How to Create and Use Your Own Styling Kit

When it comes to shopping and dressing I choose ‘style’ over ‘fashion’ every time. This is about knowing who you are and showing up just that way – you, your way, your style.

One of the best and most cost effective ways to put YOUR stamp on your style is with clever use of accessories. Fashion Stylists working for publication houses have a ‘styling kit’ full of accessory pieces that they add to the looks they create for shoots to put their professional stamp on their creations. What we can learn from this is to build our own ‘kit’, start a collection of accessories, here’s how…

Collect accessories that flatter you and that you LOVE to wear

Scarves | long, short, square, woolly, silk, plain, patterned

Belts | skinny, standard, wide

Bags | shoulder, tote, cross body, clutch

Shoes | flats, heels, sandals, pumps, boots

Jewellery | metal, colour, real, costume, classic, unique

Think about how your accessories coordinate with one another as well as with your clothes and you will find pulling great outfits together effortless.
In the pic here we have a created a collection of accessories that coordinate well with one another. Every scarf, jewellery item, belt, bag and shoe combination can be worn together. How? The colours and prints all coordinate and can be added to a variety of basics to pull everything together. See how a basic top and a pair of jeans transform…

Experiment with your clothes, play dress-ups when you buy a new piece, try them on in different ways, add different accessories. How can they be dressed-up, layered or dressed down?
Developing your ‘styling kit’ and styling skills is invaluable when it comes to putting together fabulous outfits quickly and easily…