Escaping a Style Rut

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Discovering you're in a style or colour rut can happen quite by accident. One client told me her moment was when she found out her children's friends called her the 'Purple lady'.

Many women by the time they are in their forty's have experienced sufficient trial and error that they are on the right track in respect to the styles and colours they wear. However, that track can easily turn into a rut and once you are stuck in it, it can be difficult to escape.

A rut can happen at any age and is caused by a mind set, which has become trapped in one thought pattern and from not taking notice of the changes that have occurred to, and around us.
There are different types of ruts:

The Time Warp rut where your look as though you and your clothes belong in a former fashion decade.

The Peter Pan rut where you have not been able to let go of styles and looks that are now too young for you.

The Too Busy or Too Lazy to Think rut where your wardrobe becomes a 'no-brainer' with everything exactly the same.

When ruts occur we become blind to the changes occurring around us. Enlightenment often comes only after a particular comment or event has 'shaken our tree', and challenged the perception we have of who we are and how we are seen by others. At this point you may realise you want to change but have no idea of where to start. That's a perfect time to invest in an image
consultation.

Words used to describe a rut are boring, stayed, dowdy, unyielding, inflexible, strange, weird, ordinary, uninspired or dull.

Life is every changing; fashion changes, our body-shape changes, our colouring changes, globally thoughts on any number of subjects change, our lifestyle changes,our expectations and desires change and our circumstances change.

Symptoms of a rut:

You look in your wardrobe and you're totally uninspired by what you see.
You bring home something new only to discover that you have four others just like it.
Your wardrobe looks like you've time-warped back to a former decade.
Others give names to your look e.g., purple lady.
You rarely consider wearing different styles or colours. Some of you will know what I mean when I say Blaaaaaaack!
Fashion and clothes in general are placed in your 'too hard basket'.
You don't bother looking in the mirror because your clothes and total look are the same as every other day of the year, so you know exactly what you look like.
You don't shop, you restock.
You are dressing by someone else's rules (and sometimes these people aren't even around any more).
You can't remember the last time you did anything different with your hair, makeup or clothes.
You stop wearing a garment only when it's completely unwearable.

Once a rut is identified it's common to make excuses for why/how it happened.

"I don't have time to shop"
"Nothing works at my age"
"I'm too fat/busy/old etc
"Nobody cares how I look"
"I don't have money to shop"
"I don't want to appear vain"
"I couldn't care less what people think"

Although I've heard all these comments I am yet to meet a woman who deep down does not wish to look attractive. Most of us have discovered that when we look good, we feel good and when we look good we get noticed in a positive way and treated better (not fair, but true).

All it takes is the will, courage and commitment to take action and make the change.

How to break free

Take a long hard look at your wardrobe, make-up, hairstyle and accessories to determine exactly what needs changing. This process is made much easier when you have invested in a personal colour and style consultation and you have the aid of a trusted friend to help you see things as they really are.

"Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions; reality can be attained only by someone who is detached."
- Simon Weil

Determine:

Is the problem with your clothes? Do they suit your body shape, personality, colouring, life goals and lifestyle?
Are they current in style? A good test of this is to ask yourself when you purchased them. If more than 20% of your clothes are older than 5 years you can safety assume they are well and truly out of date.
Are your clothes, accessories, make-up and hairstyle current, or are they out of date? Look around at the people you pass on a given day, can you see other people wearing their hair,make-up, eye wear and accessories like yours?
Do your clothes, accessories, make-up and hairstyle make you feel older than you are?
Are they appropriate for your age, social and business responsibilities?
Is your hair, accessories, clothes and make-up a true reflection of who you are

Dream about the exciting consequences of a new image.This will help you get ready to expand your thinking and explore new dressing possibilities.

Decide how you want to look and what impression you want others to formulate about you. Write down the actual words you would like people to use when describing the new you to others e.g., happy, youthful, relaxed, elegant, sexy, energetic, professional, fashionable etc. These words will help you know what looks to experiment with. I also recommend that you making a list of words that describe how you do not want to look.

In deciding your new image it is wise to consider your actual personality to ensure you'll feel comfortable with your new look. If you change your style to please someone else and not yourself, you may very likely find the look difficult to live out and in a short period of time you'll revert back to what was comfortable.

To find a style that appeals to you search through current magazines to discover ideas of how you might like to look or what you may like to wear. Cut out these images and paste them onto a large sheet of paper. You can then check these against Your Personal Style Solutions Portfolio and Personal Colour Solutions Profile. If they match go and try them on. Remember, looking current does not mean blindly following fashion.

Stylish women create fashionable ensembles that are insync with their needs, personality and lifestyle.

When trying things on keep in mind that fit is important and alterations will make a world of difference to the look of a style on you.

How to Start Your Wardrobe Revival

Invest in a style, colour and image consultation - this is a great way to get off on the right foot. Image consultants are trained to objectively and accurately determine your figure type and to be able to teach you all the styles that will suit you best and how to modify trends to say current. For a modest fee (usually less than $400) they will you will save a lot of money, stress and time.

Do some research - look at the current fashion magazines and peruse the shopping malls to get an overall idea of the the current fashion looks. Leave your credit card at home for this as it is a fact finding expedition not a time to purchase anything. What are the colours, shape of garments, lengths, necklines and accessories like. The best times to do this is when the new style are hitting the shops in August and September and again in February and March.

Clear out your wardrobe of everything that no longer fits you, is more than 5 years old, is stained, torn, tired or no longer reflects your personality or lifestyle. Then work out what you really need to have. A Closet Clean-out session with an image consultants can make this process a lot easier as they are not emotionally attached to your clothes and they can give you great tips on coordinating what?s left and you to purchase.

Get a new hairstyle and maybe even some a new colour. When we can look in a mirror and love what we see it does wonders for moral and it will definitely give you the motivation to keep going with your transformation.

Discover how to revamp your make-up but not at a department store. Find an image consultant or make-up artist.

Purchase some accessories that say, "I'm in touch with what's going on in fashion". You don't have to necessarily spend a lot on these as they will pass from fashion too quickly, I want you to feel free to update your wardrobe again next season.

Purchase one complete outfit with pieces that can be mixed with other items in your wardrobe including the shoes and the handbag. If you commit to adding a few significant pieces to your wardrobe every six months before you know it you?ll have a fabulous wardrobe.

To ensure you do not fall back into a rut:

Add at least two new fashion elements to your wardrobe every season. Accessories and colour can be added the most easily.
Remember; less is actually more. Buy quality over quantity especially when it comes to major pieces of clothing (suits, jackets, pants and skirts)
Experiment with various wardrobe combinations and fashion looks.
Don't be afraid to add colour and shape to your wardrobe.
Have your hairstyle and make-up reassessed at least every 3 years.
For every new fashion item you add, retire an old one.
Base your wardrobe on at least two basic colours.
Try something new at least once a year.
Enlist the help of a stylish looking friend and give them permission to tell you if something about you is looking a little 'off'. Then please be kind to her/him when they tell you. Say thank you with a big appreciative smile (even if your have to force it).

"The truth will set you free, but first it will really tick you off."

- Author Unknown

Finally, don't try to radically alter your look overnight. Think Evolution not Revolution. It's easier and best to make subtle changes over a period of time to help ease yourself and others into your new look. Change takes courage, but if you embrace it, you may really surprise yourself; I know you'll certainly surprise those around you!

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