When you’ve been doing this blogging thing for as long as I have, it’s inevitable that people in your “real life” will become aware of it. In my case, I’ve been lucky that my social media presence has never posed any issues at work, but it does feel awkward (to me) at times when co-workers refer to it in a way that makes it seem like I’m some kind of actual influencer. For example: a bunch of them recently suggested that I might be a good person to give a presentation on building a personal brand. My first reaction was “umm, thanks guys, but I am NOT qualified in ANY WAY WHATSOEVER insert Homer-Simpson-disappearing-into-bushes-gif” That being said, their suggestion did get thinking about, well, how does one build a personal brand in the course of a professional (non influencer) career? With the proviso that I am writing here as a non-expert average Jane, here are my thoughts.

Authenticity

Obviously, the first step of building a brand is deciding on what that brand will be. I have pivoted in my career several times (at least twice in a major way), but in my mind, the core of my “brand” has remained the same throughout: integrity, efficiency, dependability, pragmatic & critical thinking. This might sound really generic, but it highlights what I perceive to be my strengths – things I know I can deliver no matter the situation. We all might be afflicted with impostor syndrome at times when faced with challenging circumstances or roles, but you shouldn’t feel that you have to “fake it till you make it” when it comes to your brand – people can generally sense when someone isn’t who they’re purporting to be, and nothing will undermine their trust faster.

By way of example, “rainmaker” was never a brand that felt authentic for me, and I didn’t try to pursue it even though, during my years of private practice, it was highly sought-after (and remunerated) by firms. Which is not to say that I didn’t do my share of business development activities, or devote considerable attention to nurturing client relationships, because I did and I built up valuable skills doing so; it just wasn’t my brand. Your brand isn’t your job description or your resume, it’s a kind of calling card. Put it this way: in the pantheon of fictional detectives, Sherlock Holmes’ brand isn’t a list of his cases or the title of consulting detective; rather, it might be something like “brilliant deductive skills”.

Trust

Trust goes hand in hand with authenticity. If people don’t trust your brand, it doesn’t matter how good it (or your talents) are. I was at a seminar earlier this year where the presenter talked about how trust is built. The basic formula is:

Credibility (words) + reliability (actions) + intimacy (emotions) / Self-orientation (motives/intentions)

Your words, actions and emotions (the way you make other people feel) contribute to trust, and perceived self-interest undermines it. In this context, I can’t emphasize how important consistency is. It’s not just doing what you said you would do, but doing what people expect as being in line with your brand. For me, this is a “gut check”. It’s not a question of living up to people’s expectations of you, willy nilly – it’s living up to expectations that are reasonable given your brand.

The only other thing I can’t emphasize enough is that trust takes time to build, and can be seriously undermined or lost in a split second. Sometimes, it’s tempting to do something that’s easy versus something that’s more difficult or takes more time, or pursue “easy money”, or whatever; ask yourself if cutting the corner, or getting the extra bucks is worth the hit to your reputation and brand. Don’t underestimate the value of those things in that equation.

Goodwill

I think of goodwill as a kind of personal currency. You can build up a lot of goodwill through your personal brand, and it’s a buffer when things go sideways. Nobody is perfect, and if you have a decent amount of goodwill built up, a misstep doesn’t have to become a “crash and burn” situation. Goodwill gives you a second chance, or a third, or fourth. It’s an exhaustible resource, though, so you do need to be mindful of keeping that tank full.

Goodwill has other perks too. It gives you leeway to dispense with certain conventions or expectations (provided they are not fundamental to your brand). For example, my boss trusts me to work from home occasionally because (a) face-to-face interaction is not always essential for my role, and just as importantly (b) she knows that she can trust me to be efficient, dependable and reliable no matter where I work. You might wonder at times how some people “get away” with not following certain rules; consider that they might have “earned” that privilege through the goodwill built over time in conjunction with their personal brand.

There are exceptions; people who, for a short period of time, can sustain a certain image or brand and accumulate goodwill that’s not backed up by actual work or tangible results. Personally, I don’t believe that this type of front can be sustained for extended periods of time; people catch on pretty quickly.

OK, your turn: I would love to hear your thoughts on personal branding (in real life or social media!) so drop me a line in the comment section and check out what others have to say.

