Astrology and Color Magik with Your Cosmic Personal Stylist Leah Vandervelt

Have you ever wondered what your astrology chart might look like in an outfit?!

As soon as I started learning more about myself through astrology I naturally became obsessed with exploring how I could visually represent myself in full expression in my online brand by using my astrology chart as a guide. 

Then I met my chart twin, Leah Vandervelt, and she opened my eyes to the magic, wonder and visual playground astrology can provide when you combine it with personal style. So naturally I had to invite her onto the Creative Magic Club podcast to spill the tea about why she makes witchcraft look SO GOOD. 

From living her best Devil Wears Prada life in the fashion world to becoming a Cosmic Style Witch, Leah helps her clients visually express the energy of their zodiac signs through their personal style and visual identity.

In this episode, we chat about:

✨ Developing a personal style using your birth chart to represent yourself artistically — from legacy imagery like book covers and branding shoots to the everyday outfits that make you feel magnetic in your work.

✨ Leah’s journey of expressing all the facets of herself authentically, and how she learned to embody her mystical side without falling into color and visual stereotypes that didn’t feel true to her.

✨ The rise of the color witch — a new archetype of mystics (think Barbie Witch energy) — proving we’re allowed to be all the things, and that magic doesn’t have to look one way.

✨ Using astrology to make branding decisions, and how to build a visual vocabulary that empowers you to be fully yourself online.

✨ Simple, accessible ways to style yourself — even if you feel “aesthetically challenged” — by noticing the colors, shapes, and moods you’re naturally drawn to.

✨ How aesthetics form their own language, and how understanding why you’re attracted to certain looks can help you create a brand and wardrobe that truly resonate, and that can attract more of your people in the process. 

If you’ve ever wanted to infuse your brand or wardrobe with your unique cosmic energy — and do it in a way that feels authentic, magical, and totally you — this conversation will spark magic. 

Write a sales post to attract your soul mate client using you astrology chart with my FREE 5-part training series! https://withsarahmac.com/cosmic-attraction-copywriting/

The Cosmic Copy Mastermind is THE place to get the support that will bring your dream of becoming a 6-figure creative to life in 2025 by selling your high-ticket offers with sales copy driven by stories and guided by astrology.

Message me the word MASTERMIND on instagram @sarahmacmagic for the full details.

Chapters

• 3:05 Welcome And Guest Introduction
• 4:07 Chart Twins And Astrology As Language
• 6:07 Leah’s Path From Magazines To Mystic Style
• 8:15 Owning The Leo Sun And Dressing Your Sign
• 10:26 How Leah Reads Charts For Style
• 14:38 Maximalism, Virgo Rising, And Athleisure
• 18:24 Enclothed Cognition And Visibility
• 20:12 Color, Location, And Photo Shoot Authenticity
• 22:52 Building A Brand Aesthetic With Color
• 26:01 Virgo Style Without Earth Tones
• 29:27 Mood Boards, Pinterest, And Process
• 32:47 From Inspiration To Items: Building Vocabulary
• 35:40 Proportions, Closet Audits, And Experiments
• 40:02 Thrifting, Silhouettes, And Low-Stakes Trials
• 42:51 Where To Find Leah And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:34

Creative Magic Club. What's up? This is Sarah Mack and welcome to Creative Magic Club. Together we'll discover inspirational stories of creative entrepreneurs living out their dreams, doing the work they are most passionate about, and building wealth in magical and fun ways. While building a six-figure income as a writer and coach helping other women to launch their dream businesses, I've connected with so many incredible people and seen it proven again and again that you can thrive financially doing whatever it is you are passionate about. I'm here to share life-changing strategies for mindset, making money, and reaching more people with your work in a business and life filled with creativity, freedom, and fun. Creative Magic Club. Hi everyone, welcome to the Creative Magic Club podcast. I'm so excited to introduce my guest today. We have Leah Vanderbilt, who is an author, astrologer, tarot deck creator, and cosmic stylist. She helps the astro curious see their natural gifts and style from a cosmic POV and use their natal charts to guide them to bolder decisions and better outfits. Hi Leah, thank you for joining us. Hi, thank you for having me. So, fun fact about me and Leah is that we are astrology chart twins. I don't know how we discovered this, but oh yeah, you listen to my podcast and you reach out and you're like, oh, I have this placement and this placement. And then I was like, I need to see your chart. And then we went up.

