Build Your Perfect Wardrobe

Imagine owning a wardrobe so perfect that every morning, standing in front of it becomes a source of inspiration. Picture every item flattering you effortlessly, with endless outfit options.

Ah, the dream, isn’t it?

While perfection may seem elusive, a wardrobe that complements your shape, age, personality, and lifestyle, offering abundant outfit choices, is indeed within reach. Yet, as with most worthwhile endeavors, there’s a catch—it requires knowledge, meticulous planning, time, and dedication.

As the saying goes, “nothing worth having comes easy…“ *sigh*. But achieving your dream wardrobe is possible with the right guidance and effort. Let’s embark on this journey, turning your wardrobe aspirations into reality. Find Your Flattering Styles

Unlocking the secret to discovering garments that perfectly complement your shape and age is possible and surprisingly affordable with My Private Stylist. This innovative program unveils a treasure trove of style insights, such as what your greatest option is, what to avoid in garment elements like necklines, sleeves, and lengths, accessories including shoes, glasses, and necklaces, and essential coordination guidelines tailored to help you look your absolute best and shop with confidence.

Accessing this invaluable resource is a breeze. For the ultimate experience, opt for a personalized consultation with one of our expert image consultants. Alternatively, you can conveniently purchase the program online and embark on your style journey from home. Whether you choose the personalized touch of a consultation or the convenience of online access, My Private Stylist promises to revolutionize your wardrobe and elevate your style.

1. Be True to Your Style Personality

Feeling fabulous in your attire isn’t just about wearing clothes that flatter your figure; it’s about creating a seamless harmony with your unique personal style. Picture a wardrobe that’s a vibrant reflection of your individuality—a delightful blend of classic elegance, effortless chic, bold drama, feminine charm, artistic flair, seductive allure, or refined sophistication. When your outfits resonate with your innate style personality, you’ll exclaim, “This is so me!”

Discovering your style persona isn’t just a fashion statement; it’s a game-changer across every aspect of your life—whether you’re conquering the boardroom, enjoying downtime at home, embracing leisure activities, or dazzling at social gatherings.

If you haven’t yet unlocked the magic of your style personality, why wait? Dive into our exhilarating Style Personality profile, which is available for free. And if you’re already part of the My Private Stylist family, access the quiz from your dashboard and connect your responses to your profile. Prepare to embark on a thrilling journey of self-discovery and style empowerment like never before!

2. Meet Your Lifestyle Needs

Ensuring your wardrobe aligns with your lifestyle is essential for always feeling confident and comfortable in what you wear. A simple yet effective method to achieve this is to create a lifestyle spreadsheet and compare it to your current wardrobe contents.

Start by listing the various events or occasions you dress for, whether at the gym, work, running errands, special occasions, or date nights. Alternatively, categorize your clothing needs by levels such as gym attire, business casual, smart casual, dressy, and evening wear.

• In a given week, how often do you wear these clothes? Combine them into groups,
  • Daily activities (this is what you do between 9 and 5. No matter whether it is paid or parental work. Whatever it is you do)
  • Social activities,
  • Exercise
  • Weekend
  • Include rest hours.

Next, visualize your lifestyle as a pie chart, with each slice representing the proportion of time you spend on different activities or dress codes per week or month.

Compare this chart to your existing wardrobe contents. Ideally, your wardrobe should mirror the percentages of your lifestyle pie chart. If there’s a significant mismatch, it’s likely that you have plenty of clothes but nothing that feels right to wear for your day-to-day activities.

Understanding your lifestyle needs enables you to allocate your clothing budget more wisely. Investing in pieces that cater to your actual lifestyle requirements will prevent the temptation to purchase items that don’t align with your daily routine. This ensures that every piece in your wardrobe serves a purpose and contributes to your overall comfort and confidence.

3. Spend Money Wisely

During my experience conducting wardrobe audits with clients, I frequently encountered a common issue: misallocation of clothing budgets. Many individuals had invested significant sums in elaborate dresses meant for special occasions, only to find them gathering dust after being worn just once or twice. Meanwhile, essential everyday staples, such as classic pieces suitable for regular wear, were often of lower quality than warranted by their frequent use.

