Hi friends!
I hope you’re all doing okay!
For this weeks escapism I thought I’d share a bit more about my free How To Find Your Style course and share the first video here on the blog as it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned it and I figured for a lot of people, now might be the perfect time to jump into a little wardrobe organisation! If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed with an overflowing closet or felt that you have nothing to wear - this is for you! I go through my step by step process for finding your signature style and simplifying your wardrobe so you can feel effortlessly pulled together everyday!
I’ve popped the first of the videos below for you to to watch if you’re interested and you can sign up for the rest of the course and get the workbook here if you’d like to!
After many years experimenting with capsule wardrobes, flirting with minimalism and just having a lot of fun with fashion, I’ve found my process for creating and maintaining (the maintenance part is key!!) a calm, well-edited wardrobe.
My process is a little different, because while people always seems to advise starting with the wardrobe declutter, I think it's important to work through a few steps before you get to that stage!
The basic outline of my process goes like this:
Stage 1: Explore Your Style
Stage 2: Get Inspired
Stage 3: Define Your Style
Stage 4: Cleanse Your Wardrobe
There’s so much advice out there when it comes to decluttering your wardrobe, rules like “if you haven’t worn it in a year it has to go”, “if it doesn’t spark joy it has to go” etc, but I feel like if you don’t actually dig a bit deeper, learn from it and gain a better understanding of why you haven’t worn it or why it doesn’t spark joy, it’s easy to just get into a cycle of decluttering, buying more to “fill the gaps” and needing to declutter all over again later down the track!
That’s why there are three stages that I recommend you go through before even starting the declutter! These help you to gain complete clarity around what you love to wear and what works for your lifestyle, because when you have a really good understanding of your signature style, it makes getting dressed, shopping and maintaining the clutter-free wardrobe so much easier!
So let’s get into the steps for Stage 1 - Explore Your Style
(you can listen to me talk about this stage in the video above and sign up for the full free course here if you’d like to)
1) Go into your wardrobe and take out a few pieces you love and feel really good in. Ask WHY you love these pieces?
What is it about them that makes you feel really good when you wear them and makes them work for you. Is it the colour, the fabric, the fit, the silhouette, do they accentuate a favourite feature of yours or disguise a feature you’re not as fond of, do you like the casual/dressy feel of them? etc..
2) Now go into your wardrobe and take out a few pieces that you hardly wear or just don’t feel great in when you wear them. Are there pieces you wear out of habit that you don’t actually like? Again, ask WHY you don’t like these pieces.
Do they highlight a feature you don’t like, does the colour make you feel “blah”, is the silhouette unflattering - is it too fitted or too loose, does it feel uncomfortable, is it difficult to care for, is it tricky finding something to pair with it etc
As an example - I don’t like pencil skirts because I feel like they accentuate my bowed legs and just aren’t a flattering style on me! No matter how many times I’ve tried to make them work (because I love the look of them on other people!) I never feel good when I wear them!
It’s about looking at the things you have, assessing what you don’t like about them and why this is. Asking if there’s something that you can change or maybe realising that this kind of item just doesn’t work for your style and how you want to feel when you’re getting dressed!
3) Do a similar thing and analyse how you’re feeling as you’re actually wearing different outfits.
If you have an outfit you love one day - ask yourself - what is it about this outfit that is making me feel great?
If you find yourself wearing something and you notice you feel uncomfortable or not your best, ask yourself - what is it about this outfit that doesn’t make me feel good?
4) Ask yourself - what clothes make you feel most like yourself when you wear them? What clothes do you feel best represent your personality?
For example - for me, blazers make me feel way too formal and “sophisticated”. While a lot of people would love that vibe I’ve finally realised that I just don’t feel like myself when I wear them.
I have more of a relaxed, easy going, fun, bubbly (some may say childish!!!) kinda vibe and when I put on a blazers I just feel “stuffy” and too polished… I just don’t feel like they suit my personality (even though I love the look of blazers on other people!!)
This doesn’t mean that I can’t dress up and look put together though! I just like doing that in more free flowing, softer silhouettes!
For example this dress (above) is a lot of fun - it has colourful embroidery, touches of lace and is long and flowy and it’s a really nice dress that can be dressed up, but also still feels relaxed and playful!
Same kinda vibe with this floaty white dress - It’s classic and dressy when paired with heels but still has that relaxed, effortless feel to it.
5) Start wearing the pieces in your wardrobe that you don’t normally wear
Do the trick where you turn the hangers around backwards and put them in the right way once you’ve worn them. Most of us wear 20% of our wardrobes 80% of the time so this can help you to really push yourself to try to wear different things so you can learn from them! You might surprise yourself and find that you really like some of the pieces that you just haven’t worn, or you may realise that there are reasons why you don’t wear certain items!
It’s a learning process and before you declutter (and especially before you go out shopping and buying any new pieces) you want to have a really good understanding of what you do and don’t like!
6) Write these observations down into TWO lists
You’ll find it much easier to keep track, notice patterns of your likes and dislikes and stay accountable when you’re shopping if you keep track of your likes and dislikes with 2 simple lists.
Have your “YES” list - pieces you love wearing and feel really good in and WHY you love them.
Have your “NO” list - pieces you don’t love wearing and don’t feel good in and WHY this is!
The key is writing down the WHY. For example, is it because of the:
The colour (eg: brightens my mood, looks good/bad with my skin tone etc)
The fabric (eg: soft, stretch, comfortable, itchy, too clingy, too stiff, wrinkles easily)
The fit (eg: loose and flowy vs fitted)
The silhouette (eg: fit and flare vs pencil skirt)
The “feel” of them (eg: casual vs dressy)
Too uncomfortable (do you have to adjust and constantly fuss with it?)
Does it suit your lifestyle?
Do you need special underwear to make it work or do you need a certain clothing item to pair with it?
Is it difficult to care for (eg: requires a lot of ironing or can only be hand washed)
An example of my “YES” List would be things like:
Fit and flare dresses because they flatter my shape and make me feel feminine.
High waisted shorts that flare out at the bottom because they feel most flattering on me as they emphasise the smallest point of my waist and are not tight around my legs.
Soft floral patterns, pastel colours or bright pink, neutrals
Shorts/jeans/overalls because they are easy to wear and feel less restrictive than skirts.
Light wash denim as it’s classic and I love the relaxed vibe
Linen pieces that feel casual because of the fabric and can be worn day to day but still be dressed up easily with a pair of heels = makes them really versatile!
An example of my “NO” list would be things like:
Pencil skirts - they emphasise my bowed legs and I just feel really dowdy in them!
Skirts in general because I find them restrictive/difficult to pair things with
Yellow pieces because I don’t like how it looks against my skin
Tops or dresses with too much going on at the top (eg frills) because they highlight my bust and make me feel bigger than I am
Backless tops or dresses because I hate not being able to wear a normal bra!
Everyone is going to be totally different - it is all a matter of personal preference and just about knowing yourself, figuring out what works and doesn’t work for your personality so you can then make better shopping decisions in the future and only choose pieces that will make you feel great!
So that’s “exploring your style” - the first stage of my Find Your Style process done!
If you found this part helpful and would like to learn about the next 3 steps you can sign up for the free course by clicking the button below!
If you’re someone who’s finding themselves with a bit more free time on their hands or getting bored in isolation, this might be the perfect productive distraction for you!
I’d love to know how you go so as always you can leave me a comment below or come say hi over on Insta @laurennatalia.co
Lots of love
Lauren
xxx