Personal Styling At Michèlle Belau: A Clothing Crisis Averted

Every now and then I declare war on my wardrobe – one day it’s all good and the next I have absolutely nothing to wear. At the start of this year I vowed to minimise these meltdowns, crack-down on impulse buys and get my clothing rails in order – so when an invitation to experience a personal styling session at City Walk store Michèlle Belau arrived, I was intrigued.

Not sure who or what Michèlle Belau is mamas? Neither was I – and the store’s City Walk location triggered the assumption that I’d be faced with eye-watering price-tags. But, if nothing else I’d have some fun, try on some clothes, get to know what does and doesn’t suit my skin colour/body shape and lifestyle and head home. So I booked in, filled out a small questionnaire (age: too old, height: short, general fashion preferences: boho/vintage/street/not sure) and headed down to City Walk one beautiful morning in jeans and a tee (the staple uniform when mid clothing-crisis).

A gorgeous, spacious, uncluttered boutique, Michèlle Belau is a Peruvian fashion label that has been brought to Dubai by lovely Peruvian mama, Veronica Smulders – stocking some super cute pieces (without the hefty prices I’d been expecting). Patterned wraparound dresses, breezy tops, sparkly evening wear and perfect denim – there’s something in the store for every wardrobe – and if you don’t spot it at once then the lovely personal stylist is on hand to assist.

The first step? To figure out what colours best suited my skin-tone, which the stylist did by holding different shades up to my face to see which made my eyes ‘pop’ – essentially all of us are either ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ and should buy clothes to match. The ‘cool’ colours were lovely but made me look tired – the ‘warm’ colours brightened up my face and made me look less tired – so this was my chosen palette. The next stage? To play dress-up with a whole rail of clothes that the stylist had pre-chosen for me based on my questionnaire – from shirt dresses to high-waisted trousers and a whole collection that I wouldn’t necessarily have picked out myself (I was amazed at how many pieces I initially shunned and then loved), and I quickly learned what shapes were best suited to my frame. And then there were the ones that got away that I loved – a grey jumpsuit that didn’t look right at all – so we moved on.

The stylist was awesome at showing me the importance of tweaking clothes according to your body type – pulling in the waist, shortening the length, pinning excess fabric – simple little things that literally make something average look really wow. And the best bit? The Michèlle Belau store will make the suggestions and then make the adjustments, leaving you with perfectly fitting clothing.

I had fun, I tried on so many outfits, chatted with the stylist, ran around the store picking out tops, trousers, dresses – all based on my new found confidence in what really worked for me – and finally wrapped it all up by buying a couple of staples that will help avert any future wardrobe crisis.

Honestly mamas a styling session at Michèlle Belau really will help sort your style. I guarantee you’ll, not only, have fun and discover what clothes and colours you should (and shouldn’t) be wearing, whilst getting some of that all-important ‘me-time’, but you’ll also find some really unique pieces to help you stand out from the crowd. Plus, you’ll go home and look at what’s hanging on your rails in a whole new light, armed with the knowledge that a little adjustment here and there may be all that’s needed.

(psst…you can also shop online if that’s more your thing!)