Although I love clothes, I’ve never been what anyone would call a fashionista. I rarely keep up with trends, aside from an unfortunate but short-lived Clueless-inspired phase of knee socks and platform shoes in middle school, and would generally describe my style as simple, classic, and casual.
However, somewhere between my breast cancer battle, subsequent infertility and pregnancy, and the COVID-19 pandemic, classic casual turned into casual casual. In other words: plain and boring. I fell into a cycle of reaching for clothes that were 80% athleisure and/or black. Sure, I was comfy in my running pants and oversized sweatshirts, and I didn’t have to put much thought into a black top and pants for work. But getting dressed wasn’t fun and, frankly, made me feel pretty lousy.
This realization pushed me to take action and, over the last six or so months, I’ve intentionally tried to reinvigorate and rediscover my style. While I’m still very much a work in progress, my closet is slowly becoming a place I enjoy visiting again. How did I get there?
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- Personal Color Analysis
Last November, my girlfriend and I spent a fun morning with Stephanie Grabow of SG Style Collective learning our color seasons. Stephanie is a true expert and, more importantly, a lovely person. She is so positive, you can’t help but leave feeling better than when you came in!
Stephanie started by explaining how color seasons take into account hue (color), value (light/dark), and chroma (saturation). She then sat us, one at a time, in front of a brightly lit mirror and draped different color combinations to see what complemented our skin tone best.
The diagnosis? My friend (blonde with fair skin and blue eyes) is a light summer, while I (brown hair with neutral skin and hazel eyes) am a dark autumn. After identifying our seasons, Stephanie provided us with a small, zippered pouch containing a fan of our colors (almost like paint swatches) to use when shopping. She also let us sample makeup that worked with our unique skin tones.
While the color analysis was certainly a monetary investment, it was totally worth it in my opinion! Not only was it quality time with a girlfriend (did I mention the champagne?), but it gave me the kick I needed to stop defaulting to black and focus on colors that make me feel good. As Stephanie said, “The way you are made is perfect. So you should wear colors that enhance you the best and change you the least.”
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- Clothing Clean Out
The next step after my color analysis was a total closet and drawer clean-out. I tried on every piece of clothing I owned, asking: (1) Does this fit?; (2) Do I love it?; and (3) Is it in my color season? If I answered “no” (or even “kind of”) to two or more questions, it went directly in the donation pile.
Through the clean-out process, two things quickly became clear. First, a lot of clothes I truly loved were in my color season. This not only reinforced Stephanie’s expertise, but more importantly, showed me I was my own worst enemy and had become lazy by always reaching for black. Second, letting go of clothes that no longer served me was freeing. I had held on to clothes, hoping they would someday fit my post-cancer, post-baby body again, or because of how much money I had spent on them. Putting these items in the donate pile released guilt that I didn’t even realize was weighing me and my closet down.
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- Purposeful Shopping
With a firm grip on my color season and the clothes left in my closet, I have been much more intentional about my shopping. I try to avoid buying more black (trust me, there is still plenty left in my closet!) and focus on greens, blues, and berries in classic shapes and patterns. I’ve also started to pay more attention to quality versus quantity, and I make myself wait a week before hitting purchase to ensure it’s not just a dopamine hit I’m looking for. This purposeful and mindful approach to shopping has benefited my closet, style, and wallet!
Another area I’ve started to build back up is my accessories, specifically shoes and jewelry. I’m a true millennial in that I loved a good statement necklace in the early 2000s, but since then, I’ve stopped wearing any jewelry other than my wedding rings and stud earrings. In my attempt to elevate my style, I’ve built simple necklace and bracelet stacks that are easy to throw on yet give any outfit a more finished look.
Look, am I ripped from the pages of Vogue? No, and I never will be. Being on top of the latest trend is not something I strive for. But do I feel more confident in my clothes and style? Absolutely. Having fun and feeling good is all I want out of my closet, and I’m definitely on my way there.