This disparity highlighted the importance of strategic shopping and prioritizing investments in versatile, high-quality basics that form the backbone of any wardrobe. By re-evaluating spending habits and acquiring timeless pieces that offer long-term value, individuals can ensure their wardrobe reflects their lifestyle and maximizes both style and practicality.

To work through this issue, you can use this cost-per-wearing formula:

To calculate the expected number of wears for a garment, follow these steps:

1. Determine the number of likely wears per week.
2. Multiply the weekly wears by the number of weeks the garment is expected to be worn in a month.
3. Multiply this result by the number of months in a year the garment will likely be worn.
4. Finally, multiply the annual wear by the estimated number of years the garment is expected to last.

The resulting figure will provide the total number of expected garment wears. This comprehensive calculation considers both wear frequency and anticipated lifespan, offering a clearer understanding of the garment’s value and utility over time.

Here are some examples:

Blazer

• Cost: $575 plus dry cleaning ($7 x 5) $35 = $610
• Wear:  2/week x 4 weeks x 9 months x 5 years = 360
• $610 ÷ 360 = $1.69 per wear

Special Occasion Dress

• Cost: $650 plus dry cleaning ($15 x 2) $30 = $680
• Wear: Twice
• $680 ÷ 2 = $340 cost per wear

At that price, you would have been better off renting one from sites like Rent the Runway.

One final note about your budget – whatever amount you have to spend, seriously consider allotting 30% to your accessories. They have the most power to transform your outfits.

4. Purge and Organize

When you struggle to choose an outfit, it’s often not due to a lack of clothes but rather an overwhelming abundance of them all crammed together. Streamlining your wardrobe is the key to unlocking your style potential.

Begin by purging items that no longer serve you: those you no longer wear, are in poor condition or have fallen out of fashion. Store away seasonal pieces not currently in rotation and organize the remaining items in your closet into a functional system.

Essential and timeless pieces, such as the classic little black dress, essential tees, solid dark denim jeans, black fitted trousers, and tailored blazers, should remain in your closet as the building blocks of your wardrobe. These versatile staples form the foundation of countless stylish looks.

Additionally, hold onto statement pieces that resonate with you personally. While they may not be as versatile as basics, these cherished items reflect your unique personality and sense of style, adding depth and character to your outfits.

And don’t forget to give back! Donate your gently used items to charities like Dress for Success, where your wardrobe contributions can make a meaningful difference in someone else’s life.

Streamlining your wardrobe isn’t just about decluttering; it’s about curating a collection that reflects who you are and empowers you to express yourself with confidence and flair.

5. Discover Every Outfit

For budget-conscious, style-savvy women, the real fun begins with maximizing the mix-and-match potential of their wardrobe. Every piece in your closet holds countless styling possibilities waiting to be unlocked.

Take a long flowing maxi dress, for example. Adding a belt instantly transforms its look and feel, while layering a blazer over a breezy dress or casual outfit effortlessly elevates it to polished perfection.

Sure, we all have our tried-and-true go-to outfits for those hectic days, and that’s perfectly fine. But to truly unleash the style potential of your wardrobe, mixing and matching is key.

Start by laying out each item on your bed and experimenting with different combinations of garments and accessories. Try on each outfit to see how it looks and feels on you, and if you love it, snap a full-length selfie or take a photo of the outfit laid out on the bed. This way, you’ll remember the winning combinations and be inspired to create fresh looks daily.

6. Get Your Colour Stories Sorted

Unlocking mix-and-match mastery is a breeze when you build your wardrobe around a cohesive color story. While some women stick faithfully to one color or palette, it’s worth exploring different color families to discover what truly complements your complexion. Consider arranging a color analysis for personalized insights into your best hues.

Once you’ve nailed down your colors, you can confidently incorporate patterns that harmonize with your chosen color story. While a monochromatic palette like gray, white, navy blue, or black may be a go-to for some, I’m all about infusing color into your wardrobe for added vibrancy and personality.

Stay tuned for an upcoming feature dedicated to uncovering the art of pairing colors harmoniously. Get ready to elevate your style game with stunning color combinations that reflect your unique flair and enhance your overall look.

The Character of Rachel Zane, played by the Duchess of Sussex in Suits, certainly knew the art of harmonizing. She wore a very neutral wardrobe.

