Stylish women have a distinctive way of dressing that is virtually a visual signature. They have a personal formula for putting outfits together. What contributes to this formula? Many elements that include their occupation, interests, attitudes, philosophies, age and physical characteristics. Creating a style that is complementary rather than contradictory to our own physicality is an essential consideration.

One of the most common and popular personality styles in Australia is casual and relaxed. Many women are naturally drawn to this style. It sits comfortably with their lifestyle and is in harmony with their physical attributes. One of the pitfalls of this style is that it can be interpreted as careless and disinterested. It’s adherents are sometimes accused of putting comfort before all else. It doesn’t have to be nor should it be.

Let’s learn from someone who is a wonderful representative of this style by examining how she does it.

Jennifer Aniston is the quintessential ‘natural’ woman. Her golden colouring with its medium contrast combines with her lithe, athletic figure to provide the perfect attributes for a natural, relaxed style personality.

THE DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF HER STYLE IS SIMPLICITY!

She rarely layers her garments, she wears only a few items and her accessories are minimal. She loves scarves. She imbues her outfits with a subtle sporty flavour. She favours narrow or slim clothes that may even be tight but she never reveals too much skin. She wears a lot of neutrals but often adds colour in a scarf or accessory. The effect she creates is effortless chic.

The key items in her wardrobe include:

• Straight jeans
• Fitted jackets
• Simple tops and classic shirts
• Straight skirts
• Simple, fitted dresses in a solid colour.
• Scarves
• Shoes and boots with a medium to high heel.

A very common look that screams “Jennifer Aniston” is jeans, teamed with T shirt, boots, jacket and a scarf.

Jennifer underpins her casual, relaxed style with classic elegance!

We may or may not have Jennifer’s fabulous body to wear these exact items but if we are a little more generously proportioned we can swap the straight jeans for boot leg, or the fitted dresses for semi-fitted and the tight skirts for a subtle A-line.

At best these suggestions will increase your apparent height at worst, they won’t advertise or exacerbate your lack of it.

• Think Narrow

Avoid wide hemlines on skirts, dresses and pants instead choose slim leg trousers, jeans, straight skirts or very subtle A lines. If you are slim and petite, then try the skinny jeans option , they may just work for you.

• Bright Colours on Top

Use eye catching, bright colours to direct attention to your top half while keeping the bottom half quietly dressed in deeper and/or neutral colours. When the onlooker’s eye is drawn upwards, you will appear taller.

• High Horizontals.

Horizontal lines demand the eye’s attention, so incorporate these into your dressing. But place them high on the body, preferably above the bust.  (Be careful of this strategy however, if you are large busted.)

• Choose Heels

I know there are times when we need to slip into some flats, but NEVER when we don’t want a neon sign on our forehead flashing short person….short person…. Medium to high heels are the obvious device to add height. However, as well as adding inches, they also change our demeanour and posture in ways that add to the illusion of being taller.

• Short Shorts

Ok, you need to have the legs for this option but if you do, go girl! Short shorts lengthen the leg while longer ones don’t, especially if they are wide legged. And that’s not rocket science.

• Ditch the Crops

We know this is a really contentious suggestion.  Cropped pants and capris are the “couture de Aussie summer”. Yes they are comfortable, yes they are available in every chain store and yes they come in every colour but…NOTHING MAKES OUR LEGS LOOK SHORTER and our bottom closer to the ground.!

For some of you, these suggestions may be useful on a daily basis. Or perhaps they just might be helpful for special occasion dressing when it really does matter to you to look as tall and /or slim as possible. However you use them, we hope they give you some ideas for looking  fabulous!

Here’s a link to a website that may be useful for the petite girls who are over having to alter everything!

http://www.pocketdiva.com.au

It’s a liberating and comforting place to be when we reach a stage in our lives when we are happy in our own skin. A few people come to this point very early in their lives; they are usually independently minded, strong personalities, perhaps innovative and creative. They are exceptional. They are happy with whom they are and if the rest of the world doesn’t agree, it’s not their problem.

There are those who strive to be happy with their own visual persona by creating, over time, an image that they like and that they feel accurately represents them. This usually takes a little longer to achieve and women may be in their 40’s or 50’s before they have arrived at a point where their inner self matches their outer self.

There are however, many women who never ever feel satisfied with their visual image. Their dissatisfaction stems from a yearning to look and feel good but not knowing how to achieve it. They may say that they don’t care how they look. They remain dissatisfied with their appearance for a raft of reasons. Some of these include:

• they think they can’t afford to do better
• they don’t recognise the positive attributes they have
• they focus too keenly on negative aspects
• they don’t feel worthy of change
• they don’t know how to change

One of the greatest pleasures for an image consultant is the chance to help women step out of the visual rut they have been stuck in and discover their true potential. It is wonderful to be able to demonstrate to women that they don’t need the perfect figure (whatever that might be) or the classical features of a Hollywood movie star to look wonderful. We are all delightfully unique and each one of us can look fabulous, regardless of our size and shape.

