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- Aura Weekly Newsletter #36: Does Your Wardrobe Suit your Lifestyle?
Aura Weekly Newsletter #36: Does Your Wardrobe Suit your Lifestyle?
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Kerryn Rutherford
April 12, 2024
 ICYMI I am currently growing a tiny human. I’ll be taking a break from in-person consults from 15 April. I should be able to squeeze in a few virtual sessions before wrapping up on 29 April. If you want to work with me before I go on my baby hiatus… | Happy Friday, Stylish Ones!I haven’t felt very inspired to get dressed lately. Normally, I get dressed for myself even if I have nowhere to go as it motivates me. My lack of inspiration could be because the clothes I want to wear don’t fit (I’m 35 weeks pregnant), I work from home most days or I am fighting against the urge to slow down. Maybe it’s a combination of all three? I have found myself craving the security of a job where someone tells me what I have to do each day and I can simply show up, get through the list and head home. I know this is simply because, mentally, I am trying to prepare for the biggest change of my life and the pressure of growing a successful business is a little hard to handle at the moment. Yesterday, I decided enough was enough. I am a stylist after all and I believe in the power of getting dressed and wearing a good outfit. I whipped out my Pinterest Pregnancy Outfit Board, chose an outfit I liked and recreated it (The outfit and inspo is below for you). I felt more energised and purposeful than I had in weeks. If you’re feeling a little flat, put on an outfit that makes you feel most like you or challenge yourself to recreate a look you love. I can guarantee it will put a stylish pep in your step x |
A WARDROBE FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE
A hard truth: Your wardrobe (and any purchase you make) must suit your lifestyle.
What do you get when you combine a love for fashion, an appreciation for a good outfit and an unclear personal style with the ease (and simplicity) of online shopping?
“A wardrobe full of clothes, with nothing to wear.”
A reason you may be struggling to get dressed everyday is that the clothes you own don’t suit your current lifestyle.
You should be able to wear at least 90% of your wardrobe on a day-to-day basis. The remaining 10% of your wardrobe, should be comprised of delicates and occasion pieces, being those clothes you need for outlier activities like special events or active holidays (like skiing or hiking if that’s your thing).
Put differently, if you spend the majority of your time doing the school run, at the park with a toddler or working from home and/or in a more casual office, your wardrobe should be filled with pieces that allow you put casual, stylish and comfortable outfits together.
If you’re in a corporate environment Monday - Friday, your wardrobe will predominantly be more tailored pieces, like suit pants, silk blouses, heels and blazers, than jeans and tees, because a corporate office is where you spend the majority of the time. Here you would need to find a good balance between corporate and casual pieces (70% corporate, 30% casual, weekend wear).
Here’s the outfit and the inspo that got me of my funk this week.
You are learning, growing and moving through different seasons of your life.
Your wardrobe - and personal style - should evolve with you to align with these different seasons.
When I shifted from law to sales at a trendy start-up, most of my corporate clothes (I’m looking at you fitted blazer and pointed stilettos) became impractical. I had to regroup and identify how my personal style and wardrobe needed to change to reflect the woman I was becoming and the lifestyle I was currently living.
A step toward getting dressed with ease and confidence is creating a wardrobe filled with pieces that suits your lifestyle.
Unpack how you spend the majority of your time (E.g. Working Out - 10%; Office - 70%; Casual Lunches and Dinners - 20%: your wardrobe should adequately reflect this breakdown).
Ask yourself what clothes you need to allow yourself to comfortably dress like the woman you are (or want to be) for your lifestyle.
Assess whether or not your wardrobe has these pieces.
If it doesn’t, it’s time to reflect on your personal style, and re-organise your wardrobe, packing away the pieces that no longer work for you, and your lifestyle (if you think you’ll need them again in the future) and identifying the gaps you need to fill to allow you to get dressed with confidence.
[If you need help identifying your personal style and building a wardrobe that allows you to get dressed with ease and confidence, reach out! We’d love to help]
Two of our VERY stylish readers absolutely nailing the Style Prompt!
IN THE KNOW
CONTENT WE’RE LOVING THIS WEEK
 | #1 WE’RE READING - How to Get Dressed with Denise Soued for The Cereal Aisle by Leandra Medine Cohen Leandra Medine Cohen burst onto the budding blogger scene in 2010. She is best known for her (now defunct) fashion blog turned media company, Man Repeller. Her substack, The Cereal Aisle, showcases her unique personal style, and unpacks her fashion thoughts (It’s slogan is “A newsletter about how to get dressed”). We particularly loved this substack edition with Denise Soued, a newly postpartum, New York based Fashion Stylist. Soued offers useful advice on how she’s managing her personal style whilst navigating her new lifestyle. Whether you are newly postpartum or simply in a style rut, this is a lovely read with some fabulous reminders and tips. |
 | #1 WE’RE LISTENING TO - Amy Smilovic, Founder of Tibi on the Who What Wear with Hillary Kerr Amy Smilovic founded women’s luxury brand, Tibi, in 1997. Over nearly two decades, she has honed her craft as a stylist and designer sharing incredibly helpful tips on style and how to master it. In this WWW podcast episode, Smilovic unpacks helpful concepts from her book The Creative Pragmatist which include how to style colour and prints and why your should invest in your basics. |
#3 WE’RE WATCHING - A Gentleman in Moscow on Prime Video Based on Amor Towles’ glorious 2016 novel, A Gentleman in Moscow (starring Ewan McGregor) is set in 1922 post-Revolutionary Russia, where our Gentleman, Count Alexander Rostov, is stripped of his title and wealth and sentence to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand Russian hotel. Through expert craftsmanship (on the part of Towles), we see how Count Rostov’s indomitable spirit is tested as he navigates his house arrest, forming unlikely friendships, “fleeting romances” and experiencing heartwarming emotional growth. |
 — VIRTUAL STYLING — Enliven is our Virtual Styling Package. During a 2 hour virtual wardrobe cleanse, we will style existing items in your wardrobe, clear out items that no longer serve you, your lifestyle or style goals and identify gaps in your wardrobe. After our session, you will receive a lookbook of the outfits we put together and a personalised and shoppable virtual shopping guide. Once your items arrive, we will work together to style these new pieces with items in your wardrobe so that getting dress is a simple and empowering process. INCLUSIONS:
|  — WEAR GREY — The “neutral” colour of Autumn/Winter 2024 - grey is set to be everywhere as we embrace the colder weather. The #aurastyleprompt is meant to inspire you to get more wear out of the clothes you own, so whip out your grey pieces and lets see what you’ve got. Try pairing a light grey with pale pink. For a colour combination we’re obsessed with, try charcoal grey and cherry red. Share your looks with us by replying to this email or tagging us on Instagram. Feeling a little uninspired by your wardrobe? Get in touch! |
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Hit reply and let us know your thoughts on this newsletter. Refer a friend so more people can get tips on how to be their best dressed selves. |  |