothing that are too big shows that you want to hide or you lack confidence.  On the other side, clothes that are too tight perceive you to look like you are kidding yourself with the size of clothes you should wear.  May I point out, everyone has both challenges and highlights to work with.

Creating your perfect wardrobe requires thought, introspection and an understanding of who you are “now”.  The reason I say “now” is because things do change through the years.  Are you holding onto clothes that no longer communicate what you want?  Maybe it’s time to let them go so you can really see what you have in your wardrobe so you can build yourself your perfect wardrobe for you, the you you are today.

One of my favourite parts of my job is working in wardrobes, helping you discover what is working or not working, finding new outfits with what you already have and then giving you ideas of what you can buy to fill spaces or replace items.  If’ you’d like to know more, you can find more detailed information on my website.

Until the next blog… happy Spring days!

Yours in Style,

Johanna-May xx