This is the EASIEST Way to Stay Stylish with Gray Hair

one of the most challenging aspects of going gray is figuring out which of the clothes in your closet will still look good on you now that your hair is an entirely different color so that's why I decided to bring an expert in today to help us out my friend Alicia lincol Alicia is a personal stylist with over 25 years of experience working in the fashion industry her passion is elevating the image of midlife women who are ready to express their extraordinary selves in other words she sounds just like what the doctor ordered thanks so much for joining us Alicia I can't wait to hear your tips I am so excited to be here with you today Katie and I have to say we haven't seen each other it's been I think it's been about a year when you were in New York but I'm looking at you right now and you look amazing you look so good so it is so good to see you oh thank you so much I I tried a little put a little effort in because it's time to get out of the t-shirts and the leggings I've been wearing since the pandemic I and I'm sure many of my viewers need your expert advice because sometimes we get into a rut and we can't get out of it yeah no you I hear this all the time you're not alone I mean the pandemic did a massive number on so many of us and it's kind of like when you sit down into one of those deep set couches it's like you sit down you get really comfy and then it's like gotta get myself out of here and it feels like it requires so much energy to do that this is exactly what I specialize in is helping women get out of their style ruts so I'm really excited to share my tips and insights could I let me ask you so like I said in the intro one of the number one issues that come up when women go gray is that the clothes that they used to love sometimes don't suit them like for me it was not that bad because I I got my colors done in the 80s with my mom at the shopping mall I think it was color not color something Color Me Beautiful yeah that was it yeah and they said I was a winter like I looked better in Sapphire Blue emerald green ruby red and a lot of those colors still look good on me but what's funny is when I was dyeing my hair like when you dye your hair it tends to lighten your hair so when I had my dark brunette Dy often would turn a little brassy and when it was brassy and warm it looked great with beige and with brown and now that I'm fully silver I can't wear beige and brown they just wash me out I know a lot of women have said the same so I would love to hear from you about color how to choose the right ones and just anything you can help us with it would be awesome yeah yeah so first I just want to talk about what you mentioned about the hair CH as you're going through your transition and there's the different phases so you started off being very cool tone and looking much better in the cool colors but then as you were growing your hair it got a little bit brassy so it started to have the warm tones so then that changed the colors that were complimentary next to your skin and then now that you're beyond that phase you're back into your cool color so it is a process and there is a lot of change so part of what is required during this process is a lot of number one patients also a lot of experimentation I have a two-prong approach to color all right so we have the physical component and this has to do with relating to your skin hair and eyes so this is what we were just talking about with the changing from the cool to the warm so that's the first prong of color and then the other way that I use color with my personal styling clients is the energetic component because the bottom line is that there are just some colors that energize us and when we feel energized in our colors this is how we show up right we show up full of life feeling energized so my advice is to get the understanding what are the colors that complement your skin hair and eyes and like you said that you were diagnosed or prescribed as a winter based on the Color Me Beautiful series and so you understand what your colors are now for people who have not gone through that process they have not had their colors done then I have a really great trick that can help you start to dial in to what are the colors that are most complimentary with my skin hair eyes and the way that you do this is that you look very closely at your eye color so you get one of those magnifying mirrors if you have one of those or any mirror will really do but so you look at this mirror and then you look at one of your eyes very close I've got brown eyes okay but if I look very closely at my eyes I have yellow I have green I have some specks of brown right you have all these different colors in your eyes these are your core colors your best colors are already in your eyes so that is one way for you to determine what are the colors that complement me best that harmonize with my skin hair and eyes now talking about the energetic component so if you have had your colors done and you are familiar with what your colors are then you may find that these colors become most energizing for you all right what I have noticed with most of my clients because I give a color palette to all of my clients it's the first thing that we do is I give them a questionnaire they submit photos and then they get a color palette and I use this color palette throughout our work I'm constantly referring to it as I'm shopping and making clothing recommendations because I want to get the clothes in the palette but what I