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Invest in yourself
I’ve been living a lie.
I work with some seriously stylish ladies at Sassy HQ, and I get lumped in the same group as them and I’m just… not as chic. It’s never been a prerequisite to be “stylishly dressed” to work at Sassy (I must have skipped over that part in my contract…), but I still want to look presentable most of the time. The leggings with holes in them had to go, as did all my pilling jumpers. Enter Pavleta of Stylish Sisters.
An image and style consultant having trained with Eve Roth Lindsay of Colour Me Beautiful, Pavleta has started her own image consulting business, injecting her own unique sense of style in her clients’ wardrobes. She came over to my house for a personal consultation and began with a questionnaire on my style. My result came up easy: I dress for comfort. Ballet flats, jeans, leggings… anything that was easy to throw on, down to my inconspicuous jewellery.
She patiently went through clothing items that would suit my body shape: wrap dresses or skirts (I don’t remember the last time I wore one of those), shirt-style tops (hello, sophistication), and silk scarves and big jewellery around my ears and neck to draw attention at my face.
Read more: Cull the Clutter: Donation Resources in Hong Kong
Here are 6 things I learned from her during my consultation:
1. Accessories
Never be afraid to accessorise. No truer word was written, especially in regards to Pavleta! She rocked up with a beautiful embellished clutch in the shape of a guitar to show me. Pair it with a simple dress and boom, done. Also, I have two drawers full of gorgeous designer shoes: I should wear the more often.
2. Invest in key pieces
My wardrobe was missing some key components: a leather jacket, a trench coat (Burberry, I’m after you), and a flattering and comfortable LBD. It was time to say bye bye to fast-fashion shopping and hello to investing in key pieces that would stand the test of time.
3. Invest in basics
Key pieces are great, but you need the basics. A leather jacket will only look good if I’m wearing a plain-coloured tank or turtleneck underneath. My wardrobe was lacking tanks and turtlenecks so it was time to go hunting those down in the sales.
4. Cull the clutter
Literally, get rid of it. Donate it, throw it out, pass it to a friend. Be brutal. It’s no good in your wardrobe if it’s lost its shape, if it’s in need of repair, if it doesn’t suit your body shape, or if it doesn’t match anything else in your wardrobe. I’ve had to get rid of a few favourite jumpers because they make me look like a hobo. I also passed a gorgeous blue and pink bomber jacket (because #fashion) to Surmayee because it matched nothing in my wardrobe.
5. Storage
Fold. Your. Damn. Sweaters. Seriously, my winter gear came out from under my bed and went on wire hangers in my wardrobe. And now some of my (brand new) jumpers are out of shape around the shoulders. Sad face. Make sure you’ve got the right hangers for some items to prevent wrinkles and stretching.
6. Have your go-to looks
Know that your red jumper pairs with your grey jeans, black boots, silver necklace and grey backpack. Know that your brick-coloured shift dress goes with black stockings and brown boots and a red handbag. If you have four or five go-to looks with pieces from your wardrobe, you won’t be scrambling each morning, or you won’t be stuck on what to wear to a certain type of event.
