Inside a Wardrobe Consultation Where We Only Discarded 1 Item!
A worry that often comes up when clients are thinking of working with me is that they'll be forced to chuck everything out and buy loads of new pieces. This isn't the case. I recently had a consultation with Becky. She settled in this country 6 years ago after growing and living abroad so UK brands weren't familiar to her and shed found it difficult adjusting her wardrobe to our unpredictable weather.
Becky had held onto a lot of pieces she had brought over from her home country as she couldn't find what she needed here. As we went through her wardrobe it was clear that Becky didn't feel ready or comfortable letting go of items. She was particular about what she bought and liked everything she had, although a lot of it was either worn out or didn't quite work with anything else. The only item Becky was prepared to let go of that day was a shirt which was stained and no longer fit her.
Becky’s Requirements
We discussed what Becky would benefit from and it became clear that it was more guidance on where to buy pieces and that she would only let go of pieces if she had a replacement for them. Scarcity is a genuine fear that a lot of my clients face, the worry that they'll never find anything they like ever again. For some it manifests in multiple purchases of the same item in different colours or variations. For Becky it had come from a place of familiarity in brands that she knew from her home country and lack of experience with shops and brands that we have in the UK. I knew that by showing her what was available and what she could buy, she would then feel confident in letting go of some of her older pieces that were no longer working for her and needed replacing.
Mini Shop
We identified that Becky had two uniforms, in winter she resorted to skinny jeans, a loose top and boots. In the summer she preferred wide leg trousers with sandals. We identified that the reason that Becky was struggling to put outfits together was that she was missing some key essentials, some casual boots that could be worn under jeans and trousers rather than over skinnies. A smart casual three quarter length coat to replace two casual jackets which were worn out. Becky also wanted to upgrade her leather bag which was fraying on the strap. The bag needed to be versatile enough to be used everyday with all Becky's outfits as she didn't want to have to keep changing it every day. Becky wanted to explore new brands and go into stores she had been too scared to go in for fear of in her words ‘a tape measure being thrust at me as I walk in the door'!
Becky prefers to shop in person rather than online and so we headed into Nottingham for a 2 hour Mini Shop to familiarise Becky with the shops, different brands and price points. It was more of an awareness exercise than a shopping one. Becky said 'I was so nervous the morning of the shop. I actually cried! But having met Hayley a couple of times, I knew that she wouldn't pressurise me or get me to buy anything I didn’t want, I knew she would support me.’
This is what Becky bought:
We also found a skirt, jumper and blouse which Becky loved but needs to order in another size.
What Becky said about the experience
'I absolutely loved our trip to town! I went back to Joules after you left and bought the raincoat, the boots have arrived and are beautiful, and I am loving my handbag and cream Thought jumper. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was great just walking into stores I'd never been into and discovering where the changing rooms are, it's little practical things like that which would have previously stopped me from going in somewhere and trying stuff on. I absolutely love what I bought and would never have looked at them on my own.
The day as a whole was incredibly valuable, because you helped me open new doors (quite literally!) find and fill gaps with perfect options, and you narrowed choices down so that it was easy to make good decisions. (I can deliberate over things for days, weeks and years - having help on hand to make quick decisions was incredibly liberating!)
I have also now gone through my cupboard now and gotten rid of several things to make space for the new options that I love (clearly I work backwards in this regard). I am hoping to go back to town to explore the new stores a little more and soak up their individual styles.’
If you are struggling with your wardrobe, unsure what you need or where to find it, check out my One to One Consultations or Online Classes in which i can give you all the tools.
