21 Steps to a More Stylish You

Regular readers will know how much I enjoy doing style courses in the hope that one day I will become super stylish! My latest attempt has been the most intensive yet, as it contains 21 steps. At the time of writing I'm on step 15: prints and texture.

The topics covered so far include style personality, lifestyle and age, colour, levels of refinement, style goals, the golden ratio and the ideal silhouette. The on-line course is being run by Sylvia of 40+ Style along with Ruth, who is a UK based stylist. If you click on the link you will find many helpful articles as well as information about joining the Style Club.

Most of us know about colour analysis and have some idea whether we have warm or cool, soft or bright and deep or light colouring. Or do we? Having been told in the past that I was a Winter, more recently the consensus has been that I have warm colouring! I won't mention the make-up consultation that I had on a recent trip to London though, where I was told that I have cool colouring....! Putting that on one side (I'm guessing that I'm a border-line case) my lifestyle is clear, as is my age and body shape. My style personality when I did a style analysis was Natural Gamine, and my own interpretation is colourful casual chic. I think the photo below sums me up well: definitely colourful, obviously casual and hopefully chic.

My lifestyle is very casual as I'm retired, plus I spend a lot of time walking my dog Lisa, going to exercise classes and sitting at my PC writing blog posts, as well as reading other blogs. I do go to the theatre sometimes, as well as dining out with friends, so occasionally I dress up a bit more. I found the step on levels of refinement very helpful, as it described the types of clothes that fit into the five levels. Most of my wardrobe is level two (very casual or sports clothing) and level three (casual or smart casual), with a smattering of level four (very smart daywear or evening wear). 

Another helpful topic was the golden ratio, which is particularly relevant to those of us who are vertically challenged! Even when I buy petite tops, I have to take care that they don't cut me in half, giving me a 50-50 ratio, which can make me look wider and shorter. I often resort to wearing long cardigans or waistcoats (vests) to give me a more flattering silhouette.

The above photo highlights the use of a longer cardigan, plus a column of colour, to create a more flattering shape. I am also using a touch of my favourite red in the scarf plus my bag.

I am in the process of going through my spring and summer wardrobe and already it has become apparent that I have lots of colourful tops and mainly neutral trousers. Not exactly a surprise to those who know me. At the same time, I will be going back to step 13 (closet edit) and step 14 (what's missing?).  All of this has to be completed over the next few weeks, ready for a trip to Paris and London at the beginning of May, with the aim of blending in with all those super stylish Parisians and Londoners!

Accessories for your capsule wardrobe: adding personality

Have you ever worn a necklace or scarf, or tried on a pair of shoes in a shop, and felt that they weren't quite right for you, but you didn't know why? The scarf might be in a colour that flatters you, so why don't you love it? You saw the shoes in a magazine and thought they looked great on the model, so why don't they work for you? The answer in both cases could very well be that they didn't suit your style personality.

Perhaps you have a fairly strict dress code where you work and you feel bored in the clothes that you wear during the week. Maybe you are retired, like me, but want to look a bit more stylish in your jeans and t-shirt "uniform". If you add accessories that reflect your style personality, you will look better and feel happier in your outfits. That is why this topic deserves a post of its own.

Let's assume that you look good in pink. You may decide to buy a pair of shoes to go with your favourite pink necklace, but what style are you going to choose? Here are a few options, some of which may appeal, but I'd be surprised if you love them all, as I've deliberately chosen different styles to suit different style personalities.

My style is colourful casual chic, so I would be drawn to the pair of Vans trainers on the right rather than the high heeled pumps below them. I also like the ballet flats,  as my style recipe includes the words "with a Parisian influence", The boots appeal to the "little bit quirky" part of my style personality, but it would also depend on how comfortable they are to wear! If you are more of a dramatic, you might choose the boots or perhaps the pumps in the centre. Classic personalities would probably lean towards the ballet flats or the loafers at the top.

Pink of course looks better on those of you who have a cool colour palette so it wouldn't be my first choice for accessories, as it wouldn't match my warm neutrals. Orange however would look fine with my brown and camel basics.  The bags below would be better options for anyone with a warm colour palette, though not so good with cooler shades.

I'm sure by now that you've got the hang of this and can see how the bags won't suit everyone's style personality. The two bags on the top row are pretty casual so classic or feminine personalities are more likely to be drawn to one of the bags in the centre. I like the bag in the bottom row on the left, as it is a little bit quirky in my view, however anyone with a strong dramatic personality might find it far too ordinary.  It's all a matter of what appeals to your individual personality.

