I used to stand in front of my closet and loathe flipping through my seemingly hopeless options. I would inevitably walk over to my nightstand dresser–where the Lululemon leggings are kept–and throw on a pair of those with a t-shirt. Hiring a closet stylist has totally changed how I view and interact with my clothing. Martine from Martine A La Mode taught me SO much in just a few hours of playing in my closet. I wanted to share my lessons learned because the experience was so impactful to me!
Your appearance and style is important
I told Martine my style could be described as simple, comfortable, and relaxed. AKA “I wear leggings and t-shirts and when I’m feeling fancy I may wear jeans.” Martine asked me why I feel inclined to grab leggings. I told her I just felt like they were easy, and if I dressed up too much I worried people might judge me or think I was trying too hard. I wanted my style to be approachable and non-confrontational. Essentially I just wanted to blend-in.
Martine reminded me that no matter what I wear, people may notice me, and the story my appearance tells others is important. I own and operate a business where I work with clients, instruct students, and sell digital products. When people see me, they should think, “She seems really cool–I want to learn from her or work with her.” A professional or at the very least, put-together vibe instead of, “I’m flying by the seat of my pants and probably need another cup of coffee” (my words not hers). I was happy that by the end of the session Martine described my style more as minimalist than “relaxed.” Hiring a closet stylist changed the way I look at myself and how I want to be perceived by others.
Less is More
Martine is great at styling a piece of clothing in multiple ways, so you get a lot of wear out of one item. When we finished with my dresses she said, “okay, so now you have like 30 days of outfits just with dresses.” Thinking about the number of items I have in terms of how many days worth of outfits they could be was an eye-opener. Martine takes photos of outfits she creates for you so you don’t forget, and can help you put them on a Pinterest board. She will take notes on anything she thinks you are actually missing from your closet. I now have an awesome Pinterest board with photos of my outfits! I divided mine by warm and cool weather because I want to be able to scroll through when I need something to wear.
*Quality of your Pinterest board images subject to your house, lighting, and phone camera* lol.
If you have a piece of clothing you don’t love or feel good in, you don’t need to wear it or keep it. HOWEVER: I recommend making a pile of those items and telling Martine that so she can try to style them for you. I fell back in love with quite a few pieces I thought needed to be donated after Martine paired them with other items in my closet. The only items I got rid off were a few pieces that were ill-fitting or not really my style. Otherwise we made them work, moved them for fall/winter, or packed them away for a future maternity closet (I wore a lot of what my sister calls my “tent shirts”). 😆
How your closet is organized impacts your decisions
I had all of my tops, sweaters, and jackets hanging in my half of the closet in our bedroom, and all of my dresses and skirts in the hallway closet. I was kind of proud they all fit in this way. It made me feel like I didn’t have enough have a separate seasonal wardrobe. What I didn’t think about was the overwhelm that this created when I went to my closet to find something to wear. It also meant I almost never went for a dress or skirt because they were hanging in the hallway with ballgowns and therefore not everyday pieces.
As I said earlier, Martine taught me that the less you have in front of you in your seasonal closet, the less overwhelmed you will feel. It is easier it is to select an outfit when there aren’t 100 things hanging in front of you. All of my warmer clothes are now organized out in the hall closet. I can move tank tops out and move long sleeves in when the weather changes. This will ideally make me excited to see these pieces again! It is still helpful to separate it even though I don’t have that much in the winter closet. I was pretty against the idea at first. After seeing Martine bring new life to my styled pieces I can see how it would be exciting to see “new” things in a few months. It will help mitigate the urge to shop when the weather changes, too.
Slow Fashion versus Fast Fashion
Martine is very passionate about sustainable fashion. I actually went second hand shopping with Martine this winter which was eye-opening. I hadn’t given much thought to primarily purchasing new, but Martine explained the environmental and humanitarian costs of fast-fashion. Slow fashion can include handmade clothes, sustainably and ethically sourced clothing, and second hand clothing. For someone who chirps about slowing down all the time, I was a little embarrassed to not have put much thought into slow fashion.
Anyways, Martine will not tell you to burn all of your clothing or give it all away. Her goal is actually to help you fall back in love with your closet and teach you sustainable wardrobe practices. She recommends trying to recover worn clothing you loved instead of buying new. She also told me to pack items that I had in multiple colors away to “shop my closet” later if I really wore through the favorite color. Martine had all sorts of tricks for folding and storing clothing to help your clothing last longer too. She told me to take my dresses off the hangers when they are not in-season so they don’t hang by the shoulders year-round. She taught me how to properly hang a sweater, fold pants and more.
My overall experience
Was fabulous. If you are interested in having Martine style your closet, reach out to her through her website. She does do virtual styling! I have a friend who did hers virtually actually. 😊 To see my Pinterest board (I haven’t finished uploading photos yet) , click here.