“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.”
-Orson Welles
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I’ve always had an interest in personal style, even as a little girl. I find the way people present themselves with clothing, marketing, and messaging fascinating. From my teen years working at J.C. Penney to my college job running a cosmetics counter at Robinson’s May to working in the designer salon at Saks Fifth Avenue, I have always enjoyed seeing people embrace their personality, while continually experimenting with my own.
As far as my personal style, let’s just say that some years have been better than others (ha!). I do find the older I get, the less I give a darn about trying to please others and the more aligned I am with what I want to convey stylistically — personally and professionally.
The manner in which we present in all areas of our business (photos, copy, branding, speaking, and personal style) is part of our success equation.
Being aligned with your personality and being willing to show up the way you want to be seen is everything.
I was interviewed by FairyGodBoss in 2017 for an article about how having a work uniform made me more successful. This photo of my closet at that time was all they needed to see to know that I indeed walked the “uniform” talk!
I still stand behind my advice in the article about talking with a style expert, limiting your color palette, buying investment pieces, and not forcing it.
I do not, however, align with this lack of pattern and color look, as it represented a time in my life where I had lost my identity. My look said that everyone was important to be seen, except me!
This all came up thanks to a divine connection with Marisol Colette, Therapeutic Style Consultant, and founder of Sol Reflection. The Marketing Therapist (me!) and Marisol, The Fashion Therapist quickly developed a she-geeky love connection. She hired my agency, Web Marketing Therapy, to redo her website and I hired her to style me for a photoshoot for my personal website. I LOVE her!
Marisol helped me beyond choosing the right clothes, she helped me re-connect with my passion for fashion and reminded me that we all need to give ourselves permission to dress for ourselves! This shift not only changed my appearance, but it also changed my energy in business. She also helped me see that the way I communicated and needed to be seen as a leader was not the way I was showing up.
It was time to stretch my style!
I started playing with prints, super fun accessories and stepping outside my comfort zone.
Marisol helped me appreciate my body and got me inspired to cut ties with clothes that didn’t serve me anymore. I donated, closet cleaned and even sold clothes via consignment and bought new ones that were fun.
And y’all, I felt a shift!
Our success as businesswomen is not about the website, or the sales funnel, being the prettiest or hiring the right virtual assistant.
It’s about mindset and alignment.
Style is not something you throw money at to achieve it. It’s our way of being. Style does not have to be expensive, trendy, or safe, but it sure as heck needs to align with who you are and how you want to be seen.
When’s the last time you made a change to your style and had a good time in the process?
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“Fashion changes, but style endures.”
-Coco Chanel
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Think about who you are on the inside and think critically about how well you reflect that on the outside.
While I love the comfort of working from home, I thanked my Vuori sweatpants for all their COVID quarantine support but told them I needed to get back to dressing the part I wanted to play.
The part of the badass businesswoman I am, the mom I want my daughter to see me as, and the wife my husband needs me to be. I feel better on my Zoom calls and even when people can’t see me, I am radiating my authentic self better. I closed three contracts since this shift too. (Yasssss!)
AND….I am having more fun!
Marisol has a fabulous free five-day #stretchyourstylesimply challenge if you would like to dive deeper into this subject.
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“Beauty is how you feel on the inside and it reflects in your eyes.”
-Sophia Loren
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Beauty is rooted in how you feel on the inside.
How you convey your beauty (the gifts you bring to this world!) on the outside in a way that aligns with who we are personally and professionally can create huge shifts.
Read more from Lorrie at https://wildwebwomen.com/blog
