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Where To Start When You Need Style Inspiration

Aging Gracefully· Style· Wear to Work

Online Stylists and Inspiration | Corporette

Where should you start when you need style inspiration? Are online stylists all out of your budget? Reader M has a great question:

I am a 48 yr. young corporate professional / entrepreneur /contractor looking for professional, age appropriate looks. Can you suggest a website that can guide my “lack of style” sense to better purchases within a reasonable budget, too? I really need a stylist but the internet is my next best option. I tend to like www.marieforleo.com and www.giulianarancic.com clothing but I am a size 16 (working on this part) and 5′ 3′ (wish it could change :) … two big issues… and oh yea, no heels for me. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. I would love to find the info I seek here.

Great question, M! We’ve talked about some of the best personal style blogs before, as well as personal shoppers, but we’ve never quite done a post on stylists, or where to start for style inspiration. (M, you may also want to check out our post on how to look professional in flats when that’s all you wear.)  I’m curious to hear what readers say! A few notes:

  • Online stylists DO exist and they’re not necessarily out of your budget.  I’ve never tried them, but I know a number of friends have raved about Stitchfix, as well as Keaton & Row. Corporette readers have also sung the praises of the free personal styling service Nordstrom provides.
  • Follow blogs for inspiration.  In terms of blogs, You Look Fab and The Vivienne Files both do “capsule collections,” which can be a great way to start nailing down your style. In terms of age-appropriate inspiration, une femme d’un certain âge may be a good blog for you to check out, as well as Lisa’s Amid Privilege; Not Dressed as a Lamb is another plus-40 blog that could give you some great ideas.
  • Know when to rock the cocktail dress.  I’m a big fan of Marie Forleo as well, but I normally think of her as wearing very cocktail-type dresses, which may be great for some entrepreneurial/networking type events, but too much for regular workdays. For budget-friendly options, you may want to check out Rent the Runway, which just started offering size 16 and up. (I looove the reader photos in their dresses! Modcloth offers something similar — readers wearing their Modcloth purchases.)
  • Finally:  I highly recommend finding a “body twin” in the public sphere to follow and see what she wears and how she (or her stylist) puts it together. Follow her on Instagram, do a search on Pinterest for other style pictures, and more. By “body twin” this could be someone your “size” (as in, clothing label), or someone who’s just built like you, whatever her size (hourglass, etc). I’ve read somewhere that Oprah is around a size 16, so she may be a great style inspiration for you; you may also want to look at actress Brooke Elliott (who dressed very fashionably as a lawyer on Drop Dead Diva). We’ve also rounded up clothing stores that carry sizes 16-18 before.

Readers, have you tried any online stylists? Which blogs or other sources do you follow for inspiration? Readers size 16 and up, which blogs and public figures do you follow?

Pictured: Mens Wear, originally uploaded to Flickr by Theen Moy.

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Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Ellen

    For personal style leadership, I prefer to read and follow what Ivanka Trump say’s and does. Morover, her new fashion line is absolutely fabulous for me b/c she is doing exactley what she want’s to do and has it all, includeing 2 beautiful babie’s and a careing husband. I just think she typifie’s what a woman should be these days–fashioneable, smart, svelte and married to a careing husband. I am trying to be fashioneable, and dad say’s I have ALWAYS been smart, tho not alway’s svelte, and am waiteing to find a careing husband to MARRY me and take care of me (like Jared doe’s for Ivanka). So right now, I am getting more svelte, making me almost 3 for 4, and dad says if I can get my tuchus size down, I could even be a size 0 and there will be lot’s of men entranced by my style who will MARRY me in a flash. From his lip’s to God’s ear’s, Grandma Leyeh say’s b/c she is sad that no man want’s to MARRY me yet. In the old country, she said I would be an old maid, but at least here I have a JD degree and, at age 33, some hope. YAY!!!!!!

  2. BigLaw Midlevel

    Can we ask why no heels? Could you do a kitten heel or a block heel? I think flat flats with that age/body type combo might be hard to get out of the administrative assistant zone even if pulled together. A little heel like that on the Ferragamo Vara could go a long way to being stylish yet authoritative. I think quality pieces are the other key. If there are no really good clothes in your price point/size, make sure to have awesome accessories.

    • Batgirl

      I can’t wear heels to work because of foot issues. My guess is that that’s her reason as well. I generally take issue with the notion that you have to wear heels to look put together when they’re known to be so terrible for your feet and back over time.