So, does our personal image matter? Absolutely! Our personal image is very often the visual shorthand others will use to engage with us or not.  This has implications for our professional, social and romantic lives. Our personal image should accurately express our attitudes, values, aspirations, personality and worth. Sight is the most significant sense human beings possess, we rely on it above all other senses. Dogs will lick you or bite you based on how you smell; humans will engage or dismiss you based on how you look. In the fast paced society in which we live, people have become even more reliant on visual clues to make judgements about others. It is in our best interests to develop a personal image that honours us and does us justice.

Technorati Tags: Image Consultant, Personal Image

In order that the changes are successful in the  medium to long term, the personal stylist needs to learn some important aspects about the client. First and foremost they must know and understand the social and professional life of the client. If the new image is to endure, it needs to support and complement the client’s lifestyle, otherwise the changes will be transitory and quite meaningless.

Another important consideration is the style personality of the individual. We each have a way of dressing that communicates to the world our values, our interests, our inner self.  Our style personality will very often determine how people interpret, value and respond to us.  For many people it is almost instinctive and a result of who we are and where we come from. For example, if you are someone who loves the outdoors, enjoys participating in sports, has an athletic figure and has better things to do than spend time on make-up and acrylic nails, you probably have a relaxed, casual style personality. On the other hand if you have an eye for detail, love geometric  patterns, bold colours, are tall and statuesque and in a position of authority, chances are your style personality is dramatic. Other personality types include romantic, alluring, classic, elegant and innovative. A personal stylist is adept at analysing someone’s style personality as well as helping a client to develop and enhance it further.

One of the final considerations but certainly not the least is the physical attributes of the client. This includes their horizontal and vertical proportions, physical fitness and tone, significant features such as a sway back or broad shoulders, their face shape, neck length and colouring.

Once all these considerations have been taken into account, a personal stylist is ready to start the transformation process. The first step is creating the perfect make-up that will enhance the client’s colouring and face shape while suiting her style personality and lifestyle. The next step in the process is choosing a fabulous hairstyle and if necessary, colour. When these things are done, then it’s time to hit the shops and find the clothes that beautifully reflect the personality style of the client and at the same time flatter her face and figure. This often involves educating people in the current trends and how to make them work for the individual. Accessorising frequently plays an important part in this, because its shoes, handbags, jewellery and belts that truly create the total look. They are also brilliant tools for updating someone’s image and expressing their style.

So, the role of a personal stylist is quite complex but if you are looking to revamp your image, reinvent yourself or discover your visual potential, they are well worth the investment.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Makeovers, Personal Stylist

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you would love the help of a professional image consultant who offers personal shopping as one of their services. A personal shopper is very adept at working out your physical proportions and colouring so that she can quickly identify styles and hues that will look fabulous on you. A personal shopper is also very aware that your style personality and lifestyle have to be considered and they can asses these very quickly also.

Knowing where to find the perfect garment to suit your requirements is another valuable skill that a personal shopper has in her repertoire. They are familiar with the labels, designers and stores. They know who makes for women with a romantic, feminine style. They know where to find the perfect outfit for someone who loves classic quality or edgy and innovative or casual and laid back.  Being able to hone in quickly is such a bonus. Not only does it save on shoe leather, but it saves time; and that’s a commodity so many of us lack these days.

Objectivity is another positive trait in the personal shopper’s favour. Unlike boutique owners who have an agenda to move product (and that’s not a criticism, after all it’s their livelihood) the personal shopper has only one vested interest – YOU! Her agenda is to find you clothes that you love and that look fabulous on you. If one store doesn’t have what you need, then she moves on – with you in tow.

It’s also great to have the practical assistance of someone holding your bags, finding you a dressing room, changing sizes, looking for the shop assistant and later the cash register.  Shopping can be very tiring, so the spare pair of hands a personal shopper offers is a real treat.

She’ll also be very good at keeping track mentally of your purchases and seeing the wonderful possibilities of combining different purchases in different ways. And when there’s a gap, she’ll be quick to recognise it. Too often we come home from a day at the mall with something that we’ve bought only to realise that we have no shoes, bag, jewellery or scarf to go with it. So then this new purchase hangs there till you have a chance to rectify the situation. A personal shopper excels in creating entire outfits in one shopping trip.

If you hate shopping, and many women do, you might actually find that you learn to love it after a professional shows you how.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Womens Clothes