Why Style Your Brand?

What story are you telling the world with your wardrobe?

And what message does that wardrobe give your potential clients?

If you run a business, whether it’s solo, small, or large you likely know that branding is so much more than a logo and a few brand colors. A good personal brand has clarity, authenticity, and good positioning… positioning your brand into the mind of the potential customer.

Well how about your style? What does your wardrobe say about you? Is your style congruent with your brand message?

I remember when I had my Etsy shop and I mostly worked from home. I handcrafted clutch purses for brides and their bridesmaids. Not only did I make these clutches in my home, my kids were little at the time so MOST days I simply dressed in comfortable tees and sweats.

Not the cute Insta-worthy image of sweats you see from influencers today…. my style was baggy, mismatched, unflattering sweats.

My shop was so busy that I was running out to the post office at least 4 days a week. Eventually, I started seeing regulars at the post office and I would get into conversations (hello long lines) about what was in all those boxes. I thought to myself, Jaime these people are possible referrals, potential customers. Picture me all frantic, messy hair, and bad sweats… what kind of message was that sending to the people I met?

Now, not every person I encountered throughout the day was going to be my customer but I still handed out my business card a lot. They were frequently asking me about my purses. What message could I possibly be sending them about my clutch business if I was looking like a ridiculous mess every day?

The message must’ve been something like “disheveled, overwhelmed, etc.”

What story are you telling the people you meet? Hot mess express? I hope not.

How about confident, relevant, and authentic. Wouldn’t that be better?

Style plays a role in your brand positioning. Even if you don’t currently consider yourself as “having a brand” good style helps you show up in confidence for the things that matter to you.

Personal style gives you an opportunity to be present for your business or your next move. What message does your style tell the world and how can we make that story compelling?

I asked a few branding experts and they all agree that personal branding is about authenticity and connection…

It’s the connection and alignment between you, your ideal clients, the visuals, your message…all of it.

Know your value, then package it properly!

Power In Personal Style

Who we are as human beings is more important than what we are wearing.  I don’t know anyone who would argue that.  

However, I wouldn’t call it superficial to put serious thought into your personal style, your image.  There is power in a signature style… one that matches who you are on the inside and propels you to where you want to go next.  We all know…

when you look good, you feel good.

Maybe, similar to me, you have a second career, maybe you’ve set goals for a promotion, you’re working on your personal brand, or perhaps you simply use style to elevate your mood. 

Whatever the reason, personal style starts on the inside; in your soul and your mind. 

The clothing is secondary.

I’ve talked to so many women about the “inside stuff” and I promise you…  there’s magic in the alignment of your internal self to the clothing that sits on the outside.  Stop the madness! End the cycle of a closet full of nothing to wear!

This is how I define personal style. Xo, JD

“Personal style starts on the inside; in your soul and your mind. 

The clothing is secondary.”

— Jaime Diehl, Personal Stylist

Finding Your Personal Style

Hello, World!

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Why not find it together? For the month of April (2019) I’m offering group virtual styling here : https://www.jaimediehlstyle.com/style-tribe-with-jaime

Sooo Is my Personal Style boho or is it casual? Perhaps I’m chic and polished or maybe edgy and modern?? The truth is

most women are a combination of styles.

But when you determine at least one style type or two that works for you, your wardrobe will thank you for it! So first let me tell you WHY identifying your Personal Style helps.

• It makes shopping easier.

• It makes getting dressed easier.

• You’ll send the proper messaging.

First, finding your Personal Style makes shopping easier. How? When you have a clear understanding of your own Personal Style you can create a shopping roadmap. Why wander the malls and scour the web to purchase something “just to be done with it”? Or worse yet, you settle for a so-so top because you’re exhausted and want to go home. When you have identified and labeled your own Personal Style, you will understand what your wardrobe needs and what you can happily pass by in the mall. You’ll make more intentional choices while shopping.

Second, knowing your Personal Style will make it easier to get dressed. First you label your style, second you make purchases that suit that style, and what happens next is that your entire wardrobe works together. You have a coordinating closet because you’ve chosen pieces that work for you, they fit your style game plan.

