In Person Styling Session: Christina

In Person Styling Session: Christina

Today's client wrote me such a thorough review of our time together and was so kind and generous that I'm going to do something different and (mostly) turn it over to her! Here's Christina!

StartCloseIn: What were you hoping to get out of our time together?

I have always wanted to do a closet consultation and I couldn’t think of a better time to do it.  I am experiencing a new life season right now – turning 30, recently having been transplanted from the burbs to the city, losing weight due to training for a marathon, etc. etc. etc.  A lot of things are going really well for me right now, which has caused a surge in my self-confidence … I just needed my wardrobe to catch up! Plus, doing a styling session/closet consultation was on my 30before30 list so it simply had to happen!

 

My hope for the session was to find ways to reinvigorate my current wardrobe.  I know I have a ton of great clothes, I just had no idea how to wear those clothes in fresh, unexpected ways.  That’s what I hoped to get out of my session with Ella. 

I wanted to feel about my old standbys the way I did about my newest purchases – excited and thrilled to put them on vs “oh this old thing again….”

StartCloseIn: What was the experience like for you?

I think I can best describe this by sharing an anecdote.  At one point, Ella was sitting on my bed – clothes piled high around her – as she explained why she created the specific outfits she had for me.  She was in mid-sentence when I interrupted her by gushing “This feels like hanging out with my sisters!”  Given that my sisters are my closest friends and most trusted fashion advisors, I don’t think I could have paid her a higher compliment. Oh, not to mention the fact that I also asked if she would take up permanent residence in my closet! (I loved that moment, too! Thank you for the sweet words!)

Ella was so informative and educational – she told me about the importance of drawing attention to my feminine attributes due to my petite frame, how to wear a belt correctly (right below your ribs), how to layer accessories for a more visually interesting look, even how to tie a scarf in different ways.  She took it one step further by providing me tips on how to style my hair and which lipstick shades to rock with which outfits.  She also reviewed my closet and gave my style a bit of an identity – modern vintage – which encouraged me in being more adventurous with my outfit choices.

StartCloseIn: Did anything surprise you?

Perhaps my favorite advice had to do with the color wheel and which colors “would be caught hanging out in the same room together” – it made me think of a super cool party where the blues were all sitting at one table but winking across the room at the pinks!  In other words, it made it really easy to recall which colors I could get away with pairing and therefore create new outfits using existing pieces in what I had previously thought were competing shades. (What a great image! I always think about them as friends-do they belong at the same event together, could they be in the same room together or would they be totally out of place in a way that's not creative or fun? Unless you're being intentionally more matchy-matchy, that's a good rule of thumb!)

We are all prone to buying articles of clothing or accessories simply because they would “match” one or two outfits – the pink high heels that we wear with the black dress, the red blouse that goes with the navy pencil skirt – to see those pink high heels with a navy blue and tan dress or that red blouse under an orange and pink sweater and to see those things working in complete unison – that surprised and delighted me!

StartCloseIn: What are you most excited about that came out of our time together?

I think I am most excited about the knowledge that Ella imparted to me – whether it was how to re-envision my jewelry or belts or how to take cues from the fashion designers who designed my clothes in regard to color or shape, I feel armed to look at the pieces in my closet with a whole new eye and confident enough to get outside my comfort zone. In fact, I spent the rest of my birthday weekend doling out unsolicited fashion advice to my friends, family, and possibly even strangers on the street ….#shescreatedamonster.

Oh, and did I mention the date outfits?!  ‘nough said.

Ella, thank you for seeing the many personalities of  Christina - vintage chic, glam rocker, sassy librarian, tough cookie, preppy sweet – and finding outfits for every single one of them.  Can’t wait to rock my wedge sneakers with my business blazer in the near future
 

Thank YOU, Christina! It's such a joy to see your personality shining through. 

Happy 30th. -Ella