By HTE Founder, Erin Hughes, and Sally Mackinnon.
Sally Mackinnon has spent almost 20 years inside women’s wardrobes.
And after all that time surrounded by jeans, jackets, dresses, pieces still carrying their tags and others their owners haven’t worn in years, she has learned something.
When a woman says she has nothing to wear, she usually has plenty of clothes.
What she really means is something else entirely.
“They’re often saying, ‘I don’t feel good in my clothes,’” Sally says.
“They have a wardrobe full of clothes, but nothing brings them joy, nothing reflects the person they are today or how they want to feel and be seen.”
And perhaps that explains why what Sally does has never really been about clothes.
It’s about the woman wearing them.
When getting dressed stops feeling like you
Over almost two decades as a stylist, Sally has worked with women who are confident and capable in almost every other area of their lives.
They run businesses. Raise families. Manage careers. Hold relationships together. Make decisions all day long.
Then they stand in front of their wardrobe and feel completely lost.
“I’ve met many women who are so competent at other things in their life, work, relationships, motherhood, but when it comes to style they simply feel lost, overwhelmed and confused.”
It’s a feeling that can become particularly familiar during motherhood.
Bodies change. Lives change. Priorities change. The person who bought half the clothes hanging in your wardrobe might not quite feel like the person standing in front of them anymore.
And when everyone else needs something from you, figuring out what to wear can understandably fall somewhere near the bottom of the list.
Sally’s suggestion isn’t a wardrobe overhaul or an afternoon at the shops.
It’s one day.
“One day a week, whether it’s for school drop-off, the supermarket, mothers’ group, a play date or working from home, put on an outfit that makes you feel like you ‘got dressed’.”
Not for anyone else.
For you.
Forget dressing for your shape
Ask Sally which fashion rule she wishes women would stop believing and she doesn’t hesitate.
That we need to dress for our shape.
It’s an idea women have heard forever. Pear. Apple. Hourglass. Hide this. Emphasise that. Make this look smaller. Make that look longer.
Sally would rather we asked a different question.
Who do I want to be today?
“Clothing is a powerful tool that can strategically define who we are and how we want to be perceived by others,” she says.
“When we limit ourselves to ‘dressing for our shape’, we only focus on ‘flattering’ our bodies, not putting on a fucking fabulous outfit that tells others we are in control of our choices and image.”
There’s something incredibly freeing about that.
Instead of getting dressed to correct your body, get dressed to express yourself.
And when your body changes, as bodies inevitably do, Sally believes the answer can be surprisingly simple.
Pay attention to how something makes you feel.
“If an existing item, or a potential new one, doesn’t deliver a feeling of confidence, energy and delight, then don’t wear or buy it.”
She believes women are naturally instinctive in so many areas of their lives but often stop trusting those instincts when it comes to clothes.
“When something feels off, even if we can’t put our finger on why, listen to your gut and wear something that instinctively feels ‘right’.”
The three-piece trick
Of course, sometimes you don’t need a philosophical rethink of your relationship with fashion.
Sometimes you have seven minutes to get dressed.
For that, Sally has a brilliantly simple trick.
Many women, she says, get stuck in the predictable two-piece formula: jeans and a jumper, pants and a tee, top and bottom.
Add a third piece.
A trench. A casual blazer. A bomber jacket. A knit thrown over your shoulders or tied around your waist.
“Levelling up your predictable top and bottom outfit with a third piece will instantly add more interest and dimension.”
It’s practical, quick and doesn’t require buying an entirely new wardrobe.
In fact, Sally is adamant that good style has very little to do with constantly buying something new.
Her own wardrobe contains pieces by Dries Van Noten that she hasn’t worn for some time but can’t bring herself to part with because the fabrics are so beautiful.
Her philosophy?
Never say never.
Style doesn’t have an expiry date
Sally’s own relationship with getting dressed has changed too.
Now in her mid-50s, she says age has brought greater self-confidence and an even stronger willingness to dress as herself.
But it has also made her increasingly aware of something missing from fashion.
Women her age.
“I feel very passionate about representation, or the lack thereof, of women in the fashion industry, including social media,” she says.
“We are the biggest spenders of fashion, but we are literally invisible when it comes to marketing.”
She wants to change that.
Because personal style doesn’t disappear at 40, 50, 60 or beyond. Nor should women suddenly become invisible to an industry they have participated in their entire lives.
Perhaps getting older can actually bring us closer to what good style was supposed to be all along.
Less about rules. Less about trends. Less about making ourselves look smaller, younger or more “flattering”. More about knowing who we are.
After almost 20 years of helping other women find that feeling, Sally knows exactly what makes her feel most like herself.
A cool pair of blue jeans. A relaxed blazer. Usually a graphic tee.
And a pointed kitten heel.
Simple.
But unmistakably Sally.
Discover more from Sally Mackinnon.
Sally Mackinnon is a Melbourne-based personal stylist, founder of Styled by Sally and author of Styled: How to dress as your most stylish self (Penguin). A regular on ABC News Breakfast, she helps women build confidence in their personal style and get more out of the clothes they already own.