SPEAKER_01: 3:11

Yeah, I was like piecing it together. I'm like, I'm pretty sure we're born within a couple of days of each other in the same year.

SPEAKER_00: 3:17

Yeah. Yeah. Leah's August 8th. I'm August 10th. So if you can find a chart to win, it's really fun. I found a few through talking about astrology. Like I have another one who's on my email, he was on my email list, became a client, and it's just fun, you know, to compare notes. I'm like, how are you doing? And how is this impacting you? And obviously it's not exactly the same. Our house placements are a little different. But um, but yeah, astrology friends, it's always helpful to reflect and all about. And the other thing that really drew me to connect with Leah is she has incredible branding. Like it's just, it's so fun. I love it. And obviously, I'm gonna love it because we have the same charts, and you know, you're fully expressing yourself in all of the ways that resonate with me. Um, and yeah, I love that you use astrology for personal styling. That's not like a crossover that I've ever seen before. So yeah, I'm curious. Like, what's your story? How did you get into this?

SPEAKER_01: 4:18

Oh gosh, my very long, uh windy manifesting generator path to um where I am today. But yeah, I mean, most of my career I've been in um writing and publishing. I worked in magazines. My first job out of college was Vogue. I was a sales assistant there. And it's just funny that I think I denied a lot of like the fashion, like my personal um like pull towards aesthetics and fashion because I hated the way that the high fashion world was like very gatekeeper-y and working in that environment. Um, yeah, I truly like it, I was living my best devil wears product life, except like I had no Stanley Tucci to support me, regrettably. But yeah, and then I've I've worked in, I worked in magazines in Australia and always like very like tiptoeing around the aesthetics of it all. And um I ended up going into food editing and recipe development. And over that time I started to get into reading tarot and learning astrology, and then like just that overlap eventually got completely saturated by the mystical stuff and the astrology and the tarot. And um yeah, in the past few years, I started to bring in this uh style aspect, and I started just really wanting to visually express what all the signs and placements were about. And so I just started playing around with it and it has evolved into this, you know, tool to help others define their own personal style and figure out what they actually want to express. And the the Leo aspect of my chart was a huge part of that. Um, because I think I, you know, like when you first, when astrology first comes on your radar, like I I I've known I was a Leo my entire life. But I think at a certain point I started to reject that aspect of myself. And when I got into learning astrology, I'm like, of course, I'm a Cancer Rising, I'm a Taurus moon. This feels like me. I can like fully ignore the Leo. And you absolutely can't, obviously. Um, but when I started to lean into my sun sign and dress for my sun sign more and like express that through colors and just like little astrological bits of magic and things like that, I was like, oh, okay. I get it now. And then like the Leo really became that like cosmic style, the personal style aspect of it that really helped me come out of my shell and embrace it all.

SPEAKER_00: 7:09

I love the come out of my shell from a cancer rising.

unknown: 7:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 7:15

It's a constant battle between that cancer rising and the Leo sun for sure.

SPEAKER_00: 7:20

Yeah, I bet. It's funny because I felt similarly when I learnt about my Gemini moon. I was like, oh my god, this is me, this is who I really am. Although I I I've always struggled to connect with my Virgo rising. I feel like Virgo is like the most boring sign. And when you I mean it's not, it's not the most boring sign. Like I will not hear you slander your Virgo. But a lot of the a lot of the associations are some of the less fun ones, you know. It's like, oh, perfectionism or being really analytical, like, oh. But um, but yeah, I think we go through different eras where we're like, this is the part of me that I love the best. And yeah, and then when you understand, and then when I understood that my Leo was in the 12th house, I was like, oh yeah, but no, I've always been a Leo through and through. There's no hiding a Leo. No, you cannot tamper down. So yeah, I'm really curious when someone comes to you and they're like, um help me express myself more through my style. Like, which parts of the chart are there, is it always like the similar parts of chart that you look for? Or does it like change very dependent on person to person?

