the closet psychologist books
designing your style
clarity
Inspiring confidence through style
My years of design and consultancy experience have enabled me to work closely with many women, producing great clothes, advising on personal image, and creating functional wardrobes.
Feeling confident in your life, and comfortable with your image isn’t some great unreachable phenomenon. It stems from feeling good about yourself, whatever that means for you, and by finding a way to dress to reflect your aspiration.
The emphasis of these books is to focus on the transformational effect style and design can have on the way you feel about yourself. In my experience there are some common themes that run through many women’s lives and these books aim to address some of them in a simple and practical way.
Sadly, to my knowledge there is no silver bullet, or perfect pair of jeans that will suddenly transform your life. However, making some simple but relevant styling and lifestyle changes, and creating a wardrobe that works for the future, can go a long way to help you to realise that you are a unique individual with the unexplored potential to be who you aspire to be.
You probably don’t need more stuff, and this book will hopefully get you on board with my ‘quality not quantity’ mantra. Discovering an appreciation of value will bring simplicity to your life and your wardrobe, and help you to design the style that will reflect your needs today, and into the future.
When you have clarity, you can build your image around fewer, better quality items. If you have less stuff, and are able to find creative ways to use what you already have, then you will have more space, more time and more money…what’s not to love?
Designing your Style: Clarity
Size: A5 (21x15x1cm) Pages: 100
Price: £15.00
Designing your Style: Clarity Workbook
Size: A5 (21x15x1cm) Pages: 28
Price: £8.00
See the special offer price:
Buy Designing your Style: Clarity, and get the accompanying workbook half price. (After the offer the workbook will be £8.00)
Limited time offer: Book+workbook £19.00
(free p&p)
an excerpt from the book…
Chapter 3. Discovering your body type.
Know your body
When you understand your shape and can identify your body type, you can build your wardrobe to flatter your unique composition. By focusing on the designs you have that work well for your lifestyle, while emphasising the features and areas that you are confident about, you can start to dress with confidence.
One of the most important aspects to consider when you are thinking about building a collection of clothes, whatever your body shape, is to get the fit right. As a designer, this is my major focus. It doesn’t matter how expensive something is, or what colour you have chosen, if it doesn’t fit well, it will never make the impact you might want, or expect.
Fit matters. Many women choose to wear oversized items, which although hiding your body, can create a much bigger silhouette. At the other end of the spectrum, wearing clothes that are tight and clinging is probably not the most flattering styling for at least 95% of the female population. Be realistic but inspired.
Continued in chapter 3…
Limited time offer: Book+workbook £19.00
designing your style
confidence
What is confidence and what does it mean to you?
According to Psychology Today* “confidence is a belief in oneself, the conviction that one has the ability to meet one’s life challenges, and to succeed-and the willingness to act accordingly. Being confident requires an realistic sense of one’s capabilities and feeling secure in that knowledge”.
And it goes on, “projecting confidence helps people gain credibility, make a strong first impression, deal with pressure, and tackle personal and professional challenges. It’s also an attractive trait, as confidence helps to put others at ease”.
Reading further into the article attached to this statement, it says that “confidence is not an innate, fixed characteristic. It is an ability that can be acquired, and improved over time”.
Perhaps you feel confident in some situations but completely at sea in others? Maybe you are confident when you are with people you know, but avoid meeting strangers or putting yourself forward in a work situation?
In this book, I aim to show you how your image, how the clothes you wear and the way you present yourself, can go a long way to building confidence in all areas of your life. You don’t have to spend a fortune, and it will not take hours every day to get results. However, in order to build your confidence, whatever that might mean for you, you will need to think about yourself in a different way, and you will also need to take some action.
