Think about your life 10 years
ago. Where were you? Were you married already? Did you have
children? What was your job? Who were the friends you spent the
most time with? What hobbies did you take part in? What kind of
exercise did you do? What type of car did you drive?
I could ask questions on and on
about the past from 10 years ago or any number of years and, chances are that
to some degree, the answers to some of the questions would be different than
they are today.
I've said it before, and I am
going to say it again: Time seems to fly by faster and faster with each
passing year. As I write this blog, I am in complete wonderment over how
the first month of the new year is already gone. We JUST celebrated the New
Year!! But that is the way that life goes - it will keep changing no
matter how much we may want to resist it.
So, when I talk about Style
Evolution, what do I mean? I want to begin with the definition of
"evolution" which is to "change over time" or to
"change or develop gradually, often into a better, more complex, or more
advanced state". So, with reference to a Style Evolution, I'm talking
about making sure that your style keeps up with who you are today and the life
you are living today and to continue to allow it to stay at-pace with you as
your life changes.
Why is it important to evolve
and adapt your style? Imagine what a conversation you would spark in the
year 2024 if you had 80's hair and makeup and 80's style. People would
question your relevance if you walked around like this day-after-day, right?!
Knowing this, you know that you HAVE adapted to more
current times already, that will be obvious. But when it comes to your
style, it's important to take note and take control of your outward appearance
and that can take a bit of work. I promise it is worth it because
you will feel so much better when you are fully aligned to your style purpose!
So, there are three key areas that will continue to need to
be adapted to over time. These three areas are going to change in SOME
way and most of the time, you will not have complete control over them. They
are:
1. Changing
Lifestyle
2. Changing
Body
3. Changing
Styles
Let me talk briefly about each of these areas.
Changing Lifestyle: One day you are a new bride, working a
9-5, sleeping in on weekends and the next you are a married wife with three
kiddos working a different 9-5 and shuttling your kids all over town for
appointments and extracurriculars. Then, the very next you are an
empty nester, thinking about retirement and what that will mean for
you. Whether you are single, married, have kids or don’t, work a
full-time job or part time, or are getting ready to retire, life changes. We
move to new areas of the country, we switch jobs, our kids don’t need us as
much as they get older, and one day we are retired and trying to soak up as
much time with our grandchildren as possible. It’s important to take
note of your life, where you are now, and how your style fits into that. Think
about how you can remain YOU and keep the essence of yourself through all of
the changes that are inevitable.
Changing Body: Yep, remember being in your 20s
and thinking you were “so fat” (I HATE that statement, BTW). Then
college comes will all the drinking, then you find a great exercise routine and
lose those “freshman 15”. Eventually, with a busy life, you start
eating less healthy foods or maybe your body just decides it’s ready for no
apparent reason for your metabolism to slow down. Even if you are
one of the lucky ones who stays slim (with or without exercise), the shape of
our body and where our “extra lovin’” goes is not something we get to
choose. When it comes to your style, you must be ready to
dynamically adapt to wear clothing that makes you look and feel your best as
your body goes through all of the changes it will go through in your lifetime.
Changing Styles: Of all three items on this list, this is
the one you have the least influence over (and that’s saying a
lot)! When it comes to fashion and current styles, if you want to
remain relevant, you are at the whim of Forecasting agencies, Designers,
etcetera if you want to remain current with your style. While you do
get to pick and choose what works best for YOUR lifestyle and YOUR body, if you
aren’t keeping up with what is new, you will become a relic much like the first
Apple iPod which is no more. Nothing can date you faster than not
keeping one foot in the door of what is current!
So, how do you make sure that you are still relevant?
I have a few tips for you, but before we get into that, WHY
is staying relevant so important? My friend, first impressions are happening
faster than ever. We live in a VERY fast-paced, technologically
driven world and because of that, we learn to scan much, much faster than we
used to, whether that is on a device, or scanning a person to decide if you
trust them. Your outfit and style speak volumes in less than 7
seconds. This can affect a new connection or friend you want to make, a job you
are hoping to get, or the Client you want to land. Like it or not,
if your style is dated, your skillset is automatically assumed to be dated,
too. In a world where you are competing for a job with a multitude of other
qualified candidates, you don’t want your style to be the thing that pushes the
Hiring Manager over the edge to hiring someone other than you. That
is something you CANNOT carry around with you if you want to succeed.
Now that you know why it is so important to keep current, let me share some tips on how to do just that.
Tip 1: Evaluate Your Closet. You must approach
your closet like a stranger and question everything. To do this, I
would suggest you do a bit of research about what is current in
fashion. Loving something in your closet that is worn out, doesn’t
fit or is dated is not enough. And if you have not worn something in
a year, it’s time to donate it and bless someone else.
Tip 2: Style Self-reflection. You must know what
message you want to send with your style. Do you want to be
bold? Do you want to appear creative? Do you want to stay
away from trends and dress in a more timeless way? I encourage you to search
Pinterest and find current images of women in outfits that you
love. Don’t overthink this. Save the items and you can
explore WHAT you love about the outfit later. Like a good ol’ GPS: if
you don’t plug an address in and know where you are going, how do you expect to
ever get there? The same is true with your style, you need a
roadmap.
Tip 3: Purchase Quality Pieces. Gals, we are in
our mid-30’s and older, the time for buying clothes from Target, H&M, and
Shein is OVER. Many times, women get caught up in the price of one
item, but if you buy one good quality item that you will wear again and again
that is of good quality, you will spend much less money in the
end. I call this Wardrobe Math. Buy quality items that go
with multiple items, and you will never look back. Get great quality
basics that you will wear again and again. When you find a new piece
of clothing, ask yourself if you think you will wear it in 1 year? 5
years? 10 years? The longer you will be able to wear it, the more
you should spend on it.
Tip 4: Incorporating what is current or trending. Back to
the question I asked in Tip 3 about how many years you will wear
something. If you find a trendy piece that is not going to stand the
test of time, this is where you want to save your money. Do you
think you will REALLY want to wear the “Mob Wife” trend in a
year? Probably not. When you do want to wear something
very trendy and less classic, make sure you can blend it back with your quality
basics. This way you won’t stand out like a sore thumb.
Tip 5: Learn to update your
accessories. Just like clothing, accessories can become dated
too. Some may be a bit less dated than others, but as an example,
the Tory Burch or Michael Kors logo ballet flats are NOT a vibe now. Matchy-matchy
jewelry sets are dating your look. Update your ballet flats to a
classic pointed toe version sans-logo or wear your sets split up (not
together).
Tip 6: Makeup and Hair matter too. So, while
some may not consider this a fashion topic, I do. I recommend my
clients go have their makeup professionally done (maybe even a lesson) at least
every 2 years. Makeup trends change and can really date you
quickly. In addition, it’s always a good idea to trust an expert
with hair color and haircut to make sure you look fresh and current.
So, are you ready to hop into your closet and look at it through an evolved eye? If you feel a little lost even knowing what is in style now, grab a few fashion magazine or even look at current articles online about what the important pieces are when it comes to fashion in 2024. Write down some notes about what you are seeing and what is catching your eye. This is where I think you could even create a Pinterest board of things you love and start from there.
The key is to try to have fun figuring out who YOU want to be in your style for today and going into the future. Consider what message do you want to put out into the world about who you are and then go from there!
Happy exploring!
Stylishly Yours,
PS - Need some professional help with all of this? Good news! This is what I do! I coach my Clients on their style both Virtually and In-Person and I would love to dig in with you and help you discover who you are in your style! Head to my website to learn more!
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