have discovered with most women when they are in midlife is they have an idea about what their colors are what colors suit them best right they have an idea about what works for them so they have the colors that they love wearing and that energize them now for this audience Katie for for your audience we're in a very specific situation because we've changed our hair our hair color is not the same and this can just completely make you confused and throw you off so my advice for you is to go back to the colors in your eyes start there and then start to experiment and try which colors do you love wearing which colors are giving you energy another really great way to determine this is based on the feedback what are other people telling you so when you show up somewhere and you're wearing your cobalt blue blazer or sweater or blouse and everybody is oh my God you look amazing today that is a really good clue that this is one of your colors then the question becomes when I wear this cobot blue is it energizing me because it's really important to feel energized in the colors that you wear so as you're searching for colors consider this two-prong approach right so think about what harmonizes with your skin hair and eyes and also what are the colors that energize you most and then if you're going through this transition where your hair is going from cool to warm to cool again be patient with yourself keep experimenting know that this is a dynamic process just because you decide that I'm going to wear these colors right now it doesn't mean you can't change and wear other colors so Katie as you were saying there was this period where you looked really nice and the warmer beiges and those more earthy tones but now you're not they're not really working for you anymore okay that's great information so when you had some warmer tones going on warmer undertones going on it's true that those warmer colors were har were more harmonious but now that's not part of your look anymore then you can let that go and move on so experimentation is going to be really important patience and also just be really kind and compassionate to yourself as you're going through this process because it's very vulnerable right you're trying something new your your hair is different you're really stepping into a new look and this is a beautiful time I call this the reinvention ERA this is a moment in your life when you're really embracing what's next for you and you're just figuring it out and sometimes it might feel a little bit awkward but just use it as trial and error and then every time you decide that there's something that isn't really working just get the data from that so that you know not to do that again so for example if you had the brassy tones in your hair and your hair got a little warm and then your hair gets cool again and then you put the the beige on and you're like oh that's washing me out this is data now you know what I'm not going to do that beige anymore so just remember it is a dynamic process and to really be experimental and also kind with yourself I think that's great I love your tips on color you know one of the things I do with my styling clients is I get them out of black so many women are just wearing so much black especially if you're a professional woman you end up in the Navy Blazer the navy suit the black suit right they wear a lot of black and so once you start to find your way through color and finding colors that energize you and harmonize with your features it can be very invigorating and a very bold choice right people stand out with color they get noticed more so it can just be a lot of fun and it's just one of my favorite ways to help my clients Express themselves I can see that color really is amazing I have a son who's blonde and when he wore baby blue it just made him glow so now let's say that somebody one of our ladies watching this has picked out her color she knows it looks good on her where should she begin when she wants to go shopping when you are looking to upgrade your wardrobe the first place that you need to begin is in your own closet so this is a closet shopping experience that's where you need to begin your shopping Excursion is in your own closet and the reason is because you really want to understand what you have what you can continue wearing so my favorite place to begin with a style upgrade is with what you have so let's get into your wardrobe and let's see what you have and I don't mean just the things that you've been wearing I'm talking about getting into the trenches with your wardrobe digging into the back pulling it all out and really starting to look at it all and start to decide is this something that I want to bring forward does this work with my new look you have colors color is a beautiful way to to move forward with your style right so you can go through your closet and find the pieces that are in your colors and then start building outfits with what you already have so this is my favorite way to begin your shopping Excursion your style upgrade always start with what you have see what you have this is also going to help you a lot because then you're going to notice what's missing so my approach to personal style I believe that when you have less clothes but the right clothes then you will have way more outfit options so by starting with what you have seeing what you want to wear putting together your outfits then you can get crystal clear about what's missing so for example let's say you've got this blouse that you used to love five years ago and you