The Right Piece for the Right Person
I purchased this fabulous Nanette Lepore Party Girl Coat after eyeing it longingly for about a month. It was kind of a funny purchase for me because when I first saw it I didn’t even want to try it on. It looked too busy for my smaller body type and I just figured I’d be overwhelmed by it. Was I ever wrong. After some prodding by a very determined saleswoman, I put it on and, voila, it was perfect! I fell in love.
Better yet, each time I wear it I get lots of compliments and questions. Where did you get that? It’s so adorable, who makes that coat? I even gave it to one of my customers to try on she was so enamored of it.
But, when this customer tried the jacket on, something funny happened. It just didn’t look right. She is a very attractive woman who typically looks wonderful in just about everything I gather up for her. But, this jacket was not right for her. Then over the past weekend, I bumped into a friend of mine who had seen me wearing the jacket and told me she also had seen it in the store and was thrilled to try it on after having seen it on me.
Alas, she too said it just wasn’t the right look for her.
What makes something look perfect on one person and simply wrong on another? Sometimes, it is difficult to know. Body type, hair, coloring, attitude — they all go into the mix of an individual’s look. Perhaps, clothing somehow mixes with a person’s uniqueness to create a new look for each individual, much like perfume and how it smells different on each person who puts it on.
There are some important lessons to be learned from this one little jacket: 1. Don’t hesitate to try on pieces that are outside your normal sphere of comfort. This is something I tell my customers on a regular basis because often they look at what I’ve brought into the fitting room and say, “no way is that going to work on me” and most of the time, they are pleasantly surprised. I, too, need to try things on that I normally hesitate from — I had to be prodded by that saleswoman. 2. You can’t copy another woman’s look — it’s unique to her. Sometimes we can get an idea of what we’d like to buy or an outfit we’d like to put together by seeing it on someone else. But beware when that what you’re putting on you is right for you!
Look objectively at yourself or better yet, get someone you can trust to help you out. Someone, like me, your personal shopping and wardrobe consultant, who can help you hone in on the style that is right for you, your body, your career, your lifestyle and your pocketbook.
xoxo Susie