Style council

Whether you know it or not, you have style, says image consultant Sheryn Adamson. The clothes we wear are a mirror to our soul, and Sheryn’s role is to bring out the beauty within and without. ‘It’s a spiritual experience,’ she says.

Not everyone loves fashion, but everyone has style. ‘You have a style personality because you wear clothes,’ says style consultant Sheryn Adamson, simply. ‘Your style is why you wear what you do.’

Clothing may be the outerwear of our lives, but it reflects something deeper about ourselves. If your style personality is ‘natural’, you’re likely to wear what is comfortable and practical. A ‘classic’ style, on the other hand, chooses clothes that won’t date quickly. While ‘creative’ and ‘dramatic’ styles will choose statement pieces or put colours together creatively.

The original stylist

Sheryn’s role is to help people celebrate their true identity by bringing out the best of what is within. Her inspiration came from a perhaps surprising source: ‘It says in the Bible that God was the first designer
—he made clothes from animal skins and dressed Adam and Eve. “Well,” I thought, “If God is a stylist, I will be a stylist too.”?’

As a style and image consultant, Sheryn’s services include a face and body assessment, colour consultancy and a wardrobe audit—or as she calls it, ‘shopping in your own wardrobe’—where she finds the hidden gems, the mistakes and the missing pieces. With their new-found knowledge, Sheryn then takes clients on the shopping trip of a lifetime.

Sheryn attends The Salvation Army and says her Christian faith definitely influences the service she provides. It’s a deeply spiritual exercise, she says. ‘Every time I’m driving to a job, I pray for the client. When you’re talking about someone’s body, that’s a very intimate thing. People are often nervous and vulnerable, so it’s all about speaking encouragement into their lives.’

As the outer layers come off, clients often open up the inner layers of their lives, too. One woman was on the verge of divorce, and Sheryn was able to pray with her about the situation. That night, the woman said she had the best conversation in years with her husband.

Seeing the sunset

‘Women, in particular, are very good at finding faults in themselves,’ says Sheryn. Time and time again, she sees women looking in mirrors, pointing out what they hate. ‘But when I show them what is beautiful about them, it is a real privilege. Quite often women will stand in the changing room with tears in their eyes, because they’re seeing for the first time that they are beautiful.’

We often use clothes to conceal, but clothes should be a celebration of who we are. Sheryn recalls doing a wardrobe audit for a woman who wore almost all black. ‘The woman said she liked black because it made her feel skinny. ‘So I asked, “Why do you want to feel skinny?” And she just looked at me, and she said, “I don’t know.’ Sheryn pulled out some colour in her wardrobe, and compared it to the black outfits she usually wore. ‘As we compared outfits, she could see for herself that she had a beautiful, womanly figure that was lost in the shapeless, black outfits she’d been hiding in.

‘Women want to disappear, but they need permission to love themselves. It’s teaching people to focus on the beautiful sunset, not on the little mosquito that’s buzzing around.’

Fashion police

Sheryn’s passion for fashion blossomed in the most unlikely of places, the police force. Since the age of 12, Sheryn had dreamed of being a police officer, and on her 19th birthday she went to the police station to sign up. Petite, with the big hair and shoulder pads of the early ’90s, the officer actually laughed, saying, ‘You can’t be a police officer, look at you!’ But defying expectations, Sheryn joined up and found a true vocation in her work.

It was in this role that Sheryn first noticed how clothing acts as a mirror to the soul. ‘When people have been abused—physically or emotionally—they will dress to cover themselves and try to repel their abuser by not brushing their teeth or their hair, and hiding in their clothing.

‘The opposite is also true, especially in domestic violence, where women will look immaculate, trying to cover up and disguise what is going on inside.’

Her first, unofficial clients, were mainly guys in the police force. ‘The guys would come to me and say, “I’m going out with my wife”, or “I’ve got a date” and they didn’t know what to wear. Even then, I could see that when you put them in the right clothes, their eyes would light up and they felt good about themselves.’

A different journey

Then, life began to take a very different turn for Sheryn and her husband, Brad—a fellow police officer who she met on the first day of her first police job. They were told that they would probably never have children, and so began a heart-breaking journey over seven years.

Doctors told Sheryn that if she was to have any chance of having children, she needed to leave the shift work and stress of the police—it took her a year to make the difficult decision to leave the vocation she loved.
Sheryn and Brad decided against IVF when they expressed concern over the unused embryos, and the doctor responded, ‘Well, sometimes you have to get over your morals to get what you want.’

After a few years, Sheryn says her grief became more consuming and there were monthly tears. ‘There was anger and disappointment, and there was “why?” But I would come back to the knowledge that God is my Heavenly Father and I know he loves me.’

Sheryn received prayer for healing whenever she could. One time, after six long years, an older couple prayed for her and Brad, saying that they would have two beautiful children. Despite the wall she had put around her heart, Sheryn felt a flicker of hope.

