Where it began
The birth of my first child in 2019 brought with it a transformative chapter of my life, one that would redefine my relationship with my wardrobe. I vividly remember standing before my closet that was FULL of clothes and feeling like I had nothing to wear. It was an all-too-familiar dilemma.
The step into motherhood meant that my body shape and lifestyle changed, but my wardrobe hadn’t quite caught up yet. This started during pregnancy; I was faced with a rapidly changing body shape that I had no idea how to dress. Not to mention that I knew this change wasn’t "permanent" so I didn’t want to spend a lot updating my wardrobe.
After bub was born, I was suddenly faced with the reality that I was a different person. There were certainly still parts of the old me, but I had a "new" body and a whole bunch of different demands and responsibilities. I wanted to redefine my personal style and feel great about what I wore, but I was at a loss for where to start.
The next 12 months saw me start to consume all kinds of fashion and styling content in an effort to level up my style and buy things I thought I needed. I joined a styling membership for seasonal style tips and to understand more about wardrobe essentials. While this certainly helped, I still didn’t really understand my own style and how to connect that with wardrobe items that would suit my lifestyle.
As time went on, I definitely purchased some items that were more true to my style (and that I still have in my wardrobe and LOVE), but I also still wore a lot of activewear, and wasn’t really nailing the proportions of dressing.
Fast forward to 2022 and our next bub was born. Holy moley I was not expecting it, but my body changed AGAIN (more dramatically than after our first) and so did my identity... Shit!!! I was faced with the same dilemma; a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear. This time, armed with the knowledge I already had, I went on even more of a deep dive. I consumed more content, did another styling course and started my Instagram page "Her Wearable Wardrobe" to document the process of making my wardrobe more wearable and more ME.
I can’t even tell you the amount of joy this brought me! To know there were others out there that resonated with my experience, and that through sharing I was actually helping some people in their own style journey! After grappling with the identity shift that comes with motherhood and trying to work out what this new version of me looked like, I decided to take the plunge and start my certificate in personal styling. This marked the start of a very significant career change for me.
My journey into fashion and personal styling came about rather naturally. I’ve always LOVED clothes and shopping, and have always had an interest in styling and how to wear things. The truth is that I didn’t realise just how much our style evolves with us, and has the power to completely transform how you feel and go about your day-to-day. Although it started as a desire to feel confident getting dressed everyday, it grew into a truly endearing realisation that I could help not only myself, but others who felt just like me.
The psychology of fashion
For 10 years prior to starting my business I studied to be a psychologist. I have an undergraduate and honours degree in psychology, and had been working on my masters/PhD in Organisational Psychology. How’s that relevant? I hear you ask. I asked myself the same thing, and to be honest making the jump from psychology to fashion felt like a weird side step. The more I got into it, the more I realised that there is so much psychology tied up in fashion and style.
Think of a time when you went to an event (or anywhere really), and you felt like you nailed the outfit; it highlighted the parts of you that you wanted people to notice, it fit you just right and you felt FANTASTIC in it. I bet you felt confident and I can almost guarantee that you embodied a confident person and had a great time wherever you were. Now think about that time where the outfit wasn’t quite happening (we’ve all been there). The colour, the fit, the cut… maybe something wasn’t quite right. Now think about how you felt; did you have a good time? Did you maybe not stand as tall or not engage in as many conversations? Were you telling yourself the story about how your outfit wasn’t quite right?
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What we wear are more than just clothes! They have the power to change how you feel, which will influence how you show up! Not only that, they also have the ability to change how others perceive us. That’s some powerful stuff!!
I’m so grateful that a decade of studying psychology has given me a unique understanding about the relationship between fashion and human behaviour. I absolutely love to explore how fashion and style extends beyond the garments and accessories we wear to influence others’ perception of us, and how we perceive and feel about ourselves.
I'm here for you
What I really want to say is: I’ve got your back. It’s a change, but change can be incredibly empowering.
You deserve to feel amazing in what you wear. Together, we'll create a wardrobe that truly reflects your inner self, allowing you to be the best version of you.
So, come with me and let's make your wardrobe more wearable together.
