How to see yourself as God sees you

Diane launched her business in 2008, to help women to understand what to wear and why, but also how to embrace themselves and communicate who they are. For Diane, it’s a seamless expression of her Christian faith: “We know that our identity is in Christ but we also are born with our own personalities.” And while her career has changed course several times, her interest in fashion and clothes, which started at a young age, has been a constant source of inspiration over the years.

Diane was born and raised in Scunthorpe – where she still lives. Growing up, she was self-conscious. Being taller than her peers, as well as skinny and gangly, caused her to slouch and slope her shoulders in an attempt to minimise herself: “I just didn’t like my body, because then [during the 70s] the fashion was to be more rounded, and it just wasn’t the thing [to be thin]”. Despite her body type not reflecting that current ideal (and well before ‘body positivity’ was a thing), she was still aware of what made her unique: “I knew that I was always a different child, and I wasn’t the run-of-the-mill”, she says. 

Embracing a love of fashion 

As a young teenager, Diane went to ballet lessons to correct her posture, but it was her love of clothes that offered her a sense of confidence. Clothes gave her a costume to wear: “even though I was probably screaming inside sometimes”. Her mum loved going to jumble sales: “every church had [one]”; and they were a treasure trove for Diane. Once home she would keep her precious finds in a large tea chest, which was her dressing-up box: “I used to go and get all of the outfits…I would get friends and get us dressed up…I always had a sense of my artistic ways [which came] through theatre and dance as well.”

Soon, era-defining subcultures of the 70s and 80s – like Punk and the New Romantics – fused fashion with music. “And then there was Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McLaren” who poured their creativity and inventive style into the mix, joining iconic brands like Biba: “It was an interesting time. I think some people were rebelling…[they] were trying to find their identity.” With the glamour of TV shows like Dynasty and Dallas to come, it was too enticing for Diane; once she started working: “every penny apart from my board and lodgings went on clothes [and] I loved the fashion magazines – I’ve just always really enjoyed clothes”.

Ladies wouldn’t look at themselves in the mirror

Her first job was as a window dresser, and she later began running fashion evenings with a friend: “I would go and buy clothes from Leeds, and then I would go out…and sell the clothes.” They started a boutique dress agency called ‘The Sloane’: “there wasn’t anything [like that] in the North but I’d seen it done in London”, she says. Diane also trained in modelling and deportment, soon teaching her newfound skills and offering a six-week ‘mini-finishing school’ for girls and young women. She always ensured the prices were affordable, and by involving the local camera club; would-be models got professional-looking photos taken by amateurs practising their fashion photography.

Her twice-yearly ‘Theatre of Fashion’ events involved a whole community of people from her town working in fashion, hair and beauty. There, the catwalk was only the start – even the local pets took part: “We had the dog groomers going on, and we modelled with the dogs.” Though she was running a business, it wasn’t what motivated her: “Putting on something creative and doing that with other people…just made me breathe. That’s what I got out of it.”

Taking the next step

Needing to close down her boutique, she found other work and continued to run her fashion evenings. But with the arrival of the noughties came Diane’s “wilderness years”, as she tried to figure out what to do next. A friend arranged for her to join a fast-track training programme with a media company. It set her off on a magical mystery tour – styling outfits and magazine covers, attending workshops at Central St Martins in London, visiting Istituto Marangoni in Milan (a private Italian fashion and design school), and designing clothes; she didn’t even need to be able to draw: “they took it all from my head”, she says. She learned about the fashion supply chain and retail too, even designing a dress for UK clothing brand George at Asda, which was stocked in shops “down south”. The whole experience culminated with several pieces she had designed being modelled by celebrities at The Aura of Asia – a high-profile fashion event in London.

Putting on something creative and doing that with other people…just made me breathe. That’s what I got out of it

Diane got the clarification she needed and it “springboarded” her into the next phase of her career: “I came back [home], and that’s when it all changed because I went and trained in colour, style, shape, proportion, inner style…and everything to go with being an image consultant.”

But once she began to meet with clients, she realised she would need a further set of tools: “I would find that ladies wouldn’t look at themselves in the mirror. So I thought: ‘There’s more to this than popping somebody in front of a mirror’.” She started training as a counsellor but the approach didn’t suit her, so she signed up to study life coaching instead. It provided the missing piece and enabled her to connect with her clients on a deeper level. 

From working with individuals, businesses or local initiatives, to helping those with life-controlling issues or facing difficult circumstances, her work is nothing if not varied. And yet among her clients there is one common issue: “[they’ve all] got a wardrobe of clothes and nothing to wear”, she says. While Diane shows women what works for their body type, proportions and colouring, it goes deeper than that: “I’m big on purpose as well. It all comes together – it’s there as a whole thing.” It offers the possibility of long-term transformation: “You can do just a makeover…but it’s showing [clients] why…I train people for their makeover.”

Enjoying our own style

What does she enjoy most about her work? “It’s seeing ladies get a realisation”, she says. “So many tales to tell.” One such story is of a client who was “quite a classic lady” and rather “restrained” in how she dressed. She had been an artist and, as they chatted, Diane asked her what style she wanted to explore. She giggled and said “Diva!”. They arranged to meet up in London: “We didn’t go shopping for anything. We just tried on what she thought ‘Diva’ was.” It gave her client the permission she needed: “It’s those A-ha moments that I love”, says Diane.

She also advocates for ‘ageless style’. Now 65 she says: “That’s quite important to me as I move along. I think we are still little girls [who] like to play dress up, and until we shuffle off this mortal coil, no matter what age, we can enjoy getting dressed.” She cites Iris Apfel’s style as inspiration, even though: “not everybody’s gonna dress like her”. She also mentions two older fashion-loving friends who lived into their 80s and 90s and whose style she always admired: “You would never say: ‘Oh, don’t you look good for your age?’ You’d say ‘You look good’.”

So how can someone find their unique sense of style? Diane suggests a way to kickstart the process: “You’ve got that ‘go-to outfit’. Put it on, then really study it. What is it you like about it? What is it that makes you feel comfortable? Look at the colour, the style, what you love about it. And if you were to put that outfit in words, what words would you use?” 

Diane reflects that: “although people can feel it’s fruitless”, image as a whole really matters: “I feel it’s important to each and every one of us.” And she wants each woman to flourish: “It’s just shining a light on that person to be able to let them see what God sees in them.”

Discover more about Diane: @diane_miller_style 

Words by Alex Noel