4 Steps to a Functional and Flattering Wardrobe

A 4-step Approach to a Functional Wardrobe

Most professional wardrobe stylists are known for their work with celebrity clients walking the red carpet.

For the past 15 years I have focused on the everyday woman. My personal clients have been women of all shapes and sizes (0 – 26) and I have been in their homes and in their closets and listened to their questions and complaints.

In my experience, most women only wear 20 - 30% of the clothing in their closet, which means a lot of wasted money and unnecessary frustration.

My goal with every client is to develop a functional wardrobe that brings out her personal best and causes her to look at her body in a positive light.

These steps can help you to develop a more functional wardrobe:

1) Understand how to flatter your unique body.

2) Clean out and inventory your closet.

3) Determine your wardrobe needs.

4) Then... go shopping.

Most women skip steps 1, 2 and 3 and then wonder why they have
so many "regrets hanging in their closet."

Women are beautiful in their imperfections. You create a shopping list for the grocery store, you should develop a plan for your wardrobe.

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UNDERSTAND HOW TO FLATTER YOUR UNIQUE BODY: Two women can be the same height and weight, and even wear the same clothing size, but have very different bodies, which means a pair of jeans that looks great on one woman, can be quite unflattering on the other.

This is why it’s critical for a woman to learn what is most flattering on HER body, and not just what looks good on a mannequin or website. During each personal consultation I analyze the client’s body to identify her figure assets and her "challenge" areas, and then I teach her which clothing will best flatter her unique body. This is always my first step!

My Fit & Flatter Dressing Guide is an online body assessment for those women I can't work with in person so I can educate them on the clothing that is most flattering on their figure. You provide YOUR photos and YOUR measurements to receive a personalized plan for YOUR particular body shape at a fraction of the cost of my personal consultation.

>> Click to see a sample body assessment.

This assessment goes much deeper than, "You're a pear," or, "... a triangle." I take into account whether a woman is long or short-waisted, hip to waistline ratio, leg proportions, natural waistline versus the dressing waistline, and their phase in life (post-menopause, post-baby), etc. I use my 15 years of experience fitting women of all shapes and sizes to provide a personal and objective assessment. Most women have a distorted self-perception and difficulty recognizing how to properly fit their own bodies.

MYTHBUSTER: I was shopping with a client when she pointed out another shopper, and commented, “She’s so skinny; she can wear anything!”

I know my client well, so I was blunt, “That’s not true. She has fit issues,” as I pointed some out. “Looking your best is not about being heavy or skinny; it’s about finding the most flattering clothes for your unique body. It’s all about body proportions, the architecture of clothing, proper fit and perception.

“Look at me! I know that I have a long torso but relatively short legs and my bustline is proportionately small to my hip line and I’ve given birth to four kids. But I also know which clothing make my legs look longer, hide my wider hips and enhance my bustline.

“This is why I created my Fit & Flatter Dressing Guide, to teach women how to dress to find their personal best and stop wasting money on clothes that aren’t flattering to their body.”

A woman's size and weight may fluctuate throughout her life, but her basic body shape, bone structure, proportions and ratios typically stay the same. This is a small investment in yourself to learn what is most flattering on YOUR body.

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: When I meet with clients I always ask them what they like best about their bodies. Most women quickly rattle off all the things they don't like, but find it very difficult to be positive and recognize their own figure assets, so don’t skip this question on the questionnaire. Dressing to flatter your body assets helps you to focus on your strengths and look at yourself in a positive light. It’s important for women to accept themselves as beautiful as they are right now and to celebrate their lives and flaunt their unique bodies. >> learn more...

One-on-One Wardrobe Services
>> Wardrobe and Closet Inventory $200
>> Two Hours Personal Shopping $175
>> Closet Coordination $200

Alicia discusses the fact that the sisters from Six Sisters Stuff, all with the same mother, each have a different body type.

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CLEAN OUT AND INVENTORY YOUR CLOSET: I’ve worked in the closet of 1,000’s of women as I’ve performed my Wardrobe and Closet Inventory (>> learn more). When a closet is over-stuffed yet you still have “nothing to wear,” it’s a source of daily frustration and discouragement for women. A functional wardrobe creates excitement when you open your closet doors and when you consider your outfit combinations.

Unfortunately I have found that most women only use 20 - 30% of their clothes on a regular basis. In other words, 70 – 80% of their closet is wasted money and taking up space and creating clutter. This 30% of frequently used clothing represents the pieces that women feel good in and know how to pair with others to make complete outfits.

A Wardrobe and Closet Inventory with a local TV personality.

Then typically there's another 10 - 20% that are reserved for special occasions or have a specific purpose. And of course there is some clothing that is kept for sentimental reasons, but for most women the bulk of the remaining pieces are those that have only been worn a few times or not at all. It's not uncommon for me to find 5 - 10% that still has tags in a woman’s closet. When you consider cost-per-wearing, this group of clothes is the most expensive clothing a woman owns.

So the next step in developing a functional wardrobe is the Closet Clean Out. Give yourself a good amount of time to do this and when you’re in a good place so you can be honest with yourself, your life and your body:

Pull out the pieces that are being kept for sentimental reasons or for a specific purpose. This shouldn’t be more than 10% of your closet.
The remaining clothes are those that you wear on a regular basis and hardly at all. At this point I have the client try on each and every piece of clothing. To do this properly you need to have some time set aside. This is where I point out which pieces fit and flatter her body and which ones don’t, and then I explain why not. More often than not, the clothes that are seldom worn are because they don’t flatter the woman. They may not recognize that, so they say things like, “I don’t feel good in it,” or, “It looked good on the website, but when I put it on…” And as we work our way through the unworn clothing a definite pattern arises and the client starts to see how their "hit or miss" shopping strategy has created a lot of wasted money.