Your Style Guide
Kerry May Fleming Personal Styling...
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The purpose of this Style Guide...
This style guide is simply a place to start your stylish life. It is a set of guide lines designed with you in mind to help you understand the blank canvas that you have been given to work with. Knowing your style and what suits you will arm you with the tools to create the image that you want to present to the world. Think of this guide as your ‘Style Bible’. Keep it in a handy place and refer to it whenever you need a helping hand in putting and outfit together.
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Thank you for the opportunity to help you with your personal styling needs. It has been a pleasure working with you to discover your unique style. Within this guide I have included information on how to best dress and accessorise for your body shape highlighting all your attributes and downplaying any areas that you are not happy with. Remember, as Coco Chanel says “Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.� Use this guide as a basis for understanding what suits you and then as you get more adventurous branch out from there. Never let this guide make you feel trapped by your body shape it is designed to bring freedom and enjoyment. As your personal stylist I will not dictate what you have to wear but simply point out what shapes complement your figure. If you have a favourite piece of clothing that does not necessarily suit your shape that is ok it is simply a matter of accessorising and drawing attention to your attributes. My desire is that this guide will equip you with the information that you need to dress well and feel beautiful and confident every day of your life. That finding something to wear each day will no longer be a stress and shopping for a special occasion will be an enjoyment. I hope you enjoy this guide as much as I have enjoyed putting it together for you and that this is just the beginning of our stylish journey together. Yours in fashion and style,
Kerry May xxx Page | 3
Your Guide to Style... Your body type................................p/5 What clothes suit your shape.............p/6 Your style personality.....................p/8 Top 10 staples of a classic wardrobe..p/9 Style inspiration............................p/10 The journey continues....................p/13
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Your Body Type Understanding your body shape and how to dress it is the first step in establishing a working successful wardrobe that will look fantastic. Even a wardrobe that is filled with the most expensive clothes will not look polished and sophisticated if the garments are all the incorrect shape for your body type. Body type is not a measurement of size or weight but simply a way to determine your bone structure and the places that you naturally carry weight. Very few people have perfectly proportioned body shapes so we use clothes to create the illusion that we are after.
Your Type Pear Shape This basically means that you have a slim torso, bust and waist and are wider across your hips and thighs. However, Katie although you fit into the general catagorie of pear shape you have the advantage of having broad shoulders and long legs which helps to naturally add proportion to your frame. A pear shaped person will benefit from well tailored and proportioned items. This shape is all about balance, drawing the eye up and elongating the legs.
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What clothes suit your shape The top bits: Goals – Balance is key. Draw the eye up to balance out the lower half. Neck lines: Shallow v-necks will help balance out your shoulders and add definition to your bust. Detailed necklines are also a great choice. Look for details such as beading, ruching or pleating across the bust to add shape. Strappy: There are very few people that can get away with strappy or strapless tops like you can. Embrace it and show of your great arms. Go crazy: Minimise your bottom half by going crazy on the top half. Think silks, bright colours and detailing of any description. Make the top half your focal point, and by pairing this with basic, solid tones on the bottom you will balance out your entire figure. Crop it: You have a great waist line so accentuate it with cropped jackets and waist friendly belts. Cinched in waist dresses (such as dresses with waist ties) will accentuate your narrow waist while gliding over your hips. Shrug: A perfect way to broaden your shoulders when wearing a singlet or t-shirt is with the use of a fabulous shrug. Jacket: A fabulous jacket will draw attention to your top half. Think bright colours or metallics. Coat: Worn open the line of a coat will slice your thigh in vertically. When worn done up with a belt the focus is instead centred on the waist allowing the lower half to fall unobtrusively over your hips. Top: With your shape you can wear just about any neckline. Try boat necks or shallow vnecks to broaden the appearance of your shoulders. A top with a contrasting band at the hem can also be worn to shorten the length of your body and thus make your legs appear longer. Dress: Look for a strapless A-line dress with a defined waist. This dress will broaden your shoulders while skimming over your hips.
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The bottom line Goals – Minimise hips and thighs while elongating your legs. Minimise: Dark colours on the bottom will minimise your hips and thighs while making your legs appear longer. Slim it: Pants with vertical seams or boy friend cut will flatter and lengthen the legs while slimming the silhouette as a whole. Silhouette: Skinny leg denim jeans or pants will show off your curves and traditionally a pear shaped silhouette cannot pull this off however due to your longer legs you can get away with this as long as you have a feature heel or boot to balance out your frame. Skirt around: A-line skirts are a great option, they will skim your hips and fall nicely.
