Earlier this year I worked with Louisa on her personal style foundations and a wardrobe declutter. Working in TV production she has a busy job and was keen to make time for herself to reconnect back to her personal style. In this month’s Style Story we caught up to see how she found the experience of working together and what changes she was starting to notice in her style.
Style Stories capture the experiences of previous clients where they share with me their own journey with their personal style and visibility and the impact that working with me has had on them. This may include a one to one styling client, a group event or maybe a creative consultancy client. Real life experiences allow you to really understand the impact of working with me and how it could work for you too.
The Dreaded Style Rut
When Louisa came to me she openly shared how she felt like she was in a ‘style rut’. After the covid lockdown and experiencing an injury her body no longer felt the same. She couldn’t be as active as she was before, had noticed a change in her weight and felt her wardrobe no longer reflected where she was in life. She honestly shared how she didn’t ‘enjoy shopping and felt really out of touch and lacking in inspiration’ when it came to her wardrobe. This openness and honesty when we work together really sets the foundations for our time together and allowed me to understand Louisa’s key pain points.
When we go through changes like this one of the biggest challenges can often be rediscovering what works for you and beginning to get to know your body again. Louisa shared how she was ‘self conscious about sizing, what to buy, how to piece it together and what shops now suited her’. This can often lead to wearing baggy, darker clothing in an attempt to hide ourselves. I’m so glad that Louisa reached out because we were able to tackle each of these concerns and help her to relearn how to become really visible in her sense of style.
Louisa’s Love of Colour
When Louisa and I first worked together I instantly connected with her love of colour. We experimented with the tints, tones and shades of colour that would suit her best and found the best palette for her. ‘I’m currently loving bright red, peachy orange and warm brown tones. Dressing in more colour has improved my mood.’ Yes, we love to hear this! As I’m writing this we’re heading into the darker months of autumn and winter, so if you ever feel affected by seasonal disorder challenges, colour can really help you to brighten your outlook and mood.
And with all of my clients I love to know more about what outfits are really working for them at the moment. ‘I’m enjoying wearing a bright orange peplum top with dark blue denim flares and orange converse. It’s a nice look for the office. As I work in TV I don’t have to be too smart or corporate, but I do manage a team and want to be well presented so it has enough structure to make me feel confident in my appearance when working with others in person’. Being able to reflect your personal style even when in the office really helps to build your persona brand and stops you feeling trapped in a corporate look that doesn’t work with your personality. The orange pops of colour Louisa has been adding are also great for social and friendly interactions with colleagues.
The Biggest Transformation
One of the biggest takeaways I like to leave my clients with is an increase in their levels of confidence when creating and wearing new outfits. Learning to trust their intuition and dress for their style foundations can really change your relationship with your wardrobe. But this does take time. It’s not an instant click of the fingers but requires dedication on both sides to implement the knowledge. And what’s even better is how Louisa now feels ‘ok to walk away from items that I can’t see working for me or my wardrobe’. With the fast paced nature of fashion it can often feel like we constantly need to have the latest trend. But by understanding your style foundations, it really does make it easier to stop the impulse purchases or fast fashion buys that don’t work for your body or your wardrobe.
And Louisa’s biggest transformation?
‘I think I am just more curious now about trying new styles and colours of clothes and shoes that I wouldn’t have before, and it’s allowing my imagination, inspiration and style goals to develop. I have also managed to slim down a little which is a combination of the styling, physio programme and dietary changes. Understanding my style goals have helped me visualise and set my fitness goals – its going hand in hand.’
This approach means you can have balance across different areas of your life. Well done Louisa!
As a parting note I asked Louisa how she would describe her style now. And her three words were
So powerful! This kind of transformation is something I love supporting women in. Allowing them to reconnect to their sense of selves especially when life has changed or they have faced challenges. The world really does need you in it so making sure you are visible is one of the biggest gifts I can support you with!
Intrigued to know more? You can read more Style Stories here from previous clients, book in for a Free Style Discovery call or follow me on IG for similar content. I would love to connect.
A huge thank you to Louisa for taking the time to talk to me and really trusting in the process!
