The Holistic Personal Stylist

Every year when the weather starts warming up, I notice the same thing happen in conversations with women about summer style.

The questions become:
“How do I hide my arms?”
“What do I wear if I don’t like my legs?”
“How do I stay cool without showing too much of myself?”

And honestly, I completely get it.

I used to feel incredibly self-conscious wearing shorts, and I know so many women feel this way about different parts of their body.

So this isn’t me saying:

“Just stop caring and wear whatever you want.” ( although please do.!) because I know it’s not that simple.

But I do think many of us have spent a very long time approaching getting dressed primarily as a way to disguise, minimise or correct ourselves — and when that becomes the main focus, there’s very little room left for expression, creativity or enjoyment.

A huge part of the work I do with clients is helping them slowly shift that balance.

Spending a little less energy focusing on what they want to hide… and a little more energy focusing on what they want to express, what brings them joy, and what makes them feel more like themselves.

Because choosing what to wear feels very different when self-expression becomes the louder part of the conversation.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to spring summer dressing?

PS It’s actually really cold in the UK right now, but I trust the warmer temps are on their way!

Have you ever thought “I don’t want to blend in”
and then put on an outfit that does exactly that?

I never wanted to blend in.

But for a long time, the fear of being too different, quirky, or too much was louder than my actual desire to express myself.

So even when I was technically “visible” (gym selfies, fitness shoots, posting online, etc.) I was still hiding in a weird way. I was playing a part and shrinking the bits of me that didn’t feel acceptable in certain rooms because watering myself down felt safer.

And I think a lot of women do this with their style without even realising.

Because when you dress for acceptance instead of expression, follow style rules that don’t actually work for you, and keep showing up as the version of yourself that feels safest. It’s not really YOU showing up.

You’re there, but you’re hiding in plain sight. And not only is it exhausting, it impacts your confidence, your presence, and how fully you show up in your life, too.

That’s why I don’t dress to look younger.
I don’t dress to look like Pinterest.
I dress to feel like me.

Because when you start dressing more like yourself, you stop filtering yourself quite so heavily too.

This is exactly the kind of thing I work on with my clients.
Step 1: Style Review — we get clear on where you are now, how you want to feel, and who you’re becoming.

Step 2: Wardrobe Audit & Outfit Building — we work with what you already own and build outfits that feel F*ck Yeah for the body and life you’re in now.

Step 3: Style Confidence — getting dressed starts feeling easier. Less overthinking. Less “I have nothing to wear.” More confidence in your own choices and what actually feels right for you.

If you’re ready to express yourself more & start using your style as a tool to show up differently in your life, DM me STYLE to book a free Style Strategy Call ❤️

midlifestyle

Hi I’m Sarah, 48 a personal style coach and wardrobe strategist and here are some my F*ck Yeah outfits from April! There loads of ways I want to dress my age according to the internet isn’t one of them. 😊

As you can tell, I’m a huge fan of layering!!!

And as we move the spring/ summer, I’ll be changing how I layer but I will still be layering, so watch this space for some spring/ summer layering skills content heading your way!!

Have a beautiful first weekend in May and enjoy the bank holiday if you live in the UK 💋💋💋

I’ll hold my hands up 🙋‍♀️: I still get the odd attack of “something’s missing” from my wardrobe…

…then faster than a whippet up a drainpipe I’m cross-legged on the sofa aggressively scrolling Vinted or sprinting to the charity shop to find it (even though I’m not totally clear what it is).

That’s usually when the rogue purchases land in my flat… followed swiftly by a bit of shopper’s remorse.

Do you relate?

I know I’m not the only one who’s used (uses) the “just keep adding” strategy to try and fix wardrobe challenges. Most of the women I work with have done the same.

You feel like something’s missing.
So you add another thing.
And another.

Suddenly there’s just more stuff… but it’s still not any easier to get dressed.

Now, sometimes there are genuine gaps that need plugging.

But more often, the real gap is:

1️⃣ New ideas — which you get by experimenting with what you already have
2️⃣ Styling skills — so you can actually use your wardrobe in a way that works for you

Because it’s not just what’s in your wardrobe.

It’s how you’re using it.

And if you’re still defaulting to the same “safe but not quite right” outfits…
you’ll keep reinforcing the version of you that’s playing small.

So what actually helps?

In my experience, it’s these 3 things:

1️⃣ Slowing down enough to see your wardrobe differently
2️⃣ Experimenting more, shopping less
3️⃣ Building your styling skills (yes, it’s a skill you can learn)

Because when you change how you use what you already own…

That’s when things start to click. ✨

Looking for research subjects (victims lol)

I’m currently working on a new style coaching offer, and I’m looking to speak to a few women to help me shape it.

Specifically, I’m looking for women in their 40s who are now single (post-breakup, divorce, whatever that looks like for you) and feel like they’re in that in-between phase.

You know you’re not who you used to be anymore… but you’re still figuring out who you actually want to be next.

You’d love to feel more confident and powerful in your style — but right now, getting dressed feels harder than it should, and your outfits generally feel a bit meh.

And you’re not really sure where to start changing that.

If you’re reading this thinking, “yeah… that’s a bit me”, I’d love to chat.

