It’s a common misconception that you should feel able to fly the “style nest” after your analysis with us. Some clients feel able to, but many have questions, queries and worries, which are perfectly normal.
Before I get started with some FAQ’s we receive, I wanted to reiterate that we are always at the end of an email for any client we have worked with, so please don’t struggle alone, when we can often help with a few emails or even a phone call.
We often hear the same questions, so I thought putting them in a blog post would help as your first port of call!
- I don’t like the colours that you have sent me!
This is a tough one because there’s a difference between the colours you like and the ones that suit you. It takes me back to a style party I attended in 2015. My client loved pastel colours, shopped in Mint Velvet (which is notorious for using a muted, soft colour palette).
However, my client suited Autumnal, warmer colours. It would have been so much easier to tell her to stick with her favoured colour palette, but that’s not what I’m there for!
To say she didn’t like the Autumn colours, is putting it mildly and no amount of persuading her, showing her in the mirror how they looked, seemed to reassure her. My client left the style party feeling deflated (not how we want clients to feel!).
2 weeks later, I had an email from her, telling me that she had gone to Accessorize on her lunchbreak in London, and bought a mustard scarf in the sale. This was a HUGE step for her as mustard was one of the colours she really didn’t feel drawn to. She wore it when she saw her friends that weekend and they all commented on how fabulous she looked. She was amazed, and somehow hearing it from friends gave her the reassurance she needed.
My client then went on to purchase even more Autumnal colours and is thrilled with how they look on her.
It can take a while to get used to a colour palette that you’re not usually drawn to. Try a new scarf or lipstick to dip your toe in the water, and the confidence is likely to follow.
2) I feel so overwhelmed. There’s so much information, I don’t know where to start?! I feel more lost than before.
Your style analysis is a meaty document that is full of HEAPS of information. We talk about body shapes, pattern sizes, cuts, necklines, colours, makeup, accessories, shoes, style personalities and even more.
Grab a notepad. Write down the buzz words in there that appeal to you. You can start small, by trying a new colour, or start with a different pattern size. Making too many changes at once will lead to overwhelm, and it’s important to connect with your style and build it slowly.
It’s never an overnight process and certainly something that will never be “complete”, so take your time with it and try small changes at a time, at a pace that suits you.
3) I can’t find clothes in my shape and colour. I walked into a shop today and came away with nothing and felt so deflated!
One of the reasons we keep our colour analysis method as simple as possible, is to help clients feel less overwhelmed. Advising a client to opt for soft, pastel colours is less likely to overwhelm them, than telling them to look for a certain shade of berry!
If you are struggling to find clothes in the right shape and colour, just ensure that the item of clothing ticks just ONE box from your analysis. For example, it’s the wrong colour but the right neckline – TICK! It’s the right pattern size but the neckline is too high – TICK! Now, obviously, the more boxes you tick, the better the overall look will be, but if you use this as your guide, you won’t feel quite so lost.
It’s particularly helpful to those clients who want to stay wearing black. If you love black and can’t part with it, just ensure that the neckline, cut or pattern works.
4) I’m not keen on the suggestions you have sent me in my online shop.
So the online shop has arrived in your inbox… you open it with all the anticipation of a child on Christmas day!
You open it and are met with an array of styles, cuts and colours you might not have ever considered before, and if you’re being honest, it’s maybe not quite what you expected!
That’s OK. You’ve put your inspiration in somebody else’s hands – someone who might not have even met you before. ‘Do they really think I’ll wear a leather trouser on a school run?’, ‘culottes look awful on me… why are there 2 pairs in there?’.
I do have a point here – I’m not trying to talk you out of buying a service with us! Bear with!
Firstly, we must stress how helpful it is, to provide us with a Pinterest board when you submit your questionnaire. It will give us a better idea of your style and how you would like to dress.
I want to give a little insight into how we build your shop, how we select and choose items that we know will suit your shape, your season and – most importantly, ‘you’.
The simplest way to describe this is to walk you through an online shop, how we go about creating a bespoke collection just for you.
