Styling Lessons I Learned in 2021

Happy 2022! It’s exciting to reflect on this past year of business and all of the clients (29 since April) we helped. With every client consultation, closet edit, shopping appointment and clothing review, I am listening to my clients and learning how to be a better stylist. I got QUITE the education this year and I wanted to summarize the big lessons that stick out. While we’re always a work in progress, here are the top 4 lessons I learned styling my clients this year:

Lesson 1 - Brands matter

No, I’m not talking about “Designer Name Brands” or the importance of them in style (because I don’t believe you need name brands to look great). I’m talking about the importance of understanding what brands work well for each individual in terms of fit, style and budget.

When I first started styling, I would often try to reuse outfits for clients because I genuinely thought they looked great. As I would go to Clothing Review Appointments though, I realized just how different the same look appeared on different clients! An amazing pair of Citizen or Agolde jeans just didn’t hit my curvy-hipped clients in the same way as my narrow-hipped clients. Similarly, Eileen Fisher just swallowed my petite clients in too much fabric - and that’s okay! There are so many brands that DO shape their jeans to hit curves right or that do open sizing for petites. None of these brands are inherently good or bad, just not necessarily made for all body types.

My biggest lesson here was to start documenting each client’s fit in each brand. This has been immensely helpful in making sure we don’t repeat the same fit mistakes the next time around.

Take note: don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t fit you correctly, styling is just about finding the right brands for YOU.

Lesson 2 - Value > Budget

I pride myself on being a stylist who is accessible and available to the masses. I think everyone should be able to look great, regardless of their budget! In fact, it was such an important value to me, that I asked a lot about budget in my intake forms because I really wanted to respect those boundaries. 

What I’ve learned in working with my clients this year, is that clients care about quality over price no matter what! So often, I will omit an amazing item from a Style Boards because it is simply over the budget that the client outlined. Then, in fitting meetings, they’ll mention how they want something a little better quality.

While it’s tempting to say “you get what you pay for”, I have come to the realization that a client will go up in price a little bit if the piece of clothing is worth it. Overwhelmingly, clients want to get away from “Fast Fashion” and start investing in classic pieces that will last them years (let’s address those pieces in another blog). 

My biggest lesson here is to respect budgets but don’t let it completely limit me. If there is something worth splurging on, I just need to communicate to the client why it’s worth the price while also adjusting other pieces to stay inline with the overall budget. 

Lesson 3 - We all have 1 of 2 habits  

I have noticed a big pattern and I’ve read about this a lot in the industry. You have 2 types of people in this world: those who only buy basics and those who only buy showstopping pieces. In reading that, you should know immediately which way you lean. Neither of these are “wrong” BUT a big part of my styling service is identifying this and working to balance the closet.

The perfect closet has a mix of basics and showpieces. Showpieces are those exciting, loud, colorful items that may be hard to pair with things. Think - lime green purse, crazy patterned blouse, designer print shoes…the list goes on. Basics are just that…basic. Think Black tees, Navy sweaters, jeans, and blazers. 

When styling yourself well, the best outfits blend both! Neutral palettes with a pop of an unexpected color (like a bright shoe) can make an outfit interesting and unique. It’s really hard to make an outfit look polished with all showpieces and it’s really hard to make an outfit interesting with all basics. Invest in a few items on the other side of where you sit. It’s a great practice and will help your style go from “ok” to “great!”

My lesson is to identify which habit the client fits right away and then include items from the other side to balance their closet. This sometimes creates friction (“aw man, she didn’t include any designer print sweaters in my style board!”) but if a client trusts me, getting dressed everyday will become infinitely easier.

Lesson 4 - Shoes and outerwear are important!

Whenever I go to a client’s home to edit their closet, I can’t wait to get to the grand finale….SHOES! So often, my clients are minimalists when it comes to shoes. Their closets usually contain just a few pairs of basics (flats, sneaker pair, booties, repeat). This always breaks my heart a little bit because I believe that an outfit lives or dies by the shoes. You can literally BREAK an outfit with a dirty/grungy/not nice looking pair of shoes. 

In my style boards and shopping excursions, I ALWAYS include shoes because I really feel that only the right shoe can complete an outfit. And don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying you need a million pairs of shoes, but just because “you already have a pair of white sneakers” from 2010, doesn’t mean I’m not going to recommend a beautiful new pair! 

Same goes with jackets….so often, we just throw on a jacket because of the weather and don’t actually think about how that will affect the whole look. Maybe your puffy Patagonia doesn’t have to go with your Black Tie gown…..maybe you can take the extra time and money to invest in a nice long overcoat. And while this is an extreme example, I see clients making these kinds of mistakes all of the time.

The lesson for me is to communicate the importance of these to an outfit. And for all of you trying update your style - care about your shoes and your coverings….they matter when it comes to looking put-together! 

I’m sure there are so many more styling lessons I will learn in 2022, but for now, let these guide you as you embark on your own journey of style. I certainly will be leading with these as I head into styling my clients this year.