The evening before a recent styling event at Maison D'Evanna, I was putting together looks for the following night's presentation when one of their clients stopped to see what I was doing.
Among the pieces I'd selected was a black vest and trouser paired with a soft violet blouse.
She immediately recognized the vest and trousers.
She already owned them.
But she'd never thought to wear them with anything like the violet blouse.
She loved the combination so much that she bought the blouse on the spot.
The following evening, just as I was holding up that very outfit during my presentation, she walked through the door wearing her new violet blouse and black vest. Her trousers happened to be at the cleaners, so she'd paired them with a black sequin skirt instead.
Perfect timing.
I told everyone what had happened the day before, and suddenly we had a real-life example standing right in front of us.
And I loved that.
Because she hadn't needed an entirely new outfit.
She simply needed to see something she already owned differently.
A Different Way of Seeing
So often, when women feel uninspired by their wardrobes, they assume they need more.
More clothes.
Something new.
Maybe even an entirely different style.
Sometimes they do need something new.
But sometimes the most exciting thing I can show someone isn't what's missing.
It's what she hasn't seen yet.
A different color with a familiar piece. An unexpected proportion. Something feminine paired with something structured. A new combination hiding among clothes she's looked at dozens of times before.
That is one of the things I love most about personal style.
It isn't always about reinvention.
Sometimes it's about recognition.
Seeing possibility in something familiar.
Seeing yourself in a combination you wouldn't have considered before.
Or simply realizing that the wardrobe you thought wasn't working may have more to say than you realized.
Recognizing Yourself
What struck me most about that moment at Maison D'Evanna was that I hadn't created the outfit for her.
She simply saw it and recognized herself in it.
There was no convincing.
No list of rules.
Just that immediate sense of, I could wear that.
And by the following evening, she had already made it her own.
To me, that's what personal style should feel like.
Not becoming someone else.
Not following someone else's idea of how you should dress.
But becoming more curious about what feels like you—and giving yourself permission to see familiar things differently.
Because sometimes you don't need a new wardrobe.
You need a new way of seeing the one you already have.
~Michelle