Behind the Scenes: My Personal Styling Sessions in Phone Pictures

Behind the Scenes: My Personal Styling Sessions in Phone Pictures

I leave work a little earlier than usual so that traffic doesn't make me late. I'm excited and nervous to meet a new client. I always think the worst (What if we don't connect? What if she finds all of my ideas boring?) mixed with the best (I can't wait to meet this new person! I wonder what kind of fun clothes she'll have?). I'm ramped up, ready to go, and wishing I had more under eye concealer.

I arrive, and we chat. We chat about her life. What do you typically wear, I ask, and would you like to be wearing something different? Something more...what? And are there times you get more dressed up than that? For dates, or church, or holiday parties? And what about on the weekends? What does that look like? Do you have any questions for me?

And then I ask her to put on something she would typically wear. While she changes, I go into her closet. I automatically scan for colors, shapes, style, organization, too. Is this someone who is comfortable with bold colors? Is she repeating a lot of the same shapes? I take a mental note to see how those shapes and those colors work on her body, with her lifestyle.

I start to lay out combinations on her bed, urging her to slowly consider combinations that she might not have before (bolds with black & white, colors from the same color family, or whatever seems like it might spice up her usual look).

 

One at at time, she picks out outfits from the bed that interest her. She always says things like "I would have NEVER put those things together" and "is it ok to mix Y with X?" We laugh and joke around about her lack of pants or her fear of patterns or whatever it is. Some combinations really look amazing on her, and she loves them. I build more like those, teaching her why I'm putting things together as I go so that she can repeat the steps after I leave, when it's just her and her closet tomorrow.

I take pictures of each outfit, usually from the neck down so that she's not focused on how her face looks. Later, I'll email these to her as a reminder of the many, many looks that we put together for her that she loved.

As we work through her clothing, some of it usually gets put into a donate pile. My little note pad gets a few items added to it that she might want to purchase to help fill in her wardrobe and further define and enhance her style. Later, I'll email her some links that I think will help fill those gaps, a belt here or a necklace there. I don't make any money whether she buys them or not so it makes it easy for me to send things that I really think she'll like.

Sometimes, she's booked me to go shopping with her after, too, and we'll take notes on what she might want to look for. I'll ask her to wear a specific workhorse piece, like a skirt we've re-discovered, when we go so that we can pair tops, belts, and shoes with it.

Then, somehow, three hours have passed. Her room looks like a tornado struck, and half of her closet (or more) is full of beloved outfits. She always says something about feeling like she has a whole new wardrobe, things she never wore that she can't wait to wear now. We joke about how much money we've saved her or how she's discovered that she has a great shape. Sometimes, there are tears.

And I walk out, into the crisp air, and I'm always, always smiling. It's incredible to be welcomed into someone's closet, and I value that trust. I also love knowing that I've made a difference in someone's vision of themselves. I feel on top of the world.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: December Discount for Holiday Gift Cards

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: December Discount for Holiday Gift Cards (and yes, you can get one for yourself)

The gift card can be redeemed anytime. Yes, you can buy more than one. Yes, you can buy one for yourself! Yes, 3 hours is usually $75. Why? Because I love you.

End of Summer Closet Purge

End of Summer Closet Purge

Via

Last year right around this time (August 20) I posted about doing a closet purge. Today, in the spirit of embracing fall and the change of seasons, I'd like to encourage all of us to do a good hard closet cleanse. In particular, I'd like to invite you to get rid of everything that doesn't flatter you and lift you up toward being the best possible version of whoever you are. Right. Now. Warning: this is going to be a wordy post and one that might ask some difficult questions. Bare with me, ok? I've used some funky fonts to help break it up a little.

In particular, I've been thinking lately about a question that I get from clients and friends a lot. It comes in various forms, but the basic is this:

How do I know if this outfit/dress/shirt/pair of pants/necklace/hairstyle is too ______________ for me?

