Although I have plenty of clothes I love (and, therefore, plenty to wear), I have been frustrated of late with how crowded my closet has become. I should also mention that I took great advantage of the January sales, which probably did not help matters. And then I read Courtney Carver‘s “10 Tiny Steps to Take Towards Your Tiny Wardrobe,” and I was like, “I must do something!” (Scroll down to read the steps and click through for the details on her website.)
Yep, it was time to purge the personal stylist’s closet. So who does the stylist ask for help when her closet needs some editing? Her fashion partner-in-crime, of course! I asked Kyle to take at least ten things out of my closet. Not only did she take things out that she thought should go, but, as an added bonus, she also took out things she thought I should wear more!
Click through the slider below to see the clothes she pulled and notes she wrote about them, as well as my rebuttals and actions taken. 🙂
Kyle: “I think, like you were saying recently, the striped tee/cropped jeans is your new casual uniform and this is you circa 2014.”
Lani: “You are correct. These are the shirts I wore when the kids were really little so I am having a hard time letting go.”
Action taken: Top 3 go in the give-away pile, the bottom purple check is actually newish and yet to be worn. Lani will wear it this weekend and give it away if it doesn’t feel right.
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Kyle: “I feel like this is the old you.”
Lani: “I agree with you for daytime, but this jacket gets TONS of compliments when I wear it over a Little Black Dress for evening.”
Action taken: Lani will keep it for now, but only wear it as an evening piece.
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Kyle: “These are short.”
Lani: The sequin skirt is short, but I wear it with opaque black tights. However, I haven’t worn it in awhile so it can go. The purple patterned one is one of the first pieces of Liberty of London I every got, so…I’m going to need to try it to make sure it truly doesn’t fit before giving it away. The purple-y stripe one is actually amazing for casual in the summer.
Action taken: Lani tried them all on and decided to put the two purple ones in her summer closet. They will be cuter than shorts for casual with the kids!
Kyle: “As I’m sure you know, this has a hole.”
Lani: Isn’t a girl allowed a super-soft purple cashmere sweater to sleep in? Seriously, I use this sweater as pajamas. That said, it doesn’t get worn enough because it belongs in my pajama drawer, not my working closet.
Action taken: Sweater goes in the pajama drawer where it belongs.
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Kyle (on pink cords): “I feel like these are stiff and uncomfortable. Do you still wear?”
Blue (on cotton pants): “Last time you wore these, they stretched out and you got really annoyed.”
Lani: “Let me try them on one more time before I say goodbye.”
Action taken: Yep, pink cords are uncomfortable and the blue pants have seen better days. Sayonara!
Kyle (on black suede Theory jacket): “I may be forgetting something, but I’ve never seen this! So cool!”
Kyle (on navy cashmere deconstructed blazer): “You never wear this anymore, but it’s obviously the coolest?”
Lani: “Why, thank you! I will break out the black suede jacket for Valentine’s day (I have a matching skirt!), and promise to wear the navy cashmere a lot this month while it is still cold.”
Action taken: Two pieces come back into the rotation!
Do you have ten pieces you could edit from your closet? I actually only got to 6 pieces at the end of the exercise so I pulled 2 more skirts out of my closet for donation, and am on the hunt for more.
Happy Editing!
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Courtney’s 10 Tiny Steps:
(Click here to read Courtney’s full entries for each step.)
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1. Box up everything that doesn’t fit you right now.
2. Photograph yourself in clothes you never wear but have sentimental value.
3. Donate anything you haven’t worn in 5 years.
4. Unsubscribe from all shopping sites and stores.
5. Make a list of your favorite 3 outfits.
6. Identify your weakness.
7. Watch inspiring documentaries.
8. Trade shopping for self-care.
9. Curate visual inspiration.
10. Put Project 333 on your calendar.
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Lani Inlander is a personal stylist who has been working with clients who want to feel their best and look put-together every day for 20 years. You can find her in the Washington, D.C. and New York metropolitan areas. Are you looking for professional training to be a personal stylist? Click here to learn how you can train with Lani at The Stylist Studio.
You can find Lani Inlander and Real Life Style on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
