Your Style Foundations. They are literally what they say on the tin. They are the foundations you should be using to make every. single. decision related to your style.
They are the building blocks for understanding your own, unique personal style.
They are the filters that help weed through all the overwhelm when it comes to fashion, and style and shopping and all of that.
They are my number one stop, and the most important tool I use when working with every single styling client.
Cool but what exactly are they? I hear you say…
Let’s break them down. There are THREE fundamental Style Foundations;
- Your colour palette
- Your body’s proportions and best bits
- Your style personality
Let’s look a little bit more at each of them and why they are important.
1. Colour Palette
Having your “colours done” was a big thing in the 80’s, (Colour Me Beautiful anyone?) and now thanks to TikTok, its having a moment again.
But colour has always been a tool that stylists have used to help clients find the best pieces for them. I use two spectrums: warm to cool tones, and muted through to dominant intensity.
So when I talk about colour with my clients, it less about “oh honey, don’t wear red”. I hate restricting people when it comes to their style. And more about understanding where you sit on the colour spectrums, as it can really help shop more efficiently and make your wardrobe work harder for you, in a few ways.
- Narrowing down options when you go shopping. If you know what colours to look for in-store, it makes the whole experience less overwhelming. Know your best colours can immediately eliminate 1/2 a store potentially. Colour is also a very useful first search tool. It’s the easiest thing to see on a shop floor, so use your colours to find the pieces you want to try on. It will save a bunch of time!
- Knowing how to mix and match your existing wardrobe. Colour in the same colour palette will most likely work together, so if you’re purchasing within your ideal colour palette, the chances of everything mixing and matching well are much, much higher.
- Understanding your best colours can help cull some of the pieces in your wardrobe that you’re not wearing…. You might not even realise you don’t wear something because it’s not your ideal colour. But often there are 2 reasons why this is the case. 1. it just doesn’t look as good on you. 2. its really hard to match it back with anything else in your wardrobe because it doesn’t play well with the other colours you own.
2. Your body’s proportions and best bits
Again, this is not so much about pigeon-holing you into a body type (although that can still be really helpful for some people!) and more about understanding your own unique proportions and also being able to identify, and dress to, your own best bits.
Dressing well is 100& dressing to highlight your best bits, rather than dressing to hide the bits you’re not so keen on.
If you can identify the parts of your body you’re the MOST confident in drawing attention to, and then dressing to do just that, you’re always going to feel good in what you wear.
Note: when I say “draw attention to, that doesn’t always mean “reveal”. My legs are one of my best bits, but I love a wide leg pant as much as a short skirt – BOTH draw attention to that area, just in different ways.
Understanding how clothes fit on your unique body is one of the simplest ways to define your style. If something doesn’t look good on you, simply don’t wear it – trends be damned! Yet if you LOVE something, flog it as much as your can, regardless of what anyone else is wearing.
3. Your Style Personality.
This is by FAR the most important of your Stlyle Foundations as far as I’m concerned. Your Style Personality is a collection of words, that as a collective, describe your personal style (or where you’d like it to be). I get my clients to think of three words that represent the style they want to have.
My three style personality words are FEMININE | EDGY | ELEVATED. They define not only everything I purchase but also HOW I put all my outfits together.
For example, if I’m wearing quite a feminine, pretty dress, I immediately want to add some edge with a shoe choice – I’l add some Converse high tops, or some studded sandals, rather than adding a girly heel or ballet flats. To elevate, a blazer, or jacket just lifts the look, or I’ll add an unexpected colour combo that most people wouldn’t wear to make my outfit stand out just a little.
Pinterest is a great tool when discovering, or re-assessing your Style Personality. It’s a great way to visually express things you like, and group them together in the boards to give you some clarity around your own sense of style.
How to USE your Style Foundations effectively
Now that you have more of an understanding of what your Style Foundations are, EVERY style decision you make, going forward, should be based on these three frameworks.
Use them as filters;
When you’re cleaning out your wardrobe:
- do the clothes you have fit within your colour palette, are they easy to all match back together?
- do your clothes do the best for your body shape, do they highlight the good bits, or are they there to hide things?
- do your existing clothes match at least ONE of your Style Personality words?
When you’re shopping:
- Start by using your colour palette as the visual filter. Only look at pieces that sit somewhere in your range.
- Assess if things you try on define your best bits.
- Is what you’re purchasing a reflection of these words
When you’re putting outfits together:
- Are you playing with matching colours in your palette? Or are you defaulting to ‘black and…”
- Can you tweak things to draw attention TO your good bits. Do you need to tuck something in? Or roll the sleeves or hem up, or elongate your body with a vetical line?
- Are ALL THREE of your Style Personality words reflected in the look you’ve created?
Still stuck on understanding your own, unique Style Foundations? Well the good news is I can help with that! I offer a Style Foundations Package, no matter where you are based, that is designed to give you a comprehensive understanding about what your individual style foundations are.
FIND MORE INFO HERE
I hope that helps explain a little more about what your Style Foundations are and WHY they are so useful when it comes to understanding your own style.
P.S. Are you ready to step into your style with confidence?….here are 3 ways I can help you to get started :
1. book a FREE 30 minute style consultation to chat about how I can help you elevate your everyday style – BOOK HERE
2. Join The Style Circle – my monthly styling membership and get an all access pass to me – JOIN HERE
3. Ready to work with me? This is your official invitation to work with me this year. To step into your style with confidence CLICK HERE
