Back to School in Style

Growing up, back-to-school was a big deal for me. I got new clothes and new school supplies.

(Who doesn't love a newly sharpened pencil?)

Sometimes I got store bought clothes, but mostly I remember my mom sewing for me. We would go to Fanny's Fabrics and pour through the pattern books. Once we found the perfect one we'd scour the store to find just the right cloth so she could make me something special.

I wasn't allowed to wear it until the day school actually started. 

Every gal knows that it feels awesome to have an outfit you feel fabulous in for a special event coming up. 

Right?

It's even better when you love what you wear every day.

My granddaughter Zoe and I went back-to-school shopping last week. She was pretty excited; we planned hang-out-together-time (complete with sleepover) around that.

She loved it.

So did I.

We shopped until grandma dropped.

As a professional shopper and stylist my opinion of shopping isn't that retail is recreational; unless of course it's about spending time with someone special.

And, I took my role and responsibility to teach Zoe principles of personal style seriously because it's not something she will ever learn in school. I taught her about value, price, color, how to dress her shape and to celebrate her personal taste.

I started teaching her to validate and trust her instincts from an early age around what she likes and what makes her feel great. As early as age 3 she knew what she wanted to wear on those days that I helped her get dressed. (Mostly if it was purple it made her happy.)

Today, she's an athleisure girl all the way. Most of the clothes we bought came from Sport Check. She loves the latest looks from Nike, Adidas and Diadora.

Let's back track.

Last year she wanted to shop at Justice (a popular tween store) because her friends told her clothes from that store are what the cool kids wear. 

Hmm.

That might be their style, but it isn't hers. The mass mentality and desperate desire that young girls face to fit-in makes it hard for them to have the courage to stand out in their own way.

But, Zoe (age 11) is developing a strong sense of self, and she's learned that she likes what she likes and doesn't want to waste money on clothes anymore. 

Back to this year. 

She had a budget. Deciding how to best get the most out of her shopping dollars was her challenge.

When we passed Justice she told me that she doesn't want to shop there this year because they have cringy clothes. (To her that's anything that has sequins, unicorns or rainbows).

What's in your closet?

Do you wear what's true to you and makes you feel great every day? Or, do you wear what you think you should wear based on the messages you get from the world around you?

I'm teaching Zoe.

I've taught thousands of women.

I can teach YOU how to make your style match your substance, without putting a certain label on your individuality.

Read the story and take the quiz in Is Your Style True to YOU - an excerpt from my book HERE.

My FREE on-line Training Ageless Style Secrets of a Fashion Therapist  will be opening for registration soon.

But, more on that later.

As an aside, I no longer do personal shopping for clients although I made an exception from time-to-time.  My grandson Coen (age 8) got new back-to-school clothes too. He didn't see any opportunity for any kind of recreation by schlepping from store to store, so he gave grandma his wish list. His criteria was simple.  He wanted clothes that fit and are comfortable. Don't we all? Mission accomplished.

Tell us the comments below: Who taught you about style?

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Copyright: 2019 Helene Oseen