The best case of 'image' styling I've seen in a while
I have been obsessed with videos on my feed encouraging you to dress like your celebrity look-a-like. It's an intriguing premise, but does it actually work?
In today’s newsletter…
👗 Why Willow Avalon’s image is absolutely perfect
💄 outfit challenge of the week winner
❓ your questions answered + outfit look book
This video popped up on my feed and she instantly caught my attention. I love country music, I’m a fan of Dolly Parton (who isn’t) and most of the music I listen to tends to be by young women in their twenties singing about love. But the music isn’t what caught my attention: it was her. The singer had stunning red hair in a modern yet nostalgic 70s cut with the cutest babydoll dress I’ve ever seen. It didn’t feel forced, it didn’t feel pretend, it fit her and the music in every way. If you weren’t looking out for it (like I always am) you might not even realise thats what gripped you.
This video has 1.2 million likes. For sure, part of it is the written hook ‘I wrote this song after finding out the man I was dating was married’ and everyone loves a scorned country gal (think Carrie Underwood), and the fact that her voice is beautiful and the song is catchy. But if you look at Willow’s videos, most have almost a million views. Part of the reason is Willow has a really good grasp of her brand. She’s not sometimes ripped-jeans-and-a-cowboy-hat kind of country, she’s not sometimes sequinned-flares-and-a-tie-waist-shirt kind of country, she’s Bardot-top-midi-skirt-cowgirl-boots-a-bow-and-florals kind of country in every single video. I would say her style is between 🌸🔥☀️ and 🌸🔥🌱 for those of you who love style roots 😉. Instantly, I know something about her through this - she’s hyper-feminine in a way many are craving after ten years of sweatshirts and kardashian-style leather pants for the last couple of decades in mainstream media. Her style aligns with the cottage core movement, but in a new fresh way with pops of colour and hints of western which have really boomed recently. I understand her, instantly, just from that little dress.
I see clear references to Dolly, who was also a hyper-feminine gal, but also nods to the present moment with her curtain bangs, denim waistcoats, and even her new red hair which is really popular at the moment. Her very sexy yet sweet style is also perfect for this current moment due to Sabrina Carpenter who has popularised this kind of feminine style in the media, especially for women. Typically, people associate this kind of style with the male gaze but Sabrina has shown how women also can love to see it - there’s something empowering and exciting about seeing her on stage in her little burlesque-inspired dresses to crowds of women. When I saw Willow’s song about binning off a cheating man dressed her gorgeous little dress, it really gave off this same energy. I instantly want to see more of Willow’s outfits; she has an individual sense of style which is fun, daring and out there and I love the idea of her being on stage in these fantastic outfits. Instantly, I feel she is an icon.
For those of you who want to be actresses, singers, anyone with an audience, your style is particularly important. People love a strong image, especially when it comes to women, as much as they love a good voice and a good song. As someone who used to love performing with my guitar, I often think about my performance persona, what I would look like on stage (if I were ever to take up the hobby again). My current style roots I’m working with are 🌸⛰️☀️ (probably why I love Willow’s style so much as she often dresses with two of these roots!) and I often think: how would that work on stage?
Something I say a lot is that your style roots don’t necessarily have to exclude other roots, it depends on your style goals. If you wanted a really minimal wardrobe sticking to your roots exactly is going to be your best, but otherwise I just like your three roots to be an underpinning to your looks. So in a performance setting I would possibly want to be a little more sexy - that could be in the form of edginess or maybe a little more skin, or just a bit more sporty. I love how Willow has gone about it with sticking to her core style but leaning a little more dressed up and a little more sexy when she’s on stage. So I might have an outfit which is 🌸⛰️☀️ but also a little fire or maybe a little 🌱 to create a slightly rockstar feel (think: a girlier version of Kate moss).
What would your performance persona look like? This could be a great exercise for testing your roots and how you could expand your vision of what your style could look like in different contexts!
What’s new:
💭 YouTube - how to create your main character makeup look
I break down how to create your perfect, “classic” makeup look which makes you shine every single day. This video explains why some makeup looks don’t work when you simply copy-and-paste, and how to tailor a makeup look you love to YOUR features
🎀 Pinterest board voted for by subscribers | I asked my paid subs for ideas for a pinterest board they would love to see, and they said they wanted to see combinations of essences with body types. I decided to start with ingenue / long straight as I feel these are types which struggle the most to fuse their different influences
📸 New round of photo donations | I am working on a new product which shows different body matrix types and I would love to have some of you represented. I know it’s important to see real bodies that you can relate to, and the best way is to get donations from my audience! If you would be willing to donate some images, you can do so here (and get 50% off any of my booklets when you do!)
Thank you for reading the free style scholars newsletter. In this week’s paid segment below:
I answer your questions: comparing the body matrix to kibbe
Outfit look book: how to dress moon without the colour black
Outfit challenge of the week winner
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