Why I View Personal Style As A Form Of Self Care

Last year, just before the first lockdown took place I took to the stage at The Capsule’s Fashion and Body event in Leeds - it was an evening packed with inspiring women, empowering messages and lots of fashion. I LOVED being a part of it!

Having trained as a personal stylist in 2011, whilst pregnant with my first child and subsequently working with over a thousand woman since, I have learnt a thing or two along the way and was keen to share both my experiences with my clients and my own journey too.

I have always believed that we ALL all deserve to look and feel fabulous EVERY DAY - no matter if we spend our day in the boardroom, at soft play with our kids or on a movie set.

Women get in touch with me because they want to reconnect with their sense of SELF and their sense of STYLE (although many claim not to have any sense of style, trust me we ALL do to some extent!) - they want to rediscover a bit of SASS and STYLE that they’ve perhaps lost along the way and this is something I can relate to as I’ve definitely lost my style mojo in the past (that’s right, even a qualified personal stylist isn’t immune to feeling like they’re in style limbo!)

For me, style limbo and a self confidence low-point came for me after I’d had my second child. I gained weight that I found hard to lose and with a toddler and a new baby to look after, self-care and my personal style was the last thing on my mind.

I didn’t feel like ‘me’ anymore, but I wasn’t sure who this new me was and how to dress for my new shape.

At the suggestion of my long-suffering husband, I gave myself a ‘makeover’. Now this wasn’t the dramatic transformation you might be envisaging. I didn’t drop loads of weight, get a new hair style and a whole new wardrobe.

It was much more subtle than that - it was a conscious decision to try and be a bit kinder to myself and to be more mindful about what I was wearing and how it made me feel.

What I’ve come to realise over my years of working with so many women is that STYLE really is a form of SELF CARE.

Now I’m not claiming that a new dress can fix everything - far from it - BUT just like a relaxing yoga class, a walk on the moors or a good book and an early night can refresh and revive you, so can paying attention to your personal style and clothes choices.

We should never feel guilty, frivolous or shallow for wanting to look our best ( even during this difficult time of pandemic) because when we look our best, we feel our best and in my experience this has a hugely positive domino effect onto other areas of our lives too.

There are three areas that I look at within a style consultation with a new client; PERSONALITY/SIGNATURE STYLE, COLOUR and BODY SHAPE.

Now whilst I can’t share advice on all these areas within a blog post (it would be more like a book!) I can give you some general tips…

MOOD BOARD - use magazines or Pinterest to put together a mood board of looks you love, how does this correlate with what you’re wearing and what items crop up time and again that you may want to put on your shopping list?
COLOUR - if you don’t already wear colour then NOW is the time to start! Choose something subtle to ease you in but trust me, once you discover how colour can make your skin glow and elevate your mood you will never look back!
BODY SHAPE - I want you to change your mindset when it comes to your body. BE KIND! Pay yourself one compliment each day, no matter how small and focus on the POSITIVES! Which areas of your figure do you love? Focus on drawing attention to them rather than trying to hide areas you’re not so keen on, when you do this everyone will focus on the positives too, trust me.

Honestly, I’ve seen it so many times and it works - treating your personal style as a form of self care, taking a little time over it and being mindful of it can you such a boost.

One final thought to leave you with, if you’re preparing to step out of your style comfort zone and you’re feeling a bit apprehensive ask yourself this; ‘What would my 90 year old self say to me right now?’ (Answer - GO FOR IT GIRL!)

You can connect with Anna on Instagram @annamewes or Facebook via her page Anna Mewes - Personal Stylist

View Anna’s personal styling services over at www.annamewes.com

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Natalie sits down for a chat with our Fashion Editor Anna Mewes as she tells us all about what her job as a personal stylist entails and what motivated her to change careers after turning 30.

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In this weeks episode Natalie and Anna chat to Sunday Times best selling author Milly Johnson ahead of the launch of her 17th novel ‘My One True North’. Milly details her journey to becoming one of the U.K’s top female fiction writers, from overcoming sneers about her working class roots to leaving an abusive marriage and getting her break at 40 in this frank, funny and honest chat. Our panel also touch on the importance of education around the menopause.

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