Cosmopolitan Web ed Lauren gets a style makeover
A few weeks ago, I blogged about my fashion frustration. As a Cosmo newbie, I was overwhelmed by my incredibly on-trend colleagues and their amazing revolving wardrobes.
Don’t get me wrong … I’m no ‘before’ shot. I wear nice clothes, but I’m not very adventurous with my wardrobe. I believe that the little black dress is God’s gift to girls, and on weekends, I’m rarely out of my favourite jeans-and-cute-shirt combo.
So when Angela Barbagallo of Style Angel Corporation asked me if I’d like to take up her styling services, I was on board faster than you can say “Rachel Zoe”.
Barbagallo isn’t your typical stylist. She doesn’t have celebrity clients and she doesn’t work for a newspaper or magazine. She’s a stylist for real people, and her job is to help women find the colours, styles and trends that will suit them best.
When Angela arrives at my house early on a Saturday morning, she is immaculately dressed. I have literally just rolled out of bed, and am very glamorously sporting dirty jeans and a pyjama top. Possibly not the best start to my style makeover. I look like the human version of a “renovator’s dream house”.
First up, Angela and I talk colour. I confess that most of my wardrobe is black, which surprisingly, Angela doesn’t object to.
“With your fair complexion and dark eyes, cool tones suit you best,” she tells me. “Black works well for you and doesn’t wash you out.”
So far, so acceptable. Angela does warn me of the dangers of the black trap, though, and encourages me to brave deep purple shades and bold greens and blues. She pulls out a bank of colour swatches and instructs me on the exact gallery of shades that will suit me. Apparently, Angela never goes shopping without one of these handy colour swatches to consult.
Next, we move on to my wardrobe. I show her my favourite pair of skinny jeans (in black, of course, and dark indigo) and she nods approvingly. We trawl through almost every item in my wardrobe, and I find myself giving Angela a brief bio of each piece. Why I bought it, why I like it, why I don’t wear it anymore. It’s with the last snippet of info that Angela really comes to the rescue. That gorgeous-fitted light-blue shift that makes me look like the emo lovechild of Pete Wentz and Dita von Teese? Why not dye it black, suggests Angela. The $200 jeans whose flared legs are out of vogue now? I could ask a tailor to make the leg a straighter cut, for all of $30. And the amazing winter coat that’s too baggy? Easy … have the buttons altered so they cinch in a little more, or invest in a wide belt for the same effect.
When Angela left, I hit my local shopping centre to check out my favourite chainstores in a bid to add some colour to my wardrobe. A few hours later, I was kitted out with a gorgeous silver knit top, a trendy red trucker print shirt and a glam slate grey pencil mini. As encouraging as it was to hear Angela’s advice at home, seeing the effects as I shopped were even better.
The bottom line: having a Style Angel visit might seem expensive, but like any fashion purchase, it’s an investment. And more to the point, using the Style Angel services means you’ll stop buying clothes that don’t fit properly or don’t suit you. I think most of us agree that looking good is important, and the great thing about Angela’s services is that she plays to each person’s strengths. There’s only one Gisele and one Miranda, so the rest of us have to stick to what we know best. Angela’s strength is articulating exactly what our strengths and weaknesses are, and making women more confident by showing them how to look their very best.
To have your own Style Angel consultation, call Angela on 9520 9940 or visit www.styleangel.com.
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