setting style resolutions
At the end of every year, or the beginning of the next, we tell ourselves about all the things we’re going to do in the next few months. For too many of us, some variation of “dress better,” “revamp my wardrobe” or “elevate my personal style” almost always makes the list. At this point, the self-depravation feels like tradition.
So what’s missing? Why does an upgrading a seemingly simple, yet necessary every day task seem so insurmountable?
It’s because we’re overreaching the what and missing the how.
Getting dressed should be both efficient and fun, and sometimes even effortless. For that to happen, our wardrobes need to be both functional and fabulous.
THE WHAT
For most of us, our style resolutions are either too broad or too vague. The reality is, most of us won’t revamp our entire wardrobe this year. BFFR. But, we can set realistic goals that will make our wardrobes more functional and fabulous.
Some examples of efficient and attainable style goals include:
Defining and mastering your personal style
Creating a capsule wardrobe functional for your lifestyle
Investing in key wardrobe pieces
Upgrading your weekend wardrobe with elevated casual looks
Expanding a specific area of your wardrobe, like accessories, sweaters, etc.
While these represent just a few kinds of style resolutions you can set, I encourage you to think about what you want to achieve with your wardrobe this year.
First, identify your pain-points. What do you find yourself saying you need more of? What would make you feel better about getting dressed, and about the outfits you put on? What do you like about your current wardrobe? Dislike?
Once you zero-in on the issue(s), you can better define the goal, or the what.
I always tell people, the first step in setting style resolutions is a good ol’ closet clean out. If you’ve been with me for a minute, you know I love me a good closet clean out. Why? Because you have to get rid of the excess to give yourself access to the functionality and fabulosity you seek. Remove items that don’t fit, are over-worn or out of shape, tattered or torn and items that don’t represent who you are, a.k.a. don’t fit your personal style. If the woman or man you want to be wouldn’t wear them, why are you? We call that the donate pile.
If you’ve never done a successful closet clean-out, don't fret friend. I have a Closet Clean Out Cheat Sheet that will help you trim the fat in no time. We'll break that down soon.
Now that you’ve cleared out anything that was taking up space, in your closet and in your wardrobe, you can do what I call the Wardrobe Assessment. Before any wardrobe elevation happens, we first have to see what we have and where we’re at. This is going to inform our what. Once we know what we’re missing, what we like and want more of and what we need, we can set our style resolutions.
I created a guide to help you through the Wardrobe Assessment. This step is super important, because it helps you discover the holes in your wardrobe. Download my Wardrobe Assessment Guide here.
THE HOW
The how is, more often than not, the hardest part of achieving a goal. We might have a defined, achievable goal, the will to achieve it and the timeframe in which we want to achieve it- but no way to bridge the gap.
The how is your bridge.
Once you have your what, the how is just the follow-up and the steps you’ll tak e to achieve it. Whether it’s identifying your style influences, discovering your go-to shops or brands that align with your personal style or figuring out what your personal style even is.
Step 1 is having a resource to guide you along the process. That might be Pinterest or, for lucky people like you, a closet coach. As your Closet Coach, I'll be here (and on YouTube) to help you discover your how.
For example, if your what is to identify and master your personal style, your how would be to take my Personal Style Category Quiz (coming soon).
If your what is to invest in key wardrobe places, than your how would be to identity what staple pieces are missing from your wardrobe, determine CPW, set your budget and start shopping.
In the next few weeks, we'll be going over the what and the how, to help you set and achieve your personal style resolutions.
Registration is open, and it’s free. So grab a pen and a notebook, or your notes app.
Class is officially in session.