SPEAKER_01: 8:28

Yeah, it really does change person to person. Like um, I it it really depends what the person's like stress points are about where they feel like they are with their style. And from there we can start to dig into the chart. And, you know, like it can be anything from making sure you're looking at your sun sign, because that has been my own personal experience. Because often I do think like the sun sign in us is the thing we tend to shame the most, you know, like the brightest light casts the biggest shadows. Um, but also, you know, of course, we want to look at your rising and your Venus and your MC, like how you're projecting, especially if you're trying to show up in a professional setting. Um, and I love looking at that fifth house, like signs, planets in the fifth, because I really do feel like that's like the joy, the pleasure, the inner child, like dressing for your inner child. That's probably the Leo and me talking. But I think that's like really can be very special for getting back to the magic and back to your own personal taste. Like we lose our personal taste along the way, um, out of, you know, we're just bombarded by influence. But and then I also really love to look at the dark houses of the chart, like speaking of your 12th house son, my son in the second house, and looking like those areas that we can't see as clearly. Um, like for example, I was just giving a cosmic style reading to someone, and they mentioned that they owned a lot of black, they were a Scorpio sun, they were a Capricorn rising, and but they had their Venus in the 12th in Sagittarius. And I was like, ooh, what is that Sagittarius part of you want? You know, like because like that's such a different contrast between the signs on either side of that, right? Like between Scorpio to Sag and Sag to Cap, like vastly different. And like that little Sagittarius getting sandwiched in there. I'm like, oh, she wants to come out and play a little bit. Like, how can we figure out how to do that without like overwhelming you, you know? And so yeah, it really is depends on like person to person situation. But I like I love digging in and like finding that way in and that like aha for um someone to realize, like, oh yeah, like I do need a little bit more boldness or color, or maybe I need more structure and black, depending on the on the person. I love that.

SPEAKER_00: 13:01

Okay, so I have um Jupiter and Aquarius in my fifth house.

SPEAKER_01: 13:04

Yeah, let me look at your shirt.

SPEAKER_00: 13:06

Um, I'm like, well, I'm wearing purple eyeliner right now. I feel like that's kind of like Aquarius.

SPEAKER_01: 13:11

Totally. I love your colors today. It's like so perfect and beautiful. Yes, totally.

SPEAKER_00: 13:17

And I do have a tendency to dress kind of a little bit weird. You know, I remember like when um when I was in at university, I lived with five of my girlfriends and we'd all get ready to dress up, and they were all just very like well put together. And I would show up and they'd be like, okay, let's first of all take off like three of these accessories. You know, it's like I would try and put all of the different style combinations together, but like I would love it, you know, like it's making me happy to wear 10 million different colors at once and like different genres of of style, but it doesn't always last.

SPEAKER_01: 13:49

Yeah, let that free flag fly. Yeah, I feel like between like the Jupiter in the fifth in Aquarius and all the Leo places, it's like, yeah, we're maximalist, like what of it? Yeah, I love that. And the of course the Virgo rising is like rein it in. Wait, what do you say about the Virgo rising? Of course, your Virgo rising would be like rein it in.

SPEAKER_00: 14:10

Like the simplicity, simplicity. Like, I I like I like patterns, but like simple patterns. Um, what was the other thing I was gonna say that just came to mind? Oh yeah, why am I stuck in the vortex of constantly wearing athleisure wear and not wanting to branch out? Is that just because I live in LA now or like because I work from home and I never have to go into an office?

SPEAKER_01: 14:34

Well, yeah, let's what are we looking at? We've got a I'm looking at your chart right now. Um, because I'm like, ooh, are we like sixth housing it? How are we feeling? Yeah, I mean, like athleisure is always something I kind of like associate with like the other fire signs, like with Sag and with Aries, because I'm like, they need to move. Right, yeah. And you've got like your I see in Sag. Like I feel like the I see is another great point too, because it's like that point of comfort, like, and even the Gemini moon, it's like you need to be mutable, you need to be able to move around, like, and yeah, because you have the like mutable rising, your I see and your moon on that mutable mutability, and it's just like no, I need to be able to like get up and run and snow.