Have you identified your own style personality? Are you relaxed, feminine or more of a classic? Perhaps you are dramatic, creative, rebellious or even elegant chic. If you're not sure, take a look at my post from last year on Style Personality and in particular the last paragraph.

We've covered colour and personality, but that's not the end of the accessories story. To give you a clue: I'm just over 5 feet tall, so even if I find accessories in a colour that flatters me and a style that suits me, they might not look right on me. Why do you think that is? I'll give you the answer in my next post!

Step 1: Style Personality

First impressions - whether we like it or not - are very important in both work and social situations. How often  have you looked at someone when you first met them and thought: "She looks very confident." or maybe "He seems a bit sloppy."? Come on, be honest!  Of course once you get to know someone really well you may change your mind, but wouldn't it be helpful if the way someone dressed totally expressed their personality?

The first step of Imogen Lamport's 7 Steps to Style system will help you to identify your style personality, which in her system can be a combination of styles and not simply the usual Classic, Dramatic, Romantic and other categories.

Growing up I was very much a tomboy, so when I did the House of Colour style assessment in January last year I wasn't surprised to be told I'm a Natural Gamine. The 7 Steps to Style system has 7 personality types: classic, relaxed, dramatic, creative, rebellious, feminine and elegant chic, but the permutations are endless. I wasn't too surprised to score highly for relaxed followed by elegant chic (I try to be chic even if I don't always succeed!), as that is close to Natural Gamine, however both classic and feminine came next, and I didn't expect that.  It goes to prove that many of us are much more complicated than we realise and it's why one style personality is unlikely to suit everyone.

The above styles are very close to the type of clothes residing in my wardrobe, so the assessment by my House of Colour stylist Fiona was pretty accurate. However it didn't necessarily cover the other elements of my style personality, which I have discovered while doing Imogen's course.

My original style recipe, which I concocted with the help  of others in the 7 Steps to Style facebook group, was "Casual Chic with a dash of Colour and Drama". As with all recipes, it's sometimes good to add other ingredients or swap some for those that suit your taste better. I've decided that I'd like to add some elegance to my wardrobe or be even more ambitious and change my style to "Parisian Casual Chic with a dash  of Colour and Femininity". I  know that colour is very important to me and I will cover that in another post.

If you are unable to invest in the 7 Steps to Style system, you can of course try to define your style personality on your own. There are numerous on-line style personality quizzes, though most are limited in what they can tell you. You may prefer to create a Pinterest board of styles that you love and that you feel would suit you, then analyse them to see if you can come up with your unique style recipe. Look in your wardrobe to find which of your clothes make you feel happy, and decide what elements they have in common.  In my case, not surprisingly, colour is an important element. Once you have a good idea of your own style personality, you can use it as one of the criteria when buying new clothes and accessories. Remember though that this is only step one - there are six more to come!

New Year. New You.

It's a New Year, so all over the world people are making their New Year's resolutions, most of which will have been broken before the end of the month or even before the end of the week. Have you made any resolutions? If so, what are they?

Of course many of us over 60s have become a bit cynical about this and don't have any confidence in our ability to change things. It often helps to have a friend or partner share your determination to become more active or to eat healthier meals: I lost weight one year by going to Weight watchers with a work colleague and running a couple of times at lunchtime with her. Another year I decided to stop adding sugar to my coffee, which proved difficult at first, however now I can't drink coffee with even a grain of sugar in it, proving that we can change if we have the will.

In 2015 I will continue with my monthly hikes and Tai Chi classes, plus I plan to enrol in a dance class. I also intend to continue looking for healthy (but tasty, not boring) recipes, to eat more fresh fruit and drink more water. (Pause while I go to pour myself a glass of water!)

Finally, in 2015 I hope to build up a wardrobe of flattering, versatile clothes and become more stylish. I started the process in 2014 by having a style consultation through House of Colour in London. With the guidance of my consultant Fiona, I established that I am a Natural Gamine and discovered that most of my favourite outfits fitted this definition. You can read more about my session here.

Towards the end of last year I decided to join a facebook group called Evolve Your Style, with different challenges to help us develop our personal style. I discovered this challenge on Imogen Lamport's amazing blog, which has provided me with lots of inspiration. I found the Evolve Your Style challenge so helpful that I then enrolled on Imogen's 7 Steps to Style course, which I can highly recommend if you feel that you are in a bit of a style rut. Many of us give up on fashion once we're in our fifties or sixties, which is a great shame.  We don't have to settle for shapeless clothes and dull colours just because we're over 60 and are afraid of looking like mutton dressed as lamb. What we should aim for is to become  a more stylish version of ourselves in 2015. I'm going to try my best and hopefully you will join me.

