Clare Maxfield

Where Image Matters

#100 days 100 outfits – days 40-60

100 days 100 outfits showing days 40-60

Days 40-60

Where has the time gone.

Today is truthfully day 80 so I am little behind my schedule in updating but that happens. here is what I have learned so far from this exercise.

  • It is possible
  • Highly recommend you shop for some new clothes before you make such a grand statement. I’m just a tad over last years clothes.
  • Highly recommend you do not put on any weight from the previous year. Sadly all of my leather skirts are a tad too tight this year.
  • Weekend photos are always better than weekdays as I’m able to get dressed in better light…and take my time.
  • The pieces that are still in my wardrobe, unworn, I clearly do not like as they haven’t even made the cut when I am desperate for something else.
  • Summer tops work really well with long sleeved t’s under them.
  • I can’t wait to get some new jeans.

It has been illuminating and I love how for the first time, so many of you are talking to me about what I do and giving me encouragement.

Thanks for all of your support and you really should try it. (maybe without the flat lays and photos every day) you will be amazed at what outfits are hiding in your closet.

As the last word, the other downside to this is that I cant just get dressed. There is nothing more annoying than realising that you have almost dressed and you haven’t photographed the outfit. First world problem of the social media kind

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 does a Creative Woman Accessorise

As a Creative Woman you will enjoy the fun you can have with accessories. Quite possibly what I have here is not to your style, as I find every Creative woman is individual and can make magic appear out of the most mundane and unexpected.

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

Creative Accessories

 

General description

Your accessories will be out of this world. I do not even know how to start describing what and how you will be wearing all of your pieces. This is probably the only personality where I need to know your values to make any recommendations for you. Jewellery, hats, scarves, bags and belts. For you, anything goes. the only thing that you won’t do is the expected.

Elements will be very over size, colours will be chaotic, and styles will be out of synch. With that in mind, you are likely to wear large resin pieces, rework pieces that you find in the flea markets or opportunity/goodwill stores.

If your bag is plain and simple you will adorn it with pompoms or other fun elements to hand from the handles and the zip.

Resin could feature heavily in your wardrobe, from over size flowers, to geometric designs or cartoon kitsch pieces. You will love to make many of your pieces or if you can afford to, to buy from artisans.

Reworking pieces will give you the freedom to put your individual stamp on all you have and allow you the opportunity to keep bringing new life to old pieces. You will tire very easily with your accessories if they do not engage your love of life so you will buy more cheap and cheerful pieces over investment pieces like the others.

How you will express the other personalities.

Creative Accessory Variations

 

Classic – Ha, this is not you, but when you feel the need to follow the call of the classic, you will consider either toning down your colours to only 2-3 or maybe taking a tassel from your handbag.

Dramatic – Watch out, here you come. Those resin pieces you love just got bigger and bolder in colour. Big belt buckles and signature shoes.

Elegant Chic – You will tonally head towards camel, cream and gold. You just might wear more chains than the average elegant chic woman.

Feminine – Butterflies, polka dots, pinks and diamantes will feature in your accessories. Your glasses, necklaces, rings and bracelets.

Natural – lots of polished wood, polished stone and strips of leather will be strung over your body. You will prefer the natural tones and elements arm nature in your accessories.

Rebellious – Bring out those crosses, skulls, roses and metal wear. Oversized or layered into a wild assortment. Or, it might just be one very large cross a la Madonna circa ‘Like a Virgin’

If you would like more information on how to make accessories work for you download the Everywoman’s Guide to Playing with Accessories Here.

What do business/corporate dress codes mean?

Companies are forever moaning about the dress standards of their staff and what to do about them?

The simplest solution is to have a dress code that is relevant to your industry, your brand and your clientele.

The way you dress speaks volumes. make sure your clothes are sticking up for you.

Business Clothing Level One

business clothing level one

This article is rich in content for you to understand exactly what works well and doesn’t work well when you are dressing for the workplace. You may not plan to work in a corporate environment, which means a lot of the information regarding the most traditional of suiting is irrelevant to you. Keep this in mind, no matter what industry you are in, if you plan to be successful you are going to be expected to look successful. It might be that you do not wear suits because you have to but you might end up wearing suits because you want to. This chapter will start explaining for you how to look your best in the clothes you are wearing and to ensure that the accessories you use are right for that look.

