Hello everyone! Today’s I’m excited to bring you a guest post from my friend Daniella. She’s a style coach and today she’s sharing her top tips on how to simplify your style and create a minimal, user-friendly closet. I think you’ll enjoy this one! x Jen
I’m a firm believer that a minimal wardrobe can be anything but boring.
But paring down your closet can be an incredibly intimidating endeavor, no? If thinking about your closet makes you start to sweat, then I’m going to be your new best friend. (I mean, I hope. I really like new friends.)
To refine and streamline your closet, we’re going to define your style, create a uniform and find the cornerstone pieces of your minimal wardrobe. Let’s go.
DEFINE YOUR STYLE
If you don’t know what your style is then you can’t know what it is not. Right? When you have no frame of reference or vocabulary to know whether something is actually your style, almost everything will continue to be so-so.
Here’s how we’ll do it.
Find Your
Just like any new intention, you’ll want to start with a compelling why.
Imagine the woman you want to be six months from now. Is she more confident? Does she garner more respect at work? Is she a role model for her kids? Your why is often wrapped up in the person you want to become.
So, why do you want to conquer your closet once and for all?
Create Some Vocabulary For Your Personal Style
First, choose about five words that define how you want to feel in your clothes. Maybe you want to feel confident, approachable or joyful. Then, choose about three words that you want your style to reflect. Think in genres such as boho, classic, romantic or chic.
When I dress, I want to feel authentic, smart, delighted and confident. Most days, I define my look as casual polish.
Next, use Pinterest to save your favorite looks. Analyze the images and take note of what they have in common. Drapey sweaters? Neutrals? Clean lines? Notice the specific details you’re drawn to and then wonder why they catch your eye and what they have in common.
This is more than looking at an objectively cute outfit. This is pulling apart the specific elements that spark your interest. Maybe it’s lace details (romantic) or leather jackets and booties (edgey) or long cardigans (casual polish) or structured jackets and pumps (classic).
You should now be able to say: how you want to feel in your clothes, the types of genres you’re drawn to and the specific details you want to see more of in your closet.
Once you have a better understanding of what makes your style unique, you can detox anything that doesn’t fit within that. Did you notice that you’re drawn to more simplistic looks but you’ve somehow accumulated a bunch of patterns or fussy tops? Lose the fuss and add a few simple pieces to your wish list.
CREATE A UNIFORM
I teach all my one-on-one style coaching clients how to create a few different uniforms (I also call these templates). Your uniform is made up of a few key pieces that you can mix and match and never have to think about twice.
Find Your Colors
While we all have a whole wide world of
Let’s use your new pal Daniella (that’s me!) as an example. I’m an autumn
You can combine literally any of these colors in any form or fashion and they would pair together perfectly. This eliminates pretty much any and all decisions you need to make in the morning. It also helps you further minimize your closet by giving you permission to get rid of the colors that don’t fall within this palette.
Side note—you can also pair any of these with your blue or black denim. Don’t worry about including shades of denim in your six
If you don’t know your season, you can snag a sample of my e-book.
Choose a Neckline and Hemline
Choosing a neckline is super important because different necklines flatter the spectrum of body shapes differently.
For example, if you’re an apple (you carry most of your weight above the hips) you’ll want to embrace an elongating V-neck and eschew turtlenecks or boat necks.
But if you’re a pear shape (you carry most of your weight through your hips) you’ll look to add volume on top to help balance out your bottom half. So, you could do boat necks, flutter sleeves or anything that draws attention to your shoulders.
When it comes to hemlines, think skirts or pants. Again, this will vary by shape.
An apple will look to add volume to her bottom half with an A-line skirt or a straight-leg jean. Whereas a pear will look to streamline with a skinny jean or pencil skirt.
Add Structure to Your Outfit
Finally, I do like to make sure I have some structure in every outfit. This might take the form of a blazer or cropped jacket. Or maybe it’s a structured bag or a tote; somehow a structured bag immediately adds polish. Or it could be a pair of heels or booties, which could especially help elevate a more casual template.
Find Easy, Versatile Ways to Add Your Sparkle
Once you know the base elements of your uniform, you’ll want to put your own spin on it.
What accessories can you add to really make an outfit you? I like to wear big hoops, tie a little scarf around my neck or layer long necklaces and medium necklaces. This is fun because you can start to imagine what your signature piece might be. (Yeah, you could have a signature. Get you, girl.) Maybe you like to stack bracelets or wear rings from your trips around the world.
What makes
LOOK FOR ANCHOR PIECES
The cornerstone of a long-lasting uniform is what I call an anchor piece. Here’s how to spot one and why they’re so stinking great.
They’re Classic
Think timeless, flattering shapes. An anchor piece, by definition, can never be a trend—like bell sleeves or chevron print. Classics include shapes like peplum tops, A-line skirts, belted trench coats, Chelsea boots, cashmere V-necks. They aren’t a flash in the pan, they’re here for the long haul.
They easily transition from season to season. While you won’t find many pieces that you can literally wear all year long, staple pieces, such as a great pair of boots, transition well.
They’re Generally High U
Shoes are a great example of this. I like to judge additions to my closet by Cost Per Wear (CPW). If I buy a pair of $30 boots that fall apart after three wears, that’s a cost of $10 per wear. But if I invest in a pair of $200 boots that I wear twenty times a year for five years, my CPW is $2. Other examples include coats, purses and uniform-wash jeans.
You Can Wear Them Multiple Ways
Look for versatility. With some classic heeled booties, you could easily wear them to a wedding, a concert, the grocery and meetings. Maybe all in the same week! Or you can also look for pieces that you can literally wear multiple ways, like Vetta Capsule’s pieces.
Daniella Siebert is a style coaching living with her husband, border collie and rescue in Columbus, Ohio. Through her online platforms and one-on-one coaching, she uses personal style to help women live their most confident lives. She’s a firm believer that every woman deserves to feel seen, confident and worthy.
You covered all the basics!! Great article!!
The CPW concept is good but $30 boots that fall apart after 3 wears…? Isn’t that a little hyperbolic? Do you hike up a mountain everyday?