just kind of forgot about it and you decide that this is actually something that I still like so you're going to get that blouse you're going to put it into an outfit you're going to be like you know what actually I don't really have the right pants to go with this blouse so you're going to start to create your shopping list so by getting into your closet shopping you're able to create a very specific list so that when it is time to buy new pieces and when I say New pieces yes that can mean new pieces from the stores or maybe you like to shop secondhand I love shopping secondhand shopping vintage is one of my favorite things to go for a couple reasons number one because it's just better for the environment and everything about it reduces waste but also when you shop secondhand you're G to get a more original look right so my biggest pet peeve or is it a fear maybe is if I'm wearing something and then I see somebody wearing the exact same thing and I don't want my clients to do that either I want my clients to all have a very unique style so when you shop vintage or secondhand it's easier to find more one-of a-kind pieces so the reason that I started talking about all that was because of the shopping list so when you have a very specific shopping list this keeps you focused and this keeps you deliberate because I believe that when you shop very important to be deliberate so that you get what you need that works with your look it works with your new look and also it works with the rest of your wardrobe because when you buy things without starting first in your wardrobe and then having your very specific list when you buy things that catch your eye it is fun it is a dopamine hit for sure and sometimes you may end up with pieces that don't work with anything else and that's why you end up with these orphan pieces because they're just on their own and you don't really have anything else to wear with them that's why it is my advice to be very clear about what it is that you're looking for and then make sure that it works with your look and also that it works with the rest of your wardrobe so the first place that you want to begin your shopping Excursion is in your closet get into it see exactly what you have and see how you can wear it in fresh and new ways that really work for the person who you're becoming in this reinvention era I love that concept because it also gets us away from the waste yeah it's so important it's so often overlooked so many people especially in Celebrity culture influencer culture which is kind of taking over the world right now it really is promoting so much newness and so much waste and there is nothing wrong with craving newness in fact if you are somebody who is craving newness you want new clothes you want to buy or get new stuff this is not a problem because this really is just showing that you are craving your reinvention you're craving an iteration you want to do things differently so having that desire to bring in newness and shop and get new pieces that is not the problem the problem is when you're buying the wrong thing things you're bringing the wrong things into your closet they don't work with your style they don't work with your look you don't wear them so that is the problem but wanting something new is really just a sign that you're in your reinvention era and it is really an exciting time so you just want to be really deliberate about what you bring in what newness you bring in it is fun it's fun to reinvent yourself like that was one of the most exciting things about going gray and now that I'll be an empty nester soon I don't want to stay in my rut now back to the closet what is the best way to clean out your closet it what is the best way to decide what to give to Goodwill and what to keep yeah that's a really good question I want to highlight the part about being in the reinvention and ready to move into this new era in your life and it's so important to recognize that you're G to have to let go of a lot of the stuff that you had before so the things that aren't working with your new look the things that aren't working with your new lifestyle it's really important to get clear about where you're going in this reinvention era and and get really clear about what doesn't need to come with you so that's that whole Letting Go piece because your hair changed your look is different you can't bring everything with you everything is not going to work so my favorite way to clean the closet actually has to do with what we were talking about before about shopping the closet so what you can do is as you're going back into your closet to ReDiscover what you have you can use this as a closet cleanout okay so the way that it works is that when you find that old blouse from five years ago and you decide that yeah I actually do kind of like this but then you realize that you don't have the right pants you don't really have anything to wear with it and as you think more and more you realize that maybe it's not meant to move forward with you so what you do is you make a decision either you're going to clear it or you're going to wear it and when you decide you're going to wear it you're going to wear it that week so that's the way that I do it with my clients is it's either clear or where it's very straightforward make the decision and take action immediately so that blouse maybe you don't think you have any pants to go with it so now you need to dig a little harder do you have a skirt do you have something else that you could wear with it maybe a pair of