It’s been two years since I welcomed my second child, and I need help. Specifically; help with what to wear. Nothing fits, I haven’t updated my wardrobe since before I got pregnant, I barely know what size I am, and I don’t have time to go shopping. I feel like I have well and truly lost my sense of style. As well as my motivation to do anything about it.
So when I was offered a ‘fashion alchemy’ consultation with Nieve Tierney, an energy coach whose beautiful new book The Fashion Oracle: An Occult Guide to What to Wear Inspired by Chanel, promises to offer divine guidance to provide daily style inspiration, I jumped at the chance.
How it all started
Nieve worked in fashion for 15 years before suffering from burnout and training as a reiki healer; she’s the in-demand resident reiki master at Soho House and has a private client list that includes Hollywood stars and elite athletes. Now, she wants to help people align their energy with their outer style, and her book – beautifully illustrated by Joanna Layla – works as a tool to help you alter your frequency to match the energy you desire every day via the clothes you choose to wear.
“We all have an awareness of frequency, of energy. We know when the vibe is off, or we'll walk into a room and just be like, ‘What has just happened?’ Everyone knows that, everyone gets that, but not everyone understands how to consciously tune into this frequency we have,” explains Nieve, whose mission is to “normalise the woo woo”.
“I want people to consciously and regularly tune into this frequency that we have through the art of dressing, which is a daily activity for most people. And then to know how to activate it to align to an energy that's going to support their day, or support some kind of challenge that they're moving through.
“But I've done it in a way that feels playful. It feels fun, so it injects a different lens when it comes to getting dressed. It's not just ‘what colours suit me? What are the latest trends?’ It's ‘what energy is going to support me?’ And then you choose what will support that energy.”
So how does it work?
“You flick through the book and you'll land on one of 70 different archetypes, and each archetype will tell you very specifically what to wear, whether it’s a colour, a texture, a silhouette,” says Nieve, who has included archetypes such as The Rebel, The Feminist, The Risk Taker and The Seductress.
“But then it goes deeper by giving you some wisdom and some guidance to tune into the wisdom of that specific archetype; a journaling prompt, a meditation, an affirmation.”
This all sounds like exactly what I need. I explain that since having another baby I’ve lost ‘myself’ a bit, and that I finally feel like I'm finally ready to step back into the energy of being me, as opposed to being just me as a mother.
“I haven't invested in my wardrobe in like three years, I've got nothing to wear that feels like it is me, and I kind of don't even know who I am in terms of dressing anymore,” I tell her.
Nieve nods understandingly. “This is a dilemma that so many people face, and it's one that I've heard before,” she says reassuringly. “It feels really isolating when you're in that place, because you look at your wardrobe nothing speaks to you in terms of who you want to communicate you are to the world.”
Next, Nieve conducts a guided visualisation and an energy healing to detox my frequency and create space in my energy field for fresh inspiration, before asking me to say stop as she flicks through the book to find my archetype – "backwards first and then forward, it's like an energetic running jump," she says, before landing on The Mermaid.
“This is so perfect for you!” she exclaims, advising that I wear pearls or iridescent nail varnish to evoke the treasures of the sea.
Apparently, Coco Chanel – who was “very woo woo” and used symbols from astrology and tarot throughout her designs – “revolutionized the perception of pearls and fashion, elevating them from traditional and conservative to symbols of modernity, luxury and empowerment”.
“They’re a symbol of femininity and celebrate the strength, resilience and beauty inherent in women. Her affinity for pearls may also stem from their formation within the depths of the ocean, reflecting a journey of transformation and growth akin to the personal development and wisdom gained through life experiences,” Nieve tells me, reading from the book.
This feels spot on; I certainly feel like I have garnered plenty of life experience and that I’ve been through a journey of transformation.
The results
I go through a mental inventory of my wardrobe in a bid to recall whether or not I own any items with pearls on. I do; a black knitted jumper with pearls on the sleeves, and a beautiful pearl ring my mum gave me a few years ago. I dig both out and wear them the next day. I even give myself a mani with shiny pearl-like nail varnish.
And do you know what? I did feel like my energy shifted. Just consciously thinking of the message I was conveying via my clothes made me walk a little taller and feel more intentional.
It also made me realise I don’t need to go out and buy an entirely new wardrobe. By reconsidering what I already own, and using Nieve’s book as inspiration to help me make choices aligned with my energy, I can give old items a new lease of life.
As Nieve says, our inner energy is intertwined with our outer personal style. And in recognising that, I think I’ve taken the first steps in regaining my confidence - with the help of my new trusty Fashion Oracle, of course.
The Fashion Oracle: An Occult Guide to What to Wear Inspired by Chanel is on sale now. Visit https://www.nievetierney.com