      I’m also guessing that you didn’t mean it to come across this way, but it’s a little offensive to suggest that she would look like an administrative assistant (not that there should be anything wrong with that) because of her age, body type, and heel preference.

      • BigLaw Midlevel

        I think that there is a difference between something that is a true flat (like the fold-ups Kat posted) and something with a structured heel (at the thin end, see the ivanka trump tizzyly) or what I would call an orthopedic friendly heel like the Vara. Some people cannot do even a structured heel and that can make things very hard without going into very expensive shoes so you have to allocate your budget very carefully. I was in an accident a while ago and while I re-learned to walk, I could not wear any shoes that could “catch” on the bottom so no heels at all. This made dressing business formal a challenge, but doable (after I graduated from several months of sneakers-only style). On the other hand, if you just hate heels but have no problems, the easiest path to more stylish dressing is finding a way around your dislike of heels and the way to start that is with a well-made, user-friendly heel.

        LW said she’s an entrepreneur/contractor so looking like her admin is probably not what she’s going for. There is nothing wrong with being an admin, but I think different styles are appropriate for different positions. It’s too bad that due to longstanding sexism many of the older women in a typical office are support staff, but they are, which means that if you are not support staff but in their demographic, it can be a challenge to distinguish yourself.

        • a lawyer

          From a 50 plus Harvard lawyer, 5’0″, I also do not see where short and older equates to admin. This mindset brings to mind the thought “with friends like these, who needs enemies!” If Mid-level female associates think this way, god help us!

      • Scully

        I don’t get where flats=admin comes from. A survey of the females in my hallway shows 2 mid-twenties paralegals in 3-4 inch heels, 3 of 5 admins, ages forty to sixty, wearing pumps (1 kitten heel, the others 2-3 inches), 2 of 5 admins wearing flats, 1 mid-fifties partner in very expensive looking flats, and associate (me) who started with 2 inch heels and switched to flats to review documents at a standing desk.

        OP, I think this is where statement pieces come in. The awesome thing about being an entrepreneur with experience under your belt is that you can pull off “power” pieces. IMO I find dresses are easier to style because they are only one piece. Then it’s a question of just adding a jacket, scarf, pin, belt, etc. They are also more forgiving if your weight is fluctuating.

    • Anonna

      I think that often the problem with flats is not the flats themselves, but that the pants are not appropriately tailored for flats.

  3. katydidnt

    You might also check out Gwynnie Bee, which allows you to rent clothes a la the old school Netflix.

    • Parfait

      I had a Gwynnie Bee subscription for a while. The clothes weren’t the greatest quality, so I let it lapse. But it WAS a fun way to try different styles without a commitment. They have stylists too, who will do a phone consultation with you about your needs and then suggest heaps of things to try.

  5. Senior Attorney

    These are all great suggestions. I am an avid fan of Pinterest. I frequently copy outfits I see there from head to toe with pieces from my closet. If I have, for example, a white midi skirt for summer, I’ll type “white skirt” into Pinterest to see what comes up, and then copy the outfits that tickle my fancy.

    If you are building a wardrobe, you can just poke around and find some looks you like, and then get the pieces to replicate them.

    I’m a little older than you are, and I look at outfits on women of all ages and adapt them as necessary to suit my style.

    • AnonX

      If you are tall, thin and trendy. I don’t think her style would be good for a plus sized petite at all.

  7. Kate

    “Years young” always makes me think of someone trying to seem younger than they are. I think the worst is when people apply it to someone else–so patronizing.

    • Faith

      I’m 48 and went to see a personal stylist at Nordstrom’s. And I am so happy I did. You can give them a budget and go from there.

  8. F

    I have a question about flats for interviews. I am extremely tall, almost 6ft, so I usually don’t wear heels, especially high heels in regular life. (Usually if I wear anything >1.5 inches people comment, usually negatively) Is it ok to wear flats to interviews? or should I stick with a small heel?

    • Anon

      It is appropriate to wear a well-made, structured, conservative shoe for interviews. Heel height is up to the wearer, with the only caveat being that you should be able to walk in them without attracting attention due to your inability to balance. I don’t care if you wear flats, kitten heels, or 100mm heels – it only becomes a problem if you’ve made it into a problem.