Designing your style: Confidence
Size: A5: (21x15x1cm) Pages: 122
Price: £15.00
Designing your style: Confidence Workbook
Size A5: (21.15x1cm) Pages: 36
Price: £8.00
Please check the special offer pricing:
Limited time offer: Book + Workbook £19.00
(free p&p)
Buy Designing your Style : Confidence, and get the accompanying workbook half price. (After the offer the workbook will be £8.00)
an excerpt from the book…
Your message
Questions, questions
Confidence comes from reflecting the person you are, with some element of future vision, as opposed to reaching for an unattainable version of you, or trying to hold on to a past life. Therein lies frustration.
Confidence will embrace your lifestyle, your individual needs and your personality. How you dress is unique to you, so ignore comparison and consider what you want your image to say.
Enclothed cognition reflects how you feel about yourself, and your broader outlook on life, and so informs those around you before you even open your mouth. What is your message, who and what do you want to be seen as?
Perception in all aspects of life is key to how others assess more than you might think. Why did you approach that particular person at a party, or in a store, or at a conference? If you didn’t know them from the next person, what was it that attracted you? Did they look interesting, competent, familiar, fun, reliable, boring, dull, weird, or any number of other adjectives?
Now turn the question around. Why would someone want to come and talk to you, or feel happy to work with you? What are your ‘super-powers’? What words would your best friends or co-workers use to describe you? Are you communicating these qualities to someone you are about to meet? How are you appearing to your nearest and dearest? Now that’s a thought…
Continued in Chapter 4…
Limited time offer: Book+Workbook £19.00
designing your style
career
You may start your business styling journey from the position of an existing image that you want to update, or one that you want to completely change, or perhaps with a completely clean slate. It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finish that is important. Your personal branding (your image) needs to reflect your career, but also it needs to reflect your individuality and your style. Beyond any fashion and trends, you need to be you.
Finding clarity and using your creativity will define how you approach the wider aspects of your image. First impressions count in every walk of life. Either consciously or subconsciously we all make assumptions about individuals, products, or services from a very quick and intuitive encounter.
A creative style may seem to be a slightly intangible thing, but we all have our own experience of it. Why do you approach a certain assistant in a shop, or gravitate towards a group at a meeting? Even online, how many times have you looked for a product or service and clicked on, and then straight off a site? It could be that this site has the answer to all your prayers, or they can solve your current problem, but for you, the branding doesn’t appeal.
Your image is shorthand for your competence, how you feel about yourself, and your broad aspirations. Even if you haven’t thought about it beforehand, perhaps you can see why your personal styling matters. When you realise the importance of your image on your career and business, you can begin to make any changes.
The Closet Psychology Approach
Designing your Style: Career
Size: A5 (21x15x1cm) Pages 134
Price £15.00
Designing your Style: Career Workbook
Size: A5 (21x15x1cm) Pages 36
Price: £8.00
See the special offer price:
Limited time offer: Book+workbook £19.00
(free p&p)
Buy Designing your Style: Career, and get the accompanying workbook half price. (After the offer the workbook will be £8.00)
an excerpt from the book
Focus on your style
So, how can you begin the process of creating the ideal working wardrobe. Your style choices should reflect your ambition and play to your strengths. If you are an entrepreneur or sole trader, your personal image is as important as having distinctive branding on your website, social media, and marketing.
If you work within a larger business or corporation, the way you chose to present yourself can have a bearing on how your peers and co-workers perceive your abilities. In every business, your image matters.
You have the ability to make your style work for you. Ask yourself, what is your purpose, what do you want you and your business to stand for, and how will your image reflect this ?
A great creative style is distinctive without being too formulaic. Really owning your style will allow you to change between occasions and seasons effectively. When you can see the bigger picture, changes or additions to your wardrobe can be simple and organic, rather than requiring a sudden, jarring rethink.
There are some simple steps to get you started with your working wardrobe and your wider styling. Can you determine what you need your clothes to do for you? When you have some clarity, can you simplify your collection and create a series of capsules that transcend the seasons and are versatile.
A restrained approach where you become more intentional about what you choose to keep and buy, will mean that you can embody your ideal image and get value from your whole wardrobe.
Continued in Chapter 3: Creating a working wardrobe…
Limited time offer: Book+Workbook £19.00
