Revealing the Unknown

Written by Hannah Jean on April 5, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Find My Style Johari's WindowJOHARI’S WINDOW

What can our image tell us about who we really are? It’s always an interesting concept to consider how well we know ourselves. Every now and again I manage to surprise myself when I find out something that I never knew before. I mean, how is this possible? You would think that having lived with myself for a sum total of 29 years that I would at least understand myself inside out. However it’s only when I step out of my box to view myself through someone else’s eyes, that I get to complete the picture of who I really am.

Johari’s window tells us that it’s all about perspective. You might have seen the diagram above before – it’s called Johari’s window. It is a psychological technique developed by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955 to help us understand our relationship with ourselves and others. In terms of using this approach to look at our image, there are a few things to consider. The public box reflects what we are comfortable with others seeing and communicating with i.e. the crisp ironed work shirt or full make-up face. The private box contains our own thoughts and perceptions on our looks and how we feel inside i.e. how presentable/attractive we perceive ourselves to be. The blind box shows what others see in us that we are not aware of yet – this is the area where you can act and invest to develop your knowledge. Finally and most excitingly, the unknown box holds your potential for the future.

So how can my image tell me more? Learning about your image opens up the right side of the window for you. While we might know that a certain top or shirt always earns us compliments from others, we might not necessarily know why it works for us – hence the need to inform the blind side. Understanding how colours and cuts work for you can help to explain this. This knowledge will increase your awareness of your public self and heighten your personal impact as you make your style work for you. Knowing that you look the part will increase your confidence – which underpins your body language and non-verbal communication – enabling you to embrace the unknown and step into your potential.

Take your first step today to find your style – the future is calling! Contact hannah@findmystyle.com to learn more.

Posted in Life Success, Personal Branding, Personal Styling, Wardrobe Management

Wardrobe Detox #springiscoming

Written by Hannah Jean on March 22, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Posted in Personal Styling

Protest, Rights & Identity #womensday 2013

Written by Hannah Jean on March 8, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Least we forget #womensday 2013

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on 8th March. In my own life experience, it’s a relatively recent event. The first time I encountered IWD was in 2007 during a house share in Tottenham, when one of the Russian guys we were living with breezed in one evening with chocolates and roses for all the girls. Initially we were slightly confused as to why, although once he explained we all agreed it was a great idea!

The history of IWD however reveals that it is about more than chocolates and roses.  IWD was birthed out of the oppression and inequality of the early 1900s that spurred women into becoming vocal and campaigning for change. In 1908 over 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. This led to the Socialist Party of America declaring the first official IWD in 1909 for the USA and a year later, at the International Conference for Working Women, a lady called Clara Zetkin took this further. She tabled the idea that every country should have an annual celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands. All one hundred women representing seventeen countries agreed, and the concept went global. Rallies were called to equalize working and voting rights, as well as increase training for women, allow their access to public office and end discrimination.

In Britain, the years 1910 to 1914 saw the biggest wave of strikes for decades as workers battled terrible conditions and tried to increase their share of income in a period of growing inequality. My area of Bermondsey in London played a part as during the summer of 1911, as women from jam, pickle and bottle factories formed a flying picket to bring others out on strike (picture above left).

The onset of World War One brought women out to campaign against the war and show their solidarity with each other. In Russia this caused a dramatic turn of events when the women held their ‘bread and peace’ strike in response to the two million deaths from the war and resulted in the Czar abdicating to make way for the new government – which explains the heritage behind my house mate’s generosity.

Over the years IWD has grown into a truly global event with women all over the world participating. According to Google the day ‘celebrates the respect, love and appreciation towards women while recognizing the economic, political and social achievements we have made’. While this is true in part, we must be careful not to rose-tint the day as such. We must remember that this day stems from both protest and progress – and both these principles are still relevant today for women and their identity.  It does not matter whether you sit in a boardroom or a classroom, as the twitter feed on the Everyday Sexism Project will tell you. The recent misogynistic heckling at Glasgow University, along with the refusal of FIFA to allow women to sit on their ethics committee and the response to the horrific rape case in Delhi (picture above right) reminds us that there is still a path to be paved. So we trust that you enjoy celebrating women’s day but may it also be a reminder to you that there is still more to be done…

For more, why not follow the IWD events or add your own thoughts on Twitter using the #womensday hashtag – see you there!

