Allowing Your Style to Grow with You
A common conversation I’ve been having with friends recently has been centred around this idea of not knowing who you are in your style. We all seem to be in this place of struggling with clothes, shopping and letting our personalities shine through. Perhaps the root of it comes from all of us entering our thirties, or perhaps it’s that having been around for three decades, we’ve seen more of the good, bad and ugly that style can offer than ever before. We can so easily look back at how we used to dress and compare it to where we are now and have absolutely no clue how to define our sense of style, or how to adapt it for the people we have become. Throw in some standard body image issues, and navigating your style for who you are now can be a downright nightmare. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay if you can’t define your style perfectly and It’s also completely normal for your style to change as you grow and progress through life, and frankly, it should! Today, I’ve put together my top tips for allowing your style to grow with you. Growing older can be difficult in a number of respects, but let’s not let your style be one of those challenges!
Try new things
I think this first tip is so adaptable to getting older in general, never mind allowing your style to grow too. Trying new things allows us to challenge ourselves in a healthy way, learn new skills and honestly, learn more about what we’re capable of and can keep things fresh and current! If you’re someone who has been wearing the same kinds of pieces for the last decade, I highly suggest you start dipping your toe into some different pieces. You can think about fabric, cut, colour, and texture, the options are truly endless!
For me, it meant trying a different cut and in this case, it meant something cropped, oh my! If you know me you know I’m a sucker for a pink and red pairing and I fell in love with the red piping on this pink shirt, she’s a beauty! But, I questioned the cropped length. Could I pull this off? Was I too old for something like this? The questions were endless in my head and quite honestly a little limiting. I took a risk and said yes to it hoping that I would find a way to wear it because I really loved it. Well, I did and I absolutely love where I landed with this look and feel authentically me in this outfit, who knew! You’ll always know when something is for you if it translates to you feeling great while wearing the piece, leading you to wear it over and over again, so take the plunge and see what incredible looks come out of it!
Play with Pairings
It’s safe to say I don’t have a fear of playing with colour. I love having contrast and honestly have for a lot of my adult life. Taking a trip down memory lane with my style, allowed me to see that there have been themes to my style, although I like to think it’s become a bit more polished as time has gone on.
Colour blocking has been a common theme of my style for probably the last decade. In university, it might have meant pairing a coral skirt, white shirt and teal statement necklace, two different colours, that don’t match but they go because they are of the same tone or richness of colour. It can be a lot of fun! Nowadays, for me it looks like pairing a sweater and a shirt of different colours, but similar depth and using other pieces in the look to compliment the colours that are in the pallet. In this case, dark denim to compliment the blue shirt, a pink brooch to enhance the sweater and white boots to emphasize the white pinstripe of the shirt. Contrasting, but cohesive!
Playing with pairings, whether colour, like in my case, or even texture can be the perfect way to experiment with your style and think about new ways to wear the pieces in your wardrobe. You might not have the budget to add new pieces, so it’s always great to start with what you already have. When playing with pairings, have fun and get outside of your box. I recommend thinking about different ways to wear pieces you love because this will absolutely support the growth of your style.
Don’t Limit Your Style
I often hear things like “I’m too old for this”, “I can’t pull this off”, and “I don’t have the figure for this” when clients of mine are shopping. I mean I think we can all admit to having these limiting beliefs from time to time, I know I can! These types of phrases keep us in the boxes we feel most comfortable in. While sometimes that is absolutely okay, I encourage you to catch yourself when these thoughts or comments come up. Challenge yourself to try! While initially, you might have these thoughts at first glance, how do you feel when you actually try the piece on? Do you feel empowered? Stylish? Uncomfortable? No wrong answers here, the important thing is to listen to how YOU feel. I’m all for getting outside of my comfort zone, but sometimes baby steps are in order! It’s a delicate balance of challenging yourself, while also doing what is best for you and how you feel when you look in the mirror.
I recently tried fishnets for the first time and believe me I had my hesitations. I always felt like they weren’t my style and not really something I had a desire to try. I had always felt like they were for someone who was really strong and kind of badass, and I know what you’re thinking, that’s a limiting style belief! I decided to give it a shot because I love to play with juxtaposition. In this case, pairing something that feels edgy, like fishnets, with something that feels really feminine, like this ruffled polka dot skirt. I have to say after giving it a try, I love it! The pairings create such beautiful and interesting textures that are eye-catching.
Aging is challenging enough, let’s not put limitations on our growth. Style is so much more fun when we live outside of our boxes and remain open to trying new pieces and pairings. This is truly how we allow our style to grow and change with us.
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