I recently purchased a book called “How to Dress for Success” by Edith Head and Joe Hyams.It’s an American book, which dates back to the sixties and much of it makes me laugh out loud. This was still the era when working women were predominantly secretaries, the alternative being a housewife or
staying at home to look after the children.
With chapter headings such as: ‘How to Dress to Get a Man, and Keep Him’ and ‘How to Dress Your Family for Success’, I wondered what I was thinking when I clicked the ‘buy’ button on Amazon!
staying at home to look after the children.
With chapter headings such as: ‘How to Dress to Get a Man, and Keep Him’ and ‘How to Dress Your Family for Success’, I wondered what I was thinking when I clicked the ‘buy’ button on Amazon!
However, despite the obvious changes in fashion and lifestyle, as well as a more relaxed approach to everyday clothing, it’s clear that the principles of looking good and feeling confident remain the same.
One paragraph leapt out at me as a great analogy:
‘Building a proper wardrobe is somewhat like building a home. Think of it like a home – because your
wardrobe is something you’re going to live in. It must be not only comfortable, but adequate for all your needs’.
wardrobe is something you’re going to live in. It must be not only comfortable, but adequate for all your needs’.
This really says it all. You chose your home based on your needs in terms of location, size and style of property – it has to fulfill it’s function. You then decorate and ‘dress’ your home to your specific tastes.
A wardrobe is just the same – you need to choose clothing that will fulfil it’s function i.e. fit and flatter your body, be comfortable to wear, appropriate for the occasion and in keeping with your personal style.
It sounds so simple when it’s written down like that, but the reality in our modern world can be so different. We are bombarded with advice in all forms of the media, from how to dress for our age and improve the look of our mature skin to almost weekly updates of the latest craze in diets and exercise programs.
The sizing of women’s clothing varies dramatically from one store to the next, leaving you feeling depressed one minute and elated the next. Can you still get away with wearing jeans, and if so, which cut should you choose – skinny, straight, boot cut? High waist, low rise? It can all become very confusing, overwhelming and downright frustrating, leaving you feeling that it would be much easier if you just stayed at home in your PJ’s!
However, it doesn’t have to be that way if you follow that simple analogy with your home, plus a few basic rules of shades to flatter your natural colouring and clever ‘illusion dressing’ techniques to hide those bits you dislike and emphasis your assets. Once you’ve cracked that you’re pretty much ready to build your ideal wardrobe and take the stress out of shopping by focusing on what will really work for the woman you are right now.
So, although we have moved on from the sixties in terms of fashion and women’s role in the workplace and society in general, great style remains vital to helping us look and feel fabulous every day.
If this inspires you to get to work resolving your styling dilemmas, but you feel in need of a bit of professional help, I would love to work with you to achieve your goal. Do get in touch for a chat.