Update: this review is 8 years old. I have no idea what the current Dressing Your Truth process and course is like. Although I felt that the Dressing Your Truth initial assessment was fun to do, I don’t believe that it helps you define your own style and helps you dress better. It just puts you in one of the 4 ‘boxes’. To truly understand and develop your unique style, I recommend 40+Style’s style course: 21 steps to a More Stylish You.

I was invited to take the Dressing Your Truth profile test and do their course.

Today I will tell you a bit more about my profile and the full Dressing your Truth course.

What is my profile?

As I watched all the videos of the beauty profiling, I kept trying to find out my own.

It was great listening to all the clues and hints and I found that it was actually easier to rule out profiles rather than choose certain types based on what Carol was saying.

Although I recognised traits of myself in all 4 profiles, it quickly became clear to me that I was predominantly a 3. That had been my initial reaction as a I saw Carol and what she was wearing, but it just became more and more clear as the courses progressed. However, I also have a lot of a 4 in me.

What does it mean to be a 3?

Type 3 is the rich / dynamic woman. Here are some more characteristics:

  • Our primary element is hydrogen / fire
  • Primary Movement: Active, Reactive
  • Natural Gift: Action—“Let’s get to work and get it done!”
  • Dominant Quality: Swiftly moving us forward to our desired outcomes.
  • Beauty Code Word: Hot!

We can be quite competitive and intense and people may have told you to just relax, or stop being so demanding or tone it down! We can be very task oriented and sometimes forget about the people.

We are also very passionate and compulsive. We value honest communication, credibility and realism. We get to the point.

A quote from the book that resonated with me:

It is important that you acknowledge and allow your energy to have a swift, pushing nature. If you try to soften your movement and override it with apologies, it can be like a burning furnace that has no vent and will suddenly go into reactive mode—what we call rage! When you do not allow your Dominant Type to lead in your expressive self, you lose your connection with who you are. You will be out of balance from your active/reactive energy if you try to soften or sedate yourself“.

What will you learn in the Dressing your Truth course?

clothes and hairstyles

Once you have discovered your beauty profile, you will select the Dressing Your Truth course for your type. You will then learn how to dress true to your nature by learning the five elements for your type. These include:

  1. Design lines
  2. Texture
  3. Fabrication
  4. Pattern
  5. Color/Chroma
In addition, you will learn about the right jewelry, makeup and hairstyle.

How will I apply these findings to my own life?

I was amazed by how many of the findings seemed right to me. All the uneven lines, the asymmetry, the colours; they just seemed to fit. Even though I have just bought a colourful wardrobe capsule in very bright colours, I always knew that those were not really ‘my colours’, which is why I chose to buy them cheaply and will enjoy them for the time being. Although it is worth noting that these are the colours of type 4, which is a strong secondary type for me. However, I was right in adding much more colour to my wardrobe!

What I have gained though is an even deeper understanding of what my style personality is and which colours, lines and patters suit me.

Does that mean that I will follow the guidelines strictly? I would say: no.

I still like to indulge in trends. I still want to express myself in ways that are not totally me, but that are a part of me. For me that is part of being dynamic too. Moving around and switching and also staying true to my style statement: modern freedom.

But I will try to incorporate some of the guidelines given for my style type. The colours for my type seem right to me and I want to incorporate more of them in my wardrobe.

The bulky necklaces were already a favorite of mine and I will try to make them even bolder and bulkier.

Strong triangular lines and asymmetry were also already favorites and I will aim for more garments that emphasize this even more.

I will even have another look at my hairstyle again, which I’m still not 100% happy with (will I ever?) and possibly make it more texturized.

From the book: “Your nature is to be dynamic and determined, and when you wear clothes that make you appear to be soft and quiet, your true nature is disguised to most people and it will come across as unexpected and can often be judged as aggressive and pushy.” 

For those that have started doing the assesement, how are you going with this? Have you already discovered your type? Any ‘AHA’ moments?

UPDATE: If you are looking for a different kind of course that focusses on finding your own unique style,  I recommend the 21 Steps to a More Stylish You course.

Sylvia

Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.

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