I’m so pleased by how well Part One of my ‘how to build a capsule wardrobe – ageless style’ series went down. As I said on the Midlifechic Facebook page, I felt quite nervous on Friday – it was like handing in an important assignment. So today I’m bringing you Part Two. I know some of you are itching to get down to outfit specifics but my experience of running courses for busy people has taught me to do it in small chunks so that nobody gets lost along the way.
You should by now have your outfit categorisation pinned down. Hopefully you’re also building a mirror-selfie library of your favourite outfits. If not, you should at least have defined which outfits they are and why they work. Today we’re moving on to ‘defining personal style’. It can be really difficult to encapsulate your style in a few words and I appreciate that some women are natural chameleons, changing their look all the time. Others are boundary breakers with a completely unique look that is impossible to define. For the rest of us though, it’s really useful to have a few words in our minds that delineate our preferred look. Having a personal style definition comes into its own when you’re browsing in stores or online because it helps you to step away from potential mistakes.
How to build a capsule wardrobe – ageless style
How to define your personal style
Here’s a list of looks you might relate to. You can either download it or go through it in your head but putting these things down on paper is best. If you want to do this properly you should at least write the results somewhere that you can go back to because we’re building on something here. So – tick the looks that match your style but also add a cross next to anything that definitely isn’t you. If you’re in two minds about something, leave it blank.
- Parisian
- Boho
- Romantic
- Neat
- Slouchy
- Pattern mixing
- Chic
- Urban
- Gentlewoman (menswear inspired)
- Minimalist
- Classic
- High fashion
- Sexy
- Girly
- Creative
- Natural
- Dramatic
- Country
- Preppy
- Retro
- Vintage
- Fifties
- Sixties
- Seventies
- Rock chick
- Punk
- Goth
- Relaxed
- Maverick
- Bright
- Tonal
- Soft colours
- Colour blocking
- Monochrome
- Neutral
- Clashing
When you’ve finished your ticking and crossing, I need you to decide on your top three. This will give you an easy to remember style personality. As I’m doing this along with you, I’ll share mine. It’s “Parisian urban chic” (no surprises there!). When I did the reverse to isolate the styles that really don’t work for me it came to “romantic girly boho”. Just having these two thoughts in my head is helping me now as Lookbooks filled with frilly floral midi-dresses drop into my Inbox. So, note your style profile on your ‘Wardrobe Reality Checker’ from last week, saying “My personal style is: xxxxx xxxx xxxx” and “xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx” is not my look.”
That’s it for the Capsule Wardrobe today. We’ll move on again in the next post.
Other style news
If you’re in the mood for something new, Hush released their early SS19 collection here today. I’ve ordered another rainbow jumper (size down) because I like the navy one even better than the grey that I already have…
…. and the silver boots are calling to me now that I have my personal style pinned down in detail.
Balance Meals
I promised you an update on how well my new Balance Meals eating regime is working. Happily I’ve lost five of the nine extra pounds that I found myself carrying after Christmas which leaves me with four to go before our anniversary break in three weeks’ time. I have to say I’ve found it incredibly easy. The boys and Mr MC have been cooking for themselves mostly using Hello Fresh and so I’ve hardly been in the kitchen which has really helped me not to be tempted by things. Even though the portions are quite small, they’re satisfying and I don’t feel hungry unless it’s a gym day. I save the three snacks they send for those occasions.
They’re a relatively new company and there are areas that they could improve on. The twice weekly delivery comes with no information. I’d like a leaflet with some dialogue and more material about each meal in my box, its nutritional components and where the ingredients have been sourced. I know there’s a nice backstory to everything they’re doing and I want to hear it.
I’ve had to work out my own way of preparing the meals so, for example, I now take the salmon out of the box before microwaving the veg because it tastes better cold than reheated. I’ve also realised that it’s better to add the dressings to the meals after they’re heated rather than before. All of this needs better explanation. I’d like to be able to specify which meals I’d like in the Sunday delivery and which in the Thursday one. I’d also like the menus to change on a weekly basis.
As far as the website is concerned, I’d like to know more about the people behind the brand, their qualifications and their thinking behind each meal plan. So the product is good and it works, it just needs better marketing and communication. Don’t forget that if you’d like to try it, you can use chic10 at checkout to get 10% off your order or if you order a whole month of meals, chic15 will give you 15% off.
Midlife lately update
It was a chaotic week in our house last week. All three boys had exams to prepare for and coursework to finish which seemed to entail lots of last minute testing, proof-reading and binding from us so it felt as if we didn’t catch our breath all week.
The eldest is still hobbling but luckily it seems to be a sprain rather than a tendon so it’s just four weeks off rugby for now. The middle one has his first university audition this week – it’s for a Drama course that he’s already decided against so he’s viewing it as a trial run (even though it means one of us has to drive him to the other side of the Pennines!). The youngest is heading into serious training for his Second Dan in karate. I will just say to anybody who has younger children that karate is one of the best things we’ve done and if we had our parenting time over again, we’d definitely try to get all three of them to take it seriously. The other two gave it a go but didn’t enjoy it. However the self-discipline that it’s given the youngest is really noticeable now that we’re into heavy GCSE revision – he just gets on with it. I’m convinced that it’s all down to the repetitive training and attention to detail that karate requires.
And this is just to show you that I still exist. We remembered to take a photo when we were out and about on Sunday in very blustery weather. In wardrobe capsule context, I’d defined the day as being a smart casual weekend one and I was wearing some of my favourite things, none of which are new although the boots are still available.
ASOS Jumper SS18; M&S wide leg jeans SS18; Boots (gAW18)
Right – I’m going to stop talking and let you get on with your personal style definition. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm after the last post – you are, as always, the wind beneath my wings!
Disclosure: “How to build a capsule wardrobe – ageless style” is not a sponsored post. I was however given a six week subscription to Balance Meals in return for a balanced review.
Recent posts you may have missed
How to build a capsule wardrobe part 1
New year, new plans at Midlifechic
Sale prepping – my best high street winter buys
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