How to build a wardrobe that fits your life

What your clothes say about you

Every single article of clothing you wear says everything about you and it also impacts how you feel. Finding the wardrobe that makes you feel confident and beautiful is an important part of living a life you love, because how you feel impacts everything you do. From colour, to style, to fit, to fabric, each component will either enhance or hinder your personal brilliance. If you want to be all you can be, you have to feel great and that is what I love to do. I talk alot about a “working wardrobe” when I’m with clients, this is not a capsule wardrobe, it’s a wardrobe that's perfectly tailored to your unique personal style, your lifestyle and your budget. It contains everything you need to feel confident and inspired everyday.

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A working wardrobe

The perfect wardrobe isn't something that you can cook up in a weekend. Your personal style is the result of many different influences and this can change over time due to the people you have met, places you have been, emotional changes and life changes. It's a truly personal thing that can take a little digging to fully cover, but we have lots of fun in the process! To get there you need to detox your wardrobe first, this will help you identify what clothes you have, helps you identify the patterns you have created and identifies the gaps. After completing your wardrobe detox you now need to consider what makes your perfect wardrobe. You have stuff to do, places to go, people to meet and social events to attend, your wardrobe needs to support all of this in a practical way. Write a list of missing items in your wardrobe, things you have been lusting after, pieces you need to make your wardrobe work for you.

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Rules when buying pieces for your wardrobe

1. Buying pieces that fit in your colour palette, that are your 'right' colours and therefore all pieces can be worn together.

2. Your wardrobe should be more than just a collection of stand-alone pieces, it should consist of interrelated parts that all work together, allowing you to mix and match freely and create many different outfits.

3. Your wardrobe should be balanced between key pieces that really signify the essence of your style, statement pieces that add variety to your looks and wardrobe heroes which are the hardest working pieces in your wardrobe and underpin every outfit you put together.

4. Most of all it should express the individual person you are, giving you the confidence to tackle the working day.

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Ask for help

If you don’t know where to start or it feels overwhelming then that’s what I am here for, please contact me for a chat.

What I found when I detoxed my wardrobe

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 -

1. Do I love this?

2. Does it make me feel good?

3. When did I last wear it?

4. Am I likely to wear it again?

5. 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;

1. 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.

2. I have lots of eveningwear that I love and I don’t need to buy anymore.

3. 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.

4. Choose better brands, buy better and they will last longer. This is so true of my wardrobe.

5. 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.

finding your style again post-pregnancy

Finding your style again post-pregnancy can often be a challenge and can be plagued with anxiety. Whether it be about leaving your baby for the first time, juggling the commuting to the realisation that you have been living in leggings and the same t-shirt for the best part of a year. No doubt you have been through four different jeans sizes in 18 months and perhaps don’t even recognise your body anymore due to the amount of changes it has gone through.

Before pregnancy you probably had a low-key look, classic maybe with your own twist but carefree and effortless, at least that was the idea. What you now realise it that once you have had a baby, there is no such thing as effortless. You haven’t been dressing for yourself for what feels like a lifetime so the thought of pulling a half decent, stylish outfit together feels alien to you. You can’t just throw on anything anymore, it needs to be more considered if you are going to get to work on time and in a half decent dressed state.

Here is where I come in and help you through the process of finding your style again. I don’t want you to be a half decent dressed state, I want to you to be able to put your best style forward everyday you walk back into the work place.

Before you go back into the work place you need to spend some time reviewing your wardrobe and what you have that fits your body shape, fits your job and can be unearthed from pre-pregnancy days. You need to detox your wardrobe and get rid of the ‘in-between’ jeans, leggings, over-sized shirts and jersey tops that cover up everything but don’t flatter you. Trying on everything is a MUST, you need to see your body shape, what works and what doesn’t work so you can focus on the best items in your wardrobe. Through this you will then identify what is missing and what you NEED to ensure you can pull stylish, age appropriate outfits together everyday for work. What you want to create is a work capsule wardrobe that doesn’t take up too much space, that is easy to pull into outfits, items can be mixed and matched with each other, and is versatile.

