frustrated to fabulous...celebrated and highly featured senior image coach… senior mentor for...

Copyright Material of Jainee Gandhi & Image ReDefine

FRUSTRATED TO FABULOUS With Master Image Consultant Jainee Gandhi AICI CIP Founder & Principal Consultant - ImagedgeAcademy Style Blogger – StylingReDefine.com Styling App – StylefixIndia.com President Elect - AICI Singapore Mentor at Cherie Blair Foundation for Women Write to me at [email protected]

Copyright Material of Jainee Gandhi & ImagedgeAcademy, LLP

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Head hunter to head turner… A classy personal shopper… Bringing Indian wear back to corporates… Only Certified Image Professional by Association of Image Conusltants International in India and amongst 20 senior Image influencers in Asia… A celebrated and highly featured senior Image coach… Senior mentor for budding Image consultants…

There are many phrases that have been used to describe me and my work in the last half a decade… But what I really am, is a person who has a passion to get every individual portray their best authentic image – with a focus on appearance – for more often than not there is nothing more powerful than the impression of the first look. My motto is “Refuse to be unseen”.

There are so many fashion magazines in the market, fashionista friends, well wishing family, relatives and so on… We listen to everyone and get confused. Few common things I get to hear is , “Trends keep on changing so fast” or “Getting dressed is a tedious task and to top it all fashionably dressed is like climbing a mountain” or “How much is enough, should I shop every week?”

Unlike this popular belief that you need to have a lot of things to look stylish , I say “BUY LESS, BUY BETTER AND REALLY WEAR IT”. Your wardrobe is your resource, use it like one. The moment you start ignoring your clothes, your appearance, you will start forgetting then person you are and start becoming what everyone else wants you to become. Do you really want that? Clothes are a small part of your personality, however a very significant one.

Once you have a well planned and organized wardrobe, when you start thinking your clothes & accessories as resource, as an investment in your personal, social or professional life, trust me this WHAT TO WEAR situation will never arise.

Frustrated to Fabulous in 5 Steps is short personal guide which will give you an overview of your lifestyle, personal style, how to manage your wardrobe, where to spend and where to save, how to shop smartly and most importantly to love your body and be confident.


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Step 1: Know your Lifestyle Lifestyle is what you do day in day out. One person’s lifestyle is surely going to be different then others, even while staying in the same house. Chart down all the roles that you play, all the activities that you do and write down the kind of clothes that you wear . Sample Roles What I currently

wear What I would like to wear

Entrepreneur – Client meetings

Trouser & tee or top

Trousers/ Skirt & jacket for Trainings & workshops, Dresses for shopping

Mother Jeans & tee Cotton pants & blousons or denims & shirt


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Lifestyle Event Evaluation

Event / Ocassion / Role

What I Currently wear

What I would like to wear


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Step 2: Know your Personal Style

I have always disliked wearing striped shirts. You may be averse to some type of fabric, some styles, some designs. We have so many things available in terms of faric, style, pattern, etc and in those we have our own choices. So what exactly is personal style. As the name suggest, it is a style that is you, authentic you.

So WHAT exactly is the YOU and what does it have to do with fashion?

Imagine a world (call it "Sameville") where everybody wore the same clothes. A

place where they had the same style and liked the same things.

Now that wouldn't exactly be the most colorful and stimulating world... would it?

But the sad reality is - the majority of people tend to go this route when it comes to

clothes! So this is where developing your style comes into the picture.

Dare to be yourself and wear the clothes that express the unique and fabulous

person you are!

Creating your own personal style is the art of combining an outfit, or an image if you will, based on the various aspects of your personality and lifestyle. Creating your unique style helps you achieve a sense of confidence and comfort in how you put together an outfit. This sets you apart from the rest. It takes a lot of trial and error to find your personal style, so don't worry about making mistakes along the way. In fact, developing your personal fashion style is a journey not a destination. Experimenting and just having fun help you get to know yourself better :-)

Style = Individuality

Once you connect with your core, your style will improve and you'll look fabulous.

