2018 – What A Year

2018 is not at a close quite yet, but pretty soon we are all going to be unwinding for the Christmas break, and reflecting on the year that was.

I love a new year – it’s a chance to make great intentions and as long as you make them realistic, they are easier to stick to than you may think!

2018 has been a fabulous year at Styled By Susie, for both myself and Sarah. We have had the busiest year yet, and we are excited to go into 2019!

I thought it would be fun to look back on 2018, and pick out my favourite events and trends from the year.

The Clothes :

Spring/Summer 2018 was my favourite season yet. The options to choose from, were endless…. vast, exciting, colourful and there seemed to be something for everyone!

My personal highlight from the season, was the Barbican range at Warehouse. The prints were absolutely beautiful, and it seemed that the colours suited so many of our clients, not to mention the beautiful cuts.

There should also be a special mention for a certain pair of shorts! The Next “Boy” shorts were an absolute game changer for you all.

We recommended them because they suit all clients, particularly those who have very curvy hips and thighs. They had a 99.9% success rate amongst clients and our thousands of members in the Styled By Susie Facebook Community.

The Boy Shorts were a real highlight of the summer and it made so many women happy, knowing they could finally wear shorts without feeling self conscious.

If I say the words, “pineapple jumpsuit”, you will know exactly what I am talking about! This beautiful jumpsuit from Sainsbury’s, was a HUGE hit with clients this summer. It suited every shape and was a real hit!

Accessories wise, it was all about big earrings this year. We started the year with big, colourful tassel earrings, and have finished the year, seeing more geometric, resin styles, and hoops galore.

Autumn/Winter 2018 has been a little more challenging. Spring/Summer spoilt us with skater dresses, prints, unusual colours, cuts and options. When it came to Autumn/Winter, the casual dresses disappeared, and there was an overwhelming amount of animal print that hit the shops…..and not much else!

We had snake print and leopard print in all kinds of colours and shades, but elsewhere, there were no identifiable trends to get particularly excited about. Luckily, 90% of clients (and myself and Sarah included), LOVE animal print! So we could have lots of fun experimenting with different shades of leopard print and pattern clashes galore.

Animal print is going to continue well into next year, but more on that to come in our first blog of 2019.

The word of Autumn/Winter 2018 for Styled By Susie, has been “Basics”. In fact, two words – “Basic Bitches”!

We created an essential PDF guide for clients, which forms the groundwork for any capsule wardrobe. With the high street offering such sparse choices this season, we heavily focused on key basics, and showing clients how to create different looks by mixing and matching items.

Fortunately, this season we have been spoilt for choice by amazing knitwear and basics, particularly from H&M who seem to have sorted out their sizing too!

The Community :

The Facebook Community has grown so much this year, and it continues to be a place of support, kindness and humility amongst members. We have approx 5,500 members, and we are so proud of the way our clients and followers have interacted with each other this year, offering support, compliments and advice when it’s needed. Thank you to the members of the community who have made it a safe, supportive and welcoming place.

The Award :

In February, I won the best stylist award at the SO Magazine, Lifestyle Awards in Tunbridge Wells. This was one of the best moments of my life, and I would like to thank each and every one of you, that voted for me to win.

It was a competitive category, and at that point my social media numbers were quite low, so I was not expecting to win. Hearing my name called out, and going on stage to collect my award, in front of my family and friends, is a moment I will never forget.

The award sits proudly at home, and every time I look at it, I feel a sense of pride and happiness. I’m truly grateful to those who took the time to vote for me.

The Organised Mum :

In the latter part of 2018, Styled By Susie hit new levels on social media, when my path crossed with Gemma Bray, also known as The Organised Mum.

Gem had posted in September, about wanting to create a capsule wardrobe, and a few of my lovely Instagram followers tagged me into her post. Gem booked me for a style session, and the rest is history!

I went from 6,000 members on Instagram, to over 11,000 and a whole new army of ladies have discovered Styled By Susie as a result.

I am very grateful to Gem for spreading the word to her 100,000 followers and I am excited to grow my relationship with her, and watch her growing success continue.

Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you enough to put your name out there, to enable you to reach so many more people.

The Business :

This year, we have been incredibly busy with all of our services, but the Online Styling Sessions in particular, have been hugely popular. This service has enabled clients to be styled by us, no matter where they live. This year we have styled clients remotely, in Australia, Dubai, Barbados, California, Italy, France, South Africa and New Zealand!

The Future :

I have never made future goals or plans for Styled By Susie, as I am a firm believer in fate and that everything so far, has happened at exactly the right time.

I am asked frequently if I would employ another stylist, but the answer is no. Sarah and I will continue to work as we are working now, and that is both in person and online, and helping as many of you as possible, within the time frame we set, for a good family/work balance.

6 Years Of Business :

I am very proud of how far the business has come, since I created Styled By Susie in 2012.

At that time, the only personal styling services available, were high end, and since Styled By Susie, I have seen many high street stylists appear, who have copied my business model, services, logo and wording, at times!

When I qualified, I had no idea how to even price a styling session because such a thing didn’t exist. So everything you see at Styled By Susie has been created from bare bones and sheer hard work.

So the future is to just keep creating, keep helping and providing not only styling advice, but wellbeing advice too, through podcasts, blogs and posts.

Feeling stylish is so much more than putting on a nice outfit. It goes much deeper than that, and taking care of your wellbeing is going to put you on a better road to body confidence and acceptance.

So I will be taking my own advice and putting my wellbeing high on my priority list for 2019, because in order to help others, you have to apply your own life jacket first, right?

And Finally :

Have a happy Christmas, a relaxing time with your friends, families and loved ones.

Thank you for supporting Styled By Susie and we can’t wait for another year of fun.

Love Susie xxx