Posted in Success | Tagged

When to buy your Vogue

Written by Hannah Jean on March 1, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Vogue Cover March 2013

How to spend wisely when it comes to Vogue

One of the best ways to keep up-to-date with the latest trends is to buy your magazines at the right time. Since there are two keys points in the year where fashion trends significantly shift, it makes sense to save money by avoiding expensive subscriptions and simply invest at the opportune moment. Even the editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman, alluded to this in the latest issue of Vogue by saying:

‘The March issue of Vogue is one of the most relevant of the year. Although the September issue has attained a higher level of fame (in great part due to the terrific documentary about American Vogue), the March issue is the spring equivalent…’

We could not agree more. If you want access to the latest trends and fashion, then March and September are your months to invest. The anticipation of warmer weather means we are ready to think about the new season for our wardrobes, so the magazines target their content to showcase the new season’s looks. Bazaar, L’Officiel and most monthly publications follow this rule – so save your pennies and if you are into your fashion magazines, then remember to pick them up this month!

PS If you really want to save then you can always browse your magazines respective websites during these months, but personally we love curling up with magazine and cuppa! Also don’t forget the amount of editing that goes into the pictures and adverts, we use them for style inspiration only!

Posted in Personal Styling | Tagged

Body Image in a Heartbeat

Written by Hannah Jean on February 8, 2013 — 2 Comments

Are you in tune with your body? According to The Telegraph, recent research shows that women feel better about their bodies when they sit in front of a mirror and listen to their heartbeat. By consciously observing an internal body signal, such as a heartbeat, we become reconnected with our physical being and less likely to objectify our bodies. Dr Manos Tsakiris who led the study said:

“People have the remarkable ability to perceive themselves from the perspective of an outside observer. However, there is a danger that some women can develop an excessive tendency to regard their bodies as ‘objects’, while neglecting to value them from within, for their physical competence and health. Women who ‘self-objectify’, in this way [can become vulnerable]….”

It’s easy to tune out from what our bodies are saying. We all do at some point as often the sheer noise of life drowns out our body signals. Yesterday evening we were discussing this topic with the lovely Abbi from Beyond Chocolate.  The secret of Beyond Chocolate’s success is based on the principle of listening to your body and understanding what it requires. If we do not take the time to listen to our internal signals and become disconnected, then the message of what our body requires will become unclear.

So how can we reconnect? Time is a precious resource especially when we have pressing work and family commitments. Abbi made a great point when she highlighted that often when women take time for themselves, it is viewed as an indulgence or a treat that we need to justify. In its own way this becomes a form of escapism, for example going to a spa, which we ‘do’ in order to spend time with ourselves.  We need to remember  that the best leadership always comes from within and if taking time to connect with ourselves means we have a better quality of life, then we owe it to ourselves (and those around us) to take a few moments every day to tune into our bodies.

Remember…greater awareness of our body’s internal signals prompts us to make healthy choices. Take the time today to listen to what your body is saying.

Posted in Personal Styling | Tagged ,

British Plus-Size Fashion Weekend

Written by Hannah Jean on February 1, 2013 — Leave a Comment

#BPSFW #countdown

We are excited to announce our collaboration with British Plus-Size Fashion Weekend (BPSFW) on 15th & 16th February 2013. Find My Style has been selected to run the styling master class as part of the BPSFW schedule on Saturday 16th between 12-2pm. The styling master class will focus on five aspects: lifestyle, colour, body shape, personality and spring/summer fashion trends for 2013. If you would like to purchase a ticket, please click here.

