Whilst I may not be up there with the skills of Michael Parkinson or Terry Wogan for interviewing, this is my effort for today’s musings.
I have to admit I think I’m incredibly lucky to have some amazing friends. I have friends who come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, some are teachers like me, others are stay-at-home mums, some without kids, part-timers, full-timers, grandparents, entrepreneurs, and everything in between. The one thing these wonderful individuals have in common, apart from being my friends? Well, they are all amazing and so very strong, even when they might not believe it themselves! They have good and bad days, they have been through tough times, and they’ve loved and lost but have all come through it stronger and wiser.
Life is a journey; some of us bumble along at our own pace, taking it all in as we go along, others will go at breakneck speed and not really pay much attention to what passes them by, but we are all unique individuals, and we all bring our own qualities to friendships that are so valuable.
I mentioned in my ‘You found me, come on in’ home page that I had friends who did some pretty awesome things and that I may do an interview post once in a while. Well, the time has come for one such post. So here goes…
I have a friend Wendy, whom I’ve known since I was in secondary school. She was one of the group of friends I had who had the style that as a teenager I wanted to be like. Being a teen is never easy regardless of what decade you were born in and as you will know if you’ve been following me for a while, I was bullied as a kid in school. I just didn’t fit in, I was geeky, gangly and just didn’t know how to style myself, but she always had time for me and for this I thank her.
As the years fly by, we often lose touch with those we knew in school, often more so if we move away, and this was the same for me. I went off to College and Uni and lost contact with lots of my friends. But, it just so happened that I bumped into Wendy again many years later when my kids started at the same school her children went to. We started chatting and it was nice to catch up on the years. It was funny as we’d both got similar jobs at the time (teaching) and were both considering career changes. Lucky for us that Wendy decided to revisit her career as an Image Consultant again.
Wendy has been working hard behind the scenes as well as ‘front of house’ so to speak and her business has taken off nicely, so I thought it would be fun to get her to answer some questions about herself and her business:
What, if any, was the turning point for you deciding to be a stylist?
As a teenager, I was always interested in fashion and spent every Saturday rummaging around the charity shops in Malvern for special finds. My Grandma gifted me her old sewing machine which meant I could have great fun remodelling outfits whilst I was in the sixth form. At university in the 1990s I acquired the nickname ‘Trendy Wendy’.
Amongst my friendship circle, I was known for my multicoloured, knitted (yes knitted) trousers (which unbeknown to me until too late showed my knickers up under UV lighting in the Student’s Union nightclub!), sporting clog sandals (which have now come around again!) and enjoying having fun with my outfits.
A move back to Malvern from Berkshire in 2002 for my husband to take over his father’s business and a dislike for the work I was in (commuting to Newbury most days), motivated me to start up a business of my own. Planning my own wedding at that time and having done a considerable amount of research (!) – I decided to open a small wedding dress shop selling British-made designer dresses and it was off the back of this business that I trained as an Image Consultant… adding value to the brides in their choice of wedding dress but also supplying a beneficial service to Mothers-of-the-Bride or any members of the bridal party who sought some advice in choosing their most flattering outfit for the occasion. In 2006 I decided to sell the wedding dress shop and focus on my two baby boys with some Personal Styling on the side and now my children are more independent, it is in the last three years that I’ve really moved the business forward to working from my lounge to now having my own personal styling studio in Hanley Swan.
Have there been any major roadblocks along the way? If so, how have you overcome them?
Re-establishing The Style and Colour Company in 2020 was a long and expensive process. The company I trained with in London no longer existed so I decided to create all the literature, website, and marketing brochures from scratch. But I’m pleased I did – these are my unique resources and I’m proud to be an independent in my field and not a franchise of a large corporate. It would be great to offer personal stylist training to others further down the line, incorporating the skills from my teaching career with my passion for fashion so watch this space!
Has there been anyone you haven’t been able to ‘help’?
Interesting question… let’s just say you can only lead a horse to water?! 99.9% of my clients approach me because they are open to suggestions and keen to make some changes to their approach to clothes. Just once in a blue moon, I come across someone who for whatever reason closes down – almost retracting themselves. I find this really sad as it is likely to be a confidence issue… like the ‘fight or flight’ syndrome I suppose. If you are fearful of failure, you withdraw yourself into protection mode. As with so many things in life, the commitment has got to come from the individual.
