Does this scenario sound familiar? You wake up one morning full of enthusiasm and a sense that “today is a great day for a shopping trip.” You head off to the mall full of hope and expectation, only to spend fruitless hours of disillusionment and self-loathing… and end up at the ice cream shop instead.
Don’t beat yourself up. We’ve all been there. Almost everyone has a hard time finding just the right item that is flattering in color and style. When something über stylish is all the rage but doesn’t suit you it can take will power to resist making a shopping mistake.
My goal is to help my readers discover and unfold the “gestalt” – the unique totality of who they are – through their color palette, personality, body shape and bone structure. In the opening chapters of Shopping for the Real You I explain the seven primary style archetypes, as codified in the Personal Style Counselors system. I also show four very basic color fans for the seasonal harmonies. And then I give examples and methods to determine your own palette and style type(s). (Although I strongly recommend getting professional help to fine tune your palette.)
On my Pinterest page you’ll find boards for each style type and each color harmony, along with some descriptions of why they fit into a particular category. I’ll also be adding boards for things like LBD’s for the different style types and for outfits that successfully combine style types. All that can add to your knowledge about your own style and coloring.
But even with all this information, don’t make yourself crazy looking for perfection when you shop. If you find it – rejoice! And there are fixes for those times when something is almost right, and clues to help you make better decisions overall. Here are a couple:
1) If the color is fantastic on you and the style is not yours but is more classic than super trendy, it will very likely still work for you. You can make it move closer to your style with accessories.
2) And if the style is perfect and the color is just a little off, you can adjust your makeup to make the garment work.
So the next time you have that intuitive feeling about a good shopping trip, be kind to yourself. Understand the pitfalls, but get familiar with the parameters of your unique coloring. Understand how your features, body shape and personality determine your style. And then apply that knowledge. You may not always find the perfect item, but you’ll likely find a better one than what’s all the rage. And, you’ll likely save money, headaches, and closet space.
Here’s to the real you!
Andrea’s books and new video series:
