ME: “I can’t go out. I don’t have ANYTHING to wear!’
BOYFRIEND: “you have heaps of clothes; how can you not have anything to wear?”
Sound familiar? It has taken me the best part of my 38-year-old life to sort myself out AND my wardrobe.
I’ve never really been one for fashion. I’ve tried different styles and tried to follow the trends, but it just never felt right. Sure, there were moments when I would get the opportunity to dress up really nice for a wedding or something, but that was easy. It was a one off. Find a dress, wear it once and let the dress hang in the wardrobe for another occasion. Preferably one with a different crowd of people, because you can’t be seen wearing the same dress twice!
Let’s rewind to 1995.
I quit school half way through year 11 and got a full time job. I’d just turned 16 and I was making $165.00 a week. Yes, kids, that is not a typo. I was paid $165.00 for a 38-hour week answering phones and stuffing envelopes. But I LOVED getting my pay packet at the end of the week. It was all CASH and it was all mine.
My best friend at the time did the same thing. We were young cashed up teenagers, still living with our parents which meant no expenses. So every Friday night we’d catch the train into the City and go shopping. By the end of that year I had a wardrobe FULL of the same type of jeans, tops, skirts and pants. Yet still nothing that really made me feel comfortable let alone fashionable. And nothing that really reflected my true identity. I just bought stuff because it was on trend and I had the money.
Fast forward to 2018.
YouTube is my now my best friend. Let me explain. I was at the point where I was seriously thinking of spending some big bucks on a personal stylist. Since rebranding my jewellery business this year, I was forced to discover things about myself. Like literally forced. There was a complete module on this in the jewellery business course that I did. It was very intense and there may have been a few tears. I not only discovered things about me creatively but emotionally as well. To be the brand, you have to live the brand. Everything that MY jewellery business represents, is ME. This has been one of my greatest revelations for growth and self-discovery.
I knew I needed to step up my style game to live my brand, but how? Given my past fashion faux pas and having no clue where to start, I remembered my new bestie, YouTube. I typed in: “what jeans best suit my body type”? A whole list of videos was presented. Huh? And all this time I thought being of small skinny build my jeans type would be skinny jeans, right? Wrong! Apparently I’m a classic hourglass body type (it’s true, I did the measurements…bust, waist and hips). The jeans best suited for me are high waist boot cut. Then I watched video after video on styling for boot cut jeans, jackets and tops, all designed for a classic hourglass body type. I created a Pinterest board (highly recommended) and wrote out a shopping list.
My wardrobe is the best it has ever been!
I have ONE pair of jeans. The right pair! A classic pair of black pointed-toe pumps. Quality T-Shirts in grey, white and black (one of each, ladies). A classic white button up shirt and a stylish black casual jacket. These items are just the foundation. But so far, so good. Styled up with some statement jewellery and I’m on point. I’m comfortable, I’m stylish and more importantly, this is me! Classic, timeless, comfortable and confident.
See how my legs look more proportioned in the ticked photo? no more chicken legs for this hen!!
Check out my pinterest board HERE