Jo and I met when she was gifted a Colour Analysis consultation a few years ago. At her consultation we had such a hoot! If I remember correctly, we overran by double the time simply because we found a shared love of herbal teas and discovered so much more to chat about!
Back then, Jo was an Artist, well, she still is of course but she is also super talented & creative and now gets up to so many other amazing things…as I found out when she got back in touch in Autumn 2020.
There was a small window between lockdowns and tiers when I could visit clients in person…oh how I had missed that part of my work… to the point that I think I practically skipped down her drive. ha ha. Anyway, one of my in-person sessions during this time was with Jo who had asked me to help her curate an outfit for a TV appearance….
Back then, Jo was an Artist, well, she still is of course but she is also super talented & creative and now gets up to so many other amazing things…as I found out when she got back in touch in Autumn 2020.
There was a small window between lockdowns and tiers when I could visit clients in person…oh how I had missed that part of my work… to the point that I think I practically skipped down her drive. ha ha. Anyway, one of my in-person sessions during this time was with Jo who had asked me to help her curate an outfit for a TV appearance….
How exciting!! And that’s just the prospect of seeing an actual person…never mind the upcoming TV appearance!
In all seriousness, I could not wait to find out more about what on earth she was going to be doing on TV. OK, OK, I’ll tell you that bit first… if you are a lover of unusual artifacts/antiques, you may well know the BBC 1 show, The Bidding Room. Well, just a few days after we’d got together, Jo was heading to Yorkshire for the filming of a new series of The Bidding Room. The only shopping available was within Jo’s wardrobe.
No Stripes
Experience has taught me that there are a number of onscreen no-no’s in terms of clothing and accessories. For example, even the not so jangly jewellery could be picked up by the super sensitive microphones used and stripes of course can look a bit squiffy on camera too.
However, I first needed to find out any guidelines the TV production company had provided on what ‘the bidders’ can/cannot wear. It transpired that the only guidelines were “no stripes”.
Armed with this knowledge, Jo and I spent some time talking about the show and what that was likely to entail. Will she be sitting, standing, what is the location….I had visions of her being in a freezing cold barn…. thankfully, she was going to be safely snug indoors. The overall feel of the show is relaxed and informal.
Quirky & creative
So, with the practicalities out of the way, we turned our focus to Jo. I was super keen to ensure that Jo’s personality shone through. Remember, she is a creative talent, she is a fountain of knowledge and a whole heap of fun and she successfully pulls off a quirky, asymmetric hair style.
Jo told me that top of her criteria was to be comfortable (no heels) and warm. I’d asked Jo to have a few garments ready that she had thought of as possibilities. We started going through these but both of us felt uninspired.
You know me, I am all about your personality and ensuring that it shines through on the outside. These items were far from doing this – they were not showing the quirky, fun, creative Jo. This was because Jo had picked out items that had been lurking in the wardrobe from a past era and that she felt she “should” wear – but of course, she wasn’t feeling great in them and was struggling to find pieces with which to team them.
So, at her wardrobe, (at a safe distance) I asked Jo to show me her most comfortable (not jeans) trousers (Jo is very much a trouser wearer). We narrowed this down to 2 pairs of which the straight legged black pair were the best fit.
Next, “Jo, what is your go to top?” This was trickier for Jo as she lives in lovely knits yet we didn’t want to go with this for TV. Out came a classic white shirt, which Jo often wears, collar up, for her IGTV slots. It suits her body shape and the way she wears it, is VERY Jo.
OK, so now we have two basic pieces we can build on…. we needed to add personality. Out came various (all gorgeous) quirky jackets… tweed, embroidered, colourful, short, long, in-between! A Vivienne Westwood vintage, a hand made, you name it, the creativity was in abundance and we were getting somewhere…Jo’s excitement was building too as now she could see that being her true self was absolutely the way forward.
I banned the Birkenstocks
OK, so now we have two basic pieces we can build on…. we needed to add personality. Out came various (all gorgeous) quirky jackets… tweed, embroidered, colourful, short, long, in-between! A Vivienne Westwood vintage, a hand made, you name it, the creativity was in abundance and we were getting somewhere…Jo’s excitement was building too as now she could see that being her true self was absolutely the way forward.
I banned the Birkenstocks
As we tried all of Jo’s jackets, a couple of contenders emerged. Then, Jo said, I also have this (long jacket) which I love, my husband bought it for me, but it’s not right. I had Jo put it on…. the impact was immediate; her whole posture changed, hands in pockets, shoulders back, swishing around the room with a huge smile on her face….. THIS was the one.
A beautifully made, long soft black casual jacket with a stunning off-white embroidered pattern. The outfit came together within minutes from this point. I had Jo turn back the cuffs on the shirt to add interest, less classic looking. We selected from Jo’s jewellery collection a chunky piece that would be silent! Jo has some stunning bold rings so we added the biggest and best of those.
Footwear was all about comfort & warmth for Jo. Black made the outfit appear dull and I banned the Birkenstocks for the TV!. The other flat option was her quirky brown boots. Jo is tall and so having a colour change at the feet, works really well.
Jo was so excited, she scooted off to show her husband who was working in another room!
We nailed it. Right down to the socks!
Most importantly? Jo’s personality shone like the brightest of beacons.
A beautifully made, long soft black casual jacket with a stunning off-white embroidered pattern. The outfit came together within minutes from this point. I had Jo turn back the cuffs on the shirt to add interest, less classic looking. We selected from Jo’s jewellery collection a chunky piece that would be silent! Jo has some stunning bold rings so we added the biggest and best of those.
Footwear was all about comfort & warmth for Jo. Black made the outfit appear dull and I banned the Birkenstocks for the TV!. The other flat option was her quirky brown boots. Jo is tall and so having a colour change at the feet, works really well.
Jo was so excited, she scooted off to show her husband who was working in another room!
We nailed it. Right down to the socks!
Most importantly? Jo’s personality shone like the brightest of beacons.
By wearing an outfit Jo would feel 100% her true self, would mean that she would relax and focus on the job in hand. Which is exactly what happened.
Jo says “You saved the day Sarah. I can’t believe I had that outfit in my wardrobe already. I would never have worn those items together and yet, together, they are so me… I felt comfortable, warm and as relaxed as can be in front of a camera crew!”
Follow Jo on Instagram @josobjetsd.art
Jo says “You saved the day Sarah. I can’t believe I had that outfit in my wardrobe already. I would never have worn those items together and yet, together, they are so me… I felt comfortable, warm and as relaxed as can be in front of a camera crew!”
Follow Jo on Instagram @josobjetsd.art
www.josobjectsofdesire.co.uk
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Comments (4)
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It was such a joy to work with Sarah, in fact it wasn’t work at all! She turned the situation into a very positive experience. The proof was that throughout filming, I felt very comfortable & at ease, just what I had been hoping to achieve. Thank you Sarah, & I look forward to working with you again Jo x
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Author
You’re right Jo, it wasn’t work at all! 😉 It was such fun and I’m super happy that you felt so comfortable and at ease throughout filming. You’re fab on that show…cant wait to see you pop up in more episodes! Sarah x
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What a fab story! You did a great job and Jo looks gorgeous. I have to ask – why no stripes on TV?
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Author
Thank you so much Kathryn. It’s a prime example of dressing to be true to yourself. Well, stripes can be distorted by a camera and distracting to the viewer. Not particularly recommended for photos either!
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