5 Things I Would Never Do As A Personal Stylist
A while back there was a trend going around on social media where experts were sharing 5 things they would never do, related to their field. Today I’m going over the 5 things I would never do as a Personal Stylist. These are all things that I have done in the past, but after more than a decade of working in and around the many facets of the fashion industry, these are the things I will never do again.
Buy something just because it’s on sale.
You should only be buying things that you really love or truly need in your wardrobe. If you’re buying something just because it’s on sale, you’ll have wasted the money - no matter how small an amount you spent on it. You’ll have another piece of clothing in your closet that's taking up valuable real estate, you’ll end up feeling guilty when you don’t want to wear it, and you'll still feel like you wasted money. Buy things that you truly love, and give yourself bonus points if it was on sale.
Avoid buying something because it’s a bigger size than I normally wear.
There is something called vanity sizing, which you’ve heard me talk about if you’ve been here for a minute. This is done mostly by fast fashion brands, where they label clothing with a smaller size than the actual cut of fabric. What this means while shopping is you might be a size 2 in Old Navy but a size 8 in Ulla Johnson. This is a marketing ploy by the brand because if you think you’re a smaller size, you’re more likely to shop there because it makes you feel smaller (aka makes you feel better about yourself). This is why knowing your measurements is so important because you can look at a size guide and make it work for your body. Whatever the size says, every brand is different, and it’s so empowering to know what will actually fit you.
Talk negatively about my body, especially in front of my daughter.
I used to do this for years - I think we all did. It was almost normal for there to be self sabotage around our bodies (this always makes me think about the scene in Mean Girls where they take turns saying what they dislike about themselves). The way we talk about ourselves, whether outloud or in our heads, plays such a huge role in our subconscious and how we feel about ourselves. If you’re only focusing on the problems with your body when you get dressed, there is nothing you can put on that will make you feel good. And I promise you, no one is paying as much attention to how you look than you are. This is also incredibly damaging to do around the young girls in our lives because it makes them think they should be looking for their flaws too. Protect the mindset of our littles by being kind to yourself first.
Buy something just because it’s trendy or because someone else has it.
Work on what makes your style YOUR style before you go and buy something because it’s trendy or because that influencer was wearing it. What makes you want it? Is it because you love their style and want to recreate that? Or is it because you feel like you should want it, just because a bunch of other people do? The latter is going to put you into a trap of buying things out of lack or FOMO instead of buying what truly belongs in your wardrobe. The result will be a ton of wasted money, a closet filled with pieces that you don’t like, and you’ll be completely confused by what your style actually is.
Assume that price dictates quality.
A high price tag does not mean a quality item. There are so many brands out there that are selling pieces of polyester for hundreds of dollars. There are also many brands with sustainability practices that are selling high quality clothing for attainable prices. Educate yourself on what fabrics feel good to you, and always look at the labels to see what the clothing is actually made of. Just because something has a large number on the price tag does not mean it is well made. Similarly, a lower ticket item can still be a high quality piece. Remove the assumption relating quality to cost, and always do your own research.
Do you do any of these 5 things? Which one would make the biggest difference in your life if you stopped? I’d love to know which of these resonated the most with you.