Does anyone else feel stressed by the sheer amount of clothing you see influencer’s have and wonder how to practically build a closet that you love? One that works perfectly for who you are and your lifestyle?

I’ve been pondering this for a few years now. A part of me wants to buy new things all the time and try to keep up, but when I do I’m always disappointed by the constraints of money and the time it actually takes to shop. I’m becoming numb to the new arrival and sale notifications that bombard my inbox and feed every day. It doesn’t feel enjoyable or sustainable. I’ve felt frustrated because I’ve always loved fashion and sharing my personal style evolution. Heck, I was voted best dressed in high school and worked in corporate merchandising for seven years! But I’ve been confused, like should I be a style influencer? You’ve probably noticed I’ve tried out a lot of different content ideas over the evolution of my businesses. Some of them have felt good while some of them have felt like I was trying too hard.

I’ve been sitting with this part of myself, listening to what my authentic desires are saying and finally sense a bit of clarity! I’m passionate about learning how to build a closet I love that makes it easy to feel amazing every day, is not wasteful and is very intentional. A closet that celebrates my unique existence and way of feeling and being in the world. I talk a lot about the concept of abundance with my clients and that the first step in feeling that is to appreciate what you already have. Whatever is in front of us expands with gratitude. Have you ever heard the quote, what you appreciate appreciates? There’s always a breadcrumb of your real self to grab onto and trust. Those are the pieces to build upon. 

Three years ago, post closing Sweet & Spark, I was in a major style slump. Over the course of building the business, my financial priorities were geared toward investing in the growth of the company over non-essential purchases like clothing. It was so frustrating because my love for fashion was why I started the company in the first place yet, I was sacrificing a deep need of my own. But that’s a story for another day! I was grateful that during the journey, once we started selling clothing, my closet had become full of all of the beautiful pieces we sold. I ended up getting a new wardrobe but one that needed to evolve as my identity shifted towards who I am and what I’m up to today. 

Without even realizing it at the time, one of the baby steps I took towards this vision was cleaning out my closet with the things that no longer felt like me. I was still holding onto jeans from my corporate days, overly feminine pieces from my S&S days and faded t-shirts/sweats to sleep in. With a much smaller closet at hand, yet one that I could reflect on with gratitude, I started experimenting with different outfits using what I owned. I would look ideas up on Pinterest and do little styling sessions in my bedroom, trying things on to see how they looked. If I felt good in it, I would snap a photo and that’s how the outfits section of my website came about! I would buy a few pieces that spoke to me each month and slowly my closet grew with me. 

There were looks I knew could be better but I didn’t beat myself up for where I was. I was proud to get a lot of use out of what I already had and gain wisdom from using them to inform my future purchases. About a year later, one of my clients who is a stylist, visited me and we did a color analysis session to help me learn what colors look best on me. I was surprised to find out that I was a winter gal- meaning classic neutrals (black, white, grey & navy), icy pastels, jewel tones and bright saturated cool colors like electric blue and magenta help me radiate. These findings was a real wake up call to me because I’d realized I completely abandoned a classic part of me in my wardrobe! 

This past year, I’ve been working to infuse more elements of this gal’s energy into my style and I can see the evolution! Slowing down, noticing what speaks to me, buying less but with greater intention has brought me so much joy and has helped me feel even more confident in myself. And because of that, I’ve decided that while my closet is probably no where near the size of an influencers, maybe that’s enough reason to keep sharing my own process of learning what I love and why. In the grand scheme of things, how many of us are actually influencers? What I think the industry has opened us up to though is the desire to explore our individual tastes and expression. And I’m all here for that!

When I put my old corporate merchandising hat on and think about my closet like a line plan that I would build seasonally at work, I get excited! I recently counted how many items I currently own, which comes out to around 400 and includes outerwear, blazers, pants, jeans, shorts, tops, tanks, skirts, dresses, swim, workout wear, bags, shoes, belts, hats and sleep/lounge wear. The only categories not in here are jewelry and scarves (because I have ridiculous amounts, haha). As I wear and style things, I’ve been keeping a running list of what holes I have by category. I have a total wishlist count of about 150.

I’m a sucker for reference points, as they help me form a vision in whatever I’m building. I would love to own a closet of about 500-600 pieces, updating it monthly with about 5-10 new items that fit within an annual clothing budget I’ve set for myself. Over time, as I continue to get to know my tastes and feel confident in my purchases, I’d love to eventually invest in less but higher quality finds. I feel confident that my plan is realistic and considerate, which is super motivating! And helps me find patience and beauty in the process. 

Over the next few months, I’m planning to do a post on each category and talk about what I’ve learned from experimenting with it over the past couple years. Such as what pieces I wear all the time, which things I don’t and why, what colors, prints and patterns make the most sense, how I style them, what’s missing and what’s been worth investing in! Hope that this series helps you feel even more confident in how you approach curating your personal style too.