7. Create Clothing Capsules

Are you familiar with the concept of a capsule wardrobe? If not, it could be the solution to achieving your ideal mix-and-match wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe consists of a maximum of 30 items, typically a blend of timeless classics in neutral tones and statement pieces that infuse personality and fashion-forward flair. These carefully curated pieces coordinate effortlessly, allowing you to create numerous stylish outfits easily.

This infographic from Classy Yet Trendy explains the concept very well.

8. Master Remixing

Break free from traditional style boundaries! Don’t confine yourself to specific definitions of what’s suitable for daytime or evening wear. Experiment with remixing pieces typically reserved for evenings, such as silver heels or sequined skirts, into daytime ensembles and vice versa. Similarly, don’t let seasonal norms dictate your wardrobe choices. Embrace the versatility of your clothing by transitioning summer pieces into fall with clever layering techniques or by incorporating lighter fabrics to make fall pieces feel more suitable for warmer weather. Let your creativity reign, and explore the endless possibilities of mixing and matching your wardrobe to suit any occasion or season.

9. Find the Versatility

Unleash your style creativity and break free from conventional fashion norms! Dare to blur the lines between daytime and evening wear by incorporating unexpected pieces like silver heels or sequined skirts into your everyday outfits and vice versa. Don’t let the changing seasons limit your wardrobe options either. Embrace the versatility of your clothing by seamlessly transitioning summer staples into fall favorites with clever layering or by incorporating lightweight fabrics to make your fall pieces perfect for warmer weather. With an open mind and a dash of creativity, explore the possibilities of mixing and matching your wardrobe to adapt effortlessly to any occasion or season.

10. Learn to Accessorize

To me, accessorizing is pure magic—the secret ingredient infusing personality and uniqueness into every outfit, transforming it with a change of mood like no other styling technique can match. As a classic woman, I know firsthand how styling options can sometimes feel limited, but with the power of accessories, I can exude confidence and style just like anyone else. I’m constantly looking for those unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that elevate my classic wardrobe staples, injecting creativity and individuality into every ensemble. Accessories aren’t just the finishing touch—they’re the key to unlocking endless style possibilities and showcasing my personal flair to the world.

11. Get Proportions & Patterns Right

Achieving the perfect mix-and-match balance is essential, ensuring that you remain the focal point of your ensemble, not just what you’re wearing.

When it comes to incorporating prints and patterns, mastering the mix is key. One effective strategy is to pair a smaller, understated print with a bolder, more graphic pattern. This contrast adds visual interest without overwhelming your look, striking the perfect balance between playful and polished.

Proportions also play a crucial role in creating a harmonious outfit. Avoid wearing two loose or oversized pieces simultaneously, as this can throw off your silhouette and diminish your overall presence. Instead, aim to balance tailored pieces with more relaxed or drapey silhouettes for an effortlessly chic vibe that exudes confidence and ease.

12. Shopping Suggestions

It’s tempting to be swayed by sales, but if a purchase doesn’t align with your desired wardrobe, its discounted price may not justify its value.

1. The first rule of smart shopping is to prioritize timeless classics and wardrobe staples. Investing in essentials like a well-fitted pair of black or beige pants or versatile nude or black pumps is always a wise choice. These pieces have enduring appeal and can withstand the test of time with proper care, making them worth the extra investment.
2. The second rule is ensuring that non-classic items seamlessly integrate into your existing wardrobe. Before purchasing, ask yourself if the item can be paired with at least two other pieces in your closet. If not, resist the urge to buy, even if it’s on sale. By adhering to these guidelines, you’ll build a wardrobe that enhances your style and versatility rather than accumulating unnecessary clutter.

Trial and Error

Just like anything else in life, mastering your style requires practice. By experimenting with different looks and building towards a mix-and-match wardrobe that reflects your personal style, you’ll notice a significant boost in confidence and wardrobe satisfaction.

It’s important not to get discouraged along the way. Discovering your perfect mix-and-match wardrobe is a journey, not a destination. Embrace the process wholeheartedly, and don’t hesitate to leave your comfort zone. Whether trying out new trends or sticking to what you know works best for you, finding the right balance between the old and the new is key.

With time and patience, your mix-and-match wardrobe will evolve into one of your most powerful assets, effortlessly elevating your style and ensuring you always look and feel your best. So keep experimenting, keep learning, and enjoy the journey of self-expression through fashion!