The Lost Years
As we enter a new season, I think this is an important conversation. A client once said this to me... “I call this stage of life that I’m in, the lost years”. She knew at one point she was stylish. She doesn’t necessarily feel un-stylish now, but also knows she isn’t stylish and she doesn’t feel confident about her look. She’s not sure how she got here… life just seemed to get the best of her in terms of her wardrobe. She doesn’t like any of her clothes, wears the same things, has no idea where to shop and can’t even remember the last time she shopped. She’s frustrated with her wardrobe but the idea of taking action on her own to do something about it seems beyond her ability.
What’s a woman to do? Navigating fashion and wardrobe is hard. If anyone tells you otherwise, they’re either lying or they have a natural eye for style and has a creative mind. There are a plethora of styles, fits, cuts, fabrics and retailers out there… where is one to begin? Gone are the days when your choices were limited to the racks at Macy’s, ‘Pennys’ (I’m aging myself with that one lol), and a few others thrown in between. Now it’s impossible to go to online and not be influenced by a boutique that you’ve never heard of with styles that seem foreign.
Can you relate to any of this?
My best advice to someone who feels like they are in this period of their life is to let go of the woman you used to be and tap into the woman you are today. I hear all the time ‘I used to wear suits every day, what if I have to go back to that?’ Yea, what if??? We can’t shop for the ‘what ifs’ or the ‘remember whens’. So many women lean on who they used to be without tapping in who they’ve become. When this happens there is a disconnect between you and your wardrobe resulting in your not being happy with it. To be able to understand how to dress yourself now, we have to understand who you are, what your current lifestyle is and the image you want to give off. Maybe at one point when you were building your career it was important to look powerful because you felt like you had something to prove, but now you’re a boss and you don’t want to look intimidating.
So let go of who you were and then what?? Here are a few ideas of how to find yourself again:
Seek inspiration. Look online at celebs or Pinterest and see what you are drawn to. Pin them or save them somewhere so you can look they them and pull out commonalities. Do they all have structure and clean lines? A lot of color? Use those attributes as guides for when you go shopping.
Analyze your lifestyle. Write down how you spend most of your week and what you’re wearing. Spend money on that category of clothing and buy quality items! Investing in yourself is a sure way to help you step into your next level woman.
Go shopping! The clothes aren’t going to buy themselves unless you hire me lol. Have those pictures ready and look for clothes that share those characteristics. Try them on. Try on it all! Ask yourself how you feel as you put the items on. Tap into that emotion. Keep in mind, your photos are just for inspiration, not to copy ether looks exactly because you have to account for your body type.
Listen to that inner voice. If it says ‘eh’ or ‘its ok’ when you try on a garment, LET. IT. GO!
Seriously though, I want to see all of you thrive and be uplifted by your wardrobe. Clothes help to fuel me and I want to spread that energy to you! If you are feeling lost and aren’t up for the task, reach out please!