BPSFW is the first event in the UK which is dedicated to plus-size fashion. It aims to enhance, educate, empower and support the UK plus-size industry by connecting the dots between the retailers, designers and consumers. Last year WGSN reported that sales of size 18 upwards clothing accounted for one fifth of retail sales in the UK, however this is woefully underrepresented on the high street. The rise of brands such as Simply Be illustrate the demand in the market and events such as BPSFW will hopefully prompt other British retailers to follow suit.

Action: Do spread the word about #BPSFW via facebook and twitter. Change comes one step at a time and retailers on the British high street need to recognise the demand for fashion-forward plus-size clothing. By talking about #BPSFW, you can be part of that change and shape the future of fashion!

Posted in #BPSFW, Body Shape, Masterclasses, Personal Styling, Wardrobe Management

Frugality, Fashion and Propaganda

Written by Hannah Jean on January 25, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Are you really making the most of your fashion budget?

Whilst reading February’s Vogue, my attention was immediately by the title ‘How we shop now – Frugality and fashion have never made easy bed fellows but, post recession, are we savvier shoppers?’ It’s certainly a good question to ask. Since 2008, Vogue highlights that much of our consumer confidence has disappeared and that society has undergone a slow psychological change in priorities.  We now subscribe to the virtuous ‘less is more mentality’ and shun the sales in favour of the new season’s perfect ‘investment’ item.

We are consistently told this is the right thing to do – it is better to ‘invest’ rather than ‘spend’ when it comes to our wardrobes. This means that we are making wise choices (more intelligent), helping the environment by cutting our consumption (very ethical) and using our money in a responsible way (good for our bank balance). So we presume this is all correct…until we start asking questions.

1) Are we saving money? Interestingly, we are actually spending more. In recent years our spending on clothes and shoes has continued almost unabated, with hardly any cutting back even during the depths of the recession in 2009. In November 2012, the Telegraph reported that the average household is now spending £9.60 more on clothing and footwear a week compared with 2007. That almost equals an extra £500 per annum.

2) Are we buying less? The Drapers Top 100 Power List speaks volumes (literally!) – for 2012 Drapers named the directors from Asos, Primark, Sports Direct, Next and John Lewis – in that order – as the top five influencers. These are not shops that opt for the Prada shoe option like Vogue suggests, instead the mass consumption that they promote is at the opposite end of the retail spectrum.

3) Are we making wise choices? At this point it’s worth asking whom these wise choices are for.  If consumers purchase more items on sale, this doesn’t particularly generate mass profits for retailers – in fact they actually cause damage to the bottom line of business. The same is true in any trade. The more you discount, the less profit you make and the more you devalue your product in the eyes of the consumer. If you want to make money, then you have to raise the value of your product and make people believe that it is worth more.

It could be argued that retail has done this very effectively in recent years; Vogue tells us that consumers now demand higher quality goods and ‘any sign of a hiked price next to a polyester lining or a less than perfect hem, and we exit, tutting furiously’. It’s not in the interest of retailers to promote us to shop cheaply; ultimately as consumers we have to believe in the system as only then will we part with our hard-earned money to keep the cycle going.

So whose investment purchase is it really? Maybe it’s worth some thought before that next must-have buy.

Posted in #vogue, Retail Trends, Wardrobe Management

Stay Warm in Style

Written by Hannah Jean on January 18, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Want to stay warm in style? Try double layering your jackets and coats – it’s the most time efficient and cost effective way of wrapping up in the cold. While in Manchester this week, we found the most gorgeous textured Zara jacket in the sales and paired it with our furry winter staple.  This meant we could keep the jacket on inside and simply add the coat for going out, so it was easy to move around. The versatility of the look made it a winner for us!

Extra tips… Opt for jackets that have a minimum 60% wool mix to stay snug and avoid cotton garments as they conduct heat away from the body. Natural materials such as leather and fur will keep you warmer than man-made fabrics.  Over-the-knee boots and elbow length gloves will help to protect the extremities. Interestingly while it is a myth that adults loose most of their heat from the head, it is different for children as the proportion of their head is larger than their body, so it is important to wrap them up with hats and hoods.

Until next time, stay warm!