SPEAKER_00: 15:27

Yeah, and also maybe it's like my south node and Scorpio. I'm always like, I just I'm always getting my hands dirty, you know. I'm like, yeah, but I'm moving more into my Taurus North Node, and you know, obviously we're turning 40 this year, so I'm trying to step more into my like elegant era, you know, like I really yeah to sports and pants because I all I had was well, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 15:52

Like we just like I feel like that Taurus North Node still wants soft pants, like they do not want hard pants, so it's like finding elevated soft pants, it's like linen over clothes, whatever rayon or whatever.

SPEAKER_00: 16:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. So okay, tell me, like what um do you work with a lot of clients who have um personal brands and who are showing up online and like trying to express themselves to kind of show up on camera at all?

SPEAKER_01: 16:23

Yeah, a little bit. Like I've increasingly got had clients who are like ready to like be more visible, you know, like clients have like books that they've written and things that they're ready to promote. And I love like supporting that because um the it is kind of it's kind of a cliche of you know dressing as that like dress for the job you want or whatever it is, or like dress what you want to project. It does like there is actual science that backs that concept of enclosed cognition where when we're wearing certain things, it brings out different parts of ourselves and we are like able to feel more capable and confident in certain ways, trying to nail down what people want to be projecting out there, in addition to what is naturally in their chart. You know, of course, looking at the 10th house is always a really good go-to when people want to be more visible because that's how people are gonna perceive you in one way or another. So, how do we work with that to also convey the message you want to convey? You know, and often they overlap, of course. But yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 17:39

Yeah, I really felt that with doing the photo shoot for my book cover because it's like, you know, it's gonna be is immortalized the right word? Or, you know, it's just this like legacy that's gonna last for eternity. And wanting to just really feel like myself, like I had a one photo shoot, which just did not turn out. How you know, I just felt like it didn't really represent me. And I'm not super well-versed in aesthetics and style, but I have like a really strong intuitive sense for it, you know? Like I feel like I've built all of my branding just on intuitive choices, mainly around colour, because I just really, really resonate with colour, and that's like always the number one reason why I'll choose an item of clothing. Well, probably number one is how it feels and the comfort, and then number two will be colour. Um, and I had to really rethink it and be like, why didn't this feel like me? You know, and it's like, oh well, actually, it wasn't a sunny day and it was kind of cloudy, and I thought I was wearing black in some of my things. I was like, this just doesn't feel like an authentic representation of me. Even when I was wearing my my colour, it's like the colour didn't pop as much when it wasn't sunny. And I was like, I just I need to do this on a sunny day. I need to make sure that the colours feel, you know, really vibrant. And I was, you know, obviously so happy with the final um shots that we got, and it really did just, I don't know why. It's like I wanted to be at the beach. I'm like, well, I'm a Leo, like the beach is just my favorite place, you know. And I chose to live by the beach, and it was just all of those elements coming together, and it felt really good to me. And people really responded to it, you know. I got so many good compliments from it, and I feel like people just like saw like a full expression of me, and that felt so good. Even my puppy sleeves were kind of like, you know, sun rays, they were like orange. So I'm curious what that process is like for you because you've built such an aesthetically beautiful and well put together brand. How did you decide which elements to pull on and and how to represent yourself aesthetically?

