Closet Shopping

Now that I have embarked on this fun new adventure (and it is FUN!!), people ask me what I do.  I finally get to say "Oh, I do personal styling by doing Closet Shopping."  Everyone looks at me with a wonderfully quizzical, naive look!  "What is that?" is usually the response I get.  So, I thought it would be a great idea to walk you through a Closet Shop! 


Have I mentioned this is fun?  Well, it is!  O.K., so my first question to a client is "What is your style?"  That is a really hard question.  A lot of us know what we like but we don't really have a name for our style.  Boho Chic, Classic, Rocker, Biker, a mix of all, a cross between a few.  It is a tough question.  You certainly don't have to name your style, but it is sometimes helpful in letting me get some insight into what a client likes.  Probably a more direct question would be "What do you WANT your style to be?"  Some of us are stuck in jeans and t-shirts but we know that inner fashionista is in there somewhere!  Some of us are stuck in the 80's or 90's (I could totally still rock my big hair!) and we just need a little nudge to get into a current style.  Whatever the issue, we all could use another set of eyes on our closet.  Our clothes say a lot about who we are and how we feel about ourselves.  My goal is to make clients feel comfortable and beautiful and like they actually want to get dressed every morning!


I will go through a closet looking for a few classic pieces.  Can I tell you, I am beaming with pride this week!  A client had this fabulous soft grey velvet jacket.  I pulled it out and she immediately said "I only wear that about once a year, out to dinner and only with this one top."  Ahhh, just what I am looking for!  I rolled up the sleeves, paired it with some jeans and encouraged her that it could be an Everyday piece!  It was seriously gorgeous.  So, to my own amazement, this is what I saw the very next day when I ran into her at our kids' school:

She was rockin' that jacket with a beautiful scarf (that she immediately had gone out and bought after I left her closet!) and her Stella & Dot layered bracelets.  A star pupil!  Now, isn't that jacket so fabulous!  I am still smiling ear to ear!


Those few classic pieces can be added to to make so many great outfits.  Another client I worked with had a ton of those great little jackets that she loved but could never quite figure out how to wear them.  She also had a ton of printed t-shirts in great colors that still all had the tags on them!  Oh the horror!!!!  She loved the prints but then felt that she "stuck out" too much while wearing them, so she never put them on.  Not once!  Simple solution:

 This particular client came away with nine, count 'em, NINE outfits our of her closet that she said she would never have put together!  Here are a couple of the other great things she had laying around just waiting to be worn:

Notice how those super fabulous red striped wedges can be put with just about any casual outfit for a little pop of color!!  I love them!

Notice the fabulous jacket that we paired up with some trouser jeans and a dressier top for a night out.  The same jacket is in this picture, but paired with a bright color and some capris for a summer evening of fun:

Another common issue I run across is that most women think scarves are only for fall/winter.  No!  The lightweight scarves can add so much in the summer time.  Pair a bright scarf up with a white tank and some great capris and you are ready to go!  My client loved this skirt but it was sort of old and she thought she had to wear it in winter with tights.  Summer, here she comes!

 All of this great stuff was in her closet.  Some of it she wore but most of it still had tags on it.  All in all, we probably "shopped" about $200 worth of new outfits and she didn't spend a penny!


Most women have the makings of a great wardrobe.  Some just need a few things to pop into the new season.  For all my clients this spring, I am recommending little pops of bright colors!  Flip flops, skinny belts, scarves!  A few brightly colored camis or tank tops can make all the difference.  Pair up with a cute white, button-down shirt and you have a whole new outfit for very little money. 


Like I tell my clients, put an outfit on!  Just looking at stuff in your closet doesn't work.  Take two things that you would NEVER think to put together and put them on!  It might work, it might not.  But you don't know until you try.  You bought your clothes for a reason.  You liked them.  Try looking at them with a different eye and see what you might find!  That fashionista is in there!