Menopause Life Summer 2022

Page 90

What ar e to w NOW By Emma Reed, Styling you well Night sweats, hot flushes, a bloated stomach, expanding waistline, diminishing confidence and low energy levels are just some of the symptoms we have to deal with during perimenopause and menopause. I’m in the throes of menopause myself and experiencing all of the above symptoms and more. As a personal stylist, I feel pressure to look the part and want to dress well to represent my personal brand. However, lately, my weight has ballooned and I’m two stone heavier and a dress size up from my norm. The impact of this on my wardrobe is that I can only fit into a few items, vastly limiting my outfit options. This is a problem I’ve seen many times over the years working with mid-life menopausal women, struggling with confidence and what to wear. So often their default wardrobe becomes mostly black and oversized items. The thinking behind this go-to style for midlife women is that oversized hides body shape and black blends, rather than standing out. However, what really happens is that oversized styles add volume whilst eliminating shape. Wearing only black can add to a low mood and make us feel unseen.

Sort out your wardrobe One solution I’ve found that helps is separating the clothes you can still wear from those you can’t, to make it easier and quicker to plan your outfits. If you have the space, I suggest putting the ‘can’t wear’ clothes in another wardrobe or box them up and store them, for now. I am optimistic this weight gain isn’t permanent and feel hopeful my boxed up items will see the light of day again once I’ve got ‘control’ of my menopause….

The Flat Lay Method to create outfits

The next step is finding ways to create more outfits with your ‘new’ smaller capsule wardrobe, by mixing them together differently. A fun and effective way to do this is using the flat lay method. Lay the items on the floor arranged as an outfit, including shoes and bags. Take a photo of this look, and mentally label it outfit number one. Now create five more looks using the same base pieces and only changing up the top or bottom half of the outfit, or if it’s a dress, style up new looks using different shoes and accessories. Then move on to the next outfit idea with the same approach.

Accessorising your looks Using shoes and accessories is a great way to mix up looks and add personality to your outfits. If you don’t have many accessories to choose from, create your flat lays using the items you do have and take photos of each outfit you create. Then write a wish list of the accessories you would like to add. This is more costeffective and planet-friendly than buying more clothes. Size is not relevant for accessories except for belts - which makes it a longer-lasting investment should your dress size change


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Articles inside

Gut health

3min
pages 110-111

Preparing for perimenopause menopause

4min
pages 108-109

Book club

6min
pages 106-107

Creative journalling

3min
page 105

Walking in Mallorca and Marrakech

4min
pages 100-101

Van life

4min
pages 102-103

A contemporary one

2min
page 104

Flower display tutorial

2min
pages 98-99

Flower design and herbs

4min
pages 96-97

Fashion what to wear now

4min
pages 90-91

ADHD and gardening for wellbeing

4min
pages 88-89

The magic of vision boards

4min
pages 86-87

Cost of living/pay it forward

3min
page 85

Wills and all that boring stuff

3min
page 84

Reiki

3min
page 74

Restoring balance with flower essences

4min
pages 76-77

Reflexology

3min
page 75

Chinese medicine

3min
page 73

Single parenting and menopause

4min
pages 70-71

Manage your menopause naturally

2min
page 72

Reader Story - CEO of Access2Funding

4min
pages 68-69

Dr. Nighat Arif

8min
pages 62-65

How menopause affects the skin

8min
pages 54-57

Skincare and beauty

4min
pages 52-53

Fuzz free bikini line and chin

3min
pages 50-51

How to stay cool during heatwaves

4min
pages 48-49

Tinnitus and the menopause

3min
pages 44-45

Empty nest syndrome

4min
pages 46-47

Pilates

3min
pages 42-43

Nordic walking

3min
pages 40-41

Coping with brain fog

3min
pages 22-23

Nurture not torture your body

1min
page 35

My route to running

3min
pages 36-37

Building confidence through exercises

2min
pages 30-31

Core foundations

2min
page 34

Wild swimming

3min
pages 38-39

Body confidence

3min
pages 20-21

Tantra and self-love

4min
pages 12-13

Re-discovery v’s discovery

3min
page 15

Feelings of grief

3min
pages 16-17

Finding gratitude in nature

3min
page 14

Sleep

3min
pages 8-9

Life after crisis

4min
pages 10-11

Overcoming self doubt and criticism

3min
pages 18-19

Happy hormones

3min
pages 6-7
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.