Style Archives 2 - Clare Maxfield

Jul 15 2018

Days 20-40 of 100 days of 100 outfits

When I started this challenge my thoughts were that I would not have enough clothes to wear.

Luckily as an Image Consultant most of my wardrobe mixes and matches. the greatest challenge has been preparing my clothes each morning, laying out my flat lay, photographing it and hoping that what I have put together will work.

I don’t have the time to put it on, check it, take it off and photograph it. One day though I changed three times as the first two outfits, which were vintage pieces of my Mum’s that I’ve had hanging in my wardrobe for years…just looked horrible. All of that space and time wasted holding onto something that I never wore and now know I never will wser. That very same week they went onto eBay and someone else loves them now.

It is interesting planning an outfit before I put anything on and committing to it. Normally, in the past when I have been getting dressed I put different pieces on and off as my mood takes me, but that is not the case with this exercise. Even down to choosing my necklaces and earrings, although, I will admit, I sometimes add those later.

I have also discovered that the pieces that I don’t really enjoy wearing are those pieces that I picked up thinking I’d try something new. Yes, they fit me and they suit me, but that does not necessarily mean I like wearing them. It has been a big eye-opener for me and something I’m always more careful of with my clients. Pushing someone into something new can work or can massively fail, especially if it doesn’t make them feel fabulous…no matter how great you and the world thinks they look.

So, have a look over days 20-40. I am really really enjoying this process. There are a couple of outfits up there that I won’t wear again. I wonder if you can pick which they are?

May 23 2018

Victoria Beckham, put your hands in your sleeves

Whilst everyone is talking about how wonderful the royal wedding was. how gorgeous everyone looks, how stunning the dress was, how wonderfully elegant Maghan’s mother was….and of course, how entertaining the preacher was. It has also been mentioned about Victoria Beckham refused to smile.

I would too if I was her. Did no one notice that her hands were not in her sleeves. That her sleeves dangled beside her body looking for a purpose. I would not have been too concerned were it not for the fact that those sleeves have cuffs! Cuffs! Cuffs go around wrists. Every time I look at that jacket I have to wonder. If she knew she was going to wear it with her hands out of sleeves, which I admit I have done with a few summer tops a few years ago when split sleeves were in, why include cuffs in the design. More the point, why put boring old buttons on the cuffs. Make them really simple or make them a statement.

So, I have to concede that Victoria’s lack of a smile was due to some form of a wardrobe malfunction. David sew her sleeves shut for a joke? Did they make the cuffs too tight? Or was it a fashion style, that just didn’t quite work.

I’d love to know your thoughts.

May 20 2018

Days 1-20 of 100 days 100 outfits – no repeats

So my first 20 days are over.

In case you are wondering what I am doing. I have challenged myself to wear a different outfit every day for 100 days and all without spending a money on clothes. I am shopping in my wardrobe every day.

When you consider that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time and I am now 20% of the way through this exercise I am assuming that I am about to head into unchartered territory of style. I am looking forward to wearing garments that kept falling into the ‘Not today’ territory. That piece that you pull out and place back. That is no longer a viable option, every autumn/winter item I have in my wardrobe will get worn at some time over the coming 80 remaining days.

Before anyone makes a comment, yes I know there are 22 outfits. Two days I had to get changed so I shared those outfits as well. So, come to think about t. It looks like I’ll now manage to wear 102 outfits in 100 days.

At first, I was not fully considering the impact my choices were having and based on some of the feedback I received I decided to step up my game. I am treating every day as special now and the unexpected impact it is having on my self-esteem is great. I never dressed poorly, but now focusing with such intent on my choices, planning my outfits and looking forward to my daily outfits is making me feel great. It’s so true, when you look good, you feel good.

I love the comments that I am hearing from so many people who are also now exploring what they have that is sitting idle in their own wardrobe. I am glad that this is encouraging you to ‘shop your own wardrobe’ too. What many of you may not know is that as I work from home, whilst I still get ready and do my hair and makeup every day I don’t dress always dress as if I am going into meetings, consultations or coaching each day.

This daily exercise of wearing a different outfit has me dressing up each day. The upside is I am enjoying getting ready each day. I am looking forward to what I can wear the next day and I am getting compliments from places I haven’t in the past. I am rediscovering clothes that haven’t been worn in ages, and in some cases, ever. I was all ready to dispose of an overcoat recently and due to our cold weather, I am ginally wearing it at night. These were all unexpected results.

What I have discovered is that I have a few pieces I rarely wear that I really really like. You will see more of my tunic, my tweed dress and my jeans.

I have also discovered that my latest purchase, really doesn’t suit me much…what a waste that money was.

I have also discovered that my accessories are gold. They are getting dusted off and used and reused to create interest in my outfits. Wait till you start seeing my scarves in the coming weeks. A scarf can completely change an outfit.