This is just research — I’m not selling anything. I just want to understand what’s going on so I can create something genuinely useful.

It’ll be about 45 minutes, and I’m happy to answer any style questions you have at the end as a thank you.

Drop a comment or send me a message if you’re up for it 💛

PS: If it’s not you but someone popped into your head while reading this, feel free to send it their way or tag them below 😊

So many women find themselves here. What about you?

This is a stage so many women find themselves in… but don’t always have the words for.

If this resonated, I’d love to know so comment below.

Which contrast is your favourite?

Let me take you back to when I started working in a vintage shop in Notting Hill.

I’d just started experimenting with my style again, and I was going all in on one aesthetic at a time.

When I went for my interview, I wore a full head to toe.70s outfit.

Then, when I started working there, most of my outfits were very Western-leaning. Boots, denim, belts, shirts… the whole thing. Every piece living neatly in the same container.

At first, it was fun. But after a while, something started to feel off.

The outfits felt a bit too themed. Almost like fancy dress. And I know for some people they love that, but it didn’t feel aligned for me.

Now, last week I mentioned that at this time I was replicating someone else’s style vibe, and something I hadn’t picked up on initially was the person’s style I loved usually had one thing in the outfit that didn’t quite belong.

I would describe her style as relaxed, 70’s california, boho western but she would often throw in punk earrings, a modern shoe or just something that disrupted the theme a bit. She also had these really cool tattoos so she already had something on her body that contrasted against the clothes she was wearing.

So one day, I put a baseball cap with an outfit that it really didn’t make sense with and something clicked!

So the baseball cap was actually my gateway drug in juxtaposition dressing (the practice of putting pieces together that don’t quite “match”, but make the outfit far more interesting and often create tension/ edge.)

And that was one of the first big shifts that pushed me towards my F*ck Yeah style.

so if you outfits are ever feeling a bit boring or you want to add some “edge” play about with juxtapositions for some fun and interesting contrast ❤️

Life lately…

It’s been a minute since I posted any life updates on here, but today felt like the right day!

The short version is: life has been lifeing (as it does). It’s been a real mix of ups and downs, and things definitely took a bit of an unexpected turn last year. If we ever meet for coffee, I’ll fill you in on the details.

On the upside, last year I retrained as a personal style coach. 😃And the best way I can describe what I do is...

I help women put the "oomph" (or the f*ck yeah, as I call it) back into their daily style, so outfits go from “meh, boring, this doesn’t feel like me” to “ interesting and expressive, and this feels like me", so getting dressed stops feeling like such a chore and starts feeling fun again!

I’m also dipping my toe into learning arn how to sew and upcycle clothes… so watch this space. Sarah's sustainable “f**k it” clothes brand could be coming your way at some point.🤣

Anyway, this is just a small snippet of what’s been going on.

Hope life has been treating you well lately.

PS: I haven’t changed. I still say “f**k” more times than I probably should.

Anyone else feel like a big chunk of adult life is just unlearning unhelpful stuff you picked up earlier on?

I definitely do. A good part of my 40s has been exactly that, including when it comes to my style.

Here are some of the things I had to unlearn before my f**k yeah style really started to click.

1️⃣Thinking “flattering” was the goal. Which usually meant following old rules instead of asking what actually felt like me.
“Flattering” is subjective, and you might never find your f**k yeah silhouettes if you’re still using it as your North Star.

2️⃣Confusing admiration with alignment. You can love something on someone else and still feel like a potato when you try it on yourself.

Just because you love it doesn’t mean it belongs in your wardrobe. There’s a difference between “I love that” and “this feels like me.” Sometimes they match up. Sometimes they don’t.

3️⃣Not trusting my taste or the f**k yeah feeling. My instincts were better than I thought. I just didn’t trust them, and a lot ot of the women I speak to are the same. Turns out learning to trust your taste and what’s right for you plays an important part in being dressing authentically.

4️⃣Dulling myself down so I wouldn’t be “too noticeable,” because being visible can feel scary. Meanwhile, the version of me in my head absolutely wanted to be seen.

5️⃣Not giving myself permission to experiment. Every great outfit I wear now came from trying things on, mixing and remixing, tweaking, logging and gathering the data and then repeating what worked

F*ck Yeah style doesn’t come from luck. It comes from curiosity, experimentation, and practising your styling skills.

Which of these have you had to / do you need to unlearn?

A few other things you should probably know if we’re gonna be mates::

🇮🇪 Irish, raised in Hull, based in London

✈️ Cabin crew for 12 years — Harper Beckham once vommed on me landing into LA ( I had multiple encounters with the Beckham’s over the years!)

👗 Once wore curtain tassels to a club (they worked)

🥔 Potatoes and pugs are my love languages

🔮 Was a witch in a past life

🎤 First crush: George Michael

🚫 Nothing winds me up more than “style do’s and don’ts” — especially when they’re age-related!

💫 as a kid when I grew up I wanted to be a hairdresser that drove a turquoise Capri, a fashion designer or a actor/dancer!! What about you, what did you want to be when you grew up?!

Incase you missed it I’m Sarah — Personal Style Coach™ and the woman behind Fck Yeah Style. I help women ditch the rules, find their style through-line and let their quirky flag fly.*

If this is your vibe, welcome in. xoxo