Frumpy Scots?

MORE than seven in ten (71%) of Scots admit they are creatures of habit, buying the same style of clothes and accessories when they go clothes shopping – the highest figure in the UK.

And a frumpy 38% Scots say they wish they had a better sense of style, according to new research.

The average person in the UK reaches peak style confidence at the age of 30, according to the newly-launched Specsavers Confidence Scale.

But Scots’ self-esteem then declines rapidly with just 19% of people aged over 45 in Scotland saying they feel confident in themselves.

The Confidence Scale has been launched by pop star Louise Redknapp, 43, who said: “After growing up in a girl band and spending a lot of my early 20s in the spotlight, my image and sense of style has always been hugely important to me.

“But, like most people as you start to get older, other things take over – you have a family to look after, you’re running a household, your career path changes. When that happens, it’s easy to start losing that strong sense of identity that was once your biggest priority.

“I’m not surprised that people suffer with low self-confidence with the rise of Instagram, Twitter and selfies – it’s easy to doubt yourself or compare yourself to other people.”

A survey for the Specsavers Confidence Scale by Atomik Research found:

• People aged 35-44 are most likely to feel insecure about various aspects of their life at least once a day. Their top three concerns are their weight (29%), their looks (27%) and money (23%) – and one in 10 (21%) worry at least once a day about their outfit.
• Those aged 45+ posess the least confidence in their own style, with 10% of 45- to 55- year-olds admitting they worry about it at least once a day, and steer clear of buying new clothing or accessories for fear of how they will look.
• 55% of adults say their dress sense has remained the same throught their life while a third of people do not feel confident in choosing new clothes or accessories and 28% hate shopping for them.

The Confidence Scale has been unveiled to mark the introduction of Specsavers unique in-store Frame Styler software – new facial recognition technology designed exclusively by Specsavers to give specs wearers the confidence to find the right specs style for them.

The survey showed that nearly half (46%) of UK shoppers rely on their partner to tell them what looks good, with just 30% trusting their own instincts.

And four in ten (42%) of women aged 50+ say they find it hard to find fashionable clothes to buy.

Men and women in the UK feel most confident at work aged 34 on average, with relationships – both romantic and friendships – aged 32, with their body image at 29, with their sense of fashion and style at the aged of 30 and overall in themselves at the age of 36.

Mum-of-two Louise, who has just started to wear reading glasses, said: “For me, beauty and confidence comes from you being you in so many different ways – be bold and positive and always shine bright.

“I’ve just recently started wearing glasses for reading and I was delighted because I think specs are super chic and can literally transform an outfit.

“But I have to admit I was overwhelmed by the choice and confused about what suited me.”

The Confidence Scale was launched to mark the introduction of Specsavers’ unique in-store Frame Styler software – new facial recognition technology to help to help customers who do not know where to start when choosing frames.

The store’s advisers will take a scan of the customer’s face and the technology allows the wearer to see how the frames look from every angle.

The software recommends 36 frames to each customer, who can then narrow it down by flicking through images of themselves wearing different frames without taking off their glasses.

Louise added: “The Frame Styler meant I had all the options right in front of me and I could quickly create a shortlist of the frames I liked the most.

“It also meant I tried on styles and colours I previously would have never gone near in a million years.”

A Specsavers spokesman said: ‘The Specsavers Confidence Scale shows that people want to branch out with their style choices but confusion over what suits them and lack of confidence is holding them back.

‘We wanted to make it easier for them. Our Frame Styler technology uses an image of the face to work out what styles are best suited to any face shape.

“As our glasses are arranged into three distinct categories – whisper, talk and shout – we hope the new tool might even help inspire our customers to experiment and broaden their perspective on what styles work for them.”

Frame Styler has launched at Specsavers stores nationwide and will form part of every pre-eye test assessment. To find out more visit www.specsavers.co.uk