Do you have style?

I have always loved clothes, as a teenager I was always shopping for the latest trends and I felt good about the way I looked. Clothes are great like that aren’t they? They can change your mood for the better if you can find the perfect outfit. Unfortunately clothes also have the power to make us feel bad about ourselves. We all have those days when nothing looks right, we feel fat or frumpy and blame ourselves. Alicia Kay Style is about to change the way we feel!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a style class with Alicia Kite and Kay Davidson. They are making it their mission to help women feel fabulous. They want to spread the message that everyone can have style, you just need to know the tricks of the trade! They are going to be running classes, teaching women to embrace their bodies and their own style. It is not about forcing you to wear a new wardrobe, rather adapting what you already have.

Do you have style?

Whether you know it or not, you have a style. You have a particular type of style that you prefer over another, whether that be jeans and a hoodie or dresses and heals. The key is to buy the most flattering version of those clothes, to use accessories to add a bit of interest and to make sure that you feel good.

“Everything you own must make you feel good. If it doesn’t then it must go.”

Do your clothes make you feel good? When you get dressed and look in the mirror how do you feel? Most days I don’t even look in the mirror as I know I won’t look good. I am betting I am not the only woman that feels that way and this is why Alicia Kay Style was created.

When you look in your wardrobe what do you see? Are your clothes neatly stored on hangers? Are your shoes lined up in pairs? If you are anything like me then the answer is probably no. I look in my wardrobe and I never know what to wear, most of my clothes don’t fit and they make me feel fat and frumpy. I have lost my way.

Alicia telling us to use decent hangers that will help look after your clothes!

I also have an abundance of ‘sentimental’ items- clothes that used to fit me long long ago that I keep in the hope that they will fit me again. The truth is, my body has changed. I have had 2 children and my body shape will never be that of my 18 year old self. It is time to accept that fact and embrace my new body.

“It is not you, it is the clothes you are wearing.”

I do not look good in short tops, they do not suit my body shape. When I try one on in a changing room I look at myself and blame my body. Is it my body’s fault though or is it just the fact I have chosen the wrong top? I can’t change my long body but I can choose a top that will suit my shape. Find the styles that suit you and stick to those themes.

Kay explained that their course is unique as they are not trying to tell people how to dress or what style suits them. Instead they take the woman’s current style and show them how to make the best of themselves. If you want to wear skirts then it is about finding the right skirt for you. If you like to wear tailored trousers then it is about finding a cut that will suit you. make the clothes work for you- you do not need to change.

“I am a size 12 and that is the only size I buy”

Does that sound like you? Do you give up on a pair of trousers if ‘your size’ doesn’t fit you?  Learn to be flexible with the sizes, different styles will look different on different people. Shop for your shape, not for your size.Look at Alicia in these two jackets. The one on the left does not look good at all does it? It does not flatter her shape and just makes her look frumpy. The orange jacket on the right is tailored perfectly for her shape and makes her look fabulous. What if I told you both were the same size? It just shows that just because a label tells you it is your size does not mean it will fit your body!

“I hate this part of my body”

If you have an area of your body you want to hide then use accessories to draw the eye to another, more flattering area of your body. I have slender wrists, so I should use bracelets to draw the attention away from my bingo wings! If you have a bit of a mummy tummy then use scarves to drape over your tummy- simple!

Getting styled by Alica! Apparently I have a bit of a rock chick style! Photo by Mummy is a Gadget Geek

There is so much more I could tell you, I came away from my afternoon with Alicia and Kay feeling inspired and motivated! I want to cleanse my wardrobe, get rid of the clothes that make me feel bad and use the tips and tricks they taught us to make myself look fabulous.

“You should feel fabulous every day”

Alicia|Kay Style is going to be coming to a town near you soon or you can sign up to do the course online. The 4 week course is priced at £89.95 and will change the way you look at clothes forever!

We were all treated to an afternoon of tea, cookies and of course, style in return for this post. All thoughts and words are my own.