No matter how big or small your wardrobe is; the same rule nearly always applies, the 80/20 rule! Are you (be honest) wearing 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time? If you are don’t worry because you are not alone! Do you know why you only wear 20% of it though? Well let me tell you. It’s simply because the other 80% isn’t working! Don’t get me wrong, in most cases there’s nothing wrong with these clothes, some of them are beautiful items and even have the expensive price tag still attached to it. But for some reason they are not being worn; maybe they don’t fit, maybe they don’t suit your current lifestyle or maybe you’ve just gone off them? We’ve all been in this scenario; you have every intention to wear the item/outfit but when you go to try it on, something’s not quite right and instead you go to your safety 20%!
Most people are holding on to their whole lives in their wardrobe: their old life, their current life, even their potential life and unfortunately for many of us that means, our old size, our current size and our potential size!
Having carried out hundreds of wardrobe styling sessions, I see it time and time again and I always say to my client, “why would you torture yourself every time you open your wardrobe by looking at clothes that no longer fit you?”
No one is saying “throw these clothes away, you’ll never be that size again”, we’re just saying store them away, maybe in a suitcase or in the loft… just don’t look at them everyday!
So the number 1 rule when editing your wardrobe is: Be Honest with yourself!
Ask yourself these questions:
- When was the last time you wore this item?
- Does it fit?
- Do you need it?
- Do you even like it?
Unfortunately this one of the hardest things to do, I meet so many clients who keep procrastinating and instead of dealing with this issue, they let their wardrobes get more and more cluttered and getting dressed for any occasion gets more and more stressful! …and this is usually when they call on a Personal Stylist to wave their magic wand!
Now I’m not sure what other stylists do but what I can tell you is that all of our Style ME trained stylists follow the same process: with an unbiased eye we explain why that 20% is working, and why that 80% is probably being disregarded. We also work with you to show you how to put certain looks together, recommending clothes that can be altered and subtly telling you which clothes it’s finally time to let go of.
9 out of 10 times the clothes that are in that 80% pile are not there because they are the wrong size but because they are wrong style for your shape and don’t actually flatter your colouring.
During the wardrobe styling session we advise you on what key items are missing in your ‘Capsule Wardrobe’ perfect for your shape, your colouring (if you’ve had your colours done), your lifestyle and your budget! I can guarantee that your Style ME stylist will not only de-clutter your wardrobe, but will teach you key rules on how to dress for your shape, showing you how to dress and more importantly embrace yourself exactly as you are ‘now’!
If you’d love a fresh pair of eyes on your wardrobe and a helping hand why not give us a call.