So, please, if you are enjoying watching this exercise, just give me a thumbs up or make a quick comment. It really does give me a boost.

Apr 30 2018

Don’t forget it – Wear it

I’ll wager you have items in your closet that you love but have only worn a few times thinking they’re too good to wear for everyday events.

The tragic truth is if you don’t wear them you’re likely to end up giving them away because they’ve gone out of fashion.

A better idea is to work out how to dress them up or dress them down and wear them – in any case being a little overdressed will only have people thinking you’ve got somewhere exciting to go. And that’s got no downside. ?

We are all consumed by fast fashion so I have decided to challenge myself and you to 100 days of 100 outfits, no repeats, and no shopping. Everything I will wear must already exist in my wardrobe.

I’ll be starting my 100 days, tomorrow on the 1st of May, the first day of winter here in Australia and well, for no other reason, than it is starting with a 1. I am expecting this challenge to be harder than I am anticipating as I have two training courses in the middle of this 100 days and I discovered last month that I have a process when I am training of wearing the same outfits. I really do wear 20% of my wardrobe 80% of the time. Well not for the next 100 days.

You can follow my daily outfits on Instagram at claremaxfield, or on my Facebook page at Clare Maxfield Image

As you follow my progress you might discover that you want help with your own wardrobe. I can help you in person or online. Contact me for more details on how I can help you maximise your wardrobe dollars and look fabulous every day.

Oct 13 2017

Happy Friday the 13th – Fashion Phobias

Hi Clare Maxfield here and happy Friday the 13th bet we weren’t expecting to hear from me today. Well as only yesterday when I was thinking of tomorrow’s Friday 13th and I’m traveling. I wondered what other superstitions are out there? That got me thinking about the fears and phobias and superstitions that not so much surround Friday the 13th but maybe that without me even realizing, a lot of my clients deal with and through helping them with their image I managed to help them through them but let me just give you a little bit of a background very quickly on Friday the 13th because this astounded me.

It began in Middle Ages. It started brewing when they talking about the Last Supper and Christ and he had 13 at the table it was held on a 13th but it’s actually a Thursday but it was the day before Good Friday which wasn’t so good in the end and that started rolling this Friday’s thirteen’s into a story and then it was early last century – Thomas Lawson wrote a book called Friday the 13th and in it there was a whole wall street market crash on the 13th based on the superstition and it made me think what came first? It’s like the chicken and the egg the superstition or the crash was it? You know what ended up happening and then there’s also the thought that due to Phillip IV of France rounding up a lot of the Knights Templar and arresting them might have had something to do with that.

All I know is today we all live with a lot of fears of phobias so I thought I’d share with you some of the stranger fears and phobias that I have to help my clients through and I do help them through. As an image consultant for a start there’s the Decidophobia yes it’s a phobia it’s like should I buy this or this? What looks right and from that do you know that there’s an interesting phobia the Catotrophophobia and that is to do with a fear of mirrors.

Now Pamela Anderson has this and it’s not so much they look at a mirror a go Oh, it’s a mirror it’s their reflection they see themselves distorted in the mirror which isn’t good another one it’s the Glossophobia. Glossophobia is a fear of public speaking it actually comes number 13 in the top 100 of speaking fears and from that a lot of my clients if they have a fear like of Agoraphobia going out I can help them with looking better that when they go through these fears they actually supported in the right way but when I started looking at there’s Vestiophobia out there people are afraid of clothes. Now life must be really tough for them because clothes are kind of part of our everyday life. there are Chromophobia Billy Bob Thornton’s one they’re afraid of bright colors. I’m guessing his life is fairly deep and muted. Koumpounophobia – that was a fun one to learn that’s a fear of buttons so people who have come upon a phobia they will wear things that slide over their head or do up with zips or do up with ties now I mentioned before the chromophobia there’s also a lot of people that have phobias too specific colors. Xanthophobia is one it’s the fear of yellow but another phobia that I often deal with with my clients and it’s often not given this name that’s Gerascophobia and that’s a fear of getting old.

It’s that elusive elixir of youth that people are always looking for. But as with all things there’s always the funny little ones you weren’t expecting when you go through an Omphalophobia that’s a fear of bellybuttons. I don’t know if they’re afraid of their own or other people’s so I don’t know where they get out of shower and have to look at and hide their belly button or their like this is on the beach , don’t show me your belly button and then lyrngoziphobia

Coz I thought for sure there’s a phobia for zips or there is but is’t a phobia of getting your lips caught in zips. didn’t even want to think too much about that. So happy Friday at 13th and I hope you are not a Paraskevidekatriaphobe because that means you are afraid of Friday the 13th Clare Maxfield from Clare Maxfield Image. Bye