Dressing for Comfort, Confidence & Style

Colette has "Dramatic, Romantic," fashion personality

When people ask me how I became an image consultant I tell them I owe it all  to my mother.    My mother was a beautiful woman who never felt beautiful.   She was hypercritical of herself and of me, her oldest daughter.    My passion for helping clients look good and feel good about themselves  comes from my own journey to look and feel good.

My mother thought her nose was too big and she hated her freckled skin.  She envied all of her friends who could lay in the sun till their skin was a leathery brown.   I have my father’s small nose and his olive skin, so my mother focused on what I wore and my weight.  I will talk about my weight in another blog.    When I was 13 my mother encouraged me to wear lipstick and heels and dress more “sophisticated.”    She told me she wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be an “old maid.”   My friends were envious and told me how lucky I was.    I did not feel fortunate , because even at 13,  I knew that heels, lipstick and dressing more ”sophisticated,” did not represent my” true self. ”   IntuitivelyI knew that if I presented a false self, I would not attract a compatible boyfriend or  future companion.

My mother  did not understand that she and I had different fashion personalities and the clothing that was right for her was not right for me.  She was interested in looking ” sophisticated and elegant,”  and  I was interested in   feeling comfortable, “being my self,” and having low maintenance clothing and hair.   I understand now that we had different “fashion personalities,”   but at the time I felt angry and hurt that she did not  understand me.   As a result, I felt self conscious about my appearance and stayed angry at my mother for a long time.  When I became an image consultant and learned my best colors and styles and found out about fashion personality, much  of the early damage was healed.   If you have a daughter who dresses in a way you do not approve of, try to understand that not only is there a generational difference , but her fashion personality may be different than yours and accept her instead of trying to change her.

One of the first things I do  when I work with a client is give them the “fashion personality test.” This test is extremely accurate for women but not as accurate for men.   Fashion personality has nothing to do with your height or weight or how long or short your hair is.  I believe it is in-born, like temperament.  You may be a combination of two types  but one is usually predominant.  Here are brief descriptions of the four fashion personality types.

Sporty Natural Fashion Personality:  You want comfort and ease.  You probably don’t like to iron and prefer a very easy to care for hair style.  You may not like to get dressed up.  Your friends think you wear the same outfit over and over because you end up  wearing the same few comfortable things or have the same style in different colors that you wear over and over.

Time-less Classic Fashion Personality:  You probably like classic styles.  You may prefer tailored clothes.  Think Ann Taylor and Ann Klein clothing.   You  don’t waste your money on fads and may be slow to adopt trends .

Romantic Fashion Personality:  You probably like some feminine touches in your clothes like soft flowing fabric, maybe a few ruffles, scarves, perfume, maybe long hair or at least some waves or curls,as well as  delicate jewelry

High Fashion- or Dramatic or Creative Fashion Personality:  You like to make a statement with your clothing and jewelry.  You may like trying different hair styles and colors.  You may like trying the latest styles and fads. You don’t mind being the center of attention.

I believe it is important to understand and respect ones fashion personality.    Even if an outfit was a flattering color and fit me, I would still feel uncomfortable  if it had ruffles.   That’s because ruffles feel too “girly,”  (romantic ) on me.  I  have  a “sporty-natural, dramatic fashion personality” .  I am mostly sporty- natural with a little dramatic.    I like wearing pieces  that breathe, do not need ironing and are super comfortable.   I do the dramatic part with bright colors and perhaps big earrings and or a funky lapel pin.

At a recent Wardrobe Wizard presentation one of the participants , a successful woman entepreneur, wanted to know how she could look more appropriate when she  has to go to “dress up affairs.”   I determined she had a “sporty-natural fashion personality.”  She loves wearing pants and hates getting dressed up but she must attend certain important events where she has to look less casual.  I suggested she could do this by wearing a 3 piece outfit in a silk or  knit fabric.  This would consist of flowing pants, a shell with a lowered neckline and a jacket.  She could wear an interesting lapel pin and simple earrings.  If she wanted to look more feminine she could wear a pashmina over her shoulders instead of the jacket.  The outfit should be as comfortable for her as pajamas. It’s important for her to respect her fashion personality  because if she were to wear more tailored, high fashion or frilly clothing she would not feel comfortable and would not be at her best..

Do you know what your fashion personality is and how it affects your choice of clothing and accessories?

Nancy Goldblatt,  professionally trained personal image consultant can give you the fashion personality test.  She can be reached at nr goldblatt  at gmail.com

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