Notes on Styling | 50 | Styling Boards Season.
Beautiful new collections to choose wisely from (and what might yours look like?)
Hello my Lovelies,
My 50th newsletter. I can’t remember sticking to any newsletter form as I have here (because I have not). It is a joy to write here to you all and share my world of Style Design with you. Thank you for being here with me. I value every one of you and the little community we have.
I am coming to that time in the season when lovely Styling Boards are being created for clients.
The shops are full of their new seasons and my lovely clients are coming towards the end of their Style Design journey and to the very very exciting part where things come to life through a series of looks, created for them. The purpose is to shop, yes. But to also have an outfit path to follow, shapes, styles, colours and brands to be inspired by and an unveiling of ingredients that make up this new and fresh approach to their clothes.
So today, I thought I would share a little look at the exploration part of creating Styling Boards, where I show my client a couple of looks for them to see and feel that things are aligning before more looks are unveiled.
For you here, I hope it shows a little glimpse of how the differences that make us who we are can and should come through in your clothes.
Enjoy!
Julie x
I call them STYLING BOARDS.
A coming together of the style ingredients we’ve been working on together, into outfits, ideas and things you can shop. The colour direction, the shapes and styles, the little details and a way of putting them together that sees your Style come to life.
Of course, styling at it’s core is a creative process. Nothing is so fixed that it can’t be moved and seeing clothes laid out in this way shows how you can add or take away, swap or change things and immediately see the impact of that decision on how something feels. It is an unveiling but also creatively fun and exciting to take back control of what you buy and wear.
I hope it’s a bit like unpacking your Christmas stocking, except hopefully the majority in there feels entirely like you with not so many strange coloured lipsticks you would never wear (thanks Mum).
Some Notes on Styling Boards
No two styling boards are ever the same. You will see below 5 exploration looks from 2 different clients (they have already seen, enjoyed and shopped these looks) with slightly different colour directions, different height and proportion parameters, styling go to’s and shapes, different brand mixes and different styling directions followed. It’s always important to know that what’s on these boards is a representation of what’s right for one lovely person in her life and at this time. Styling is so personal, so much a coming together of things that make up a whole way of dressing that connects the dots for one person. Absolutely everyone’s styling boards, the brands therein and the way things are put together is unique to you and you alone.
External Referencing for our wardrobes rarely works. That’s why when you see something on someone else and try it yourself, it can feel entirely different. No two people will ever wear the same item in exactly the same way.
Styling Boards are not about needing everything new but about a visual that helps guide better decisions. A visual of what a good looks like for you. What your new way can look and feel like, to you. It is an unveiling of looks that will light you up. In real things. You can buy everything or nothing.
It can be hard before it’s easy. There is usually a lot of ‘new’ ideas to take in. Ideas you might never have considered before. Shapes that feel alien at first. It takes openness to go with it and trust and try and then confidence (with my help) to know what you want to take forward and what you feel ok with leaving behind.
It’s usually in the little details that most is learnt. The pattern of high waisted trousers or jeans with shorter tops and jackets. The pattern of 3 colours in a look. The pattern of less but better shoes that move across outfits. The loveliness of focusing on 4 or 5 brands that feel really aligned - that feel like your own personal high street and put you at ease for buying in future.
Great boards are about ingredients not outfits. It is good to look at each piece on it’s own and see how this can move other individual looks. How items can be mixed and matched BECAUSE at it’s core it should feel right for your body and your style.
Great boards have a colour thread running through. Wardrobes and personal style gets in trouble when there is a huge mish-mash of colour tones within. It’s ok to play for sure but knowing intentionally why you own something is key. I like to explore colour in terms of keywords with clients not fixed palettes. ‘Soft’ or ‘Cool’ or ‘Bright’ or ‘Warm & Light’ helps to choose better and with more flow to the pieces but also helps you to cut out so much of what’s not right in a shop when browsing.
Shoes and accessories can change the feeling in a look entirely. With most looks, I pop in some extra ideas for shoes or accessories along the side, which though I want to keep the same feeling within the look, it shows how playing with the smaller elements matter to bring together a look and feeling and can change it entirely, soften it, move it around.
Feeling the flow for your wardrobe. When you look across a group of looks, there should be a feeling of cohesion and flow. Things can be swapped out easily across boards and colours blend and make sense together and when moved around.
The boards are built around great style builders and creators to play with. Style Builders are usually a bottom half item (trousers, a skirt or maybe a dress) but it’s an item that looks can be built around. We want to focus on great Style Builders first and then play around these. You will see this focus below.
P.S. The shops are awash with bright/ warm/ light colour tones right now so if that is your colour jam/ season this is the dream time to find lovely pieces to invest in.
Client One - Looks
Click on any of the looks to be brought into the Styling Boards with this little sample of looks to browse. All items are featured down along the side of the look, once you click through.
This lovely client has now received her full Styling Boards but these looks below were part of our exploration to make sure out ideas were strong and she felt connected to….
a) the colour direction we were taking.
b) the styling ideas felt right.
c) the overall feeling created but the look felt true to her Style Design and she was excited by.
Note the Style Builders
In the look below the Abercrombie Denim, (Abercrombie do a good selection of denim and trousers for taller gals) is our Style Builder, which is then played with and styled.
It is great to identify some key brands that you can go back to for future buying and browsing that feel aligned for you.
Client Two Sample
I am working on full Styling boards for this lovely client, who is entirely different it must be said to my client above.
(This is such a fun and interesting part of the work - the differences and plugging in your styling brain in entirely different ways!).
During the process, we had looked at this amazing pair of denim from a brand called Wiggy Kit, which she bought to try and yes, they are ace! They have become a key Style Builder so in my exploration looks, I used this pair of denim to style to make sure the other elements of the look felt on track.
You can click on any of the looks to visit all items on the Styling Boards.
As always, thank you for being here and for enjoying (hopefully!) my thoughts and what I share. Our style is one of the most intimate ways we can bring a little more of who we are to the world and it matters that it feels good to you.
For anything you would like to share or ask, you can always reply to this email or in the comments. I love it when you do and am here to help.
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See you soon!
Julie x
Congrats on 50 issues, Julie! 👏👏👏