What a month. It started out great – two weeks of vacation – and ended with a bit of a whimper – two stressful weeks at work plus miserable weather. I hate seeing the days get shorter, not only because it’s a reminder of the coming winter but also just for the impact on my mood. I must be one of those people who are susceptible to vitamin D deficiency or something (though I’ve taken supplements and not noticed a huge improvement). Dark, grey days or days where I don’t get to see any natural light are tough for me. Anyway, so the calendar goes, but friends – I am not ready for the last quarter of the year.

That being said, I am excited for the sartorial possibilities of fall and looking forward to be reunited with all my knits. For now, let’s look back at August:

As I mentioned, I was only at work for 2 weeks, hence the small number of outfits. The month felt really fragmented, which is probably why I feel like the “collection” here is not super cohesive. I did debut my favourite dress of all time, the black Issey Miyake number in the middle row. It’s making me reconsider some of my other dresses, like the black COS dress in the first row (left side); do I need two sleeveless black dresses? On one hand, yes. On the other hand, let’s be serious: no. I should just wear the best one. I won’t lie, though, there is a part of me that’s afraid of “wearing out” the Miyake dress. I don’t usually feel that way about my “best” clothes, but this one is special. Sigh.

Coming up this September (next week, in fact) is the next Wardrobe Exchange pop up market. My BFF and I have booked a vendor booth and will be bringing a ton of very cool pieces. Pretty much everything is from our own closets, so you can expect lots of contemporary designer stuff (Theory, DVF, Rag & Bone, Vince, Maje, Isabel Marant, and more) along with perennial favourites like Aritzia and Anthropologie. The event will run Friday, September 13 (6-9PM) and Saturday, September 14 (10-4PM) at EPCOR Tower. Tickets can be purchased in advanced on the Wardrobe Exchange website, or purchased at the door for the Saturday event. Hope to see some of you there!

I am not a trend follower. I tried to be, for about 5 minutes when I started this blog, but gave up quickly. It’s just not in me. I’ve started getting the runway collection edition of French Vogue this year, but mostly to get inspiration for how to put new spins on my clothes within the parameters of my own style. In other words, trends are relevant to me only to the extent that they represent a cool new twist on how I (already) dress. With that perspective in mind, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what the fashion industry has decided are the trends for Fall 2019, and see what might work for me and what won’t.

I pulled up 3 different lists – the first 3 that popped up when I searched “fall 2019 runway trends” on Google – because I was committed to this project, but only to a point. There’s some overlap between the lists but they also diverge. If the industry can’t agree on what the trends are, I’m not doing the work for them. I will assume these 3 represent a sufficiently diverse cross-section of opinions. Let’s get started!

Harpers Bazaar

1) 80s power suits – I am intrigued by this trend, and 80s revival in general, although I don’t like the big shoulders. I have broad shoulders already and sharp, pointy tailoring makes me feel like the Hulk. I do like the looser, more masculine fit of 80s blazers so I will be keeping an eye out at the thrift store for pieces with which I can experiment.

2) 70s chic – they called this “bougie girl” which doesn’t mean anything to me. If anything, this stuff looks like what a professional working woman might have worn in the 70s: sensible skirt, ladylike blouse, jacket. I love midi skirts, so that’s what I’m going to pull from this inspo. But I will take a skim turtleneck over a pussy-bow blouse every day of the week.

3) Neon – no thanks.

4) English tweed – I love tweed but is this really a 2019 trend? Has tweed ever NOT been in style in the last 5 years? I have a few pieces in my closet that I will put back in rotation come September (as I do every year), and I’ll keep an out for more – particularly vintage ones.

5) Dark florals – again, not really a trend but I’m always on board with this.

6) Military inspired – I am paraphrasing Harpers’ cutesy description, but this is a “naw” for me. Military stuff doesn’t really fit any of my style avatars, and I have learned to stay away.

7) Leopard – I was not surprised to see this on the list, because I’ve seen it all over my social media already. Not interested.

8) Metallics – Normally, I would pass on this but I just thrifted a pair of metallic pants so now … I am open to experimenting. I also would like to find a metallic pleated midi skirt (saw one at Winners recently but it was garbage quality) which would be a cool update for some of my boho/goth looks.

