Covid-19 lockdowns have generated much change and had great impact on many areas of our lives. Mental health has been seriously impacted with social isolation being particularly damaging. Lowered self-esteem has been widely reported, as a basic human need for social interaction was hugely compromised. Sadly, relationships suffered in many cases, especially when working from home impinged both physical and emotional space.
The 'great resignation' is a phenomenon that describes record numbers of people leaving their jobs after the pandemic ends, with greater work-life balance, remote working and cost saving being amongst the benefits cited. It is estimated that the share of workers who are voluntarily quitting their jobs reached a record level in September and is set to continue as people continue to reflect and re-evaluate their lives and priorities.
Of course, lockdown has also impacted physical activity levels with many people becoming less active due to shielding or a laptop lifestyle, although conversely there have been those who used lockdown as an opportunity to get fit and increase their activity levels.
And there are many who are still struggling with the legacy of covid-related illness. Whilst menopause isn't covid related, it has emerged that many women reached crisis point during lockdown due to having to manage menopause symptoms in isolation and often with inaccessibility to HRT and other medicines.
Whilst this may appear to be a gloomy picture, it does offer us a great opportunity to evaluate and reshape our personal style.
The Impact of Lockdown on Personal Style
The impact of lockdown can be simplified as affecting our personal style in three key ways.
And what is both ironic and beautifully fortuitous, is that these three ways form the true essence of personal style.
1. Personality
2. Body Shape
3. Lifestyle
Style Personality
What we wear is a way of expressing our personality. A way of saying a little about who we are on the inside, outside.
If we dress in a way that isn't aligned to our authentic selves then we become slaves to fashion, wearing a disparate mishmash of clothes, with no consistency or cohesion. This discord results in odd items in the wardrobe that don't work with anything else. The 'wardrobe orphans' that hang there unloved and often unworn because they don't go with anything and simply don't feel 'right' on, but you can't quite say why.
Being clear AND consistent in your style personality is an easy fix and immediately elevates your style in a very practical way that appears considered.
Body Shape & Personal Style
Love it or loathe the notion, body shape will greatly influence personal style.
I'm passionate about size inclusivity and speak from a position of experience, having been so skinny and tall in my early twenties that I had to learn to sew and made all my own clothes because I couldn't ever find any that fit, to now being the biggest I've ever been as a plus size woman.
By learning what works for MY shape and MY size, I have got to a stage of body positivity and self-acceptance which is the best it's been in years. My confidence has soared as the compliments have rolled in, simply because I now make informed choices about my clothes, in full knowledge of what works for ME.
Size is just a number. It means nothing. A size 16 pair of jeans can be a completely different size in each store you visit. Social media has a lot to answer for. It has created a false and fake world where peer pressure and societal norms dictate what is and isn't acceptable in terms of size. Nobody sees the number inside the clothes you wear. The number we wear really doesn't matter so if, as a result of lockdown, illness, menopause, or something else you've had to change size, please don't beat yourself with a stick. Embrace your newfound curves and dress them in whatever size they need. Nothing looks worse than ill-fitting clothes. Too baggy and they make you wider and bigger, too tight and the result is the same.
Nobody should judge. Least of all yourself. Please remember, beautiful is NOT a size.
In general terms there are 5 main body shapes. They may have names of letters, shapes, fruits. It matters not. Now, I'm not one for labels, especially on people. BUT I do think that body shape descriptors can help us to visualise and therefore perceive the attributes of any shape, which then enables us to dress it in the most flattering and complementary way.
The 5 main body shapes are known as apple, pear, strawberry (sometimes called an inverted triangle), hourglass and rectangle. So, let's explore HOW to discover the attributes of each shape and WHY it's important to understand your own body shape.
Begin by simply measuring your shoulder, waist, bust and hip measurements, all around your body, not just across the front. Make a note of the measurements and use them to discover your body shape...
But please remember, one body shape is no better than another, it’s just great to visualize your shape to help you shop for clothes that really suit you AND fit well.
Firstly, the apple.
f your waist is larger or the same as your bust and your shoulders, and your hips are smaller, you’re likely to be an apple. You are also likely to have slim legs as an apple body shape, a great asset and one to flatter.
Pear
If your hips measure larger than your shoulders, you’re likely to be a pear. Many of us have emerged from lockdown as pear shapes due to a laptop lifestyle where weight gain is carried around the bottom, hips, and thighs.
Strawberry
If your shoulders measure wider than your hips, you’re likely to be a strawberry shape or inverted triangle. So broad shoulders - I always think of Sharon Davis, the Olympic swimmer for this shape.
Hourglass
If your shoulders and hips are very similar and your waist is smaller, you’re likely to be an hourglass. This is often considered this most well-balanced body shape and Marilyn Monroe is considered a classic hourglass, with a curvy body and well-defined waist. A figure of eight is a variation of the hourglass but has a slightly different bone structure with the figure of eight having higher hips that create a shelf.
Rectangle
If all your measurements are similar, with no real difference between waist & hips, you’re likely to be a rectangle. Rectangles can be slim athletic body shapes, sometimes referred to as being a little boyish but equally can be plus size too.