  9. Kelly

    In addition to looking for ideas on Pinterest, I do the same thing on Polyvore – very helpful for looking at multiple options for styling something like “black pencil skirt”. My style & career lean more toward business casual so I can’t help with style websites, but in the past couple of years I’ve definitely started looking around more. When I turned 40 (last year) I knew I didn’t want to get stuck in a stylistic rut (I’m already classic/preppy so you could say I’ve started in a rut). I just start googling style ideas or designers I’ve seen pieces I like and then find bloggers writing about those designers & their own style. Snowball sample methodology ;-)

  10. Anon

    I really enjoy reading Alison’s blog at http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/. She is curvy and has great workplace (and personal) style. I also enjoy that she features a range of products, from high end to low, beauty, travel, etc. She has wardrobe capsule suggestions and also tends to feature a lot of shoes in the comfort/flat category that are also stylish.

    I am short, but not plus size, but I often look at her page for inspiration on outfits, mixing patterns, product recommendations, and her wardrobe capsules. I am acutally using a capsule as an inspiration for a trip I am taking over the next two weeks, as it will help me pack for several occassions in multiple destinations without overstuffing every piece of luggage I own!

    • a lawyer

      I also have difficulty with heels, due to foot and back problems, although I can wear them if I must and for a short period. I’ve recently purchased a couple of pair of Ara “flats,” although they are not “to the ground” flat. They might have a 1/2 to 3/4 inch heel. They are professional looking in my opinion.

      One problem with flats is the lack of arch support. I highly recommend superfeet’s inserts for flats. Superfeet is more commonly known for inserts for athletic shoes, but it makes a three-quarter length insert for flats and for heels. In the Ara flats, they work very well, as Ara seems to run a bit wide to me, and my foot is not narrow.

  11. Julia S.

    I’m 43 and am looking more at fashion on television than I ever used to. I really like the outfits on The Good Wife (though I am NOT in their budget at all), also Scandal, House of Cards, and even the new Madame Secretary. I’ll often google a particular show and check out the blogs and pinterest sites that pop up for inspiration.

    Also I love Nordstroms but going to the store is difficult – not only is it pretty far for me, but I can never find anything that’s my style. Online, however, it’s much easier. I check out Nordie’s site, Saks, Off Fifth, Ann Taylor (and LOFT), Banana Republic, and a few others. I look to their outfits and Lookbooks for inspiration. I find when I pin what I like as potentials, not only do I get the recommended pins to look at (and then sometimes repin) but I also have a better view of my own style.

    After 2 years of being back full-time in the workforce, I’m still developing my own style for work and casual wear. It’s a process!

  13. Alana

    In addtition to resources online, I like to see how other people dress and copy what I like. For example, I saw a woman in a black sheath with a red belt and red scarf, so I copied her and wore a navy dress with a yellow scarf and a yellow belt. Some people who are close to you in size and shape who are well-dressed are flattered when you ask them where they shop.

  14. Phoebe

    Please do not use StitchFix — it’s ok for a casual wardrobe, but they really only have 2 style aesthetics, trendy (but a conservative trendy) and bohemian.

    I showed my stylist pictures of modern classic and Olivia Palermo. No dice — I got flowy tops made from cheap fabric that cost $50+. No thanks.

    I know my style and how to dress — I was using StitchFix as a convenience. However, I do know some friends who love it, but they hate shopping and need guidance on what to wear. They also can wear dressy casual to work.

  15. mbs

    I wish I could find someone who would go through my closet and help me figure out what I have that will work together, and suggest things to buy to go with what I have to make great outfits. I buy tons of clothes, but am terrible at putting together outfits, and never seem to have anything to wear. I just randomly buy things that I like, but don’t go with anything I have. I am also terrible at accessorizing. I end up wearing black pants every day with various tops and jackets.

  16. Lisa

    Hi guys, Lisa from Amid Privilege, mentioned above. First of all, thank you! Second of all, Kat’s other recommendations are great – une femme being a truly top notch resource for business casual/California work dress codes. Thirdly, I add Imogen Lamport’s blog, Inside Out Style. http://www.insideoutstyleblog.com/ She really takes style apart to its components, body shape, coloration, and style personality. She also answers reader questions, so can be helpful in a targeted way. And, if you’re in Australia, she is in fact a personal stylist, and offers workshops, client sessions, etc. Lucky you!

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