This will radiate through the way you dress.

Accentuate your individuality.


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Personal Style Evaluation Make a list of 5-7 your favourite clothes that you wear too often and a list of 5-7 clothes that you don’t wear at all. Once you start breaking them into the below list, you will see that there are certain aspects of clothes that youabsolutely love. Line

Shape

Colour

Texture

Fabric

Pattern

Fit

Neckline

Sleeve


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Personal Style Evaluation The 4 looks below are all casual but they have different moods and messages

The first picture says feminine , with its spaghetti lacy top. The second one says relaxed and casual with a belted tunic and treggins Third picture says Cool & young with the denims short and tee Fourth says Smart & Chic, with a floral pencil skirt & blouson. So understand the moods & messages of the garments you currently wear & would like to wear. Develop a personal Style that is unique & authentic to you, that reflects who you are and represents what you want to convey.


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Step 3: Love your Body

I am in love with the shape of ME

Body Image.... what is that many ask me... it’s simple many say, some are amused that there is something like this, some are intrigued... In layman terms, body image is what you think About your body when you look in the mirror or in your mind. Our self-body image should be a mirror of our thoughts… When this self - image is positive you feel positive about your physical body. Try and appreciate your body. Highlight the part of the body that you are proud of and camouflage the variation. Dress smartly and wisely. Our Image depends on how we are groomed. If you keep on the feeling you don’t look good or you don’t dress smart, the other will sense your dip with confidence. Make a list like literally of your body parts that you love and parts that you don’t particularly love but will start loving from now on

What I Love What I could Love

Highlight what you like and

Camouflague what you don’t


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Step 4: Declutter your Wardrobe In this step, literally raid your wardrobe. Remove every single piece of garment that you have. It will happen that you imight be emotinally ttached to a piece or that you might have toatlly forgotten it was still in your wardrobe or everyones favorite “ I will surely fit into this someday”. This is a very important step emotionally because you will realize how many clothes you have and how many have you been actually wearing. It is said that “People wear 20% of their clothes , 80% of the time”. This is due to many reasons. So this step will show you how to make more space in your wardrobe and utilize it effectively. Raid your wardrobe and divide them in 3 categories A: Clothes you like & wear too often

B: Clothes you don’t like but have to wear them

C : Clothes that you like / don’t like but have not worn them in

the last 3 years.


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Lets Declutter Category A & B Garment

Reason to like / not like

Category C(OrphanedClothes): Garment

Reason to like / not like

Observethepatternofwhyyoulikesomeclothesandwhyyoudon’tlikesome.Thereliestheanswerofthedeclutteredwardrobe.


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Build your Basic Wardrobe

So what exactly do you understand by Wardrobe Basics?

They are those boring clothes that are always there in our wardrobe. Black

Formal pants if you are working, denims for outings, basic black tee and so on.

Although they look boring but they are very versatile and essential.

They are -

Flexible: They can change your whole look by adding few accessories.

Trend Proof: They are basics, you can never go wrong with that. For example

in an interview you can never go wrong if you are wearing a white shirt and

formal pant.

All Season: No matter what season it is, these clothes are always in season

Style Saving: If red hot pants are in season than tone them down by a basic

black tee.

Outfit Multipliers: It is said that 12 basic garments can create upto 80

outfits. So just think about it. Even if you have 50% of your wardrobe as basic

wardrobe than how many looks you can create.

Wardrobe Foundation: They are definitely wardrobe foundation. If you are

on a low budget and trying to just get started than these basics are of great

help.


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Build your Basic Wardrobe (Cont.)

So how do these work?

Very Frankly, they are not exciting. Even shopping for them is no fun. But from the

time I have realized what important role these essentials play in my wardrobe and

styling, just can’t do without them. I know I can never go wrong with my plain staple

pieces. For example you have plain white shirt, you can add Red heels & earrings /

statement neckpiece, or wear it over your denims for chic look or wear it under your

business suit for the leadership look.

