Why we lose our Autumn / Winter style, and how to find it again?
Autumn feels imminent here in Cambridgeshire, as I sit at my desk watching the leaves fall, and it always causes quite a commotion amongst my clients- both those new to The Charlotte Edit & my incredible regular ladies. As a Personal Stylist, whenever the seasons change, I get inundated with emails & messages from ladies panicking about not liking their style or what’s hanging in their wardrobes anymore, not knowing what to wear with what & pretty much hating everything they own. Any of this sound familiar?! Of course not if we’ve had an Edit together recently!
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I think the period of throwing a coat on because it’s pouring during the morning school run, to wearing your sunglasses & arms out for afternoon school run in the warm afternoons is in full swing (I get caught out many a time, particularly Personal Shopping where I get warm at the best of times). So how can we focus on our true Autumn / Winter clothing?
Let’s start with why it is we suddenly hate everything in our wardrobes at the start of each new season, even I want a refresh this season, so where to start? I strongly believe it isn’t just because of the seasonal weather changing, but usually changes within ourselves as we are constantly evolving (and how great is that); we have personal shifts & developments within our lives, social changes & personal growth all naturally feeding into our desire to develop our personal style. BUT instead of embracing this desire with excitement, we usually get panicked or defeated. We can’t see what we do / don’t like (usually because there is an overwhelming amount to deal with) & more often than not, blame our bodies for changing in some way or another. As a result, we are lost & feeling down and ask “what am I supposed to wear now?” and the dreaded dilemma of “I’ve got nothing to wear” creeps in”. Sound familiar in any way?
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After Spring & Summer it isn’t unusual to forget how to get ourselves dressed; layering is always a tricky one when we don’t want to feel bulky, creating looks that work with our heavier coats isn’t so easy, and accessorising our Autumn looks with our accessories (if we have them) to be in-keeping with our personal style.
Then there are the shops. The overwhelming styles, colours, shapes & fits give us so many decisions to make, and we often get decision fatigue and give up, right? All of which often prevent us from thinking logically about what we actually need to create looks which work for our current lifestyle, our current bodies, what we actually want to buy, and enjoy wearing and most importantly how we want to feel when wearing our clothes.
So how do we shake off this feeling of losing our style & break out of the rut with excitement & confidence? Book in with me of course; my role as a Personal Stylist means that I can help you tackle that shattering feeling of having lost your way (style-wise) and although it sounds a little cold, remember I have no emotional attachment to your garments. I use logic and rational to work out what suits you, what you love and what no longer has a place in your wardrobe. But in the meantime, here are some simple solutions to start you off:
Do you know your style foundations? The colours that suit you, particularly for the season ahead; if the shops are full on burgundy for example, but burgundy dulls your skin & emphasises any redness, you know you can avoid those pieces and focus on others that give you skin a glow
Checking in with your body shape; it may have changed slightly since last season, therefore you may need to look to different fits, fabrics & shapes of clothes for your frame.
When was your last bra fit? Everything looks better once your bust is sitting where it is meant to be ladies
Do you have some style inspiration that is based on your style personality to look to and feel inspired by? Why not make yourself a Pinterest board? It is super easy to do, and will really help you to focus on styles and outfits you really like that can be easily kept on your phone for when you are out shopping.
Source: Pinterest
Time for a wardrobe cleanse, its really is better to have less in your wardrobe (not a capsule wardrobe, but a considered wardrobe) to ease the overwhelm and decision fatigue when getting dressed everyday, particularly on school run days when we don’t need to add more stress into the mix right?
Outfit build with your own wardrobe or, again, call me as this is my FAVOURITE thing to do. What do I mean? Take out each item and work out what it goes with including accessories, belts, footwear & a jacket or coat. Do this for as many items as you can and keep a file of photos on your phone to refer back to. As you do this you will notice what could be potential gaps in the wardrobe which easily curates your new season shopping list. This list can then be your guide to your Autumn shopping when you do decide to head to the shops, and you’ll know what you need to make your wardrobe work harder, and easier, for you.
It doesn’t have to be a huge task, one that can be done in stages as the weather changes and the shops gradually stock up the new seasons ranges. Remember that having great basics is the first priority, knowing everything in your wardrobe fits & works for you is a very close second, and thirdly going shopping with intent & purpose will ease the overwhelm and distractions ( people get paid a lot of money to encourage you to buy items you really don’t need).
Don’t forget, I am always here to help at any stage of these processes so talk to me (a chat is totally free) if it’s all a little overwhelming or you are feeling too lost. Clothes can be great, they can make us feel amazing, confident & happy, but equally deplete our energy & make us feel incredibly down which we don’t want, and I certainly never want anyone to feel like this.