“Justine, I think my clothes make me older than I feel, what do I need to change?”
I get this question from women of all age ranges and it often has to do with body confidence: we hide parts of our body we dislike, or we have grown tired of curating our outfits so they look sharp and contemporary.
I’ll focus on 4 common style mistakes in that area & I’ll show you easy ways of fixing them – without having to renew your entire wardrobe.
Wearing boxy clothes
Oversized or boxy clothes are very comfortable, of course, but they can make you look like you’ve given up on your style and/or just stayed in your pajamas.
- In the video, I show you 2 ways of highlighting your waist and 1 general rule that will make your outfits sharper, every time.
Wearing only neutrals
- To bring a brighter color (or an accent color) into your existing neutral-based palette, go for a harmonious color or create a clash. I explain both techniques in the video.
Wearing too many accessories
The Vanderbilt-influenced, 1900 aesthetics included wearing a full set of matching jewelry: earrings, necklace, bracelet, ring. This is an example of accessory styling which does not feel contemporary... In French, we also call this “looking like a Christmas tree”.
- So adopt Gabrielle Chanel’s technique for the right quantity: “put on your jewelry and then take one thing off”. Or match styles and pick only some elements in a collection – which is what I recommend my customers do with my own designs too!
Wearing too many prints
Prints are fun and there are so many beautiful ones in runway collections each season... but too many prints really is too many. And prints are often related to a specific decade. For instance, warm yellows and browns (like wallpapers in the movie “American Hustle”) scream 1970s and would now look “retro” at best, and “dated” most of the time.
- Mix 1 print with solid colors, or 1 big print with a tiny one. In the video, I show you examples of how to make it work in a classy way.
I hope you find these tips useful as guidance in curating your own style – but as I always say: feel free to make your own rules. And if you’d like further fashion tips, you’re welcome to visit my blog.
