How I sometimes want to buy a red dress or a T-shirt with a bright pattern! But then you think: what if it’s too pretentious? What will people say? This is not my style… And again you take out an inconspicuous gray suit from the closet… Why is this happening and how to overcome doubts? Says stylist Inna Belova.
A large number of clients come to me, and I know for sure that many of them, when shopping on their own, are afraid to buy clothes in bright colors, prefer the usual gray and black shades. Moreover, the level of wealth does not affect their preferences.
Why it happens? What can be done about it?
Natalia’s story
Natalia came to meet me in a black tracksuit and white sneakers. Sportswear and oversize seemed to the girl comfortable and convenient, but clearly did not add femininity.
I understood why Natalia treats her wardrobe this way when she told her story. She is from Krasnodon in the Luhansk region. She grew up in a complete family, studied at school until the ninth grade, and then went to college. After studying, she worked part-time in a gift shop so that she had her own money.
At the age of 16, the heroine met her future husband. After graduating from college, she entered the institute in absentia, got married and got a job at a prestigious coal mining enterprise at that time.
At the age of 22, after the birth of a child, she started reselling things on social networks. At the age of 25 she returned to work, and in the same spring … the war began.
Dresses, blouses and stilettos were replaced by work uniforms
She moved with her family to Dnepropetrovsk, but had to return three months later due to lack of funds. The hometown was empty and scary. Salaries were cut, parents stopped paying pensions.
I had to quit my job I loved. The husband began to travel to Moscow to work on a rotational basis. Subsequently, Natalia joined him. They paid 1000 rubles a day, and the work was extremely hard.
In 2017, Natalya and her husband received Russian citizenship and moved to Podolsk. Here they got a job, in the warehouse of a well-known online clothing store. It was hard, I had to spend on my feet for 12 hours a day.
It is not surprising that after so many difficulties and a change in lifestyle, Natalia’s wardrobe has also changed. Now it was dominated by oversized things.
Instead of feminine outfits, comfortable sportswear appeared on the shelves. As a result, we set aside a whole day for Natalia’s magical transformation. But the result was worth it.
Nuances of transformation
The image of the «new» Natalia turned out to be expensive, luxurious. We managed to create the impression of a confident, self-sufficient, purposeful woman. The heroine has a beautiful figure, so we didn’t have to hide anything: we only emphasized her posture with heels, highlighted her beautiful shoulders, neck, wrists and décolleté.
To create an expensive image, special shades and accessories were chosen. They made a light wave on the hair and beautifully decorated them near the face, opening one ear. This decision emphasized the asymmetry, adding dynamics and energy to the image.
After the transformation, Natalia looked at herself admiringly, there were tears in her eyes: “I’m used to sportswear, also beautiful, of course, but simple. And then, when I saw myself in the mirror, I was shocked. chic, elegant lady…”
And even if this image is not for every day, it is important to show a woman that she can be different, that she is able to surprise herself and change roles.
How does gray mouse syndrome occur?
Approximately 40% of my clients after 30 prefer to buy clothes in dark and gray shades, they practically do not wear things with prints. Why it happens? Because women are taught these colors from childhood.
It is believed that gray and black are universal, they are slimming, and with them you will always look appropriate. But information is missed that these shades look expensive and spectacular only in combination with special makeup, interesting textures.
In addition, they are suitable only for girls of a certain type. And if you want an image in black and white and gray shades to look stylish, then you have to try.
More often, black and gray colors are chosen by women who are not too confident in themselves. For example, they are afraid to create a vulgar image, they do not understand how and with what to wear things with a print, or they are afraid to draw attention to themselves.
After the transformation, such clients with the “gray mouse syndrome”, as a rule, change their lives dramatically and turn out to be bright, creative personalities. And then the «domino effect» works — gradually prosperity comes into their destiny.
Color is a state of mind, its inner harmony and well-being
Once a girl came to me for a style course in a state of deep postpartum depression. In the photo, she was wearing dark nondescript clothes two sizes too big. But after the third lesson, she began to send photos of images created on the basis of different colors and prints.
The student listened to all the advice and created bright bows and great combinations. At the end of the course, she changed not only her wardrobe, but also her profession. And then she completed her studies as an interior designer and now makes good money, travels a lot with her family and believes that the changes in her life began after the transformation of the wardrobe from black and white to color.
Another student of mine, after her divorce from her husband, having changed her wardrobe, realized that she wanted to live in a sunny country. She went to Spain and now successfully married. She has a wonderful loving husband, two boys, and there is no black and gray in her wardrobe at all: preference is now given to bright combinations.
There are many such stories. It just seems that color is only about clothes. I think color is a state of mind, its inner harmony and well-being. When you are happy inside, everything goes well, and the story cannot have a bad ending!