HOW TO SHOP WITH A PLAN

I love to shop and as a personal stylist, I have a pretty good idea of my own sense of style.  But because we have access to and are presented with so many options every day online and through social media, I’m seeing more people pull the trigger on purchases that just don’t align with their wardrobes or lifestyle. It’s easy to just start adding a few items a week but then you’re left with a closet full of questions like “how am I going to style this” or “where am I going to wear this” or even “does this represent my style”?  Think about it, would you go to the grocery store without a shopping list or worse, not knowing what you like to eat?  Sounds crazy right?  Stop buying your clothes like this and expecting to love your wardrobe. 

More clothing often doesn’t give us better style, but rather understanding yourself more, will. I often recommend taking a step back and being more thoughtful about your purchases, especially if you don’t have a gigantic closet or an unlimited budget like most of us. And personally, I think the Marie Kondo method of asking yourself if the clothing sparks joy is a little too high level and without needed direction.  So here are some tips to get you started understanding your style persona, goals and shopping with greater intention. 

1. Understand your lifestyle and the corresponding clothing that goes with that.  We’re always growing and life changes so it’s important to reassess.  Maybe you work from home, maybe you’re a new mom or perhaps you travel for work and speak on large stages across the country. And it’s also possible you do ALL THREE of these things.  People typically have a gap in one or several areas of their lives that present the most challenges when getting dressed.  Having a better sense of your needs for everyday workday, weekend mom duty and on-stage presenter will allow you to ensure you strategically shop for those different roles and occasions.  

• Use a Pinterest Board or some form of an inspirational board.  Start saving looks that you can refer back to.  Look for cohesion between the looks and ask yourself if the pieces you’ve been eyeing correspond to those outfits.  You may notice need to invest in a few new suits because you want to feel more polished when you’re speaking or that you’re lacking certain denim cuts to create the looks you love.  There are certain outfit formulas you can start to develop to make the process of shopping and getting dressed streamlined and simplified. 

• Figure out what makes you feel your best.  To do this, I ask clients to think about their most favorite items in their wardrobe currently or to look at past photos of themselves in their most loved outfits.  Dissect these. Think about the cuts, silhouettes and why they flatter your body.  Look at the colors and analyze if they are brighter, more muted, and especially which ones particularly by your face make you look best.  Is the vibe glam, classic, masculine, etc.?  You have permission to prefer to dress powerful at work and sporty at home.  We all have multiple style preferences which is what makes individual style unique. 

• Lastly, once you have those Pinterest boards created for your different dressing needs, make sure you’re going through it and narrowing down to get the most clarity before shopping.  As you’re getting dressed in the morning, if you’re finding yourself needing certain items, start a running list of these on your phone.  Maybe it’s a nude pump, a new black bodysuit or even shapewear.  Keep adding to it and referring back to your intentional looks to see what else you could be missing to create outfits.  This will be your intentional shopping list and 80% of your spend should be put towards this while 20% can be left for more of those impulse purchases. 

And if the process still feels overwhelming, you may want to consider hiring a personal stylist to help with shopping during the major seasons (spring & fall). BOOK YOUR CONSULT to learn more.