Third, by identifying your Personal Style you will send the proper messaging. Who are you? A polished professional? A SAHM extraordinaire? An enrtenpenuer? Whoever you are, does your Personal Style reflect that? What if you came to a workshop of mine and I made my presentation in baggy sweats? What if I came to do a Closet Edit in slippers? Would you trust me to teach you about Personal Style? Are you a 20-something professional who can’t land a job but you have the skills? Does your wardrobe send the message that potential employers should take you seriously?

Ready for the “how” of identifying your Personal Style?

I like to move clients through the following 5 steps in identifying a Personal Style:

• describe your personality

• lifestyle evaluation

• find your style icons

• visualize and create mood board

• evaluate the closet
  

Describe Your Personality come up with a few descriptive words about your personality. What are you like? Serious, playful, friendly? Need a little help? Ask a friend or loved one which words come to mind when they think of you.

Is your personality warm, funny, and approachable?

How about bold, powerful and strong?

Or whimsical, shy, and dreamy?

Lifestyle Evaluation What are your daily activities? What do you do for a living? It may seem obvious that you should dress for your lifestlye but it helps to identify it and write it down. It helps to be more intentional about the process. Do you have some upcoming life changes (going from SAHM back to work OR going for a promotion at work)? Working on some personal goals? Dating again? Jot these things down.

Find Your Style Icons She can be famous, noteworthy, or some one you know… bring those people to mind whose style you love. Jennnifer Aniston is known for the California casual look, Kate Middleton embodies classic style, Katy Perry is bold and eclectic. See what I mean? Whose Personal Style speaks to you? Here are some images of my style icons and my style inspiration.

Images Amy Jackson, Olivia Palermo, Jennifer Aniston

Visualize/Create A Mood Board You can do this via Pinterest (see my boards here) or you can go old school and snip some images out of magazines or print them out. Tape this to your closet for inspiration. But I highly recommend Pinterest to collect these images. You want to save images you are drawn to. Spend some time on this, you don’t have to get a whole board done in one sitting. Visit your style board frequently and make edits when necessary.

And the point here is to help create that road map I mentioned above.

Don’t hyper focus on one piece in an entire outfit. Take the helicopter appoach and look for overall themes. After a while (hopefully lots of pinning) you will begin to notice the same vibes, a theme. What styles are you pinning the most of? Are you pinning mostly casual looks? Do you see a lot of classic and polished pieces? Do you see solid colors or do you pin a lot of colorful prints? Do these themes happen to match any of the descriptor words from your personality words?

If yes, cool! If not, no big deal. We’re just building some inspiration here and looking for an overall theme or two. In my case, my Pinterest boards always help me realize I am first and foremost casual in my style but I am also heavily drawn to chic and glam elements with lots of boho mixed in. See? You don’t have to nail yourself down to just one Personal Style! But if you can, that’s great too.

And for the last step evaluate the closet. This is for two reasons. 1- I want you to find the themes or repeat items in your wardrobe and 2- I want you to identify the holes.

Find the themes: Take a long look inside your closet and find those items you love. Identify the pieces you wear over and over again. How do they make you feel? Do your go-to pieces make you feel happy? Comfortable? Powerful? What is it that people compliment you on? Do you have a strong jewelry game? Is there a color people say looks great on you?

Are some of these pieces repeat items? For example, is there an item you see over and over again? Discover the reason your closet has this repeat item (lots of striped shirts for example). Maybe stripes make you feel happy or a striped tee makes you feel more stylish than a solid tee.

Identify the holes: What is missing? Have you pinned a leather moto jacket over and over but you don’t have one? Perhaps you’ve pinned lots of elevated casual outfits with skinny jeans, heels, and blazers but you only own jeans, tees, and yoga clothes. A few months back, I found myself pinning lots of 70s-inspired fashion like high-rise wide legs pants. I added a pair to my wardrobe! Do you see how we now have a roadmap? With these steps you can create an action plan.

To recap, once you describe your personality, evaluate your lifestyle, find your style icons, create a mood board, and evaluate the closet… you now have a roadmap, you have a

style game plan.

You can now give your Personal Style a name or two. Some of my client’s examples are “Polished Professional” and “Edgy Fun Mom” or “Easy, Chic, and Strong”… see where I’m going? Hold up that next fashion purchase (or glare at it online) and ask yourself, “does this jacket have a place in my “Polished Professional” wardrobe? Does this trendy-of-the-moment purchase fit into my please for “Edgy Fun Mom” goal?