9) Utility/Things with pockets – paraphrasing again. This could be relevant to my Adventurer style avatar, but I haven’t been using that as much lately, so I don’t think it’s worth investing in new pieces here. I have, like, one existing item that fits this trend and it’s a summer piece.

10) Lace – I think the trend here is to juxtapose lace with “tougher” elements, like goth, punk or grunge styles. Personally, it’s “no” to all-over lace, but “yes” to lace accents. I have a few pieces I could use, and I will try to incorporate them into my Corporate Noir outfits.

Who What Wear

1) Head to toe Pistachio – No. I have nothing against this colour, but I prefer celadon. I would not go out of my way to buy pieces in this colour, certainly not enough to make a complete outfit.

2) Romance gone grunge – see my comments about lace above. I’m into this. Like, I’m imagining a Miss Havisham who decides to go badass instead of mad.

3) Layering knits – I love knits, I love layering. Who knew I was such a trendsetter?

4) Bright tights – This is another pass for me. I think it’s a cute look, but it doesn’t feel right on me. I only ever wear black opaque tights or “nude” nylons.

5) Period inspo – I’m into this, albeit not the giant ruffles (I wish, but not practical for my life) and corsets shown on the runway. My favourite period inspo is “vaguely Edwardian”.

6) Quilting – only if required by practical necessity.

7) Classics with a twist – honestly, who even knows what this means except “here, we adjusted the lapels on this expensive trench coat, can you please buy it even though you already have a perfectly good trench coat at home”?

8) Night at the museum – I take this means art-inspired prints. I’m not opposed to this in principle, but as a trend, I think it’s gimmicky.

9) Metallics – see above.

Elle

1) Small bags – I love my small, basic crossbody bags for weekends, but I’m guessing that’s not what this trend is about. Generally speaking, I don’t see the point of spending gobs of money on tiny purses that don’t even fit your wallet, but I am not judging you if you do.

2) Milleanial purple – First of all, oof. Why is everything “millennial” now? Second, the photos they used to illustrate this trend showed colours ranging from deep royal purple, to orchid, to lavender. What the hell is that? Does “millennial” stand in for “don’t know what this shade is actually called”? Anyway, purple is fine. It’s part of my wardrobe colour palette, so I buy it whenever I come across it at the thrift store in a piece that otherwise works for me.

3) Capes – HELL YES! I am actively on the hunt for capes.

4) Feathers – No. Not practical for my life, can’t be bothered to handle the laundering responsibilities. I saw a GORGEOUS feather Boss skirt at Vespucci in Calgary and passed on it, twice, for that reason.

5) Belted blazers – I find this interesting. This used to be a look back in, oh, 2012 or so? I think we did skinny belts back then, and now the belts look to be sturdier but same, same, yeah? I am definitely going to be exploring this with pieces I already own.

6) Satin – Maybe. Head to toe is not practical for most of my day-to-day, but I would be open to exploring it in the context of my Artist/Bohemian persona. Satin has a very distinctive look and texture, which can provide a nice contrast to some of my fave materials, like leather and wool.

7) Slashed asymmetrical necklines – I like asymmetry in my clothing, so I guess I might be accidentally on trend again.

8) Ren-Faire – I think this is basically the “period inspo” influence at work. I’m down with it, but only to the extent it fits with my preferred aesthetic. So, like, the Dark Side of Ren Faire, not the milkmaid side.

9) Long coats – Coats are an investment, so I wouldn’t let trends dictate my purchases here. That being said, long coats are pretty classic (they will go in and out of trendiness constantly) so if I find one at the thrift store, I won’t say no if the price is right.

10) Statement hats – Pass. I like them in principle, but I never wear hats (except my fedora in the summer, for practical reasons).

11) Quilting – see above.

12) Fleecy jackets – No. I don’t spend enough time outdoors to need this, nor am I outdoorsy enough in my style to want this.

13) Prep school – I mean, honestly? Isn’t this about as groundbreaking as florals for spring? A masculine take on “prep school” works with my Prince persona, so that’s what I usually go with.

14) Metallics – Ok, Ok, we get it: everyone agrees this is a TREND. Duly noted.

15) 80s Power suits – ditto.

How about you? What Fall 2019 trends are you excited about? What trends are you giving a pass? How many more times can I say “trend” before it loses all meaning? Tell me everything in the comments.