She prayed, asking God to show her one way or the other, so that they could move forward with their lives. In response, she felt led to Isaiah 54:1-4,
Sing and shout,
even though you have never had children!
The Lord has promised that you will have more children
than someone married for a long time.
… Don’t be afraid or ashamed
and don’t be discouraged.

Then, out of the blue and six years after their visit, Sheryn and Brad got a letter from Fertility Associates about changes to the IVF programme. They were now able to make a smaller number of embryos. The couple were only given a 10 per cent chance of success, but they decided to give it a go.

Six embryos were created, and of these, two failed to develop. But the first embryo implanted became their daughter, Tayla. A year and a half later, they faced heartbreak again when two attempts to replace embryos failed. They had one more chance. The last embryo became their youngest daughter, Rylee.

‘God knows just what you need—and he does provide,’ says Sheryn. It seems fitting that she quotes Matthew 6: Why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these … But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (vs 28-34).

Full circle

Sheryn turns the conversation back to style, recalling a very practical example of how God provides from when a client came to her for advice. The woman didn’t have much money and needed an outfit for a job interview. Sheryn did a wardrobe audit with her, and she needed a jacket and pants. ‘I told her that God is practical and knows what we need, and said I’d pray that he would provide.’ Sheryn then suggested her client try the local Salvation Army Family Store. ‘When she went, she found the exact jacket she wanted for $5 and the exact pants for $2. She was truly stunned.’  

Sheryn continues, ‘I often hear, “I wish I could look like her,” but each of us is unique. God has designed nature in all shapes, sizes and colours—all different, yet all beautiful together. The Father is not swayed by magazines or culture, and he knows what is best for us. We are his children and he is on the journey with us.’

Shop your wardrobe

Sheryn’s tips for getting the most out of what’s already in your wardrobe.

The saying goes that we wear 20 per cent of our clothes 80 per cent of the time. Find some space for yourself and pull everything out of your wardrobe, lay it on your bed and then put each item through the ‘Five Rs’.

Return: The item fits well; you wear it and love it. This stays, return it to your wardrobe.

Renovate: If you’re holding onto a skirt that’s too long, hem it and wear it! Sew new buttons on an old cardie or top to change its look. Voila, you have a new outfit!

Recycle: If a piece is just not right for you and you know you won’t wear it, donate it to a Family Store near you.

Remarkables: That school ball gown or a jacket from your great-nana … keep them, they are special. But take them out of your everyday wardrobe and find another space for them.

Remove: That top with the stains and wee holes, it really is time to move it on to the rag bag.

You will be surprised to see what you actually have! You could also gather up your unwanted clothes, organise an evening with some friends (who have done the same) and have a ‘swap, not shop’ night. Great for the budget, and coming home with free treasures is always fun.   For more information go to www.sherynadamson.com

Sheryn’s Style File

What style personality are you? 

Most people are a mixture of a dominant and a minor style personality.

Dramatic: You make a statement with what you wear. Clean lines and no fuss, but still drama. You like fitted pants or dresses, shoes high, bold colours, bling and oversized jewellery. You put fashion over comfort.
Natural: The opposite of drama. Clothing and shoes must feel comfortable or serve a purpose, otherwise what’s the point? Nothing too tight, too fitted, too short, or scratchy to wear. You shake your head at the dramatic.
Creative: You are a fashion statement unto yourself! Stripes, florals, pink and orange, all worn all together —yet somehow you creatives make it all work. You are walking art works.
Feminine: Nothing hard or masculine in what you wear. You will pick dresses and skirts over pants. Often soft, floating fabrics will draw you in. You take care in the details of your outfit.
Classic: Often seen as elegant, you will wear clothing that fits well and styles that won’t date quickly. Your accessories will often be silver or gold, studs or hoops, classic watches and small neat chains.

Love your body

We are all unique, but there are five common body shapes.

Hourglass: Your shoulders and hips measure the same, and your waist is about 20 cm smaller. Show off your waist with structured jackets and tops.
Triangle: Your shoulders are smaller than your hips. Show off your top half, using colour, prints, pleats and details that draw the eye to your top half. Keep the bottom half simple—a-line skirts are your friend.
Rectangle: Shoulders and hips are equal with no obvious waist. For a more feminine shape, create a waist by using different colours on the top and bottom.
Inverted triangle: Broad shoulder with narrow hips. Accentuate your torso, rather than shoulders. Skinny  jeans look great on you.
Oval: Your tummy area is your fullest part, while you often have slim legs. Wear flowing tops or dresses that follow your shape, then team with a boxy or crop jacket to create a waist.

Colour craft

The colours you wear near your face should harmonise with your skin tone—too bright and the colour will wear you; too pale and you’ll look washed out. Wearing black close to your face is not flattering for most people, so accessorise with a scarf, jewellery or lippy. Think of navy or charcoal as the new black, as these colours are far more flattering.  Get your colour inspiration from the environment—look to nature to see what colours go well together.

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by Ingrid Barratt (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 10 January 2015 2014, pp5-7.
You can read 'War Cry' at your nearest Salvation Army church or centre, or subscribe through Salvationist Resources.