What’s your philosophy on being stylish?
I’m what you would class as a classic dresser with elements of dramatic – I enjoy prints and dopamine colours but whilst I like to demonstrate a nod to particular fashions – I am more about finding the clothes which suit your body shape and skin tone. Wearing clothes which work for you, not following fashion for fashion’s sake if you know what I mean? Being stylish is something we all have in us… we just need to find it. When you understand why certain necklines or cuts of clothing work for you and others don’t, you can then make informed decisions about what you wear and as a result feel confident and empowered in your choices.
Who’s your style icon and why?
There are a number of women who I think are super stylish – my top three celebrity style icons would be Holly Willoughby – classic, feminine with a nod to the fashion trends. Lisa Snowdon – a little more glamorous and dramatic than Holly and finally Carol Kirkwood… she really knows how to dress her curves and embrace her body shape.
What is your interpretation of the word ‘Style’? What does it mean to you?
There is a great quote from Bianca Jagger ‘Style is knowing what suits you, who you are, and what your assets are. It’s accepting it all’. Style is so much more than just the clothes we choose to wear – it’s the confident women behind them. Some women know what suits them, others need some inspiration and a guiding hand.
Has your lifestyle changed since becoming a stylist?
Well, I’m definitely more conscious of not getting caught out in my scruffs these days!! I continue to enjoy researching my field (getting out to the high street as well as online browsing – it’s a hard job but I need to keep my finger on the pulse 😉) so no change there really – just more justification. Of course, I have days myself when I don’t know what to wear and outfits I put on and take off again because they don’t feel right… feeling good in your clothes is very much linked to your emotions so I am much more aware of keeping a healthy lifestyle for a healthy mind.
What do you think is the most common style misconception?
Great question – from my personal experience I would say that the most common style misconception is that you need to be thin to look good – this is SO not true. The key to looking good is understanding your body shape, your style personality and your most complimentary colours. Feeling confident in your choices. I meet clients of all shapes and sizes (we are lovely because we are all unique) and everyone I’ve advised has had something they dislike about their bodies or aspects they’ve found challenging to dress – this is true of a size 6 as much as a size 26).
A close second would be that you have to spend a lot of money to look good. Again, so not true! Yes, it is nice to have a small number of quality garments for items which are worn frequently (coats, footwear, etc) as they will typically age better and give you good value for money over time. But there are so many less expensive options which by selecting your pieces carefully, can still look great quality and lead to some fantastic outfits. I am a great believer in sustainability in fashion so always suggest clients consider pre-loved items from places such as Vinted or eBay to experiment with fashion but not add to landfill. And charity shops can be an absolute gold mine if you can find the time to browse every now and again.
Well, there you have it. Right from the professional.
I like Wendy’s honesty in her answers and her insight. I purchased one of Wendy’s online services way back in lockdown and can attest to the quality of her literature. It is clear, jargon-free and so easy to understand. She really has worked hard on getting it right for her clients.
I like her quote “Being stylish is something we all have in us… we just need to find it” as this is something I’ve been trying to find for years! I’m getting there, slowly but I have more heart than chart moments these days. I’m rapidly becoming more like this since menopause!
I hadn’t really considered Carol Kirkwood a style icon before but thinking about it she rarely fails to look good on telly. She has a good figure and clearly knows what suits her and what doesn’t as she always seems put together, right down to the right accessories.
It’s good to know that even the professionals out there sometimes have an off day. I frequently plan outfits for the week ahead but often find when I come to actually wear them I don’t feel right and end up grabbing the first thing to hand because I’ve run out of time – kids to get to school and all that!
I completely agree with Wendy about the misconceptions about style. There is absolutely no reason why a plus sizer cannot be stylish, and picking up quality items is easy these days with the likes of Ebay and Vinted, and other second-hand retailers such as Vestaire Collective. Even Charity shops if you are savvy (and quick) enough.
So, there you have it, quite a short post today. You can find Wendy at https://www.styleandcolour.co.uk and https://www.facebook.com/WendyThompsonPersonalStyling
Have a look as she often has offers and competitions on, and you never know, you might just find your inner goddess, with a little help.
Take care, stay safe
Becks xo
My life and style over 40 