3 Life changing tips to understand that style is not about your pant size.

Wouldn’t life be boring if we all looked the same? 

Luckily for us, everyone is different and unique and you can be assured that you are a one of a kind amazing woman!

While being one of a kind makes life interesting and fun, it can cause stress if you do not know how to dress the body you have.  

Many things change our shape; weight loss, weight gain, babies and hormonal changes just to name a few.  

Knowing your body shape AND how to dress it can eliminate all of the stress of getting dressed just by knowing this simple, easy “measurement”. 

Tip #1 Know your body shape

Are you ready for some hard facts??  

Whatever your size, not every item of clothing is for you. 

Flattering garments are those that create a sense of ‘visual harmony’ with your own lines and curves.

These styles follow similar patterns of line, direction and shape to your own bone structure, curves and proportions.

So if you’re trying on a pair of pants and they don’t look as good on you as they did on someone else, it doesn’t mean you are a failure in your health and exercise journey.  

It just means that those pants have a cut and pattern related to certain body shapes (not sizes).

This applies to everyone from wafer thin models to individuals of far more generous proportions. 

Knowing your body shape, lines and patterns in your own physics actually make shopping WAY more simple, because you can focus on clothes you know will flatter your unique form, whilst ignoring others.

This technical consideration helps you break free from the mindset that it’s “your fault” the pants don’t fit. That you are somehow not ‘good enough, thin enough or fashionable enough’ to pull them off.

Keep an eye out for my upcoming blog post, “It’s not you, it’s your pants”  for more details on why choosing the correct pants and jeans for your body shape will take the stress out of the dressing room and help you realize that that number does not define you!

There are 5 main Body shapes that describe the female body.  These shapes have been referred to in many ways, fruits, geometrics etc.  I try to use the common names that best describe each shape in its own beautiful way. Inverted Triangle, Triangle, Rectangle, Oval and Hourglass. Want a free worksheet to help you understand your body shape? Click HERE to get your body Shape Worksheet!

Tip #2 Don’t put your style on a fast

Before I became a certified personal stylist I was a certified health coach, and I never believe in telling my clients to “hold off on shopping for new clothes until they reach their goal weight”. 

And here’s why; Your style is NOT dependent on your size.  (Mic Drop 🎤)

Whether you are a Size 6 or a Size 16, your bone structure, natural patterns and body signature often remain the same.

For example, I am an inverted triangle shape, meaning I have wider hips and narrower shoulders.

Even if I lost or gained weight, this outline would not change, so I learned to dress for my shape (not my size).

While many people avoid clothes shops like the plague while they’re dieting, or prefer to wait until they have lost “all the weight” my advice to clients is life shouldn’t just grind to a halt because you’re currently somewhere in between sizes.  

Your pant size does not define your worthiness to be stylish.

Honestly, buying clothes that fit & flatter your body shape will help you to keep track of the progress you’re making. It may also give you the momentum to keep reaching for those goals and achieve your desired weight. 

Tip #3 Learn How to Choose the Right Clothes For You

Mid-life women can be self-conscious about their weight and body image.  

They often try to make themselves invisible. 

They will go to extraordinary lengths to hide their bodies away under baggy clothes until they have had some success with their diet and have lost weight. 

I cannot express how this has the opposite effect on how you look ( and how you feel!)

It’s true that there’s something comforting about pulling on a big baggy t-shirt and some leggings but this shouldn’t be your daily uniform.  

I know how hard this reality can be, check out my Youtube link HERE for my story about waking up from my paint stained leggings and BBQ t-shirt to becoming a personal stylist.

Learning how to curate your wardrobe to suit your body shape and enhance the positive aspects of your figure not only makes you feel better but helps you to become visible, like the shining light you are!  

Just because you’re on a journey  and haven’t yet reached your destination doesn’t mean you don’t stop in at some of the sights along the way.  

Getting some new outfits to enhance how amazing you are feeling about this journey you are on is a Pit-stop that you differently want to make time for!

When you’re on your journey, take that pit stop and buy the new jeans, or stop for a new on-trend blouse. 

All these little stops on the journey help you keep the destination in mind, celebrate the entire way through and give you the opportunity to learn how to dress your body in a stylish way that uses your body shape, not the little number in the back of your pants as the map to your stylish new self.

Keep up the amazing work!

Now that you know the importance of knowing your body shape, you have the key to help you really hone in on how to style this “new” body of yours!!  You are on a path of learning how to kill it in midlife!  I am rooting for you.  Just remember to celebrate the wins, enhance your new shape and that number in the back of your pants does not define you!

Want to take it to the next level?

I invite you to join my Body Confidence Workshop , Thursday, February 23 at 7pm on ZOOM