Last but not least, it’s the turn of our City Chic’s!

Last but not least, it’s the turn of our City Chic’s!

Our final installment in my style personality series is dedicated to the City Chic’s within us, or for my male audience, the International. With this being the last blog in the series I thought I’d just give you a little reminder about what your style personality is and how it can affect your buying decisions. Your style personality is that inner voice that pulls you to an item whether it be a car, a house, a shoe or a handbag. It comes well before the colour of said item, the shape and whether or not it will suit and flatter you. Generally speaking you will relate to elements within 3 or 4 of the categories but will have a real connection with at least two.

If you find yourself in this category, you may feel that you are a little bit of all of the other five categories, all wrapped up in one, this is the true ability of a City Chic or International, adapting your style to suit your location and the occasion. You enjoy clothes but are not fanatical about them. You dedicate time and thought to the way you look and you love to accessorise, often spending more on bags and shoes than the outfit itself. You could be described as a minimalist in both your home and work environments.

You tend to follow trends rather than High Street fashion and keep updated with the latest fashion staples by reading appropriate magazines and newspapers. Having tried out most of the other key styles and experimented with lots of different looks, you now know what suits you and you know how to use this to your advantage. Shopping is done with care and precision, never making rash purchases and ensuring that whatever you buy co-ordinates with other items in your wardrobe. You use bright colour with caution, tending to opt for a tone on tone look instead.

A word of wisdom, tone on tone does not work for all colouring types so if it’s dating you or washing you out, try adding a pop of colour in accessory form such as a statement necklace or handbag or shoe.

Think George Clooney, Halle Berry, Pierce Brosnan and Freida Pinto.

 

It’s back to basics for all you naturals!

It’s back to basics for all you naturals!

In the 5th installment of my monthly style personality series, it’s time to focus on the naturals amongst us. Feeling comfortable in your clothes is the most important factor for you when choosing what to wear, anything that digs in, constricts or pinches is simply not an option. You have a very relaxed attitude to life in general and in keeping with your no fuss attitude, clothes must be easy-care and ideally non iron. If you are ever forced in to a formal environment where a formal wardrobe is required, your jackets or wraps spend most of the time hanging on the back of your chair! An uncluttered look with simple clean lines are your most preferred options. You out of all six style personalities, struggle the most with formal business wear.

Your make-up is minimal, so all in one products like our face creams containing an SPF or our tinted moisturisers are perfect for you. Good haircuts are essential, as you don’t like to spend vast amounts of time tending to your locks. A great cut can allow your hair to dry naturally with little to no styling. You have many interests but pouring over fashion magazines is definitely not one of them. Your wardrobes appear disorganised and you will often just wear whatever is to hand that morning. Trousers worn with flat shoes are your go to staple for maximum comfort and practicality, alongside minimal jewellery (if any at all) that wont jangle about and make unnecessary noise.

A word of wisdom for all you naturals out there, your look can occasionally appear a little care worn or dishevelled. To avoid this, book yourself in for regular “maintenance” work on your tresses, hang your clothes up at the end of each day and make sure that your footwear is well maintained.

Think Jude Law, Emily Blunt, Jamie Oliver and Kate Winslet.

Are you a Classic?

Are you a Classic?

The 4th installment in this series relating to the six different style personalities is centered around our classics. Remember, you wont necessarily fall neatly in to just one category, generally speaking there will be aspects of 2 or 3 style personalities that resonate with you, with some characteristics rearing their heads at transitional moments in your life, be it a change of career, post children or following on from a significant life event. Our style personality is that driving force that narrows down your buying decision and that pulls you to certain items or certain looks that you see on the high-street, on the catwalk or even on your friends.

The classics are all about tradition. Your wardrobes are neat and tidy and your look is well co-ordinated. Our classics are not life’s risk takers, once they find something that works they stick to it so they could still be driving the same model of car that they fell in love with at the age of 21! Whether it’s your desk, your kitchen or your garden shed, you keep it organised. You shop only when necessary and it tends to be in stores that you know. Your wardrobe is fairly formal with even your casual clothes displaying an air of tradition.

Your look is timeless and neat with an air of elegance about it. You tend to stick to the same hairstyles year on year and hate nothing more than your hairdresser moving away! Your make-up routines are fairly fixed and dare I say, a little unadventurous. Co-ordinated separates form the basis of all your looks. When putting an outfit together you love nothing more than matching accessories, along side shoes, handbags and even belts. You plan your outfits in advance so will always look appropriately dressed for any occasion. You do not follow fashion and the very idea of mixing textures or wearing daring colour combinations can cause your pulse to race for all the wrong reasons!

A word of wisdom for all you classics out there, taking risks is not something that features high on your agenda and therefore you can occasionally look a little dated. Try and modernise it by adding a splash of colour or a statement accessory to give your outfits an instant boost.

Think Barack Obama, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Bill Clinton and Mary Berry.

