Dealing with Fashion Dilemmas



Posted: Monday, October 03, 2011

by Helen Venables
House of Colour Ltd

I’m standing next to the little newsagents at the station waiting for my train into London for some retail therapy. The magazines are full of glossy pictures of the new collections for this season, giving advice on the ‘now’ looks and which trends will be ‘big’ this season.  As I flick through I suppose the pictures are meant to be inspiring: beautiful models looking great in outfits straight from the catwalk and gorgeous high shoes (I do love my shoes).  Far from feeling inspired however, I start to feel confused and wonder what I’m suppose to buy on my shopping trip to see me through next season.

I am meeting up with my ultra trendy sister who works just off Oxford Street and therefore lives, eats and breathes fashion. My sister is younger than me but seems to have out grown me in the trend stakes.  She always seems to pop into the high street and come out with armfuls of beautiful clothes that make her look like a real trend setter.  My sister offers to help me shop but all day I have a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.  I know that although she can find great buys, I follow her into the same shop and the outfits that are suppose to be on trend just don’t look great on me.  After some of my shopping trips with my sister, Oxfam has ended up with a sizeable donation of clothes!

Although we are sisters and are therefore from the same gene pool, our body shapes couldn’t be more different. She is tall and slim while I am petite and curvy.  Gone are the days when we could share and swap clothes. Women come in all shapes and sizes, so understanding your own personal body shape is key.

I needed to find out about my body. Fashion magazines are not helpful in that department for someone with my body shape. They always feature tall slim models which can get tiresome as the way clothes hang on these models won’t be the same as on me. Why don’t models have boobs and hips so I can see what the clothes will look like on someone like me?  My questions about myself were answered when I went for a Personal Style day with my House of Colour consultant. The things she taught me about my body shape are so much more useful than anything I’ve ever seen in a magazine or even on the makeover shows on TV. It was a revelation to learn about my ‘oblong with curves’ figure and to find out what cuts and styles of clothing suited me. The day also taught me how to express my personality in clothes I wear.  It felt great to understand what was really ME!

For me one of the best things was finding out about the Fashion Update which I could get from my consultant. Not only did this give me information on the trends for the season, it told me how to wear the trends for my clothing personality. Hurray at last, comprehensive information on how I can wear fashion trends for my body shape!

Unlike magazines, the Fashion Update didn’t try to fob me off and say I can wear everything, it told me what trends are appropriate for me. It takes trends for the season from the catwalks and shows you how you can adapt the ideas for your own clothing personality. Not all the trends that season were right for me but I had a much better idea on what to look for to highlight the best of my figure and what would make me look on trend in a way I would feel comfortable in. All of a sudden I am just as trendy as my sister. - Result!  We might not shop for the same styles or in the same shops but I now know why a style on her doesn’t look good on me and there are some styles she cannot wear that look great on me!

As I board the train I think I might text my sister and change our plans to just catching up over a cappuccino (and maybe shoe shopping!) The next fashion update is due soon so I think I’ll wait for that, then I’ll know which trends will be right for me!

Have a look at an example of our Fashion update to see how it help you with your Fashion Dilemmas.
Helen Venables is Franchise Director of International Image Consultancy House of Colour.  She also runs her own successful consultancy advising clients on a regular basis from the company’s Head Office north of London in the UK. She is responsible for the recruitment of new consultants for the company both in the UK and internationally.  

House of Colour is renowned for  its high standard of training and Helen is also  part of the team responsible for training consultants.  She is  proud of the company’s continued Investor In People Award and is passionate about passing on the confidence that comes from understanding which clothes suit us and why.
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