Your Style Questions Answered!
Alison Triffet, Personal Stylist extraordinaire and owner of Style Counsel, generously offered her time to answer a few questions put to her by Never Shopped Out Readers. Thanks to everyone who submitted a question and to Alision for her indepth answers. Enjoy!
Apples ain’t Apples!
“Hi Alison, I have an “apple” body shape according to women’s magazines and I find it difficult to find clothes that suit me. What type of pieces should I be looking for?” Jasmine
Dear Jasmine,
Every BODY is different – there may be a particular category we can try to slot ourselves into but the variations of each are innumerable! What a size 8 “apple” can get away with, a size 14 “apple” cannot – despite having essentially the same shape! Enter, the PERSONAL stylist – me! – as opposed to the FASHION stylist or Fashion Editor of a women’s magazine!
I find categories such as this only confuse women more! Every woman has features she likes/dislikes about her body – I’d prefer to find out what they are dress her body by accentuating the good bits (which in turn downplays the bad bits!). Email me . Send me a picture and I’ll give you turbot styling critique “by remote” to show you how that might work for your body – PERSONALLY!
Big Al x
Horses for COURSES or “How to become a Stylist”
“I would be interested in hearing more about how you can become a personal stylist – is there any courses you can do? Thanks!” Amy
Dear Amy,
I don’t know if you’ll be happy with my answer to your question! You see, my business evolved from over 20 years experience working in image and style related fields – modelling, teaching grooming and deportment, advertising and TV production. As for other stylists, their journey may be very different! So I really can’t answer in 25 words or less “how to become a stylist”! But I can share with you my thoughts….
As we all know, some people seem to be born with certain “gifts”. Style, like other “gifts” can appear to be inherent or natural but I also know that there is an element of “skill” that can also be learned (well, at least the theory behind it!) or taught by a stylist such as myself who runs workshops on that very topic!
A large part of becoming a stylist is simply having that natural eye for detail and style – as opposed to the confidence many people may think they gain by buying up to the minute (remember “minute” – here one day gone the next minute) designer labels. Or being a slave to fashion mags and the latest “must-have” items!
Style does not equal fashion. If you want to be a fashion stylist, a good start may be a background in fashion or design (as opposed to fashion retailing). Many young girls who work in fashion stores ask me how they can break into the industry and I never quite know how to answer them! You see, I believe that it’s one thing to “style” a customer in the latest fashions available in a particular store but a very different thing to style the PERSON and give them the tools they need to shop alone with their own renewed focus and confidence! I help my clients find the true meaning of their own signature style. And that’s how I work – from the inside out!
This answer may/may not be of much help to you Amy – for that I am sorry! I’ve answered this the only way I know how – honestly!
Big Al x
“Bustin’ Out” In Style!
“I have a big bust, and find it difficult to find clothes that don’t either make me look like a stripper or a grandma. Any suggestions?” Emma
Dear Emma,
Oooh…the dilemma some women pay BIG BUCKS for! A BIG BUST! It’s so true that the grass is always greener on the other side, isn’t it? I call our breasts, “the girls”. We are girls and we should be proud to show it, but there is a fine line between showing off your feminine bits and putting them on a serving platter, isn’t there? This is the difference between having style and having none, and obviously your styling dilemma/question for me!
I have a few tricks for minimising this “trouble spot” if it in fact is your trouble spot. Remember, for many others a big bust can be their biggest asset (pun intended)! So here are a few tips that may help both:
- I am a firm believer in good old fashioned “foundation garments”! My first tip would be to get professionally fitted for the correct supportive bra. And pay whatever you have to pay to get that support! Some bras just hold you up – others “minimise”. The difference can be huge!
- V-necks can break up the block of breasts that covering up with a higher/round neck can sometimes give – this in turn can make you look frumpy.
- A wide V is my favourite trick for balancing out hips and giving the illusion of a small waist, whether we have one or not! It has the added benefit of drawing the eye upward and outward to your shoulders too, which can take the “stripper” element out of showing too much cleavage!
- If you have great legs, draw attention DOWN to them with fantastic, statement shoes
- If you have a small waist, enhance that (and again, draw the eye to the bits you want to show off!) with details such as a great belt, ribbon detailing, sash etc
Big Al x
Stylin’ on a Budget (it’s what I do best!)
“Hi Alison, I am a student on a very tight budget. What are your suggestions for keeping my wardrobe up to date without spending a fortune?” Jessica.
Dear Jessica,
The answer to styling on a budget is EASY when you follow my Style Counsel Shopping Rules!
1. Only ever buy things you “truly, truly love” and just “HAVE to have”. i.e. you know that when you go home without it you will probably only ring the store and ask them to put it aside anyway!
2. And only ever buy them if you can honestly (and quickly) answer this question:
“Do they go with/enhance at least 3 other pieces in my current wardrobe?”
3. Update your wardrobe with the current trends by only buying PART of that trend. i.e a few basics in the current fashion colour (for layering perhaps), a couple of items in the new season “silhouette” (perhaps a blouse with the current fuller/poets sleeves), or my favourite, just adding the latest “fashion” accessories to an already classic wardrobe.
Just because something is inexpensive, it doesn’t mean you really need it – think how many cheap t-shirts you have in your wardrobe – do they make you feel fantastic every time you put them on, or do really only feel good in them the first day, and then often never wear them again? Add up how many of those types of items there are in your wardrobe – the cost may shock you! Imagine if you’d resisted the urge to “buy, buy, buy” just because they were “cheap” and you thought they were the latest fashion – you’d have enough money for that really special bag (that makes EVERY outfit you wear look like a million bucks!) or those fantastic statement shoes that you’ve quietly coveted for months but didn’t feel you could afford!
Big Al x
“Corporate Casual vs. Anything Goes” – there’s a big difference!
“My workplace offers a casual day once a week, but we must be corporate casual. What is corporate casual and outfit suggestions would be appreciated” Grace
Dear Grace
This can be tricky to define, as it really depends on the workplace’s existing “corporate culture”. For example if work in the CBD, the dress code is often a lot different to that which exists in the suburbs. Also, it depends on the industr
y in which you work – ie the culture at a TV Station for the presenters is obviously very different for the behind the scenes crew or production staff (speaking from experience here!).
SO…to answer your questions, here’s a rough guide and some key items that WORK AT WORK and those that are probably NEVER appropriate no matter where you work, on any given day, let alone “Dress-Down-Fridays” :
Say “No” to:
- Thongs
- Anything sheer or see-through
- Sky-high strappy heels (ala night-club variety)
- Strappy, short summer dresses
- Short-Shorts – too casual and revealing
- Micro-minis
- Tank tops
Say “YES” to:
- Jeans dressed up with a blouse
- Ballet flats (low) or espadrilles (high) or boots in winter – teamed with jeans
- Dresses that are not too “beachy”
- Polos (for the guys) instead of T-shirts
- Dress shorts (slightly longer) with heels or flats
- Casual/denim jackets
- Cotton drill chinos
Big Al x
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