How would you describe your style?

Colorful and comfortable. 

How long have you been interested in fashion, and what inspired your interest? 

My grandmother ran a milliner and dress shop in the 1920s, so she was a milliner, she was always interested in fashion, and she always looked fantastic. I always had that in the background. 

My mother used to make her own dresses and my dresses. I always wanted something that was coming next year. So, I’d think of something like a tiered skirt with a wide belt and I’d look everywhere for it, and then I’d finally make it together, and then the next year it was everywhere. I was ahead of the times and the trends! 

I’ve always loved color. I look back over my photos when I was whatever shape I was, and color always made a big impact. Even when I had really bad times, I felt that color was important and it would cheer me up. 

Was there a turning point in your life where you started thinking more creatively when it comes to what you wear and how it makes you feel? 

No, I think I always liked color. I did art in school, my major focus was on jewlery and design, which I have not done a thing with since. I’ve always been interested in art and color and design and that sort of impact. 

Also, it’s really strange but women, I think, especially as we get older, become invisible. At least if you’re brightly colored, you stand out more than anything else. 

What is your profession, and how does what you wear impact your profession? 

I was an accountant. In Australia, I was one of the first female cadets, so I got a job in Pricewaterhouse, and was one of the first women in that area. There, you had very strict rules on what you wore. I tried to bend the rules as much as I could. Navys, blacks, skirts, you had to have a sleeve, it was very strict. 

Can you tell us a bit about your passions?

My family is my passion, really. 

Can you tell us about your journey to body confidence?

I’ve been really a body that has morphed from one size to another, up to down, and every time, I tried to find clothes that fit my shape rather than worrying about it. I found when I was bigger, the hardest thing was to find items that were fitted to my body, because although I was larger, I didn’t have large shoulders. They’d make dresses and the shoulders were halfway down my arms, because they just made them bigger – they didn’t proportion them. That’s really frustrating! I’m not a good sewer, but I met a girl who is a sewer, and she explained that she puts panels into fabric to make them fit her. Isn’t it fabulous to take something that you really like, add a little bit of work into it, and make it your own? 

I think nowadays it’s harder to find clothes that fit our bodies properly because they’re very cheap, mass-produced clothes. So, the tailoring is not nearly the same as what it once was. Whereas, when I was in my thirties, and I had to wear suits to work, there were lots of places that would custom make things for you. And you paid more, but they lasted a long time.

How did you find out about Mys Tyler? 

It was through word of mouth! [Sarah, one of Elizabeth’s daughters, is Mys Tyler’s Founder & CEO!]

How has using Mys Tyler impacted you?

I find it fascinating. I look at models now, in Vogue and other media, and view them totally differently. After seeing normal people everyday wearing nice stuff on Mys Tyler, it opens your mind. People wear such fabulous clothes, you don’t really know what size they are unless you look down and see the size. People wear their clothes so well!

Mys Tyler has helped me identify styling choices like, “oh I could use a belt there!” or “Oh yes, putting a bow on it makes a difference!”. 

Also, there’s so many shops that try to age you. I do think older women are being told how to dress, and being told “you can’t wear that!” or “you can’t do that!”. I love the Harper Girls, who I found on Mys Tyler. They have it exactly right! Dianne and her niece Jennifer wear the same things, and I’m thinking I wear the same things as my children. One of the outfits that I wear, I think I bought it in the teenage section. It’s great that we can wear whatever suits us and whatever makes us happy.

What's the perfect formula for a feel-good outfit?

I love jewelry, so I’ll often put a bright piece of jewelry on to change the look.

What do you hope the future of fashion will look like?

The biggest thing that I’m finding that annoys me most is fast fashion where they change the fashion so often. They’re wasting clothes and wasting time. Have maybe two seasons, at the most three seasons a year. Two seasons would be fine. You’re making clothes that when aren’t sold, are going into a landfill. I read somewhere that most people only wear an outfit 7 times, and that’s just shocking! And that’s average, so there’s some that you might only wear one or two times. Really, that’s just terrible.  

You look at Ralph Lauren and some of their stuff is so classic, it’s been there for 10-20 years. And is it not better to buy and wear the same skirt at $400-500, than get 5 skirts over the years? Sometimes, more expensive isn’t necessarily more expensive. 

Sustainability is so important. We need to get away from this super cheap model, because we’re paying for people to be laboring for $1, when most of us probably have more clothes than we actually need.

Elizabeth is one of Mys Tyler’s Contributors, inspiring women across the world with her classic and colorful fashion. You can follow Elizabeth on Mys Tyler to be inspired below!

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