It’s the turn of the Romantics

It’s the turn of the Romantics

My third installment in the style personality series highlights everything about our Romantic family, friends and colleagues. Remember your style personality dictates your individual style which is your own interpretation of fashion and how you wear clothes. The clothes that you choose and how you wear them are governed by many factors including culture, lifestyle, age, build, environment, budget and personal preference. The way that you project yourself maybe influenced by your upbringing, the way you wish others to see you or simply how you see yourself. Knowing your style personality will give you the starting blocks on which to project yourself in a more organised way and to feel more confident in your choices no matter the occasion.

As a Romantic, you have a sense of security in your look and you’re not afraid to make others aware of your interest in looking after yourself. You love everything about dressing up and planning your wardrobe. The female Romantics love everything pretty with all manner of details from bows, to ruffles, to fringing, whilst the male Romantics enjoy the luxury fabrics like cashmere, velvet, tweed and washable silk. Your clothes are well maintained and are hung up at the end of every day. You take pride in your appearance and are not afraid to invest a little money and time in to self grooming with a tendency to want to experiment with new skincare and body care products.

You tend to have a regular exercise regime to keep yourself fit and healthy and your gym wear will follow your style rules and will be colourful or adorned with decorative details. You like luxurious and comfortable modes of transport and you care about the environment you occupy whether that’s at home or at work.

A word of wisdom for all you Romantics out there, you spend longer than anybody else looking after yourself and grooming so if you’re in a relationship with a natural this may cause a little friction unless you’re wiling to make a few concessions!

Think Sting, Kylie Minogue, Donald Trump or Penelope Cruz.

Are you all about the drama?

Are you all about the drama?

The second installment in my style personality series looks at the Dramatics amongst us. Before we get too engrossed though, lets take a moment to remind ourselves what your style personality influences. It is that subconscious decision maker within each and every one of us that pulls us like a magnet to those new shoes, that new hairstyle or even that new car.

For our Dramatics, the “wow” factor is crucial. You will always make an entrance no matter the occasion and love nothing more than being noticed whilst being the centre of attention. Shopping is one of your favourite pastimes. Your wardrobe is brimming with clothes and accessories that make a statement, it consists of many different styles that you have bought on impulse without a thought as to whether you have anything to co-ordinate them with.

You spend time researching on the internet and within fashion magazines for shopping ideas and trends. You are not remotely concerned with clothing practicality, whether that be comfort or if they can be tumble dried, this simply does not enter in to your mind. Regardless of your colouring you like bold and strong colour choices, often changing your hair colour and style to create new statement making looks.Your home is full of the latest hi-tech gadgets and you are drawn to fast cars that also make a statement. Perhaps you like to take the odd risk too!

My one word of wisdom for all you Dramatics out there is to be mindful that not all the latest fashion trends will suit your body shape so just because it looks good on the front cover of Vogue that will not necessarily translate to looking good on you.

Celebrity examples would include, David Beckham, Katy Perry, Robbie Williams or Chaka Khan.

Installment One of the Style Personality Tour.

Installment One of the Style Personality Tour.

Lots of my customers have never heard about style personality before and yet it governs a major part in the decisions that we make in relation to hairstyles, clothing styles, footwear and even the cars we drive, the homes we live in, or the holidays we enjoy. I have therefore set myself the task of covering all six style personalities in my blog over the next six months. That way you can start to piece together the two or three categories that you align yourself too.

So what is “style personality”? In an nut shell, it’s your first buying decision so it’s the subconscious pull that you get when you first walk in to a shop. Naturally, the colour and styling of your clothes play an important part in your appearance, but it is your personality above all else that acts as a catalyst to pull your whole look together. Your personality dictates your style, which is your own interpretation of fashion, ignore it and buy clothes simply because they feature in all the glossy magazines or look great on a friend and you will not look comfortable, nor will your wardrobe be very user friendly, instead it will be a muddle of styles which will only add to your confusion.

So lets kick off our tour of the six style personalities with our creatives, our trend setters rather than a trend follower. Shopping to these men and women is an art form. If you fall in to this category you will be great at combining different items of clothing and accessories to give yourself a unique and interesting look. You rarely throw anything out because you know you will use it again at some point, even if it has to be remodelled. You prefer public transport to any other methods of getting from A – B. Your wardrobe is full of items from many different sources be it vintage, hand me downs, one off boutiques, E-bay purchases or charity shops, with the occasional high-street gem thrown in for good measure. You may feel challenged in a very formal business environment but with careful modification your creative urges can still be fulfilled with one-off pieces of jewellery, a statement tie or an eclectic jacket. You will often make interesting purchases whilst away in unique holiday destinations far off the beaten track.

My one area of advise to all those creatives out there is to be careful that your passion for being an individual does not result in you being inappropriately dressed for certain occasions.

Celebrity examples would include, Sir Elton John, Paloma Faith, David Bowie or Nicki Minaj.