Posted in Dressing for Cold Weather, Personal Styling, Style Tips, Wardrobe Management, Zara

Faking Beyoncé

Written by Hannah Jean on January 10, 2013 — Leave a Comment

You have to hand it to her – she certainly knows how to get people talking. The start of 2013 really was Beyoncé’s big comeback with Ivy Blue’s birth and a new album and documentary series in the pipeline; she knew that she had to get people’s attention.

The GQ cover certainly ticked the box in that regard. At a glance, Beyoncé appears to look smoking hot and better than ever. But then you look closer and you start to wonder:

- what happened to her smile (and face generally)
- are her boobs really looking like that after all that breast feeding
- surely that ‘perfect triangle’ is a little on the generous side
- why do the muscles under her rib cage go straight across
- and where on earth are her famous thighs?

Then you feel slightly cheated. It’s not the real Beyoncé Knowles; instead it’s a second rate version of her. You only have to look at the picture of her at Solange’s gig in December to see the difference. So who is responsible for this?

Some may say Beyoncé tried to hard. Stripping off for the press was something that she was against in the past – she wanted to be known for her talent not her body. As a mother, some people said it was a mistake, I don’t think that is the issue here. We all know sex sells, however, what makes this different is that when her body did get attention, it was always challenging the body stereotypes rather than following them. For someone who has always celebrated her curves with ‘bootilicious’ enthusiasm, it seems surpising that Beyoncé has allowed this cover to go ahead.

Others may say that this cover is simply what GQ does. Looking back, this is just a repeat of history with Kate Winslet in 2002 and Jennifer Aniston in 2009 being the most documented examples. December’s cover of Rihanna didn’t fair well either with her face being manipulated, but at least her body was left vaguely intact.

The more critical among us will say we need to look at ourselves. If this is what it takes to get our attention, then there is something radically wrong. Apart from anything else, if diets and exercise really do make a person’s legs become two different shapes, then surely that should mean a legal case rather than an aspiration. This is not about looking for responsibility though, it’s about asking ourselves if we are making the right choices about what we demand as consumers. If we want fake, then that is fine. Just don’t start confusing it with reality.

For the moment we will leave you with Beyoncé’s sentiments that she shared with Teen Vogue last March:

‘The best thing I can say to young ladies is accept the body you’re in. If you have curves, love your curves. The thing to strive for is to have the best healthy body you can have. It’s really not about being skinny or being curvy. What matters is that you love yourself and you are taking care of your health.’

Posted in Personal Styling

What’s Your Style?

Written by Hannah Jean on January 3, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Before going to Guinea in December, Find My Style was asked to speak about working as a stylist to a group of fashion journalism students at London Met University. Jo Payton from Fashion Detective arranged the session and the second half was run as an open Q&A. All of the questions I could answer easily, however when a student asked me how I would describe my style, I was momentarily lost for words. You would think I would know the answer; after all I advise people on their style, yet here I was ironically hesitating over how to describe my own.

In the end, the answer that I gave was that my style was determined by my circumstances i.e. who I was meeting or working with – but the question got me thinking, what is my style? The next day I decided to get an outside perspective and so I asked my flatmates how they would describe my style. This was their response:

bold
simple yet elegant
considered
easy
elegant
classically innovative
feminine
creative

It made for interesting feedback and their choice of words fitted with the ethos of my answer. In a nutshell, my style enables me to relate to people and connect with them in a creative capacity to produce desirable results. Ultimately the way we dress is our means of visual communication – it describes how we think, how we work and how we act. One person who knows this is Jennifer Ennis (pictured above) and her statement red dress at the BBC Sports Personality Awards shows that she knows how to communicate her desire to excel.

For the start of 2013, take a moment this week to think about your goals and objectives for the coming year. What are you looking to achieve?
And what does this mean for your wardrobe? Use this time to plan your wardrobe and identify how you can you use your style to communicate your goals and what you are planning to achieve. As the saying goes, if you don’t know where you are going then any road will get you there. Your clothes are no exception.

Posted in Jennifer Ennis, Life Success, Personal Branding, Personal Styling, Wardrobe Management
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