designing your style

the how to guides

An introduction to the world of

style image design

Fashions come and go, but style is personal and unique. We all have our own preferences, our own lifestyles, and most importantly we are all creative. Style, whatever we might be led to believe, is just a matter of opinion. Your choices, as well as current trends, can work together in helping you explore your own image. Finding fun in this creativity is a very special thing that you can explore just for you. The ultimate in self-care.

The image you show to the world is a reflection of who you are, and especially how you want to feel about yourself. Viewing image as a wider concept than just the clothes that you wear and the colour of your hair, gives you infinite scope to change things in a way that works for you. Confidence plays a big part in how you are perceived, think about what your posture says about you. Think about how your surroundings reflect the person you are now.

Many people are nervous of embracing design. Some think that they’re not creative, and that design ideas aren’t a part of their lives, but design is everywhere. Everything that isn’t part of the natural world has been designed by a person at some point. Your pillow, teacup, moisturiser, clothes, car, computer, have all been designed. Good design is something that you not only find pleasing to your eye, but it has created something simple, beautiful and practical. My wish is for people to embrace whatever great design means for them.

keeping it simple

We are all different, and one person’s treasure is another’s trash. We should embrace this difference and build on our own design preferences, and own our personal image by designing our style. It is very easy to keep things the same as they have always been, or to change just for changes sake. Wherever you are on an imaginary line between these two extremes, when you have confidence in your choices, that can save you time, money, and effort.

I do believe in a very easy concept of refining, removing, and remembering. By being clear about your lifestyle and your current needs you can see what in your wardrobe reflects your present-day circumstances. Things that don’t work for you need to be decluttered. The basic theory is that if you only have things in your wardrobe that suit you and your lifestyle, then you will not be able to wear things that don’t work for you.

Once you have fewer things you will find it much easier to wear more of your clothes and accessories, because you can see them, and you are more likely to remember what worked well together. Find a way of keeping details of outfits that have been successful…photos, notes or maybe by keeping things grouped together on a single hanger. By shopping from your wardrobe, rather than buying things randomly, you will get so much more value from your possessions.

shifting the dial

To mis-quote the often mis-quoted phrase “why do we keep thinking that if we keep doing the same things, we will get different results?” I know I do this and I’m pretty sure that you do as well. This might apply to a specific area of your life, and perhaps it may have a bigger impact than you might like. From an image perspective, if you keep wearing clothes that didn’t flatter or fit you last time, why do you think next time will be different?

As a designer, my focus is on clothes and image so the questions I ask are centred around how we dress and present ourselves to the outside world. However, we are also constantly influenced by our thoughts and our surroundings. Many women think its selfish to take time to experiment with their image. But in reality who is really telling you that, and why does their opinion matter more than yours anyway? Some women think that trying to re-invent themselves might not be worth the effort.

If you want to explore new ideas and new styles, you are never too old, or too stuck, or whatever other reasons and excuses are keeping imagination at bay. Taking the time to feel good about yourself in whatever way works for you, isn’t dependant on age, or the past, or money or circumstances. At some point in your life there can come a time when you think, Enough! Why am I making do with things? Why am I not taking time for my needs and creativity?

For most women I think it is often the case of ignoring the ‘put your oxygen mask on first so you can help others’ advice. We are so busy doing for others, whether for family, friends, or work, that we forget that being happy and confident ourselves positively impacts others, as much as it can improve our self-esteem. Small tweaks can make all the difference to how you look and how you feel about your appearance. There is no right or wrong, and just exploring some new ideas or experiences can inspire your creativity and build confidence in your own individuality.

knowing your why

If you are like 99% of the population, you have probably tried to either start something, or give something up, and have perhaps not seen it through, or got the results you were hoping for. I am no psychologist, but I suspect that this is the human condition, so congratulations, you’re normal. Wanting to do something is very valid, but being really clear about the inspiration behind your actions can make a huge difference to the outcomes.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you have a moment of clarity and your ‘why’ becomes obvious. Suddenly motivation comes naturally, and things start to fall into place. Perhaps you thought you would like to be more adventurous in the way you dress and suddenly your new job requires a whole different look. Perhaps you have had a lifestyle change and your current wardrobe doesn’t reflect your new life. Maybe your personal circumstances have changed, and you want to re-evaluate your image, or your lifestyle, or your surroundings.

Motivation is rarely consistent, but if you know deep down why you want to do something, then if you get derailed, which is very likely, it really doesn’t matter. When you have clarity about what you want to achieve in the longer term, you can return to your conviction, and start again. Exploring your image will never be a finished product, you will always be evolving and adapting to the ever changing world around us.

Feeling confident and good about yourself will mean different things for different people, and that is to be expected and applauded. By gradually defining the styles that you like, you can begin to use design to create your chosen image. It is all about you, your life, your circumstances, and your surroundings. Take inspiration from wherever you can find it, and then use your natural innate creativity to move towards the future you. The future of your dreams has to start somewhere, so why not here anad why not now?

Hello. My name is Milly Churchill and as an award-winning designer and creative I have decades of experience advising and dressing women to make them feel special in everyday life, and for special occasions. I specialise in ladies tailoring and advising women on their appearance, while helping them to build confidence in their choices.

I love to work with natural fabrics and have spent my career creating clothes that are not only unique, but are designed for my clients to wear over many years. Slow, considered and sustainable fashion means value for my individual customers, and real satisfaction for me.

designing your style

the how to guides