Alicia Kay Style classes – learning to look fabulous

Something sinister is lurking in my wardrobe.

I’m not talking about monsters, or ninjas, or the latest pile of post (bills) that needs sorting and filing (that pile is under the stairs).

No. What I’m talking about is the ‘clothes of MEH’.

You probably know the ones I mean. Most wardrobes have them, and they’re the things that you wear because you have them and they’re comfortable enough and they’re the ‘right’ size (you don’t have to shoehorn yourself into them and they don’t fall off you either) – but somehow they just don’t look that good. You put them on. You look in the mirror. And you think…. ‘meh’.

The thing is, if you know you look ‘meh’ then you’ll probably feel ‘meh’ all day. Even worse, if you’ve just grabbed something crinkled and random off the bedroom floor (which is what actually counts as my ‘wardrobe’ a lot of the time at the moment) because you need to get dressed in the two seconds you have left after getting all the kids fed, clean and dressed then you can end up looking, and therefore feeling, a bit sh*t.

Alicia Kite and Kay Davidson told me all of this, when they gave me an overview of their new Alicia|Kay Style Guide classes yesterday. And it is TRUE. When I went to my graduation and my hair wasn’t right and my suit didn’t fit and the cap thingy REALLY didn’t suit me, well, you can see from the photo that I’ve never convinced my mum to burn that I did not feel good. Not at all.

Conversely, great hair, amazing royal blue maternity top that I’d actually wear a fake bump thing for just so I could wear it again (because it made me feel so awesome) and the necklace that I’ve broken but that WILL BE FIXED – I felt when I was wearing them that I could TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

Which has now been relegated to just another item at the bottom of my to-do list.

 

Anyway, the classes run for an hour every week for four weeks, and are aimed at making style knowledge available to everyone – and it’s not about going out and buying a new wardrobe, or having a one-off makeover. It’s about discovering yourself, the clothes that you feel good wearing, and thinking about how you can ‘shop from your wardrobe’, keep the pieces you love, and reinvent them. AND you get an hour to be totally narcissistic – it’s all about ME ME MEEEEEE. How often does that happen, as a Mum?*

I turned up to the overview of the classes wearing my standard ‘Mum stuff’. Jeans, boots, a vest top and a hoodie – not what many people would fashionable, but it is my own personal style, to a point. And that’s fine – because the classes are not about fashion either. Alicia and Kay reiterated time and again that it’s all about celebrating who you are, and staying true to your own personal style. But at the same time, learning to find your positives and dress to them is important too. Alicia added a scarf under my hoodie, and immediately my outfit felt a bit more sparky. It doesn’t have to be anything big, or expensive. Little changes can make a big difference.

It all makes sense really. I know there are certain outfits that make me feel good, that I’ll return to wearing again and again. What I’ve basically done on those occasions, is accidentally hit on a clothing combination that does work with my positives – but the problem is I’ve no idea how I’ve done it, or why it’s working, most of the time. And it would be great to know!

So – that’s a good reason to take part in a course, really.

And having a less cluttered wardrobe? That’d be a big bonus too.

 

The classes cost £89.95 and run in various locations around the U.K.. You can find out more about them on the Alicia Kay Style website.

Or follow them on twitter.

Or facebook, as well.

 

*every so often I get two minutes, usually while sat on the toilet or daydreaming in front of the washing up before one small child or other decides to break my reverie…