SPEAKER_01: 19:41

Yeah, it's so funny. Actually, I just did a photo shoot last week. Um, and I I've had photo shoots before for books and things like that. And I always end up only liking one photo from all of them. I was like, this time it's gonna be different. But I did all of that years ago before I started doing the cosmic style thing. And yeah, this time, like I love all of the photo, and I took pictures at the beach, and color was like a central aspect to it. We have a lot in common there. But yeah, just the process, even going through that for myself. Um color is definitely one. I feel like each there's definitely like these color associations I hold with each of the signs and planets as well. And so I'm constantly sort of immediately drawn to a certain color based on, you know, what aspects we're trying to bring out. Um but yeah, I'm trying to even think for my own branding. It's always, of course, evolving. And um, but I really just wanted to make sure that I was expressing all of these different facets of myself. Um, because I think that was that was the thing that always really held me back was feeling like I had to, because I was, you know, a mystical practitioner reading tarot first before I became an astrologer, then astrology. I always sort of felt like I'm like, oh, do I need to be like moodier and witchier, or do I need to be like all in white or in beige? And none of that made me happy. It did not feel authentic. And like, sure, some of it like looks really nice and it's a vibe. And if it's your vibe, amazing. It's not, I'm I got a Leo Stellium. Like I need like color and saturation and that like peak summer juiciness. Like, and I feel like that has been the leading through line where it's just like I need to have that full faceted expression. And I always try to tend towards that joy. And to me, that is full color and um full brightness, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 22:03

Yeah, I went through the same thing, especially when I started leaning more into like mysticism. And yeah, when I when I decided to use the word witch in my branding, that was a choice that I knew would just like I had a complicated relationship with the word witch, mainly because my brother used to tease me and call me a witch as like a negative thing. I don't know whether you saw Roll Darz the Witches, but the witches in that movie are like horrendous. And that's what he was comparing me to when he was calling me a witch. And yeah, and I I fully feel that. And then once a friend called me a color witch, and I felt so validated, and I was like, Yeah, we're just like a new archetype of witches, we're just the colorful witches. Like sometimes I wear black, but like much from her color, and like it's it's not like a familiar archetype, the like colorful mystic, you know?

SPEAKER_01: 22:59

Yes. And I feel like that was like when I kind of similarly landed on that, where I was like, I'm like, oh, this is it. This is me. Yeah, like I am a colorful witch. I like one like that Barbie summer a couple of years ago was like, oh, I'm like Barbie witch. It's like I'm kind of like bimbo-y, I'm gonna wear bright colors. I talk like a valley girl, and I'm also very intuitive and magical. Yeah, like and it's you're allowed to be multiple things. And that's like that Gemini Chiron, too. It's like I'm allowed to be all these different things. Like it doesn't have to look one certain way because that's the way we've been conditioned.

SPEAKER_00: 23:39

That brings me to my next burning question, which is what's your color association for Gemini? Oh, Gemini, I always immediately think yellow. Yeah, same.

SPEAKER_01: 23:48

Yeah. Um, and then like sometimes I'll get into the blues and yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 23:52

Yeah. I feel like it's it's also you can just mix it with all the colors as well because it's Gemini. But yeah, definitely when I saw yellow as the Gemini colour, I was like, oh yeah, that yes. Because my intuitively, the first two colours that I was drawn to, the kind of my brand came, got built around, was because I had a headshot done where I was wearing a pink shirt with a yellow wool cardigan over it. And it just was like very striking. And I'd get a lot of comments on it, and people would always tell me, like, oh, I always think of you as like the pink and yellow girl. And you know, it was just such a great shot, and it was just really it was my favorite items of clothing in my closet that I chose to put on for that shoot. And then we kind of built all of my branding around that, and that was before I I think knew about my Gemini mid-heaven. And I was like, Oh, it makes sense that yellow is such such a strong color for me. And then what what do you associate pink with?

SPEAKER_01: 24:48

I love that pink and yellow combination for Leo as well. Like it feels like there's like that joy and that like bubbliness, like it almost feels like like childlike, like candy. And like I I love that combination. I actually think um there's a great substack um called Rowan Maid. I think the author's name is like Brianna Rose. And she did a, she does visuals, she's like a branding expert. And so her and I kind of do similar things in very different ways, but she mentions that pink and yellow as like such a good Leo combo. I was like, Yes, like I so feel that and like pink and orange too, like gives a little like Leo and Sag to me as well. Like there's just something like it's fire sign, but it's like more flirty and playful, and yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 25:39

I I evolved into pink and orange when I felt like it was time to just mix it up. And I love it. I feel like my brand colours are just like sunset beach colors because they've always been my favorite colors, and I, you know, and I love the like complementary with like purple, just goes really well with everything. And then I only like green when it's like a bright mint green. Cause to me, when I think of Virgo, I think of earth tones. And I've always been like I went through a phase where I wanted to be the girl that wore earth tones, but they just don't go well with my skin and I don't look good in them. Like I have to wear bright colors, otherwise I like just look really washed out, and I'm just jealous of all of the natural girls who get to wear the earth tones and they look so good in it. Like, how what do you suggest for my expression of Virgo if I don't like earth tones?