We will have read through your questionnaire and noted your season, shape, height and size. These make up the first considerations. Its worth adding here, if there’s anything you want to add, ‘I walk 5 miles to work each day’ or ‘I already own a biker jacket and a belted trench coat’, add it in, the more we know the better!
Next we’ll consider the purpose, if it’s a capsule wardrobe you are looking for, we’ll look for a selection of pieces that’ll give you a variety of outfits that can be created from teaming together the separates (trousers, skirt and tops) or form stand alone pieces like the dresses and jumpsuits.
We’ll also be looking for a variety of cuts so you have a good selection to choose from. This may be with the skirt, providing different length options, or for trousers, both tailored and fitted or a wide leg – everything in the document has been selected because we know it’ll work, but we know that you’ll also have your own preferences for styles so we like to give you options!
We’ll also provide you with a variety of colour. We’re pretty au fait with where to head for the best colours. Whilst it’s true that trends will dictate if a certain colour or print is going to be everywhere this season, lots of brands* have their own moodboards and trend interpretations which make them more appropriate for one colour then another brand will be.
Finally, we know our brands. After years of experience, we know where to head that takes into account budget, fit, colour, style and quality. That’s what you’re paying us for. We’re familiar with the cuts that brands roll out season after season. If you’re 5’1”, we know where the petite sections are. If you’re working in a classroom, we know where the pieces are with the more appropriate hemlines and necklines. We also know where to find the best basics – jeans, maxi, midi, mini dresses – because thats our job. And while we obviously can’t guarantee that the sizes will be available for months after we recommend a garment, we always check the stock in your size before including a piece in your online shop.
Now it’s over to you!
The first thing to do when you get the shop through is to open all of the links, this way you’ll see the item on a person in most cases, and this in itself really helps to visualise the look, a flat lay piece won’t do the item justice.
It’s a good idea to make a bit of a list, so grab a pen, jot down the bits you love and the prices, that way you can keep a tally of your spending!
Start looking through and thinking about the pieces. Think of them practically – how much wear will you get from them.
Next look at the pieces that excite you or that at least make you curious, always wanted a jumpsuit? Or a pair of dungarees?
Finally look at the pieces that you weren’t expecting, here you have to be really honest with yourself, and also brave. We are all guilty of walking through a shop and seeing nothing that jumps out and making assumptions on how we think it’ll look. This is a really tall order, but these pieces, the out-of-comfort-zone pieces, can be the real gems. The number of times I have seen a slightly worried look on a clients face when she’s presented with the array of pieces to try, I can guarantee, those pieces that had them wondering if I really did know what I was doing, were the ones that got the whoops, the twirls and the ‘I don’t want to take this offs’.
Once you’ve received the pieces and tried them on, styled them together or with existing pieces you have at home you’ll have a good idea of the outfits you can create.
5) Am I really that body shape?
Many clients try using size calculators online to determine their body shape, but this isn’t always accurate, and we never use them as stylists.
By looking at your body shape photos, we can see your shape with fresh eyes. We didn’t know how you used to look, how you looked in your 20’s or how you looked when you felt most confident. Quite often we as women, look at ourselves in a negative light because we are either missing the shape we used to be, or longing for a different shape.
This isn’t always the case, but it often is. So if you feel your tummy is obvious, it’s likely that we haven’t even noticed it, because we see your tiny waist.
It can be hard to identify with the assets we are seeing, that perhaps you didn’t even know you had!
It’s worth looking at your photos again, to see your shape objectively. Don’t stare at the photos. Glance at them, don’t over analyse them.
It’s a great exercise because it will show you that the parts you feel self conscious of, are not as obvious when looking at yourself objectively.
If you have any questions we are ALWAYS at the end of an email for you, and if you would like another of our stylists to take over for a second opinion, we would never take offence! You also have the option to choose which stylist you work with.
We have a new customer service policy that has been implemented since September 2020, which you can shortly find on our website, for more information on how to give feedback or ask questions.
STYLED BY SUSIE - THE BLOG 