Let’s flip the script and make getting dressed enjoyable rather than arduous. A familiar story women tell themselves is they can’t wear certain things. They are too — fill in the blank — old, overweight, short, tall, you name it. Shopping also takes time and money. Though you may face some of these obstacles or different ones, here are a few tips to inspire you and help you show off your personality and confidence with what you wear.
As the late iconic style maven Iris Apfel once said, “Fashion you can buy, but style you possess.” Don’t let age become a hindrance; it can be an asset when choosing what to wear. With age comes wisdom and a refined sense of self-expression that only improves with time.
The ‘Glam Kam’ approach
Kam Throckmorton built her business in Atlanta over the last 16 years as a professional stylist who offers closet edits, personal shopping and styling, event hosting, and more. Glam Kam Style is now in St. Simons Island, but has continued serving clients in Atlanta and offers remote services.
Throckmorton sees similar worries in her industry, including fear of aging, body image insecurities, and the fear of dressing “inappropriately.” “We all have these silly rules in our heads,” she said. “Women put so much more pressure on themselves. It just doesn’t matter.” She wishes women would age more confidently. “Men don’t age better than women; we just age with more fear. You need to know who you are. The older you get, the more you know yourself. Don’t lose who you are because you are trying to stay in a realm of youth.”
Credit: Devoss Photography
Credit: Devoss Photography
To have great style, Throckmorton believes that you have to do the inner work. This may include better understanding your body, accepting your age, and embracing your unique style. Throckmorton, who has a degree in social work, believes that any day is a special occasion as long as you’re above ground. Her tagline is “Dress like you mean it. Be deliberate.”
“Very rarely is it just about the clothes,” Throckmorton said. One of the biggest compliments she received from a client was that her Glam Kam Style experience allowed her to have fun with clothes, and she enjoyed getting dressed for work instead of dreading it.
Discovering your fashion sense
Throckmorton starts with a profile and discusses body shape, personal likes and dislikes. Then, she goes through the client’s closet and removes pieces that don’t align with their style and may no longer fit. She encourages women to dress the body they have, not the one they want. Throckmorton believes having an individual style is a lost art, and she wants clients to find it.
According to Throckmorton, style is not what is “in” and what others are buying, nor is it about the label; it’s about the fit and how you feel. Making a plan involves shopping and adding pieces to your existing wardrobe. Edit your closet by letting go of things that no longer work for you or don’t make you feel a spark.
It’s a long-term plan; ideally, Throckmorton said she would return and work with the old and new, putting outfits together and creating outfits for clients to choose from. You can look at her website to check out the various services available.
A stylish experience
One of Throckmorton’s local clients, Lisa van Kesteren, was referred to her by a colleague when she was preparing to present at a professional conference. Van Kesteren wanted her wardrobe to reflect her confidence and for people to remember her for the right reasons. It was a good excuse to update her look and incorporate some lively pieces into her closet.
Before working with a professional stylist, van Kesteren did not enjoy shopping. One of the highlights from her Glam Kam Style experience was having many choices prepared when meeting Throckmorton at Nordstrom, which added to the appeal and accessibility of working with a stylist. During this process, van Kesteren discovered a brand that works for her body type: Trina Turk.
“Kam introduced items that I would not have considered or selected for myself,” van Kesteren said. “Working with a stylist was an easy and nonjudgmental process that changed my sense of style and how I viewed getting dressed.”
Credit: Courtesy of Jelisa Stokes
Credit: Courtesy of Jelisa Stokes
Dressing on your own
A stylist isn’t always necessary to build your fashion sense, either. Smyrna resident Melissa Madden is an elementary school secretary who has worked in the school system for about 20 years. She has never worked with a stylist, and describes her style as classic yet fun. Friends and colleagues have also told her she has a good eye.
Sometimes, her shopping style is unconventional. She may buy a pair of earrings she loves and then shop for a dress or outfit to match them. Necklaces and earrings are her favorite accessories, and she doesn’t like things to be too matchy.
“I love accessories, and then I find what I will put with them,” Madden said. She is mindful of her body and how it has changed as she ages, but she has not sacrificed her style.
Madden suggests picking pieces that make you feel confident when you put them on. If something doesn’t feel right, she removes it from her closet and moves on. She is not interested in an item’s label, but to help inspire her style and offer fresh ideas, she follows some influencers on Instagram. One is Atlanta resident Brittany Sjogren’s Loverly Grey. Though Sjogren is younger than Madden, she loves her style. Madden might not buy the exact outfits Sjogren suggests or is wearing, but she likes looking at the clothing links Sjogren shares and finding something that fits what she is looking for in an outfit.
Whether you work with a stylist or not, consider that you are the boss of your style, and you don’t need the permission of those around you to make choices that make you feel good. Trust yourself, trust what feels good to you, and let your personal style shine through.
These are a few of Throckmorton’s Glam Kam Style fashion tips to help you dress like you mean it:
- Know, accept, and embrace your body. The most essential element of style is dressing for the shape you have now. Denying the reality of your body means you’ll be unable to dress it well.
- Dress for your body instead of your age.
- Wear one dress twenty ways instead of buying 20 dresses. One company Throckmorton suggests for her clients is the Australian brand Ever by X, the One Dress Project. You could wear these dresses year-round and style them in several different ways.
- Accessorize — these items give you more bang for your buck and help your outfit pop. Throckmorton recommends that her clients look for vintage jewelry at antique stores, estate sales, and even thrift stores. “You don’t go to thrift stores to save money; you go to find style,” she said. Often, thrifting checks both boxes.
- Shop at boutique stores in your neighborhood or when you travel. That way, you can find something unique that truly reflects your individuality. Throckmorton encourages her clients to seek out pieces that are a little more individualized and different from what larger chain stores could offer.
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