SPEAKER_01: 26:26

Yeah, totally. Um I hard relate to like I look, I just don't look good in in beige. I just I wish I did. Um, yes, of course we have our basics, but I also love just like um like finding those like sweet spot color combinations for Virgo, just because there is that sort of curatorial eye with it. Like I think of like like crisp white with a beautiful blue and brown, like that combination to me feels very like classy Virgo, or just having like, you know, finding ways to sort of bring in like the earthier undertones, but not letting it run the show. Um, yeah, recently I actually I just saw like a mood board with like that sort of like lavender, purple, and brown together. I'm like, oh, I love that because that like it's like grounding it. And I think brown is such a good foil for things now, too, with like it's such a good pair for the bright colors. And like, yeah, that could be like the Virgo element that grounds it or like a camel or something like that, where it's like um it looks really good with bright colors and it's not that stark contrast between like black and bright or white and bright, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 27:42

Okay, maybe I'll let my hair be the brown. I feel like the Virgo element in my brand is just like I'm always in nature, you know, whenever I'm capturing images of myself, I'm always just like walking on the beach or hiking, and that's where I like to spend my time.

SPEAKER_01: 27:56

I love a green for Virgo too, but yeah, like you said, it's very hard to find the right green. I'm like I'm such a stickler for like finding that perfect hue, but this is also when I become like a consumer monster because I'm like, I need this because it's the perfect color blue. And I still like haven't found the perfect green jumper, for example. It's a fine, like tuned taste uh preference thing. Do you have a Pinterest account? That's like public. I do. Yeah, it's probably a mess to the public, but yeah, people can find me on there. I'm doing, I'm doing I'm constantly tinkering in Pinterest. It's it's my canvas for sure. You could make um mood boards for each of the signs. Oh yeah, that that's fully that's existed for a few years. I like just every Zodiac season, I pull them out, I add more. Um, but yeah, no, it's been so fun to do. And like I'll make mood boards for my cosmic style clients as well, which is super fun to just like send them their little inspiration springboard where it's just like, okay, this is what I'm seeing for you. And you can take it, leave it, add to it, whatever you want.

SPEAKER_00: 29:07

But yeah. We need to see these style boards. I I started getting into that when I was, you know, starting to use astrology to make branding decisions. And uh yeah, it can be, it can be challenging, you know, to be able to translate how you feel into an aesthetic if that's not like your superpower already, and trying to like source those images that really resonate. But it's a really fun process, and I think it teaches you so much about your likes and your dislikes, you know, because you're like, you're even if you're searching and you're not finding anything that you like, that can give you so much information that can give you clues to where you can start to look and other keywords you can start to search for, or you know, just like build your visual vocabulary so that you can start to make choices in your brand expression that feel really resonant to you. Because I think, yeah, like one of the most valuable things about feeling excited about the way you are visually represented is it it brings you more energy and motivation and power and confidence to show up and to be fully yourself. And, you know, I know when I'm out there connecting with people online and people say the same thing to me too. Like when you really resonate with someone's visual style, it's just like an instant cue that you're gonna connect, you know? It's like an instant door opener, and you're just like the DMs are gonna, I mean, that's very like Gemini, but um yeah, I think it's you know, there's so much power in how we choose to represent ourselves, and it doesn't always have to be, you know, super complicated or expensive. Like I didn't really have much of an awareness of these skills when I started my business, and I just started with wearing my favorite clothes and capturing photos of my favorite places that I like to hang out, and then you know, really like building out simple graphics using those colors. So, yeah, what are your tips for people who are like, I feel like I'm not fully authentically expressed in the way that I dress or style myself or represent myself? Like, where's a good place for them to start?