Once you know your body shape, the key is to work hard to flatter it, by accentuating the parts you're happy with and downplaying the areas you're less happy with. The style goals for any body shape are to try to visually create a balanced silhouette (or outline) of the body. So, if you're a pear shape and your hips are wider than your top half, try adding width visually to the top half so that the upper and lower body are balanced.
Accessories & Personal Style
We can be clever with detailing and accessories to draw attention to where we want the eyes to focus. For a pear shape for instance, a wide neckline, a statement piece of jewellery or sparkle around the bust perhaps, will draw the eyes to those areas and away from the hips. A scoop neckline with embellishments will again draw attention to the upper body. As will an off the shoulder top or headband.
One of my mantras is "Accessories are a girl's best friend". Forget diamonds. Well, maybe not ... but accessories have a HUGE role to play in personal style. A few key pieces can elevate a look massively, can create attention where you most want it and can express your personality too. In a way which is cost effective. The same clothes accessorised in different ways can create endless looks and greatly extend that post-lockdown wardrobe.
If your post-lockdown wardrobe is somewhat smaller than pre-pandemic, perhaps due to fewer things fitting, then accessories can be a cost-effective way to create outfit options without investing in new clothes.
By accessorising in different ways, so that one staple piece - a blue fit and flare dress for example, can be dressed up with a blazer and heels and dressed down by the addition of different accessories – white trainers, bag, casual jewellery, denim jacket perhaps.
Replace the dress with jeans and white blouse or navy trousers and a top, and you have another 5 outfits, using the same set of accessories. So much more affordable than buying ten new, mishmash outfits. It's about buying less but buying well.
Post-Lockdown Lifestyle Change
So having addressed style personality and body shape it’s time to consider the third attribute of personal style - lifestyle.
Are you now living in a totally different way from pre-pandemic? Many of us are.
Working from home has become the new norm for many and even those returning to a workplace have reported a lower level of refinement in dress code. Gone are the smart suits, shift dresses and heels and in place a more casual workplace vibe.
So, you need to consider whether your wardrobe is really working for you. Has each item hanging there earned a right to be there? Is your wardrobe purposeful and functional because life's too short for wardrobe clutter which only serves to create confusion and daily dressing overwhelm?
In creating lifestyle changes and the way in which we'd like to be spending our time moving forward, our wardrobes have well and truly taken a knock. Perhaps you have left your corporate career and are starting self-employment. You may have retired or be planning to retire. Your leisure time may be more or less. You may be travelling more, perhaps dating again, working out, kick starting a new social life. The list is endless.
I suggest completing a simple checklist of all the different activities going on in your life - work, volunteer work, clubs, housework, shopping, social life, exercise, family time and so on. Then consider how many hours per day, on an average 16-hour day, you spend on each of these activities. Then convert this to hours per week. You may be surprised to see just how much life has changed.
Now is the time to evaluate whether your wardrobe reflects and supports how you spend your time and plan to spend it moving forward. It's pointless having a wardrobe of ball gowns if your days of formal occasions have long passed. It may be an opportune time for a wardrobe detox.
Colour Analysis & post-lockdown Style
My own personal journey with rebuilding my confidence and lifting my mojo began with a colour analysis. This is a completely natural and physiological process where the colour and texture of a person's skin, the colour and texture of their hair and the colour and pattern of their eyes are analysed and a range - or palette - of colours assigned to them which are the most flattering colours for them to wear.
Wearing these colours will enhance the skin's complexion, make the eyes sparkle, and give a healthy, youthful glow, diminishing any skin imperfections and dark circles under the eyes. All completely naturally. It's like magic! And lifts post-lockdown mojo hugely!
I had hidden in big, baggy, black clothes for years. In hindsight I realise it was reflective of the dark space I was in personally and professionally. Black is easy, affordable and it's slimming right? Wrong!
When I look back at photos of myself wearing black, and silver accessories, I can see I look drained. Older. And this happens to many, many women. Especially as a part of the natural ageing process where the pigmentation levels in our skin and hair deteriorate, meaning we can perhaps no longer wear the same colours we once relied on and have worn for years.
After my colour analysis consultation, I began wearing some of my new colours and received countless compliments. I still do. People telling me how well I look, ask if I have been away on holiday or lost weight because I look so healthy. These compliments became my confidence fuel and skyrocketed my confidence. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
As the colours we wear well can change over time, so too can our make-up colours, so it may be an opportune time for a revisit. Do you know which colours suit your skin tone - do you have cool or warm undertones? You are cool if your natural colouring is pink based but if you have peachy or olive skin then you have a warm undertone. Lips and eyebrows become thinner as part of the natural ageing process. If you've noticed this happening to you then I'd suggest avoiding dark and matte lip colours. Eyebrows become thinner and will need more definition. Try using brown mascara as opposed to black as a kinder, softer option. And consider investing in a lash curler, it's a ‘game changer’!
And finally...
So, in summary, there is lots we can do to reset our personal style post lockdown.
Firstly, identify your style personality & be consistent with it.
If you’d like help with resetting your personal style, post-lockdown, I can help! I have an 8-week, guided group programme to address this in a very practical, personalised and results driven way. Simply click the link to find out more https://www.truecolourswithsarahheron.com/post-lockdown-style-reset