Here are some of my outfits from the beginning of last year.

                     

I do like stripes, in case you hadn't noticed, and I do like bright colours - but are these my best colours? Do these outfits make me look taller and slimmer or do the stripes have the opposite effect?

The following outfits are more recent purchases - or present in the case of the patterned cardigan - so are they more flattering?

    

                                

Points to note from the last three outfits:

1. I have created a column of colour in the outfit on the left, with a brown necklace, brown top and jeggings, plus brown shoes. Note also that my hair is brown! Does this make me look taller and slimmer?
2. In the middle photo there is contrast between the colours of the top and the jeggings. however I am wearing a scarf which includes the teal and brown and also gives a vertical line to help me look taller, so I feel that the outfit works. I'm clutching my Enigmatic swatch by the way.
3. In the last photo there is some grey in the cardigan, but probably not enough to tie in with my grey trousers. I don't think I look as slim as in the previous two photos. However I do love this cardigan so I was happy to wear it with this outfit.  Maybe I'll try a grey top with it though next time.

I'm still working on the 7 Steps to Style so I'll be posting more outfits for your comments over the next few months and I'll pass on some of the lessons I've learnt. Remember these are all points that are relevant to me as an over 60, petite, H shape, whose style recipe is "Casual Chic with a dash of Colour and Drama". If you're interested in defining your own style, which may be totally different to mine, you can find more information on the links above. The prices are going to rise on the 4 January so now's the time to sign up.  Sadly I don't get any commission for recommending these programmes, but I do get the satisfaction of knowing you'll find them very helpful if you want to be more stylish in 2015!

Fashion Feng Shui: the Peacemaker

The fourth Feng Shui element is Earth, which is representative of the Peacemaker. I suspect that a lot of women will identify with this Feng Shui fashion type, but is this because essentially they are Peacemakers or because they are playing the role that society expects of them? Peacemakers are caring, helpful and sympathetic. They are good at details and completing tasks, but not so keen on change. Practical, traditional and at their happiest when helping other people, many Peacemakers are nurses, therapists, politicians and (not surprisingly) mothers. They enjoy gardening, knitting, cooking and volunteering.

If you've read the above and it sounds just like you, it means that essentially you are a Peacemaker, but do you look like one? In general, Earth elemental types have golden or brown colouring with topaz, hazel or brown eyes, also soft, full features. They can be described as sturdy, having a short, full body-shape otherwise known as an "apple" and their style is classic. If you don't look like a Peacemaker however you are searching for stability and security in your life, or perhaps you want to appear more traditional, or your goals are family or community focussed, then consider adding some Earth elements to your outfits.

I don't think there is anything in this picture to upset anyone - after all, we are talking about the Peacemakers here! If you want to add some Earth elements to your wardrobe but aren't a Peacemaker, then you may want to consider the following options: a tweed blazer, a plaid shirt or khaki chinos are possibilities or, depending on your colouring, think about yellow, brown or earth tones for your clothing. You could also consider cropped jackets or square-toed shoes,or something as small as a square-faced watch or ceramic beads. Today I am wearing a square-faced watch to add an Earth element to my outfit, which means I am quite happy to do the cooking tonight!

Fashion Feng Shui: the Pleasure Seeker

If you've read my previous posts, you will have realised by now that Feng Shui Fashion isn't just about your physical appearance, though obviously that is very important, but also includes your essence and your intention.  If you have been told that you are charismatic, you enjoy being with friends and value personal connections, then even if you have the colouring of a Philosopher you may essentially be a Pleasure Seeker.

What does the Pleasure Seeker look like? Being a Fire elemental type, not surprisingly they tend to have red hair, red tones to their skin, pointed features and sparkling red-brown or violet-blue eyes. They are an inverted triangle in shape, with a larger size top than bottom, and enjoy wearing dramatic style clothing.

The Pleasure Seekers, as their name suggests, like to have a good time and will describe activities that they enjoy as "fun". They love dancing, socialising, entertaining, performing and truly are the life and soul of any good party. Many Pleasure Seekers are actors, DJs, agents, entertainers and MCs.  If you want to be noticed, or have more excitement in your life, then add some Fire elements to your outfits.