Shopping with a little one can seem like a daunting task, but once you know which items are missing from your wardrobe this helps to narrow things down for you. I can help with inspiration for those pieces, with shopping for them and giving you suggestions of new places to buy items that you might not of thought of before. Or of course I can do the shopping for you!

The pre-pregnancy you is in there somewhere, it’s just lost it’s way since your little one came along. We can find your style again, increase your confidence and make you feel fabulous everyday whether you are going to work or enjoying your life with the ones you love.

To book your styling consultation email me now - nina@edits-styling.com

how to organise your wardrobe for the new season

Are you tired of impulse buying? Looking at your wardrobe and saying to yourself "I have nothing to wear!". Do you wonder around shops or websites aimlessly looking for something to jump out at you to buy but you don't know what that is? Have you fallen out of love with your clothes and style?

Well now is the BEST time to do a 'back to school sort out'!

September is on the horizon and with it comes back to school mentality, a new academic year and a new season of fashion. With the change in season, weather and no summer holidays to look forward to, it can give you a new-year state of mind. So, this new fashion year, in the spirit of new beginnings why don't you take a fresh new approach to your wardrobe and style. 

So rather than doing the usual supermarket add ins, the sweeps around Zara and Topshop every month and the constant online surfing at John Lewis and Next, take some time to assess what you have already got in your wardrobe. Work out what you can wear this coming season, what you can pack away for later and what you need to buy out of necessity and/or love.

The benefits of assesing your wardrobe in this way range from monatary, saving you money on items that you don't need. It also gives you a focus on what to buy, writing a list of what is missing to make your wardrobe work that you constantly adhere to ensures you look at websites / go shopping less. Clearing out clears the mind and gives you a sense of accomplishment and happiness. Also it’s the easiest way to work out what you already have and what gaps there are to fill.

BEFORE THE WARDROBE DETOX

AFTER THE WARDROBE DETOX

“I knew I had to make a change. I was wearing the same clothes to work every week and felt no affection towards my wardrobe whatsoever. Everything was old, or boring, or really ‘last season’. The only thing that would make me feel mildly better was buying new clothes, which would just fuel the anger again after a few weeks.”

— Chloe, 39

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If you embark on some new season detox, here are 5 top tips to consider when doing so -

1. Ask yourself some hard questions, for example

• How did I feel the last time I wore it?
• Do I need to be a certain weight to fit into it?
• Does it look tired or have any wear and tear?
• Is it the image I really want to portray of myself?

2. Treat your wardrobe like a capsule collection

What I mean is a 'working wardrobe' for you and your lifestyle. Essentially, it should be 30-40 pieces of clothing that can be mixed and matched to create a feast of outfits that are right for you. Over time you should build a carefully-edited capsule collection of your signature pieces. 

3. Be Ruthless

Easier said than done, we know, but having a good clear out means it’s time to get strict. For starters, the rule of when you last wore something might sound cliché but it works; if you haven’t worn something in the last six months then it’s time to say goodbye.

4. Donate

It’s really helpful to create separate piles when deciding what to keep, give to charity, sell or recycle. But while some more expensive pieces might be worth shifting online, selling your duds might not be the best option. Instead, avoid unwanted clothes slowly creeping their way back into your wardrobe and just donate to somewhere they’ll prove more useful or drop at a textile recycling point. 

5. Establish new rules

Now that you’ve successfully cut down your clothing, it’s important to make sure your wardrobe doesn’t become suffocated by clutter once more. To do this you need to establish a new set of rules for when you go shopping.

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As a style consultant I’m continually assessing and refining my wardrobe – not in an obsessive, expensive way, or for Instagram, just to keep in tune with what’s going on. Items that are no longer worn go to charity, and I do try to practice the only buy if you love it rule. And every season I make a list of my wants and needs and stick to it. With an expert eye with years of experience, sometimes it takes an outsider with a more objective view to sort things out properly. Email now for a consultation - nina@edits-styling.com