SPEAKER_01: 31:07

Yeah, I think, yeah, to your point, yeah, you don't need a ton of resources. Like you can do, I've been DIYing all this stuff, you know. It's like I'm in Canva, the free version of Canva and Pinterest, and like that's where I'm doing the majority of my inspiration gathering and synthesizing. But yeah, I think like starting to gather images that you resonate with and that you like is a great first step playing around whether you're on Cosmos or Arena or Pinterest. Um, just starting to play there and um notice what you like, notice the colors you're drawn to, notice the things that you reach for consistently in your wardrobe and like why they feel good, or maybe why they're starting not to feel good. Like there is a lot of just like noticing where you're already being drawn to first and foremost. And I think oh, there's like so much I want to say. Like my brain just got scrambled. Um but I think starting to um like understand the deeper roots of it, like you don't have to go on a massive deep dive, but aesthetics, visuals, style, clothing are all their own form of language. Like you were saying, like, you know, you're just drawn to this person because of branding, like you're communicating something. And so starting to have the language for why you're attracted to something and why you're like, oh, I like like I like this, I like something about this. Um, even if it's not quote, your style or whatever, like kind of getting rid of some of the hangups of what you think you should be doing and what you um maybe like think you should like, you know, just getting pushing the sheds to the side and starting to find that inspiration, finding inspiration from real life too. Like I wanted to start an Instagram account. I just moved to the beach in Australia about seven months ago. And um I love like just random people's style here, especially like parents and like people are it's like very surfy culture, but everyone's sort of has their own like style vibe. I feel like Australians are like, they they have their own thing going. On and I'm always just so inspired by just seeing someone wearing like baggy jeans with like this oversized top, and it's like they're just it looks like they just threw it on, but I'm just like them just constantly out there, just like checking people out and like getting out there in real life. Like I feel like I love Pinterest. I don't love necessarily love Instagram for this. Like I feel like Instagram like style people are amazing, and there's so many that I love, but like I actually find it really hard to like save something from Instagram and go back to it for inspiration. Like I need to like have it placed somewhere and like maybe try making your own Canva boards, like mood boards, things to like go, like you can put on the back of your phone or whatever it is. Like I think there's something about that like copying and pasting and bringing things together under a theme for yourself that helps you get clearer. Like that's my process anyway. And maybe that's just my brain. But um I definitely think like when I'm going to, when I'm feeling stuck on like writing something or creating something or doing something for my business, I'm like, I'm gonna make a mood board about this, not as a procrastination tactic, but as a way of like helping me refine what I'm actually trying to do and say, and it it really does. It works a different part of your brain to help you get there in the end. Sorry, I rambled there, but um Yeah, no, thank you for sharing your process.

SPEAKER_00: 34:58

It's it's so helpful. You know, because you can just try, you know, it's like try. There's so much power in just mixing up your thought process and mixing up your creative process because it even if it doesn't like fit or you don't want to do it forever, it might spark something, or it might even just spark um insight that oh, if this isn't resonating, then it makes me even more committed to the way that I know resonates for me, you know? And especially with clothing, like I do I do find it difficult. Sometimes I'll find images that really inspire me. And something that has worked well is identifying specific pieces, like, oh, I love these like purple flares. So I'll write down like purple flares or you know, or like pink crop jacket, or like specific items that I see. And you know, then if I see something out, I can try it on. And sometimes when we see something in a picture, you like love it and it really inspires you, but then you realize that it's not really actually a fit for you once you get the item and you try it on, and you're like, oh, actually, like, yeah, these colors don't look so good on me. And then you just start to build your vocabulary of what fits you, and you can be like, oh, okay, maybe this style inspires me, but like I need it in this color, which will be different from this picture that's inspiring me. And um, yeah, like it's it's a really cool way of just getting to know yourself more. And I think, yeah, obviously, like our bodies change and our style may or may not change throughout the years of life. Like, I'm sure there's things that have stayed the same, and then there's yeah, it's been it definitely is you know, getting older and going through fashion changes and feeling like an old fuddy duddy and being like, oh great, flares are back in again. I just got on board with skinny jeans. Like I refuse, I refuse to, you know, jump on the trend. And then a few years go by and you're like, okay, I'm ready to jump on the trend. There's enough variety out there for there to be something that's in this trend that I can get on board with. So yeah, it's just like an ongoing conversation with yourself.

