Three Reasons Why I Needed Help From a Personal Stylist, Yifan
You might wonder why I needed help and coaching from a personal stylist with all the creative expertise I have for interior design and upholstery. You might think the principles of colour must be very similar? I personally don’t find styling my clothes very easy, I know the reasons why;
- I don’t prioritise it or give it enough time, because I don’t really enjoy clothes shopping. I really enjoy feeling good in my clothes but have shied away from giving it the time and attention it needs. I get pleasure from putting room schemes together when I have a purpose to buy a new house plant or a new art project.
- I feel over the years I’ve lost my style. I became a new mum so your body changes. I left behind a corporate career where I did know my style. I started working in upholstery where I needed warm comfortable clothes all year round as the chapel is always a little chilly despite the temperature outside. Last year I then jumped into the world of business networking so I needed some smart casual outfits.
- I don’t know about you but I also struggle to know where to shop. All of the clothes shops I used to shop at like Oasis, Warehouse to name a few closed down. So when I did find something I liked I tended to buy it in every colour. So the wardrobe of clothes I had before Yifan came was full of Joules jumpers, Jack Wills fitted jumpers, and skinny Levi jeans. So I would literally rotate my jumper and jean combinations from day to day. I love colour and have started to introduce a top here and there but not enough for my liking.
So why now the change of heart?
If you’ve been following my story over the last few years you may have noticed a shift. In 2021 I made a promise to myself to focus on my self care, my priorities were my health, sleep, food, and fitness and to stick to these improvements and make new habits. Last year I turned 40 and I challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone, saying yes to new opportunities and doing more things that made me happy.
So I’ve been doing a lot of work on Emma from the inside, getting to know myself and what I need. I am so proud I’ve done it because I feel a better person for it. If you want to read more about my personal story you can read it in Amazon Best Seller ‘Seen Too’ . My chapter is titled “What’s the worst that can happen”.
So I’ve been using my energy to do all the work on the inside. I was now ready to do something so I felt more aligned on the outside. I was ready to take action and I needed some help to do it along the way.
Meet Yifan Nairn, Personal Stylist
I first met Yifan in person in 2022 at a weekend away with a social media group called The MLC run by lisa Barry. We were also connected through Sue France’s CCC networking group. I carried on following Yifan through social media. I loved what she did and admired her from afar. Until one day I plucked up the courage to ask her to be a guest speaker at my Sue France networking event on Friday 19th May and she said YES.
So on 3rd March we met in Knutsford to have coffee and cake and hatched a plan and discussed what she would be chatting about on the day. We thought it would be good for Yifan to share a story of how she’s helped someone. I chatted to Yifan about how I felt about my style so what better way than to have a live guinea pig and model – ME!
Yifan came to my home a few weeks later and spent a morning with me. She asked me questions like:
- What I love about the clothes that were in my wardrobe and how they made me feel.
- What I didn’t like about the things in my wardrobe.
- What I needed help with.
- How I wanted to feel
I wanted to feel
- Comfortable and warm (I’m a cold blooded person),
- Good in my clothes
- Like me
- Alive – I love colour
- I didn’t want to feel overwhelmed when it came to making choices about outfits
- I wanted to let go of all the clothes I didn’t need or like
Following that amazing morning with Yifan and her styling expertise.
- I now have the confidence to put outfits together with little thought.
- I feel so amazing in my clothes and colours.
- I’ve cleared out five huge bags of clothes I was hanging onto from my old corporate job that I thought I might need one day, clothes that no longer fit or I just don’t like!! I feel so much lighter for doing this.
- My wardrobe is now sorted into colours – Sian Pilleschi will be so thrilled with this
- You’ve helped me narrow down my colour preferences and identified where I got gaps in my wardrobe to fill.
- I’ve been shopping and actually enjoyed it as I know what I’m looking for. I have fallen in love with Vinted and pre-loved clothes. I have been selling my old ones which are funding the new ones.
Thank you Yifan Nairn I had admired you from afar and finally plucked up the courage to ask for your help, so pleased I did. You said to me I am an action taker and that you admire my energy. It’s taken a while but I have finally learnt to take things at my own pace. Life is a continual journey and I can only do so much. I hope by sharing this personal story and experience it will inspire others to reach out to you. I know you can help so many others fall back in love with themselves and reignite their spark. If you would like to work with Yifan you can contact her at yifan@yifannairn.com.
