Natasha Edge, Personal Stylist & Colour Consultant based in Hampshire talks to The Executive Magazine on personal branding and style.
Your personal brand is so much more than just the clothing you wear. It’s the outward manifestation of who you are. It speaks volumes about your skills, work ethic, capability as a professional, background, but most of all, good personal branding says that you are confident in the person you are and that you like yourself. In other words, dressing appropriately equals confidence.
If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you’ll already know that the best way to communicate confidence without having to say it is of course with your actions and one of these actions is dressing well. I guarantee you that dressing well makes life a whole lot easier!
Get fitted with confidence
Improving your confidence by the way you dress will change everything you do. It can make the world of difference to your productivity, the way the world sees you and your prospects. Of course, personality and ability are second to none, but dressing well makes life that much easier.
Checking out various size guides for your body type online can be very useful. Being aware of fit goes a long way in terms of flattering your figure, creating shape and complimenting your body type. Too big pants or too short skirts can make you feel awkward, and you need to feel comfortable while going about your daily tasks. Clothes mirror the way you feel, so why not dress well and feel well too?
The good news is, you don’t have to measure yourself. Whether you’re long and slim, medium and curvy, or short and round, it’s easy to find the right fit.
What image best suits you?
Take some time while shopping to define your personal image. Of course, this all depends on what you want to communicate. Are you a lover of all things art and design? Are you a business and finance professional? Are you a technology geek or a computer nerd? Each title has an image attached to it which doesn’t always have to apply to you, you can depart from the norm.
However, you can boost your image by considering what your daily outfits and you’ll definitely be a good portion of the way there to communicating clearly who you are and what you’re about. You’ll notice the difference in the way things flow with ease around you, you’ll be more confident and people will take you more seriously.
Your personal colour palette
Think about the colours you wear in the same way a celebrity would. Think about which colours make your skin glow or your eyes pop. Each colour has a different interaction with your skin tone, eye and hair colour. Colours can make you look fresh and lively or warm and cosy. Or they can make you look sick!
As a general rule of thumb, build your wardrobe from the basics of black, grey, navy and brown which you can accent with colourful scarves, detailed shoes and some delightful accessories. These core colours should make up 80% of your wardrobe, and as your confidence builds you can add more matching pieces and experiment a little more with colourful accents.
Advice for the fashion challenged
If you’re not too invested in the clothes you wear, having confidence in your personal brand and style is key. If clothing trends and style aren’t your thing, these guidelines can still help you immensely. If you’re a believer in good old-fashioned practical modesty, classic sensible shoes and, and you’re blissfully unfazed by popular norms, that’s ok. But no one will judge you if you feel like a getting a fresh new wardrobe and style update. I can help you with this and allow you to update your look without changing your essential trademark style. In fact, small changes here and there can only enhance look and make you feel like the best version of you. Best foot forward!