Style Story: Robin
Robyn had actually attended my Style Swap with Easton Women of Today last spring. She bid on and won a Closet Analysis, so day of I brought along Boston photographer Allison Heckard to capture all the fun.
Robyn initially bid on Wardrobe Consulting services because she felt like she wasn’t fully utilizing all of the pieces in her closet. She had previously felt limited in her outfit choices because of her job but now she was changing careers. She was excited to get re-energized about having her own signature style again and utilizing all her pieces but she wasn’t sure where to begin.
When I first saw her closet, I immediately wanted to turn around to go back home… to pack my bags and come back with them to move in! Such an amazing space! When she purchased her house she chose that specific room to be a walk in closet and invested in layout and custom fixtures to make it perfect. I was so excited to get started!
1. Before even working on styling and outfit suggestions, I knew the first step should be to get organized. Because often when clients don’t feel they are fully utilizing everything in their wardrobe it starts with how everything is stored and organized. If you don’t know where your garments are you’re more likely to forget about them, not wear them, and then when shopping accidentally buy the same thing! So I began by grouping all like items together- for hanging items I pulled all tank tops together, then short sleeve tops then long sleeve tops. I also separated blazers and jackets, and dress pants, skirts and dresses into their own sections . Robin had ample amount of hanging capacity, so I always opt to hang as much as possible so it can easily be seen. Next was to conquer the shelves, which can easily become ‘catch all’ places for random items because it’s easy to just stuff them in. I separated and organized jeans, activewear, sweatshirts, sweaters and pajamas. With everything categorized, I was easily able to determine which types of items she had more or less of, how well layering combinations could be paired together and what she may be missing. And going forward, this organization will help her get dressed quicker- ie grab a tank top from the tank section, a cardigan from the cardigan section and pants from the pants section and go!
*I also took the organization and esthetics a little further in Robin’s closet too. Because she had invested in this being a functional dream closet, I also wanted to make it “pretty”. We started by switching out hangers so all categories had the same color and size hanger. This uniform approach allows a streamlined, neat overall look so focus can be on each piece of clothing. I also deemed it important to set up an accessory section. This display of a few of her necklaces and bracelets not only acts as decoration, but also reminds her to accessorize her look before leaving the space! For this same reason we also added some complimentary storage boxes and baskets on the shelves. (Because 20 pairs of leggings are contained much better and neater in a basket than loosely on a shelf)
2. Now I was ready to get down to the fun of analyzing the specific pieces in Robin’s wardrobe. I started by having her show me a couple of her go-to looks, 1 casual and 1 work outfit. Then I kicked her out of her closet!… okay that sounds harsh. But I released her to go about her day for a few hours while I analyzed her wardrobe. I prefer to work alone at this point, because people have such emotional connections to their clothing but I am aiming to come in with an unbiased professional opinion. (i.e. I don’t feel compelled to style a look using the sweater from your in laws that you absolutely hate. If I like it for your bodytype and lifestyle and fits the rest of your wardrobe, it’s a keeper. If not, it’s up for donation, or at the least getting stored out of the way as to not take up valuable space of functional, flattering pieces. )
I focused on Summer/Fall transition pieces to give Robin outfit options that she could wear instantly. I started with my Top 10 Essentials checklist to ensure she had all of the necessary pieces for a versatile wardrobe (get yours here!). Any items missing from this list began to form our shopping list to fill in wardrobe gaps. Next my favorite part- picking out stand out pieces and pairing them together in outfits like a big fashion puzzle! I select items that are on trend, in season, figure flattering and solve Robin’s issue of needing looks for job interviews, landing a new job, laid back weekends, dinners out and upcoming vacations. By analyzing what Robin already had, plus her choices for go-to outfits, I was able to determine how she would likely pair items together so I chose completely different combinations to make her old wardrobe seem brand new again! I put together 30 “new” outfits for her, to last an entire month and cover all of her upcoming events. These outfits can then be repeated 3 times each, once a month, for an entire season of looks!
3. Now I call Robin back in. I had set up the outfits I put together on my portable rolling rack, to separate them from the rest of her wardrobe, and paired several with shoes and accessories. I reviewed each look with Robin, and she tried some of them on to confirm fit. And just as I had planned, several of my pairings were “brand new” to her and she was so excited to wear them together! I also made sure to utilize pieces that still had tags on them and that she had pointed out that she wasn’t sure how to wear to be sure she made good on her investment in them.
“I loved having Trust in Tricia in my closet! She gave some older clothes a new life, and made me feel more confident wearing them!” ~Robin
If you can relate to Robin’s Style Story, let’s chat and get started on making your own!
*All photos by the talented Boston based Alison Heckard of Bird In Flight Photography