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The luxury of a personal stylist may not be something everyone can afford, but what about a set of personal style guides?
Our style maven Anya has created 'The Ultimate Personal Stylist Guide' for those without the budget to hire one. With Anya sharing her secrets for free - looking good is luxury everyone can afford!
 1: Wear your perfect colour
Wearing a colour that suits you can instantly pep up even the most tired look. People tend to be drawn to colours that naturally suit them. That said some people find the idea of wearing any colour a little daunting.
The best advice I can give (without being there) is to follow the concept of colour theory. This breaks people down into groups and associates them with colours that they will easily suit. To get an idea of what colours you should wear click here.
 2: Shopping on a budget
So you have very little money? Who cares - money never did buy taste! Some of my favourite buys are from lower cost chains like Valleygirl, Dotti, Temt, Farmers and The Warehouse. There is no shame in getting a steal of a little black dress from Kmart, or buying all your basics for next to nothing. To save money it's best to have a good idea of what you want your wardrobe to do so you can shop wisely. If you want pieces that can work between weekend and office wear buy classic pieces as your base and work from there.
Spend the most dollars on things that you'll get the most wear out of, like jeans, shoes and black pants. Lower cost items may lack the polish of higher price boutique chains or designer stores, but you can easily make up for this with personal style. A few $5.00 sale necklaces from Diva, and a vintage scarf from an op-shop and who is going to know your entire outfit cost less than $50.00?
 3: Work with your existing wardrobe
People don’t often have a clear idea of what they own, and at the end of the day they usually own some items that they just don’t wear. So have an afternoon where you pull out everything you own. Try Gala’s Wardrobe Taming, have a wear or throw out policy or clean out your wardrobe every few months.
Every good wardrobe should have a selection of basics, a little black dress, jeans, a good quality skirt, some tees and tanks, cardigan, jumper, blazer, a colourful jacket, a bright shoe, black pair of pants and some accessories. From there it’s adding in pieces you love and learning to mix and match pieces together.
 4: Find some inspiration
This can be one of the most powerful things to use. Finding something you love to direct what you buy and how you dress. It can be an image, a designer, a person or a collection of clothing. It's something we do a lot as little kids - little girls loving pink so wanting their entire wardrobe to be that hue. Personally, I am inspired by the 40s and 50s, so I wear a lot of cinched waist dresses and heels. That dictates my look, and underpins everything I wear.
Head to the forums where the girls are sharing their signature style here , and get the creative fashion juices flowing with the blogs of some girls that dress with inspiration, Style Bubble and Kingdom of Style.
 5: Know what suits you
A little easier said than done, but it’s a good idea to have a starting point. When most people go shopping they have an innate sense of what suits them or not, and how to change things that don’t - so that they do. A personal stylist makes this a bit easier because it’s an objective voice – they can say yes or no and not be swayed by sentimental memories of your first love buying you that awfully cut little black dress. And a personal stylist won't be sucked in by the fact the Karen Walker dress is $50.00 on Trade Me – after all, it's not really a bargain if you can't wear it because it doesn't suit you!
All this really takes is to be honest with yourself. You know that tunic won't look good on you as it is, but if you have already bought it you can make it work with a belt around the middle and a coloured top underneath.
For those that need more help, check out our body shape guides for some ideas on what will suit you by body type. This paired with the tips above should make you look awesome in no time. Weekend wear by body type, Work wear by body type, Shoes by body type, and lastly How to find your body type (if you haven't already checked them out!).
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