Inside the Fitting Room with Scarlet Chamberlin
Thursday, April 02, 2015
Scarlet Chamberlin, photo by Steven Bloch
Then it came time to choose an image (less instagram filters). I can’t lie, it was hard to quiet the demons in my head.
Then I remembered, my lines are from smiling, the bags under my eyes are from living, my imperfect skin is from my Mom, and my thick thighs are from my Dad. Gotta love ‘em. There is only so much we can do to mask things, I’m all for acknowledging them, then moving forward into the opportunity.
My opportunity is this - the chance to write to you.
See Slides Below: Chamberlin's Spring Wardrobe Staples and Styling Tips
Much of who we are can be expressed through our outer appearances. The instances when we mind what we look like often have to do with a meaningful occasion, a new endeavor, or a transformation that has some weight to it. One way to bring more of yourself forward is to develop a sense of style.
Style is about much more than pretty things, or the It bag, or the of-the-moment trend - it’s about your your personal experience.
In my work as a Personal Stylist, I listen to stories from women and men about their lives, their aspirations, their inspirations, and their insecurities. We identify a direction for their overall look and we dress them for the person they are becoming... the one that is inside them already, hinting to come out to play.
I’ve been with over 250 individuals in the fitting room. I watch women embrace their beauty, confidence and creativity; I see men discovering that dressing well really does make an impact; I see people becoming aware and attentive to small details and quality.
What I will share here are real stories related to style and fashion. I hope to make you laugh, relate, feel curious and engaged with what’s going on in Portland and beyond.
Across the board, women are seeking out fabrics that feel sensual on, silhouettes that move with them, reveals that hint tastefully at a little skin, shoes that are actually walkable - feminine details that balance out minimalist, tomboy basics in a fashion forward and wearable way.
Just yesterday, I heard a client liken her new sweater to a mullet, “It has a super deep V in the back. As in, show-your-bra-strap deep. So it is kind of like a mullet sweater – business in the front, party in the back.” I’m thinking “go on girl, it’s time to party!”
She’s in her forties and is finding her fashionable self again after the child-bearing years. It is refreshing to see women taking risks with their fashion. I encourage it. They don’t want to look like they are trying too hard to look young, yet they aren’t going to give up and get sucked into the vortex of yoga pants because it’s comfortable and easy and it passes in Portland.
Another woman in her seventies said “I have the constitutional right to bare arms.” Meaning she does wear sleeveless tops on occasion and doesn’t feel ashamed of it even when other ladies, including family members she said, judge her on it.
In the words of one of my style icons, Mr. Pharrell Williams, “Fashion has to reflect who you are, what you feel at the moment, and where you are going. It doesn’t have to be bright, it doesn’t have to be loud. It just has to be you.”
Rise above fashion complacency and be you.
On that note, here’s a small selection (in the slides below) of unique items and ideas on how to style them for this incredibly frenetic sort of weather we are having during Spring in Portland. Enjoy!
~ Scarlet
Scarlet Chamberlin, LLC, A Personal Styling Consultancy
Instagram: @scarletchamberlin
Twitter: @scarletstyle
Facebook: PersonalStyleByScarletChamberlin
Related Slideshow: Chamberlin’s Spring Wardrobe Staples and Styling Tips
Here’s a small selection of unique items and ideas on how to style them for this incredibly frenetic sort of weather we are having during Spring in Portland. Enjoy!
~Scarlet Chamberlin
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