I discovered the real me!
In this case study Jenny describes how she found the process of working with me on her colour, image and personal style journey.
1. What type of thing have you done with Lisa?
Online activities such as free Style Challenges and Facebook group membership. Paid-for short courses, face to face work on Personal Branding including colour analysis, membership of subscription/private group/s.
2. What actually happens?
This depends on what service you go for, but in a nutshell, Lisa asks you questions to find out how you feel about your current wardrobe and what isn’t working for you. Together, you’ll come to conclusions about what your priorities are and how best to meet these with colour and clothes. If you’ve asked her to, she’ll also fling bits of coloured cloth around your head and alchemically magic up a perfect colour palette for you 😄
3. How did you feel before?
Lost. Grey. Sallow. Old. Fat. Unsure of who I was. Long periods of ill-health, combined with ageing, conspired to confuse me, because all the clothes I used to like and look good in didn’t make me look or feel good anymore.
4. How did you feel during the process?
Nervous, confused, annoyed, angry, disappointed, excited, frustrated, supported, nurtured, studious, joyous, creative, included, spontaneous, giggly, experimental.
5. How did you feel afterwards?
Empowered, excited, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, enlightened, creative, eclectic, in love with clothes, and a lot more confident.
6. Did you have any reservations about working with Lisa? what made you decide to go ahead and do it anyway?
Cost was a factor due to my circumstance, but I can honestly say I’ve saved so much by not wasting money on unsuitable clothes since working with Lisa, not to mention time wasted either dithering about outfits or shopping for the wrong stuff, plus it’s been invaluable in terms of discovering more about ‘who I am’, and has made getting dressed a joy again instead of a chore, and I love ‘me’ again. It’s definitely been worth the investment.
7. Did it make a difference to what you wore in terms of ease of putting things together?
Oh yes! It took some time for me to amass a collection of things because my existing wardrobe was almost completely unsuitable for me colour-wise, but over time this has become easier. I thought working with a restricted colour palette and garment shapes would make things harder, but it actually makes things so much easier, and much more fun!
8. Did she get you to try anything that made you feel really uncomfortable?
Yes - wearing camel and brown! 🤣🤣
9. Will I have to strip off?
GOD NO!!! TBH I think that would make everyone feel uncomfortable, and there’s no place for it in Lisa’s work.
10. Did the clothes sit right with your personality? Comfort factor?
Yes, once I’d got my head around all the different aspects and started consciously assessing everything I had, and wanted to buy, as to whether each thing fitted with my needs/goals. Eventually it became much easier to start collecting the right kinds of things. This was an effort at the beginning (I wrote a sheet of my most important factors and subjected every item to it!) but now it’s much more natural and I can choose things with greater ease. I still find myself listing after unsuitable garments, but I’m much better at talking myself out of it and not buying them now!
11. Did you have to go out and get loads of new things or could you sort some out to go even if not perfect?
I was almost exclusively wearing the least-good colours for me, so I struggled initially. I found that picking up experimental things second hand, from eBay, etc helped me to get a handle on how much I liked a certain colour/style/type of garment/accessory without breaking the bank. I have very little left now from my ‘original’ wardrobe, but this has been years in the making.
12. Have you cleared out any clothes that you now know why you didn't/couldn't/didn't feel right wearing?
Yes, loads!! Some were hard to get rid of, but once I realised why I wasn’t wearing them it was much easier to let go, and in all honesty, I haven’t missed any of them since.
13. How much more room have your got in your wardrobe?
TONS!! I’ve gone from having clothes all over the house and in multiple rooms, wardrobes and bags to the equivalent of two wardrobes, including all my accessories and bulky items like shoes, coats and accessories like sun hats and woollens. This is unheard of!
14. How easy was it to follow the recommendations afterwards?
It was hard to change my mindset at first, because I had an idea of what clothes I thought I liked and what colours I thought I wanted to wear (and none of those were in my palette), and it was psychologically hard to break free of that. But I’m pretty determined, and I worked hard at trying new things, and once I found a few things that I looked good in it was easier to stick to and build on. Practically it was tricky though as shops don’t sell a lot of my palette at the moment, so in that respect locating things was more difficult.
15. Have you found it easier to choose your clothes for a day/eve/work/function/holiday?.......
Yes, thanks to knowing my colour and style; I did a capsule for a holiday and now have plenty of everyday outfits. But I still experience anxiety around special occasions, possibly because I don’t get much practice.
16. How easy is it to find clothes that fit with the colours that work for you now you’ve been “Lisa’d”?
It’s so much easier to choose things that work, and disregard things that don’t. I can ignore entire sections of stores and refine my online searches to only show me items with specific criteria. And it seems to become easier the longer you have your palette to identify ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ colours, even if they don’t match your swatch exactly. I knew I was “getting it” when this started happening.
17. On a scale of 1-10 how much did you enjoy shopping before and now after?
This is a tricky one, because I loved shopping before (8-9/10), whereas these days I’m more likely to get frustrated because I can’t find things in the exact colour/shape/style/fabric combinations that I want. Plus, I don’t need much anymore (!) so I’m less likely to do it. But when I do find something that’s totally “me”, that’s a 10/10!
18. What difference did it make to you? (immediately/months on)
Immediately I realised why things weren’t working for me and that things could be different, which was a boost, even though I knew I had a long journey ahead.
More recently I think I’ve really settled into my new colours and have really got to know my style personality, and I’m now able to combine things in a way that’s a form of creative self-expression, which I’m thoroughly enjoying.
19. Has anyone else noticed a difference in you/your appearance/confidence?
I get a lot of people telling me I’m “looking really well”, particularly when I wear a certain shade of green 😂 More recently I’ve had people say “I really love your style”, which makes me so happy, because I didn’t have one for such a long time and was envious of people who did. Now I’m one of those people! 😍😍
20. What surprised you?
What colours suit me, especially my ‘wows’! I don’t think they don’t suit my personality at all, but I’m learning to work with my entire palette to create combinations that I like and that I feel reflect my personality. Also, how much changing what I wear has changed how I feel - I’m more comfortable and confident now and have fun with my clothes, which comes through in how I behave.
21. How best to prepare for a session with Lisa?
Think about what you have most trouble with regarding your wardrobe, and what you want to get out of your session(s). Don’t hold back or be embarrassed - the more information Lisa has the better she can advise. Write down questions you want to ask so you don’t feel pressured or forget. If this kind of approach works for you take notes, start a ‘style file’, begin a colour collage and/or use Pinterest to explore ideas and get inspiration.
22. What was the single best result from working with Lisa?
Rediscovering my love for clothes and how happy putting outfits together makes me. Discovering the ‘real me’, where clothes are concerned.
23. What advice do you have for anyone else who is thinking about it?
Just. Do. It. I promise you will not regret it. If you’re thinking about it there must be a reason - imagine that clothing-related niggle never bothering you again! Do it now, and fall in love with clothes for the rest of your life 😉
Check out my services that Jenny enjoyed HERE
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