The 4 Stages of Style, part 1

There’s a difference between putting together one good outfit, and having a wardrobe that makes good outfits inevitable.

Given an hour, most people reading this could put together one killer outfit and look freaking amazing.

But what’s left in your closet after that killer outfit?

Could those pieces combine to make a 2nd, 3rd… a 57th killer outfit?

Or, if you’re like a lot of my clients when they find me, do you have a couple great pieces you love, and then a bunch of pieces you’re not sure what to do with (or how they got there)?

Pieces that you know are good, but don’t go with anything (I call these orphans), or get trotted out on one occasion per year, and then relegated to the back of the closet for the other 364 days.

After working with so many clients I’ve seen patterns emerge. And one of them is that the way you see clothes and style develops in reliable stages.

There are four distinct levels on the ladder of developing a style that works. Only the final one gets you a wardrobe where every single piece is a part of multiple killer outfits, and you have no more orphaned pieces taking up valuable closet space.

At each level, getting dressed is easier, shopping is more efficient, and your closet feels more functional. Figuring out where you’re at is the first step to moving up to the next level.

Today, I’ll give you the first two levels, and next Monday I’ll be back with Levels 3 and 4.

Here we go:

Level 1: “I don’t have a style”

You may be surprised - or you may not - that so many of my clients first find me while thinking they don’t have a style at all.

“I’m just casual” they might say. Or “I just like to be comfortable.”

Being comfortable or having a casual approach to style is great, and I’d never take that away from anybody. In fact, those are perfect foundations for a personal style that looks and feels good, because it helps create parameters for what’s in and what’s out.

The long and short of it is: there’s a great style inside of everyone, even if you can’t imagine what it is yet, or you don’t believe style is for you. Not everyone’s style is meant to be flashy or formal. Some peoples’ style is relaxed, easygoing. But that IS a style.

Now is probably a good time to tell you my definition of style: it’s more than an aesthetic. And it’s way more than an attempt to impress people with your fashion know-how. 

Personal style is a system, unique to each individual, of shopping and getting dressed so that your physical needs (comfort, sensory stuff, the activities you do daily) and emotional needs (identity) are both met, and getting dressed becomes easy and fun.

(working on shortening that one, ha)

If you’re at this level, what I want you to understand is that style is possible for you, that it’s a worthwhile pursuit, because it will make your life better, help you feel better in your skin, and make getting dressed and shopping for clothes easier, effective, and enjoyable.

And that you do not have to become a different person along the way. Done right, you’ll look more like yourself, not less, after this work.

Level 2: “I know what I like, but I don’t like my outfits”

If you don’t identify with Level 1, it’s possible you may be starting at Level 2.

This is where you have a sense of what your style is, you could describe some qualities you like and don’t like in clothes, and you have definitely bought pieces you know are good.

However, your day-to-day still feels chaotic, you rarely - if ever- wear the beautiful and interesting things you buy, and your daily outfits look pretty generic and boring despite your efforts.

Despite having a unique perspective (and some good stuff!), you're going out most days in 'jeans and a top' and feeling like you're leaving a lot of expressive potential on the table.

The problem here is one I see all the time, and when my clients can shift this one, it’s a huge game changer. 

The distinction is that they think in (and buy) pieces, not outfits.

What this looks like: you open your closet and see individual pieces you like, but these are the things you try on and then take back off before you go out the door.

You can’t seem to figure out how to wear them in actual outfits, or they don’t go with the other things you have, or they seem too fancy or specific to fit into your everyday life.

When I work with my clients, I teach them how to look at their clothes through a few helpful lenses: color, style archetypes, and formality levels, so they can understand why certain pieces never fit in with the rest, and how to get new life out of many of the pieces they may have overlooked.

Once you know which of your clothes speak in a shared language, it becomes way easier to pair things together effortlessly. Your outfit hit rate goes up, fast. You actually wear the things you buy.

Sounds good, right?

Ok. Those are the first two levels on the personal style ladder.

Do either of these sound familiar for you? What’s your day-to-day experience of getting dressed like?

Do reply, I read every comment and want to hear from you.

I’ll be back next Monday with the last 2 levels on the ladder - so you can see where we’re headed (or if you’re already there!)