September; new season, new term, new beginnings, new me!
Whatever you want to call it, September harks the end of the Summer and for most the start of something new and fresh. This year, after 10 years all my children are at school full time and after 6 years of running Edits-Styling it feels like I’m starting something new again.
Every season brings something new and different for my business, clients I have been styling for years and have established lovely relationships with, meeting and working with new clients, also events that I get asked to present at. So far September has got off to a flying start and I have been busy from the outset which is amazing and I am truly thankful for. But all these changes in my life has got me thinking that it’s time to focus back onto myself. For years I have juggled my work with the kids, with school PTA commitments, going to the gym, and everything that comes with running a house, including having building work done. I spend most of my time looking at other people’s wardrobe’s and style, advising them on how to pull outfits together, how to style them, what to buy and where to buy it from. Whilst I practise what I preach, I wear all the colours that suit me, I detox my wardrobe as I go along each season and I only buy pieces I love and wear them constantly, but I feel like my style has been left behind.
Only a couple of months ago I turned 40, whilst it didn’t feel like a massive moment at the time, I am getting some time to process it and perhaps this is the starting to point to me feeling like I need to modify my style to suit my life for right now. I meet lots of women and men who are stuck in a rut, who do not know what to wear everyday and how to put it together. It can happen at any point in our life regardless of age, work, children and health, sometimes it’s just time to move forward.
So I am starting where I start with all my clients, with a wardrobe detox. I set myself some time to do it properly just like I do in a consultation. I asked myself the following question with every item I own -
Do I love this?
Does it make me feel good?
When did I last wear it?
Am I likely to wear it again?
Is this the style I want to move forward with?
My goal is to get rid of everything that doesn’t reflect my personal style or that has had it’s time (it’s too worn). I have held on to so many pieces in my wardrobe for years, pieces that I love, this doesn’t mean that they have to go, it’s about re-establishing my own style and focusing on that. I have a system of things that need to go into the bin bag, items that I am going to sell, storing pieces because they are seasonal and popping the bits I love back into my wardrobe.
It takes me nearly 3 hours, I’ve lost about 25% of my wardrobe and I’ve learnt some lessons along the way which I will focus on when shopping and buying new pieces for my style;
The brand I got rid of the most was Zara. So I need to be picky when it comes to buying from them - I have some pieces I have had for years but they have detailing such as embroidery and cutwork, stick to these in the future and not fast fashion cheap items.
I have lots of eveningwear that I love and I don’t need to buy anymore.
I need to be bolder with my choices, alot of the pieces I have got rid of don’t have the edge that I am looking for in my style.
Choose better brands, buy better and they will last longer. This is so true of my wardrobe.
I didn’t get rid of a single pair of shoes that is because my wardrobe covers all bases so I do not need to buy anymore.
Post detox I feel excited, invigorated and ready to start on a new styling journey using my expertise to focus on myself. I do have a sense of trying to stay sustainable with the choices that I make and the pieces that I wear on a daily basis, so a big part of me is trying to grapple with the guilt I also feel for getting rid of so much of my wardrobe. BUT I do know that many of the pieces I have had for years, I have worn and worn and worn them and it’s time to move on. Plus the money I spent on them is already spent, there is nothing left to waste, except for my wardrobe space. I also remember that just because I don’t love that item anymore, doesn’t mean that someone else won’t love it! So I am off to find new owners for all my detoxed pieces whether that be on ebay or at the local charity shop.
So now that I’ve detoxed, it is time to build my dream wardrobe…I hope you will join me on this journey too.