Always remember...it is great to have a slim athletic frame because the trends of the runway work well on you. So take advantage of this and be brave with fashion.
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Your Style Personality Your style personality is simply the ‘image’ that you want to reflect to the world. Some people have a consistent style personality and others change styles depending on the circumstances for example when you go out to dinner with friends you might prefer the more feminine style with soft fabric and frills, teaching in a school might dictate a more classic approach while when you are at home or hanging out with the kids you might opt for a more natural/sporty style. Your style personality is simply a way of explaining to yourself and to others what image you wish to achieve.
Style personality types: Feminine (Romantic): Taste runs to ruffles and lace, soft luxurious fabrics, gently curved lines, dainty patterns, draped silhouettes.
Sporty (Natural): Choices include all kinds of sportswear, from casual to chic; prefers comfortable, versatile, and practical clothes and, when appropriate, slacks instead of dresses.
Classic: Separates and smart, tailored styles that remain fashionable for many seasons; conservative and avoids extremes.
Dramatic: An individualist who likes to look distinctive or theatrical. Often the type who is the first to try new styles with bold prints and designs.
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The top 10 staples of a classic wardrobe 1. A good coat: For example a trench coat, is a wardrobe essential. As with other classic pieces, choose a neutral colour such as black or beige that can be worn over lots of different things. 2. Good quality knitwear: A classic round neck style with three quarter or full length sleeves will get you through several seasons without looking dated. Choose a thin rather than a thick knit. 3. A cocktail dress: Choose a classic style that flatters your body shape. It could be black or one of your best non-neutral colour; something you feel fabulous in. 4. A collared shirt: A well cut white shirt with crisp collar and cuffs is always a great addition to any wardrobe. It is perfect for both weekend and work wear. 5. The perfect pair of jeans: Look for either a boot-cut or straight leg style in a dark even denim. 6. An A-line skirt: A simple skirt that is easy to wear and flattering on your body shape. 7. Boot-cut or man-style pants: Choose a great cut that skims your hip area, creates a long leg line and upper/lower body balance. A variety of neutral colours will work. 8. A pair of boot: Perfect for autumn/winter weather. Look for soft chocolate leather in whatever heel height you are most comfortable in. 9. A handbag: Purchase the best quality leather that is affordable in a neutral colour. This is a wardrobe staple that will go with practically anything and last for many seasons. 10. Signature pieces that suit your personal style: Make sure your wardrobe has its own personal element of style.
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Style Inspiration Here some examples of outfits to inspire your creativity and help you find your individual style...enjoy.
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I hope that you have found the pages of this guide informative and useful. Remember this is just a foundation and from here you can build your own personal style as wide and as varied as you like. Your personal style is a constantly changing and developing thing so don’t ever feel that you have to place yourself in a box, explore and live the adventure. It is my dream that every day you will feel as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside and that you will hold your head up high and walk confidently through life.
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The journey continues... Now that you are well on your way to discovering a more stylish and confident you don’t feel like you are alone, come visit my blog regularly for more great style, beauty and design tips and inspiration. kerrymayfleming.blogspot.com.au This blog will be updated regularly with fashion tips, personal, interior and event styling inspiration and other bits and pieces to inspire you to live the best life that you can. Other Services offered by Kerry May Fleming We offer a variety of styling services via Kerry May Fleming all online so that you can enjoy them from the comfort of your own home but we also wanted to keep that personal touch to our services so we contact each client personally make sure that we tailor our service to suit your individual needs. Our services include: Personal Styling Interior Styling Event Styling Contact us via email kerrymayfleming@gmail.com or via our blog site for more info.
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Kerry May Fleming Boutique Come visit our online facebook store Kerry May Fleming - Clothing Where our aim is to make a stylish life affordable. Come check out our range of ‘one of a kind’ as well as some ‘made to order’ fashion, accessories and home wares. ‘Like’ us on Facebook to keep up to date with new stylish pieces Or Follow our blog at: www.kerrymayfleming.blogspot.com.au Page | 14