Long Tall Sally's #StyleHasNoRules Campaign Lets Kids Become Stylists

Clothing brand Long Tall Sally's #StyleHasNoRules campaign is all about helping women rediscover their fashion confidence. The brand, which specializes in pieces for women taller than 5 feet 8 inches, enlisted six adorable kid stylists to put together outfits for women who felt like they were in a fashion rut, constrained by what traditional fashion rules say they should and shouldn't wear.

Camilla Treharne, creative director at Long Tall Sally, tells Bustle the inspiration behind #StyleHasNoRules comes from hard data gathered in a worldwide survey. The results: 65 percent of women lack fashion confidence, and 87 percent cite size, shape, and skin color for reasons why they can't wear certain items.

"But here’s the interesting bit," Treharne adds. "In their childhood years, 80 percent of women wore whatever made them happy. So, we wanted to approach this campaign through the eyes of children — blissfully free of body hang-ups, unaware of style ‘rules’ and with complete freedom to experiment. Essentially, we wanted to put the fun back into fashion."

More than 600 women responded to Long Tall Sally's offer to be featured in a "makeover photoshoot with a difference," Treharne says. "[They] admitted that they had lost their confidence and no longer knew how to style themselves."

Long Tall Sally chose models from diverse size, age, and shape groups, but "we also looked for interesting stories," Treharne explains. "Our six finalists are all amazing women, from Zoe, a soldier in the British Military Police and mum of two, to Pavan, a 23-year-old student."

The brand also held a casting to net their "little stylists," — aka the six whip-smart kiddos who styled #StyleHasNoRules's adult models. "We held a (very memorable!) casting to recruit our six mini stylists," Treharne tells Bustle. "We knew from our research that children under the age of 10 wear whatever makes them happy, so we recruited six children between the ages of six and eight, the perfect age to really capture the wonder of dressing up and the fun of fashion."

When the time came to get down to work, "[our] mini stylists had no direction from us," Treharne says. "They were literally left to their own devices, putting their outfits together complete with bags, shoes, and jewelry. It was amazing to see!"

Mini stylist Emily (pictured above), said, "I think Dannii is really cool. She looks quite sporty. I’ve chosen patterned trousers with spots and diamonds – a bit like leggings but looser. I’m a fan of baggy trousers. I love the jacket because it’s the color of wet grass and it’s long so it will keep her warm. She will look good in these earrings because they’ve got feathers and jewels that hang down and look magical. I think it’s important for Dannii to be comfortable in her outfit. I’ve called it 'Sporty Fun'."

Model Dannii said before her styling, "I have my wardrobe staples and when I’m wearing those I feel quite confident. I tend to wear plain, black clothes — things that I know will fit well. They’re safe. The trouble is coming out of my comfort zone. ... It takes roughly three or four attempts before I’ve found [an outfit] that I like."

And after her styling? "This isn’t an outfit I’d choose for myself but I must admit it looks quite cool," she said.

You can see a campaign video and bios about all the models and mini stylists on Long Tall Sally's website.

Long Tall Sally's previous campaigns have been about empowering women who don't fit the fashion industry's "typical" shape and size, but #StyleHasNoRules just may be the brand's most innovative and inclusive campaign yet. It's a truly fantastic way to show women there is no right or wrong when it comes to wearing what they love.