The Slippery Slope To Style Depression

By Sharmin Musca, Personal Stylist on April 24, 2014 in Other

When life gets hectic and you become overloaded with work, social and personal commitments, it can push you down a slippery slope to style depression, where nothing looks good on you and your wallet screams in pain as you surf the net late at night desperate for new pieces to add to your wardrobe.

This may prove fruitful for some, but it’s more likely to lead to a wardrobe full of ‘oh, I looove that’ items that work with nothing else in your wardrobe. This is hardly the way to keep your personal style interesting. Before you accept this dire situation, there are a few things you can do:

1. Experiment with what you’ve got
It’s one of the easiest tips for truly improving your styling ability. Leafing through magazines and scouring street style blogs for outfits you should be wearing won’t get you anywhere unless you know your existing wardrobe inside and out. Most of us in the Eastern Suburbs own a collection of clothing far bigger than necessary to dress stylishly. You can spend a fortune on new pieces that you think you need, but you will still end up wearing the same four or five outfits you always fall back on because you haven’t tried out any new combinations. Think of the potential locked up in your own wardrobe!

2. Avoid your favourites
When experimenting, try to avoid those favourite pieces that always manage to weasel their way into your outfits no matter how hard you try to look different. These are your comfort pieces, a fall back for when you lack inspiration or are in a hurry. If you can remove them from the equation completely you’ll be surprised with what you come up with. There is, of course, a time and place for your favourite outfit or piece. Having a well thought out go-to uniform (read: signature style) shows you’ve moved through experimentation and know exactly what works for you and your body shape, skin tone, age, features and lifestyle. It’s when you are looking to inject new life into your personal style that you need to put those beloved pieces aside. Who knows, you might even find a new favourite.

3. Revise and make plans
So you’ve done your experimenting, ignored your favourites and gone a bit wild with your styling. If you’re not happy with the results take an objective look through your wardrobe and ask yourself three things: Where are you? Where do you want to go? What do you need to get there? Perhaps it’s time to book a personal stylist to redefine your personal style.

On the streets this month I found…

Name: Anisha
Lives: Bondi
Occupation: Dentist
Fave Item This Season: A pair of Oxford lace-up shoes in pale grey from Saba.
Street Style: Anisha’s smart casual work outfit is made up of a sleeveless top from TopShop, pants by Cara and Co, belt from Saba, shoes from Country Road and a bag from Zara.

Name: Georgia
Lives: Coogee
Occupation: Sales
Fave Item This Season: Leather pants by Helmut Lang.
Street Style: Georgia rocks a Bassike dress with a hat by Janessa Leone, boots by Rag & Bone, and a bag by Flynn, all from Tuchuzy in Bondi. Her necklace is by Maniamania and she wears an oversized Michael Kors watch.