When we talk about corporate dress, it is easiest to describe it in 4 levels. There are many different schools of thought and many different ways to describe these levels. I know of another consultant who describes them in level 1 as the most casual and level 4 as the highest – kind of like a building. Myself, I work the other way around as I think of dance gradings I have done in the past where you worked your way up to level one and being the best. You can really give these any name or number you like. The whole idea is to ensure that you know what you are doing, what impact you are giving and what people are seeing.

The benefit to a business having a dress code is to stop the confusion os what is and isn’t acceptable by your staff at work. It is important to remember that dress codes should be important for ALL staff. It may be that different departments have a different uniform and that may be a formal uniform or it might just be a standard of dress due to work requirements. Businesses which do not bother with a dress regulation or grooming guideline are asking for trouble. If you need to counsel a staff member about their grooming you have nowhere to begin as it isn’t laid out and expressed anywhere and it can be deemed that your comments are based on a  personal dissatisfaction and not a brand adherence.

The levels I use when I am training staff are the following

Level 1 is the most formal and professional – a suit is required (formally known as Traditional Business)

Level 2 it is a tad more relaxed – a jacket is necessary (formally known as Business Classic)

Level 3 is everyday office/retail wear. It is smart and professional. (formally known as Business Smart)

Level 4 is for casual Friday. It is relaxed it is the most dressed down you can be at work. (formally known as Business Casual – that’s an oxymoron to me but more about that later)

Today I am going to focus on Level one. Over the next few posts, I’ll go into detail on the remaining three dress codes.

Insights

Level insights

Level 1

Traditional or Classic Business Dress
Suit- Dark serious colours. Black, navy, charcoal, pin striped and chalk striped.

Belts– Belts or Braces are applicable with a suit. Belts should be made of black smooth leather.

 Shirts– Long sleeved, solid or patterned in traditional colours of pastels or red or blue stripes on a white background colours. Regular collar not buttoned down.

Ties– Strong colours with a small print or pattern. Best to use Base Colours

 Jumpers– Not applicable

 Pants– Same as Suit Coat in darker core colour. May be cuffed or uncuffed depending on your frame and size.

Shoes– Thin to medium a leather sole. Lace –up.

Socks– Dark, plain or discreet patterns. Long to the knee (no one wants to see the top of your socks)

 Watches-gold or silver face and matching band; gold or silver face with fine dark leather band.

Accessories

Kerchiefs, gold or silver cufflinks, tie pins, pinkie ring
Making it work

Ensure your suit is crisp at all times. 

Never try to dress it down

 Overall Impression

Authoritative, credible, respectful, solid, analytical, precise, dominant, logical and reliable

Look the part. Unless you are in the fashion industry – dressing too faddish will have your bosses wondering if you are more concerned with your wardrobe than your job

How to dress the Champagne (rectangle)shaped woman in Autumn Winter

Champagne Woman autumn winter style

 

With Autumn just a few days away from us here in Melbourne I thought it was timely to run a series of posts that highlight how each of the body shapes should dress.

I’ll be posting the updates in this order.

Today Champagne – AKA rectangle

Then Cocktail AKA Hourglass, Margarita AKA Heart or inverted triangle with full breasts, Martini, aka inverted triangle with full shoulders, Ruby Red Wine, AKA round, apple or soft and finally Whilemina White Wine AKA pear or triangle.

To discover your shape do the quiz here

If you live in the northern hemisphere, You can read my posts from September last year to get an indication of how to build your spring summer capsule.

Champagne shape.

These are your top 5 Do’s and Top 5 Don’ts

Do

  1. Do find designs that create the illusion of a waist
  2. Do wear clothing that skims your body
  3. Do wear fabric that drapes
  4. Do chose jackets with multiple buttons
  5. Do wear clothing with straight lines through the design, decoration and print.

Don’t

  1. Don’t wear anything that is highly shaped at the waist
  2. Don’t wear cross over dresses
  3. Don’t wear anything overly full at the hips
  4. Don’t imagine cinching your waist tight will give you a smaller waist
  5. Don’t buy anything tight on your waist and loose at your hips or bust

Champagne (Rectangle) body shape Spring Summer recommendations