The adjectives for the blank include: too young for me, too old for me, too tight for me, too revealing for me, too trendy for me, too young for me, too baggy for me, and more.

Here are my thoughts about this, and I'd love to hear what you think, too!

In Praise of the White Jacket

In Praise of the White Jacket

Recently, I helped a client to take a fresh look at her closet. She's a mother of three, one four year-old and two twins under a year old, and she was transitioning from being home full-time with the twins to working from home part time. In what she called her "other life," she had worked full-time in an office where fashion was queen, and her closet was full of dry clean only, precious pieces. They were not working for her current life.

What we did was cull through her closet to separate out anything that was dry clean only; we stored it in a separate closet for special occasions. Then, we pulled out pieces that still felt young and fresh but could be Oxy Cleaned and thrown in the washer.

One of the things she had that we got a lot of mileage out of was a white blazer. I can't recommend more highly that you look through your own closet to see if you have a jacket or blazer that fits you well that you have been under-utilizing. In Debbi's case, she thought of the two piece white suit as impractical, which it was!

But, when we ditched the skirt and kept the jacket, we found that she could wear it in a more professional way for lunches or video conferences with clients and over a casual baseball tee with jeans for a kids' birthday party or other family outing. Since it was easy to clean, she wasn't worried about getting it dirty.

Here are two of the many ways I styled it for her.

You might do the same with a light colored jacket or blazer, or even a navy one for the fall. Black can be nice and provide some edge, but it can also read as very corporate, so try this first with a jacket that's not black. 

If you're on the market, I like this cropped linen open jacket on sale from Loft, or this twill moto jacket for a bit of edginess,  this doubleweave cotton for a more feminine fit, or any number of these Asos jackets, including curve sizes.

And if you're wondering whether a white jacket will serve you after Labor Day, the answer is of course! That fashion rule should only be heeded if you're looking for an excuse to buy something that's not white. Otherwise, a white jacket can-and should-be worn year round.

I'm linking up to the Fashion Informant!

May Day Sale for Personal Styling Services!

May Day Sale for Personal Styling Services!

 Book a personal styling or personal shopping session with me from May 1-May 5 for $45 (a $75 value). 

This is for a three hour session, or $15 per hour. Does not include mileage. 

Session can take place anytime but you must book during this time period. 

Valid for in-person or virtual sessions.

Can be booked as a gift for another person.

Read comments from my clients here.
Email me to book your discounted session at startclosein (at sign) gmail.com  

Personal Styling with Debbi

Personal Styling with Debbi

"Without a doubt, this was the best thing I've done for myself since becoming a mom."

Can you believe that's what she said?! What a doll! And let me tell you, Debbi is so much fun to hang out with! We had a ball together trying on a million outfits so this is going to be a picture heavy post! I want to pause for a minute and talk about the picture above.

I paired the sweater with the round necklace because I love to echo a pattern in clothing with the same shape in jewelry. The necklace is close enough to her neck that she might be able to wear it around her twins, too!

For days when she's going into the office, lunching with clients, or even on video from home, we put together some business casual styles that she can also throw in the wash. We ignored everything that was dry clean only and focused only on clothing that was versatile and washable.

Then, we layered up some polished casual looks made up entirely of ready-to-wash fabrics so she can wear them during the work day and with her kids!

I love her in those bright reds, blues, patterns, and leopard, and we also loved her in as many neutrals as we could find! 

For a casual night out without the kids, I tried her in a white blazer from her office days with a soft, casual baseball tee and pants. I would love this with an orangey-red lipstick.

And we also played with some casual, around-the-house outfits! The bottom outfit even features her teething-friendly necklace while the top outfit includes leggings and that same baseball tee.