Fire elements, as you can see from the picture above, include bright colours especially reds, animal prints, body conscious silhouettes, v-necks and short, slim skirts.  Pleasure Seekers like to wear silk blouses, satin gowns, stiletto heels, leather jackets, skin tight jeans and animal print scarves. You may also spot them in feathers, fur and sequins - though not necessarily at the same time!

When I want to add a touch of Fire to my outfits, I will add a red belt, animal print scarf  red bracelet or whatever will blend with the outfit that I am wearing.

If you haven't identified with any of the Fashion Feng Shui types shown so far, there are two more to come: the Peacemaker (Earth) and Perfectionist (Metal).

Fashion Feng Shui: 5 types

Following on from my post about yin and yang, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the Fashion Feng Shui types and see if you identify with any of them.

There are five types, relating to the five elements that are used within Feng Shui: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. You may have read about the power of Feng Shui within your home or office environment and how each feng shui area relates to a different element, colour and life area, but did you know that it can also affect the way you look and the way you are perceived?

If your personal style is creative, then your element is Water and your type is the Philosopher. If you like comfortable clothes and your personal style is sporty, you are a Pioneer and your element is Wood. Are you a dramatic? If so, your element is Fire and you are a Pleasure Seeker. If you tend to be a bit conservative in the way you dress, then your personal style is traditional, your element is Earth and you are a Peacemaker. Finally, we have the Perfectionists whose style is elegant and whose element is Metal.

Many of us will identify with more than one type, except perhaps the Perfectionists who are perfect just the way they are! In my case I am definitely happiest wearing sporty, comfortable clothes, but I do like a few creative touches and at times I aspire to be elegant.

The power of Fashion Feng Shui though doesn't just lie in the way you look physically but also embraces your essence or authentic self and your intention or ideal self. Let's assume that you work in an office where your colleagues are very conservative and you are expected to dress in a traditional way, however your personal style is creative and essentially you are a bit dramatic.  If you spend all your working day dressed in a conservative way you won't be dressing true to yourself and you will probably feel a bit stifled. However if you choose to wear an asymmetrical top under your classic suit with maybe an animal print belt or scarf, you will feel more balanced and true to yourself, as you are expressing the other elements of your personality.

The book that I highly recommend if you are interested in reading more about Fashion Feng Shui is the book by Evana Maggiore. Most of the information in this series of posts is based on what I have learnt from Evana's book. Obviously I'm no expert, however I plan to explore the five types in the following posts, to help you identify your personal style and give you hints on how you can express your authentic self or work towards achieving your ideal self.

Are you yin or yang?

I touched on this subject when I wrote about my Style Consultation in January. As part of  my style analysis I completed a questionnaire that revealed the yin and yang aspects of both my appearance and my personality.  Many of us are a mixture of both yin and yang. Even though we may be firmly in one camp, sometimes we may want to appear a bit more yin or a bit more yang.

In my case, being short and youthful (according to the lovely Fiona!) makes me yin, whereas my angular face and body make me yang. My interest in clothes and shoes is yin but my creativity using ideas rather than my hands is yang. My result was ten points for yin, four for yang and six points were half & half.

I thought it might be interesting to look at a few characteristics of both yin and yang in fashion. In a nutshell, yin aspects are softer and more feminine, while yang traits are stronger and more masculine. Imogen of Inside Out Style has written an excellent post about ways to balance your yin and yang.

If your fashion personality is classic, dramatic or athletic, yang clothing will suit you. If you are a natural, romantic or creative, then yin clothing will suit your personality.

Yin vs Yang

Looking at the outfits show above, I think it is obvious which one is more yin and which is more yang. Both jackets are striped, however the one of the left is a paler colour, with less contrast and the lines are softer. The jacket on the right is higher contrast, darker and with a sharper silhouette. Skirts are usually yin whereas trousers tend to be yang: this skirt looks soft and feminine while the trousers are straight and in a brighter shade. Finally both outfits include flats, however the pale blue ballerinas have a rounded toe and the black and white pair have a pointed toe.

Neither of these outfits would be my ideal choice as I prefer straighter skirts on the odd occasion when I wear one and, though I like the outfit on the left, the jacket is too dramatic a style for me. My preference would be to swap the skirt and trousers, then wear the yin outfit.

Are you more yin or yang? Do you prefer yin fashion styles or are you more drawn to yang fashion?