shorts right if it's moving into warmer weather and then wear it right away and then when you wear it you have to decide do I like how I feel in this is this the vibe I want to give off is this the impression I want to make right with this blouse so it's very simple just get into your closet and you can do this with a few pieces each day you can maybe look at three to five pieces a day so small little chunks and then just make that very simple decision am I going to clear it am I going to wear it and then take action and then if you decide to clear it then you've got your pile and I like to put that pile somewhere else so I live in New York City and it's apartment living I don't have the basement or the garage or the extra bedroom but it is really important to get that item out of the closet so once you decide to clear it get it in another area and then once you've got a big enough bag or however much you're going to donate then you can take it to the place where you're going to donate it I'm just curious living in New York City or anywhere I guess where is a good place to donate I always give to Goodwill because it's easy but I know there are better places I mean if we have career clothing could go to a women's shelter well there's the Dress for Success organization which is an amazing Organization for women's professional clothes that you can donate another thing another option and this is really useful if you have a lot of clothes that get in pretty bad condition things that are just ripped and torn there's this fabric upcycle so we have a bin it's in my building it's in the basement and it is basically taking all of the fabric and it is upcycling that fabric it is recycling the fabric because when you are donating to a Salvation Army or to a Goodwill then those clothes need to be in good condition they need to be in really good condition when you're going to donate them but so think about the fabric upcycling as another option and yes to the women's shelter you always have to call before you donate because you need to be clear about what they're taking I know in New York City they can get very specific because space is an issue here I found this really amazing place in New York City and it was a vintage clothing store and they accepted donations as well so always ask if you go to a vintage store ask them if they take donations because you never know I love that because I hate for things to go to waste especially some of these clothes are nice and some people might like them another idea is to get together with friends and everybody bring a few pieces that they're no longer wearing and then you turn it into a little festive little gathering where everyone kind of shops each other's stuff that's really fun too I did that once we went to a party and then we had to have a fashion show so if two women wanted the same piece they each had to try it on and the other women had to vote on who wore it best and luckily there were no hard feelings it was just fun yeah that's so fun now I wanted to ask you so let's say we've got our colors down we cleaned out our closet but we still don't feel like we have our style so you have a style quiz I I took it myself yesterday and it was actually pretty spoton it was amazed so can you tell us a little bit about that yeah the quiz is really fun and people are always kind of amazed when they get the results so I had you do that rereading my mind so it's a quiz it's called find your it Factor dial in on your signature discover your on camera style and this is about really showing up in your authentic presentation and it's really about locking into what is your signature what are the unique traits that make you you right and it has to do with your visual representation your style it's very quick it's free and it's fun there's a lot of pictures so you're basically deciding what you like and getting a lot of insight into what your preferences are and then at the end I give you a result that can really get you started on finding your style right now listen we're in this phase right now where things are changing we we inventing and this is a process of our Natural Evolution right so you want your personal style you want your wardrobe you want to keep up with where you're going in life so this quiz is just a beautiful place to get started and to give you some insights into what you love how you want to express yourself how you want to show up because I follow up with some emails that really give you some ideas about the way you can put this into action so yeah the quiz is really fun and if you do take the quiz then please message me on Instagram I love to hear what your results are because I think it's really fun to share the results it is fun I will put a link to your quiz and to your website and Instagram in the video description box below and I'm so happy you could be with us here today it was wonderful seeing you again and thanks for all of your advice it was so great to see you again Katie too thank you for having me

Channel: Katie Goes Platinum

Views: 1,761

Keywords: #grayhair, #greyhair, #silverhair, #katiegoesplatinum, gray hair clothing colors, color analysis, style tips, personal stylist, colors for gray hair, outfitideas, over 50 style, what colours look good with grey hair, gray hair fashion, gray hair women, fashion for gray hair, style over 50, style over 40, what to wear, what colors look good with grey hair, how to dress, gray hair style, seasonal color analysis

Id: ss1rIIh7b7M

Length: 21min 17sec (1277 seconds)

Published: Sat May 18 2024