Here's what Debbi thought about our session together:

"I always felt like I had tons of clothes but nothing to wear.  I always admired how other people played with color and looked so polished, but never felt that I could manage to get my act together to do it. After I became a mom, add in my complete lack of time to even care. ;)

My twins arrival really rocked my world in every imaginable way, and my ENTIRE life changed. I went from managing a team of 11 and a multi-million dollar business to being a spit up rag who never left my house. Now that I'm working from home, it was a good impetus for me to get my act together, fully accept my new  life and start feeling like a whole human again.

Our time together was SO wonderful and I learned so much in such a short time. I feel so much better getting dressed each day and my husband has complimented me every day too!

Without a doubt, this was the best thing I've done for myself since becoming a mom."

Thank you, Debbi! And thanks to Tahira and Rose for their guest posts this week! I love looking into the closets and lives of other women, don't you? Next week I have a favorite friend writing about shopping when you're tall. Stay tuned!

In Person Styling: Jen

In Person Styling: Jen

I'm really, REALLY excited to show off my new friend (met her through Hannah, so you know she's good people!) Jen. She and I talked about having a day in her closet months ago, and Jen was so patient with Hannah and me as we cancelled on her again and again.

Last week, we finally got together to play dress up, putting together outfits for Jen to wear to work, for play, and on stage, too!  I'm going to let the pictures do the talking because I think you'll see just how gorgeous she is-and how that beauty radiates to the outside, too!

Thanks to Hannah for snapping most of these pictures and for pampering Jen with some hair and makeup!

In Her Words

Here's what Jen had to say:

 

StartCloseIn: What were you hoping to get out of our time together?

I needed help with my style, focusing it and naming it.  And calling in the experts (you and Hannah) was a dream come true.  I had ideas of what I might do or who I wanted to emulate but couldn’t quite put my signature on it.  I was also looking for an outside perspective on what to keep and what to donate (pieces that weren’t working at all – no more hiding underneath shapeless sweaters).

What was the experience like for you?

Fantastic and exhausting.  I can’t remember a time I changed clothes so many times in such a short period.  There were only a couple of outfits that you put together that were similar to what I already wore, but the majority of the time you kept coming up with combinations that blew my mind.  And when I showed you the “Promise” closet of dresses and coats that I hoped to one day wear again (or for the first time), you were like, “Try it on, let’s see” and stuff actually fit.  Having tangible proof that the diet and exercise changes I’d been making were working was incredible.  And inspires me to keep up the hard work and see what else I can pull out of that Closet.

Has anything changed for/in you since our time together?

I ordered a black bomber/biker jacket to mix in with my outfits (and a white one!), since I couldn’t keep Ms. Hannah’s J.  And I had fun trying on different accessories while I was out shopping with my aunt last week, keeping an eye out for longer necklaces that I can layer with ones I have at home.  I also grabbed two new fashion scarves to work in.  Even though I have to wear a lanyard at work for identity purposes, doesn’t mean I can’t layer up on the necklaces and / or scarves too.  I realized I have a pretty awesome collection at home that wasn’t getting enough limelight.  I’m still on the lookout for striped shirts and more of the fun/quirky T-shirts.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I had a rough couple of days at work after our consult and having the outfits ready to go in my closet was such a relief.  And, I felt my confidence level rise with each piece I put on, almost as if I was putting on a suit of armor.  I could take on that day’s trouble because I looked GOOD.  That piece of mind was my calm in the storm last week.  I knew we’d have a great time and we did.  Also, the “Look at that hourglass”, “What time is it? / Time is Up!” comments were hilarious and encouraging.  Notes I distinctly remember:

o   Show off your wrists – roll up your sleeves

o   Show off your ankles – roll up your skinny jeans

o   Lengthen your leg line by rolling long pants under or have them tailored; don’t cuff them on the outside

o   Think of it as combining at least three pieces to create the “Look”

o   If an item has conditions (e.g. these cutes shoes are fun for about 15 minutes), get rid of it and invest in something that you can wear with no limitations

Thank you so much for sharing all of this, Jen! I had such a good time, and I can't wait to see your new bomber jacket and celebrate that "What time is it?!" hourglass figure! Xo.