DIY Personal Style Analysis

Not everyone can afford the luxury of a personal style analysis and not everyone lives near enough to a personal stylist anyway, even if they can afford one.  If you´re interested in defining your personal style, there are lots of resources on the internet to help you or, even better, why don't you do it with a friend? Promise each other to be honest, but also to be tactful: I'd hate to ruin a beautiful friendship with this idea!

The House of Colour Style Analysis looks at your Yang/Yin personality and their checklist contains questions about whether you are dark or fair, tall or small, angular or curvy, formal or informal etc. No prizes for guessing which traits are yin and which are yang! A dramatic or classic style personality is more yang whilst an ingénue or romantic style personality, not surprisingly, is more yin. The other two options are natural and gamine, which fall in the middle, and I am of course a natural gamine.

Here is one on-line quiz, which is job related, however it gives you an idea of the differences between yin and yang: are you a dragon (yin) or a tiger (yang)?. I have tried a couple of quizzes with differing results, though in all cases I was somewhere in the middle and either slightly yin or slightly yang, which ties up with the results of my style analysis.

Another way of identifying your personal style is to go through your wardrobe and pick out your favourite clothes and accessories. The clothes that you feel good in when you wear them and that make you look good too, not necessarily your latest purchases. This is where your friend can be helpful in saying "You always look great in that!" Or maybe, tactfully, "That's not your most flattering look."

Is there a theme? Are your favourite clothes tailored, feminine, sporty or dramatic?  Don't worry if there is no common theme as you don't have to rush this process.  Go through some magazines, cutting out pictures of outfits that you love and the celebrities that are your style icons. You can also do this on-line by clipping pictures to Polvore or creating a Pinterest board. Here's a Pinterest board that I've just started, to give you some ideas: Natural Gamine style.

Who wouldn't want to look like Audrey?

The photo below, taken in Paris (where else?!), shows me in an outfit that reflects my style personality. Neat fitting, boyish with (I like to think) a touch of French chic: this is my gamine look. Examples of well-known personalities who have the gamine look are Audrey Hepburn (my no. 1 style icon!), Dannii Minogue and Zoe Wanamaker.

As I'm only 5' and a bit, it would be difficult for me to have a dramatic personal style without being overwhelmed by my clothes. Bold patterns and colours would dominate me, and I don't have the height to carry off the striking clothes that a dramatic would wear. Think Joan Collins, Iris Apfel, Jennifer Lopez - not exactly shrinking violets - all glamorous, flamboyant women: these are the true dramatics. Does this sound like you?

If you have a classic personal style, you probably buy simple, elegant clothes that don't date. Classics go for neutrals rather than bright colours and are willing to spend money on good quality clothes. You will admire the style of Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow or Kate Middleton. You always look well-groomed and probably don't like casual styles or anything OTT.

The natural style personality is very casual and sporty and many naturals aren't really interested in fashion. Naturals don't feel comfortable in formal clothes and will always choose comfort over style. If naturals have a style icon it is likely to be Cameron Diaz, Keira Knightley or Jennifer Aniston.  They are all stylish in their own way, but they don't look as if they've tried too hard: they clearly have more important things in their lives than fashion. Could you be a natural?

I've seen ingénue described as a gamine, as both styles tend to look best on smaller women, but whereas a gamine is boyish, an ingénue will be more delicate and feminine.  Goldie Hawn and Charlene Tilton are good examples of ingénue style personalities. You like small and delicate jewellery, light fabrics and will tend to avoid clothes that are too sexy.

Finally, the most yin of all the style personalities is the romantic woman. She is sexy, curvy and very feminine: if I mention Liz Taylor, Sophia Loren and Catherine Zeta Jones you will know exactly what I mean. Do you love to wear glamorous dresses that show off your curves? Do you like sensuous fabrics such as silk, cashmere and suede? If you love bows and ruffles on your clothes, if you enjoy dressing up to go out and if you feel undressed without make-up - well maybe you are a romantic too.

Most of us are a mix of style personalities.  I am a natural gamine, for example. It's a good choice for someone who is as short as I am and who has a rectangular body: bows and ruffles don't look good on me, bold patterns wear me rather than the other way round however I am interested in fashion and looking stylish, unlike most naturals.

Your personal style should work well for your body shape as well as being a reflection of your personality. I have always been a bit of a tomboy, I'm told that I still look youthful at the advanced age of 66, I tend to wear fairly structured, neat-fitting clothes but I also like to have fun with my clothes and I try to create a chic look. Voilá! I'm definitely a gamine!

I'd love to know whether you have found this helpful and to hear what your style personality is.