And then identify your style goals and solidify where you want your Personal Style to take you in life. Have you just had a baby and decided to ditch the chic office attire for a Mommin’ around wardrobe? Or perhaps you have the need to dress for re-entering the workforce? Do you find that you’re ready to kick ass at work and go for the next promotion? Does your wardrobe have what you need to take you there? After spending the time to work through my steps, you should be able to create an action plan and be more intentional with your Personal Style. As always, you can comment below or reach out here for personalized styling.

Come back soon for a follow-up post about the features of different style types. Xo, Jaime

Why Hire A Personal Stylist?

Why Hire A Personal Stylist?

I can hear some of you now.  “Me?  Hire a Personal Stylist?  Stylists are for celebrities, right?”   I get it.  It sounds too fancy for you.  I am “just” a Mom, who am I to hire a stylist?  I’m just a busy, working, “average” woman and hiring a stylist is for famous people.   

Not true anymore.  No matter who you are, no matter your stage of life, no matter where you’re working… in the home, out of the home for someone else, launching your own business;

You have goals in life; places you see yourself going.

   

Even if it’s just surviving into tomorrow!  We all know that putting on a great outfit can boost our mood and our energy.  We know that a great-fitting pair of jeans helps us feel good on date night.  We’ve all been told to dress to impress when we’re going to a job interview, reentering the workforce after years at home (heck, I’ve been there) or aiming for a promotion.

A Personal Stylist will work with you to determine your body shape, your image desires, and your personal style…  even if you don’t really have one.   

I understand that discussions about clothing can feel superficial, that focusing on your image can feel shallow, even selfish for some.  But the truth of the matter is this:

people will form an opinion about you within seconds of your encounter with them.

I know this sentiment is not ideal but it IS reality and I can help.  A Personal Stylist can make this all so much easier to manage by teaching you about the shapes and cuts that will flatter your body.    

A personal stylist is trained to help you find the clothes that look best on you and will help you coordinate outfits for different occasions.  When we think we look good, we feel good. It’s as simple as that and you know you’ve heard this all before so please know that  

feeling your very best isn’t a luxury reserved for fashion bloggers and the rich and famous.

Just as you let a hair stylist cut your hair and just like a personal trainer would develop a workout routine, I will help you build a wardrobe that makes getting dressed easier.  I will help you find clothing that reflects your personal style and lifestyle.  Perhaps putting a good outfit together doesn’t come naturally to you.  That’s where a stylist comes in.  I started this business because I really enjoy showing people how to “put it all together”.  I am good at translating fashion inspiration and current trends into a REAL woman’s closet.  I am good at putting your style thoughts and desires into words and into your closet.   

If you’re intimidated because you think a Personal Stylist is going to cost a lot, not only can I break down my services into stages for you…  you’ll save money in the long wrong if you’re taught to purchase pieces you know you love and fit well.   You’ll save time and money when you STOP buying pieces that are good enough just so you can get out of the store….and even worse if you never end up pulling them out of the closet.

If you’re intimidated by the presence of a personal stylist… you should know that my approach is as warm and friendly as it is honest.  I truly enjoy helping other women feel great about themselves, simple as that.  It does not serve you or me to be judgmental about your current looks.  

This is not What Not To Wear and I will not strong arm you into getting rid of pieces that you can’t let go of.  

But I will balance that with truthful assessments on what’s working in your closet and what isn’t.  You should read more about my philosophy on personal style here.

You deserve to let a trained eye translate the current fashion trends (as well as the tried and true classics) into your closet.  Let me tell you one thing I have heard over and over again with clients     

________________

“I never would have tried

that on if you didn’t recommend it.

And now I love it!”

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Getting dressed is easier, starting the day is easier... when your closet is filled with clothes that have been specifically chosen for you, your shape, and your lifestyle.  And I am ready to help. 

  

My services might be right for you if:

You have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.

You are currently using only 20% of the clothes in your closet.

You have some cute pieces and NO IDEA how to put them together.

You’d like to make the most of what you already own.

You need help identifying your personal style.

You’d like to understand your body type and how to buy clothes that flatter.

You’re facing a life transition; reentering the workforce, promotion, career change, just graduated.  

I hope to hear from you soon.  XO, Jaime