SPEAKER_01: 36:57

We are evolving, it's always gonna sort of change. And I think like one of the quickest ways to like update or um make your style feel fresh with like playing with you, with what you have or like realizing what you have gaps with is like playing with that sense of proportion too. I think that's something like one of the like I love, yeah, like identifying those things where you're like, um, I love that piece, but I also love like looking at a general look on, you know, an a Pinterest or whatever and being like, oh, what I like about this is that there's like ease throughout without everything being oversized or whatever it is, you know? And just kind of like tinkering with that. I feel like, especially for me lately, and yeah, like that that is always front of mind where I'm like, I just need to have a more relaxed element there to back to our soft pants discussion. But yeah, like uh and finding ways to do that that feel, yeah, it doesn't need to feel trendy or current by any means, but just like yeah, finding those proportions that feel good. Um, I think is huge. And staying in your own closet, like we kind of have to like try things, and it can be like daunting sometimes. Um, I know it is for me, and I think about this stuff, and I love this stuff all the time, but like giving your like setting aside just an hour and trying to create some new outfits out of what you have, realizing like what you have that you actually like and would buy again and the stuff that maybe you don't. I have like a whole uh closet audit uh that I send to clients that they can do on their own to kind of play around with that sort of stuff. But um, yeah, like it does involve a little bit of trial and error and a little bit of grace. It's like that Iraglass quote about like getting frustrated that you're not good at something because your taste level is really good and you see other people like doing things at your taste level. I'm like over-explaining and butchering the quote, but like, and then like working at it and like getting yourself there eventually. Like we're not like it's very hard to to kind of grasp um all the various rules and languages and things that are going on in style.

SPEAKER_00: 39:21

Yeah, it takes work to be a style icon. But I will say, you know, it's so valuable to even have one conversation with a stylist. Like I've always needed friends um who have an eye for style to help me pick out my outfits for um photo shoots. And you know, I'll always just like go to the thrift store and like buy a ton of stuff and then see like what goes well together. That's usually my vibe. And um, one of my friend, my friends whose background was in fashion told me that the silhouette is like something to pay attention to, and you know, like knowing like which part of your body you want to accentuate and then buying clothes, like for me, it's like definitely my waist. So I love like cropped things and high-waisted things, and I feel really comfortable in those types of clothes. But you know, then I can I feel like I can have a little bit of like bagginess in the trousers and feel very free or like stretchiness, but still have a silhouette that's like striking, that can, you know, show my movements and my posture that's you know, gives a lot of information in a photo. So yeah, even just having like one conversation with someone who knows what they're talking about, who can kind of like assess you and give you a couple little snippets that can then give you some metrics to make decisions around when you're shopping and yeah, and you know, you have to make mistakes. And that's another reason why I love thrifting, is like if you make a mistake, it was a$10 mistake instead of like a$50 mistake.

SPEAKER_01: 40:47

I know, like buying like pre-lov stuff. I am just I am I've been like almost exclusively on Depop. Um and it's a joy. I'm like it's always like a fun experiment and um yeah, like low stakes.

SPEAKER_00: 41:04

Cool. Well, thank you so much for sharing these really helpful nuggets. Please can you tell everyone like where can they find you? What have you got going on at the moment? Sure.

SPEAKER_01: 41:13

You can find me uh on Instagram at Leah.vandervelt. Uh my website is my name, LeahVelt.com. And I'm over on Substack. Um, my Substack is cosmic style. Um, those are yeah, the three main places you can find me and you can book through my website if you want an astrology reading or a cosmic style reading. And yeah, say hey, say hello. I'm I'm around. I love to chat. And yeah, if you have thoughts, opinions, style ideas, astrology things, I would love to hear them.

SPEAKER_00: 41:47

Definitely go check her out. You you are gonna go and wanna see her Instagram. It's a beautiful place. And uh please share this with anyone who you know would love it. Thank you so much, Leah, for being here. Thank you, everybody, for listening, and we'll see you next week. Bye. Thank you.