Weekly Newsletter #25: Take Control of your Personal Style

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Author

Kerryn Rutherford
January 12, 2024

Personal Stylist sitting on an arm chairr

Start the year feeling like your best dressed self with our Personal Styling Packages. 

Happy 2024, Friends!

We are two weeks into the New Year and you are already off to the most stylish start by being here ;)

Another year of juicy style principles and prompts, recommendations, and special offers lies ahead. To say I am thrilled by the thought is an understatement.

I am navigating my own style challenges as I enter 2024 because I am learning to dress a growing bump.

This got me thinking about approaches to personal style and how we navigate change, be it physical or lifestyle.

We can fight against it and let it get us down, or we can rise to the challenge and see it as an opportunity for creativity and growth. Your personal style and wardrobe should evolve with you. This may mean letting go of who you once were so that you can become who you are meant to be.

Navigating my pregnant body has allowed me to play with new outfit combinations and styles I may not have tried before. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my high waisted pants and the ease at which I could get dressed before, but letting it get me down isn’t going to solve the problem.

So, I sat down, had a think about how I can move forward and took action to make sure I can continue to get dressed with ease and confidence. Some of my ideas may work, some may not. Either way, I’m winning because there is more to learn in failure than in constant success (as lovely as the latter may be).

If you feel like you’re in a style rut and frustrated with your wardrobe, take action and reach out. I’m here to help you create a wardrobe that allows you to dress the way you want to feel x

Style Principle #24: Take Control of your Personal Style

Taking control of your personal style may feel like a mammoth task. It doesn’t have to be.

The best way to take control of your personal style is to start small and implement manageable changes.

Identify what is causing you to feel despondent or frustrated. Causes for frustration could be:

  1. your clothes no longer suit your lifestyle: You should be able to wear at least 80% of your wardrobe in your everyday life;

  2. your clothes no longer fit: Our bodies change as we age and move through different seasons of our life. Your clothes need to meet your body where it is at right now. If you need to have your clothes altered to fit your new shape after weight loss, or add a few pieces to celebrate your new body in a size up, do it. Putting on an outfit that celebrates who you are is an instant mood booster;

  3. your wardrobe is cluttered and overflowing, so you can’t see your clothes: A well ordered wardrobe is a sure fire way to help you get dressed without the frustration. It may even inspire you to wear an item you haven’t worn in awhile because you couldn’t see it. Store or hang like items with like, colour coordinating your pieces, and make sure you have let go of clothes that no longer serve you.;

  4. your style (or wardrobe) hasn’t evolved with you so you feel like your dressing for a different you: Your personal style needs to grow with you. You aren’t the same woman you were at 22. Your personal style should compliment and enhance your current lifestyle and allow you to present yourself as you want to be seen; or

  5. you find yourself reaching for the same pieces every day: This may be because of points 1 - 4 above.

Once you’ve identified your frustration, you can determine what steps you need to take and action these steps.

Find yourself always reaching for your activewear or that same t-shirt and leggings? Start small by trading your leggings or bike sorts for a pair of denim shorts or linen pants. Swap your t-shirt and sports bra for a singlet with a linen shirt layered over the top. Better yet, set a day or two a week where you wear an item you don’t normally reach for: “Dress Day Thursday” or "Tailored Pants Tuesday”.

Set aside some time on over the weekend to tidy up your wardrobe if it’s cluttered and you’re struggling to find your clothes. This doesn’t have to be a full wardrobe clean out (although this is an important step in assessing your personal style). Folding and organising your clothes by item and colour can help you discover pieces you may have forgot about, stimulate your fashion creativity or identify items you need to throw out.

To understand what you like and where you want your style to go, start a Pinterest or Mood Board with images of people whose style you admire. Take inspirations from friends, celebrities, influencers and characters in a TV series. Examine the pictures and look for common themes. Do the outfits have a lot of colour and print or are they neutral? What are the most common pieces e.g. are pants and jeans a common item? Once you’ve identified the commonalities, think of three words to describe the style you see and unpack what these mean to you. Use these words and themes to guide any new purchases and help your let got of pieces that no longer serve you. We help you do this in our Cleanse Package.

Taking smalls steps allows you to build your confidence and have fun whilst you experiment with your style and think mindfully about what you like and how you can curate a wardrobe you love.

It takes courage and vulnerability to try something new and acknowledge that you need to make a change. Be gentle with yourself, laugh off any fails and take criticism from whence it comes.

Getting dressed is an opportunity to present who you are and who you want to be to the world. The confidence that comes from leaning into your personal style is immeasurable because Personal Style is about so much more than clothes. 

If you’re feeling frustrated with your wardrobe and style, book a free 15 minute call and let’s chat about your challenges and how we can help.

IN THE KNOW

CONTENT WE’RE LOVING THIS WEEK

#1 WE’RE READING - Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

Green Dot is Gray’s debut novel and WHAT a debut it is.

Hera is a 25 year old comment moderator at a newspaper. She knows she’s stuck and has “waisted potential. Her friends have taken to adulting like a fish in water. She doesn’t seem to be having the same experience. Hera takes pride in rejecting societies conventional ideas of success.

Then she falls into a passionate affair with Arthur, her older, married co-worker. Suddenly enamoured by the idea of “ordinary happiness” and the promise of marriage, children, and a home they can build together, Hera falls head over heels into a hopeless romance she knows won’t work.

Funny, sharp and intimate, Gray offers a unique commentary on the fraught topic of adultery and how you navigate the situations you find yourself in when you’re 20 and trying to find your place in the world. The novel poses the question: what are you really hiding from?

#1 WE’RE LISTENING TO - Rupert: The Last Mogal by Shwartz Media 

A six part podcast series by investigative journalist Paddy Manning tracking Murdoch’s rise from the editor of a small newspaper in Adelaide to global media mogul. A fascinating discussion of ambition, betrayal, and the undeniable power of the media (and one man) to topple leaders, change policies and “throw into doubt the outcome of entire elections”.

#3 WE’RE WATCHING - Nolly

Nolly is a biopic about the “reign and fall from grace” of Noele Gordon, the star of day time soup, Crossroads, and one of the most famous British TV actresses of the 60s and 70s.

We watched this on the plane and found it to be a brilliantly acted and well-crafted.

Helena Bonham Carter delivers a stellar performance and we loved learning about Noele Gordan, an actress we aren’t familiar with, but who deserves to be remembered.

A wardrobe full of clothes with nothing to wear? We've all been there. Aura's Cleansed package works with your existing wardrobe to: 

  1. show you how to style the clothes you already own; 

  2. clean out the items that no longer serve you, your lifestyle or style goals; and

  3. identify gaps in your wardrobe that need to be filled to create a wardrobe that makes getting dressed a fun, empowering and simple process. 

Determining your personal style has a great return on investment. You’ll wear more of what you own, shop less and reduce those waisted purchased. Most importantly, you’ll feel confident, powerful and be able to get dressed with ease and confidence no matter the occassion.

- TRY A NEW ACCESSORY -

Accessories are often the missing piece to the perfect outfit.

Try your hand at a necklace stack.

Change out your earrings for something big and bold.

Finish your look off with a pair of sunnies or a baseball cap.

Share your looks with us by replying to this email or tagging us on Instagram.

Feeling a little uninspired by your wardrobe? Reach out! We can help.

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.