Few guidelines to buy wardrobe basics:

! Check your wardrobe. Before going on a shopping spree it is wise to check the

wardrobe and review the contents. Read my article on “ Wardrobe

Organization”, so that your clothes and accessories are easily accessible.

! Every single garment that you purchase should suit your lifestyle.

! Get at least 2 of each, so if white shirt is your basic get 2 white shirts in

different pattern, style / fabric.

! Get each essential in neutral color, so if you want to buy a formal pant, buy

black first than move on to beige / green.

! Avoid fancy detailing in the basics.

! Same applies to accessories, bags and shoes. Always have basics like black

and tan in your wardrobe, these colors go with most of the formal wear and

have Gold / gold- silver mix for traditional.


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Step 5: Smart Shopping

Save / Spend

Save or Spend… Wardrobe basics understanding is done, what are basics

for your wardrobe is done, now we understand when to save and when to

spend. So load up on basics, have patterns and get a special dress for

that special occasion. Now next time you are out shopping and thinking

whether to buy a dressy tunic or a lovely shirt think about this and use

the save or spend funda.

Bottoms:

Denims : Spend

Every wardrobe irrespective of age has this versatile piece of clothing. The

fit has to be perfect. Try as many pairs as you want and then buy the one

that just feels right. Don’t look at the cost than, it will be your second skin

so spend not splurge though ☺

Black / Brown Pants: Spend

Any working lady, the importance of black pants. They have a sliming

effect on the lower body, it’s a universal colour, a number of Shirts &

blouses go with it. So when in doubt wear black. Boardroom meeting

black pants and a blazer, party time- black pants and a shimmery blouse.

So spend in a good quality and fitted pant.

Coloured Pants: Save

They are trendy and in fashion write now. So unless it’s a very basic

colour like brown don’t spend on corals or red’s.


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Smart Shopping : Save / Spend (Cont.)

Tops:

Tunics / Ethnic Tops : Save

You are not going to repeat the same tunics every alternate day, so

don’t splurge. Get good quality fabric and couple of colours and style to

change your look everyday. You can also get a common white / beige /

silk tunic on which you can spend.

T-Shirt: Save

We wear tees close to our skin, washing and washing ruins the shell

life. So unless it’s a basic black tee, don’t spend much. But don’t get

very flimsy fabrics either.

Dress: Spend

If you like wearing dresses to work, than get a knee length shift dress

in a dark color like black, brown / deep blue. Combined with a basic

jacket and you are all set for the office or combined with a jazzy scarf

or bolero jacket and all set for a nice dinner party.

Jacket: Spend

If you stay in city where you have winters, unlike Mumbai where

winters are a joke ☺… Spend on a good style, high on comfort. If you

have heavy bust don’t opt for cropped jackets.

Silk Sarees : Spend

Orginal silk is all season all favourite. So get atleast one silk saree in

the color you love. I prefer Red, because it just adds festivity to the

occasion.


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Smart Shopping : Save / Spend (Cont.)

Lingerie

Bra : Spend

A good fitting bra can make or break your outfit… So ladies specially

mothers please go to a nice place, get yourself measured properly and

invest in 2 wired bra’s (black and nude)… No whites please.

Panty : Save

Simple reason is we need to change them often and replace them often…

So get couple of styles for various kinds of bottoms your wear.

Accessories:

Work Shoes & Bag : Spend

Whatever your style is, peep toes, pumps, kitten heels… Spend on the

pair of shoes that you are going to wear every single day and for

minimum 8 hours. Choose comfortable shoes, good fabric, classic

colours.

Evening Shoes & Bag : Save

Depends on your lifestyle. If you are the party and fine dining kinds or if

you too many weddings to attend than invest or just save.

Stud Earring’s : Spend

Real Diamonds / American, have at least one pair than you can just wear

every single day if you have to .

The list goes on and on… The idea here is for you to know your lifestyle

is and then decide on the save and spend, the utility of the purchase.

frustrated to fabulous...celebrated and highly featured senior image coach… senior mentor for...

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