The difficulty I have always had since I was young, is that I was torn between being a tom boy in track suit pants, gum boots and flannel shirts, and wearing dresses, doing my hair, adding little heels and lipstick like my mum. The conflict of my true style always seemed bizarre to me. I seemed to be a person of opposites, dressing up and looking fabulous, and loving the freedom of being a total dag.
Now, as a nearly fifty-year-old, I embrace the feeling of being that tom boy in cargo pants, t-shirts, and gumboots, but I also love wearing dresses, doing my hair, wearing high heels and makeup. I realise that this is me - my style is a mix of who I am. I am someone who loves being down to earth, running trails, working in the garden, shopping, lunches with friends and getting dressed up for special occasions.
I look at social media and see no one like me, and that creates doubt as to who I should be and how I should dress. I realise like most of us, I have so many different interests and personas. It doesn’t mean I have split personalities. It means I love the freedom of being my true authentic self.
I know from working with so many women that very few of us look fabulous all the time. The most important element of being fabulous is feeling fabulous, embracing who we are, and all that we can do in this world.
How can I be a stylist when I am not always stylish?
I have given myself permission to not have to be a ‘style queen’ all the time. I put so much pressure on myself when I first started as a Style Coach to always look impeccable. It wasn’t sustainable as it is not my authentic style. I am a natural/classic style personality, and that natural element needs to come out for me to feel comfortable and authentic.
Creating our personal style is all about being authentic. We need to create a wardrobe that reflects all those aspects of our personality, works with our body shape and lifestyle. It is unfortunate that our media seems to be full of images of women always looking glamourous. Like many others, I only like the ‘good’ photos of me going up on social media. Imagine if we all put up a true diary of the outfits we wore for a week. That is when we would see the true personalities of our friends and family.
My Style Coaching Ultimate Wardrobe Makeover Course will help you work out how to create a wardrobe that reflects who you, work with the body you have been gifted, and give you confidence to dress to reflect your true personality. Of course, if you feel like you would like some one-on-one help to create your wardrobe, I am also available to work with you personally to help you meet your wardrobe goals.
You can access my online Style Coaching Ultimate Wardrobe Makeover Course through the Ultimate Wardrobe Makeover Course page on my website. If you would like some one-on-one coaching, you can email me at Jen@jenwhitehousestylecoach.com.au.