Clare Maxfield

Where Image Matters

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

How the Rebellious Woman will Accessorise

It never ceases to surprise me how many women have a subversive streak that will reveal itself in their accessories. Accessories are a way of playing with other personalities without becoming fully immersed in that style. With this in mind many women will have their main personality that they dress in and then they will experiment with other looks and moods through their accessories. To understand your own personality, if you don’t know it already. Do the quiz here.

General description

Rebellious Accessories

Your accessories will be subversive, dark and have a distinctly antagonist air to them.

Black, silver and red will be your feature colours, with red more of an accent.

Leather will feature heavily as will black resin and silver pendants, chains and metal work.

Glasses will be black acetate with no ornamentation to them.

Your jewellery will feature lengths of black leather with pendants featuring skulls, spiritual symbols of both a dark and light nature.

Your belts will be very heavy leather and possible studded with flat or posted studs. they will be at least 3 cm (1.5inches) wide or wider. Nothing skinny and delicate for you unless it is layered.

How you will express the other personalities.

Rebellious accessory variations

Classic – Your look will be dark but missing the subversive symbology and stud work.

Creative – You could push the envelope on your image towards the dark or be quite playful and incorporate cartoon character designs into your overall dark image.

Dramatic – Whilst you will still favour black, your accessories will be limited to a couple of large statement pieces and your look will be more streamlined.

Elegant Chic – When this urge captures you, you will exchange your black for dark charcoal and limit your accessories to only one or two pieces.

Feminine – Black roses, leather and lace, long earrings, knee – thighs high boots with high heels. You will bring a softness to your look or play out the temptress role.

Natural – Your clothes will say all that you have to. If you wear a leather thong around your wrist or neck, you won’t remove it. It is part of you. All that you wear, necklaces, bracelets, rings will stay in place, always.

I hope you’ve enjoyed all of the posts on how each personality will wear her accessories. What she will choose and how she will reflect other personality styles. If you wold like to read more about how to wear and select accessories download my ebook on Playing with Accessories here.

How the Natural woman will wear accessories

The Natural woman is by definition a woman who likes simplicity doesn’t like fussy frilly items. That does not mean she won’t wear accessories. In fact, she can wear some very striking pieces. Continue reading to discover exactly how the natural woman likes her accessories.

If you are unsure of your own personality, do the quiz here.

General description

Natural Accessories

Your accessories will be minimal. Watches will have leather band in black or brown.

Jewellery will be kept to a minimum. You will wear a wedding band if you have one and your engagement ring on special occasions.

You will have one handbag and quite possibly, if you are a true natural, you will be wondering why anyone is reading this post. I won’t take it personally.

You will have all that you need for all occasions. A bag for every day and one for special events. A special pair of earrings for formal nights and another simple set of studs to keep your ears from closing over. You will wear with pride any special necklace your family or your partner has given you and that will be about it. You don’t like rings because that could involve you caring for your nails over and above just keeping them trimmed.

You are likely to dress your outfits up with scarves as they have a dual function of modesty in summer and warmth in winter. 

How you will express the other personalities.

Natural Accessory Variations

Classic – You will wear heirloom or pearls you received as a gifted carry a slightly better and more stylish handbag than you might otherwise.

Creative – Go wild, you will string something long and wild around your neck. Leather straps as necklaces and bracelets with colourful beads will feature in your collection.

Dramatic – You are most likely to exhibit drama in your handbags and belts and shoes over jewellery. Larger pieces will be fun for you to wear and add that extra touch you are looking for.

Elegant Chic – Not such a stretch really – You’ll have canvas or suede loafers in your wardrobe and your scarves will be square and knotted around your neck.

Feminine – You will wish your hands were prettier and if they are not your best feature you will have a feminine pen and maybe wear a plain chain around your neck.

Rebellious – Watch that you don’t become too butch looking unless that is exactly what you are after. Who am I to say? You accessories will be functional and black. You will not wear too much decoration

If you would like to know more about accessories and what will work for you as well as the other personality types. You can read them in e-book, Playing with Accessoriess.

How the Feminine Woman will Accessorise

The Feminine Woman may be born that way, or after years of struggling in the corporate world, will have shed her Classic exterior to reveal a soft feminine woman within. Wherever you are in your feminine journey, you will relate to some or all of these accessories. Femininity is an element of our personality that women may express in a small or very large measure. It is a very indif=ciula personality and like the classic can appear in may guises.

If you are unsure of your own personality, do the quiz here to get an insight into what style might be your primary personality.

General description

Feminine Accessories

Your accessories will be ladylike and romantic. Delicate filigree work will feature in your gold jewellery. Pearls and other beads will feature in a  size that is balanced to or under scale to your personal scale levels. (see the next section for more details on scale)

Enamelled pieces will be found in shades of metal with pinks, mauves, mint greens, creams, whites, pastel yellows and all other delicate shades.

Glasses will be metal with decorative arms, your pens will be gold, silver or cream with an engraved finish.

Handbags will be soft and not heavily structured in soft shades.

Your shoes will generally have a heel and will be found in all shades in our wardrobe to co-ordinate with your outfits and your handbags.

If you wear hats they will be large enough to keep the sun off your face and still pretty enough to be a fashionable accessory.

You will love pretty brooches and lovely scarves. You might even tie your scarves onto your handbag rather than wearing them on your body.

How you will express the other personalities.

Feminine Accessory Variations

Classic – You will scale up your jewellery. Favouring pearls and chains and wear more structured brooches over the feminine ones you also enjoy.

Creative – More colour will feature. Your glasses may lean towards a Dame Edna wing over a more delicate finish. Brooches could consist of larger butterflies, cameos or flowers in an array of mediums.

Dramatic – You will move from metals to resins in your jewellery choices and they will be more substantial in form and function. Your handbags will be in pale patent leathers as opposed to soft malleable leathers.

Elegant Chic – You’ll wear loafers with your trousers instead of your heels and ballet flats. Bangles will replace delicate bracelets and layers of delicate pieces will be replaced by one moderately substantial piece.

Natural – You won’t be wearing much jewellery at all. A wedding band and engagement ring if married, you will carry a beautiful handbag, but express your personality in the colour of the clothing you wear as opposed to layering up with accessories. What you wear will be sentimental.

Rebellious – You love Valentino’s studded shoes. The minute you saw them you had to have them Feminine and bad girl all at once. If by the time you read this they are passé, something equally wild and good all at once will have your attention. A hint of patent leather feeds your wild side.

If you would like to know about accessories and how to make them work for you, your personality and your body scale, get the e-book now.