Style Me Handsome
So, following on from my earlier post, I decided, based on the recommendation from the amazeballs customer services at Suitopia that I could visit a personal stylist, so that I could get a better idea of what features or options would be flattering for me, and would allow me to make an informed decision regarding my wedding suit style. That image consultant is the talented and knowledgeable Laura Robinson of Caboodle Style.
That's actually Laura and her hubby on their big day - if that doesn't prove it works I don't know what will! Image courtesy of Julie Kim (http://www.juliekimphotography.com)
Laura has already offers a dazzling array of services to her clients, from general style and shopping advice, to providing corporate support – this was a masterstroke in my opinion, I wish my company had such a great incentive scheme! One of her key offerings are a range of services directed at bridal party styling advice.
What she didn’t have, but like hundreds of suppliers out there are also realising, she didn’t have a groom styling service to support all the grooms out there that really take an interest in getting involved and want to look their best on the biggest day of their lives! So along I came, asking about just such a service! It was obviously made to be, and I soon had a session booked in, cunningly planned to be just before my engagement shoot, so (I hoped) I could apply some of my new-found knowledge for that day out in the park.
For style sessions, Laura operates out of her south west London flat/style studio. Upon arriving I was warmly greeted and we initially sat down to discuss what the format of the session was going to be, and what I wanted to get out of it. Prior to the session, Laura had sent me over a questionnaire that once completed, allows her to get an idea of my existing thoughts and ideas, and probably I suspect for someone with her experience, allows her to infer any insecurities or bad fashion habits!
I also had emailed her a selection of supporting images so that she could pick up on the colours used for the day (things like the bridesmaids dresses for example). I believe she found this very useful, so if any of you guys do something similar I recommend that little idea!
First up, we discussed my colouring. Sitting in front of a mirror and a rather fetching white bib to hide what I was wearing, Laura placed what appeared to be two multi-coloured ruffs. My thoughts of being seconded into the circus were quickly dissolved as Laura explained that the first stage was to assess whether my skin tone was blue or yellow based. She stood behind me and lifted the top ruff away, before replacing it again. Repeating this over and over, she assessed my features, skin and probably a hundred other subconscious factors most of us take for granted. It felt a bit like sitting in the opticians when they go “is it clearer now…… or now.”
Like the opticians, at first I didn’t really see anything different. However, the more I looked, the more I started to see exactly what Laura was referring to. The effect of colour was frankly astounding. Once I had seen the light, we moved on to similar exercises, determining colour tone, brightness, and saturation. At each level I saw more and more about the effects: one comparison in particular was a revelation: by simply adjusting the colours Laura was able to simultaneously blend away areas of my face which are a little ruddier than the rest, something I am often very conscious about.
This apparently put me in a “winter” palette (Laura is able to supply you with a mini swatch book to take away, which are a snap at £12, and I have already found incredibly useful for shopping trips with the missus). We then moved on to Laura assessing my body shape, giving her the fashion data she needed to then describe to me her easy to remember principles of clever dressing. She took me through them each in turn, with utmost patience and more importantly at each stage she added context to my wedding outfit, discussing different options, tricks and ideas to maximise my best features.
At the end of the session I not only had some great ideas and a huge amount of new knowledge, I also had solid fundamentals for my day to day dressing as well, all summarised concisely and eloquently in a “style prescription” card that I can take with me every time I shop for clothes.
Now, you all know I am a Groomzilla – so I rambled on like a toddler on blue Smarties for a lot of the time. At no point did Laura make me feel rushed or pressured, even when I know we must have gone on longer than the “designated” time. Laura challenged my preconceptions, but at no time was she condescending or dismissive – a true professional in the face of a fashion disaster such as myself! I am sincerely thankful for this and the session in general.
It’s also worth noting that Laura can also offer a joint Bride & Groom styling session, making sure that you and your fiancée can get advice on how to not only compliment your own features, but each other’s as well. For those of you who are still scared to enter a department store, she can also provide a personal shopping service, tailored to your budget whether that is high street or boutique. Once I’ve finished my weight loss I think I may well take her up on one of these shopping sessions as I will likely have to build up a new wardrobe of clothes!
So what has this meant for my wedding suit? Well I have had to rethink the cloth I am going to use, I’m now going with a darker plain grey for the suit, and I am going to try out some options I hadn’t thought of before, like a peaked lapel Not only will this help accentuate the correct proportions, but a single breasted peaked suit is a style that was very popular in the late 20’s and early 30’s, which I think combined with the accent colours of purple in the shirt, tie and accessories should give a modern, edgy yet (hopefully) slightly vintage feel to the suit. I can’t wait!
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