Style Evolution Trashy to Classy
If you have been following me for awhile, you probably noticed a pretty big shift in my style around 2021. For years, I dressed with the “IG Baddie” persona in mind, think King Kylie, Kardashians, NBA Wives, etc. I was living in Dallas at the time and the style influences there were totally different than other parts of the country. I currently live in NYC and as I’ve grown up, my Pinterest board now has more conservative style choices, lots of neutrals and capsule wardrobe ideas. I completely changed my closet and my vibe, got rid of all the clothes no longer serving me, and became more mindful with how I shopped for new clothes. This blog post is to document my closet editing process and what you can do to evolve your personal style.
Closet Purge
The first step in any style evolution is the purge, the first one should be the biggest and you should get into the habit of throwing away/donating/selling clothes every season thereafter. For me, I focused on throwing away clothes that were too revealing, too small or didn’t fit right, had too many cut outs, had too many crazy prints, anything made in sweatshops (PLT/Fashion Nova/SHEIN) and see-through “club clothes”. At 28, my nightclub days are over LOL - and if I am occasionally popping out, I am not dressing how I did at age 23.
Trashy style begone:
2. Closet Edit
Now that everything hideous is gone, you should have plenty of room for more intentional clothing choices. I started off by making a long checklist of everything I knew I needed/wanted. Ex. The perfect pair of black slacks, a good white tee, a great pointy toe nude shoe, etc. I went through a long list of colors and variations of items so I could begin building my capsule wardrobe full of pieces that I knew I could wear over and over again. For example, I had a black blazer that was OK - but I knew I needed a really great black blazer, so I donated the old black blazer and bought a nicer one that I have worn 100 times. When shopping for capsule pieces, girl math works great here. :) If you are buying a $100 blazer that you do not really like, you maybe end up wearing it 3-4 times and it sits in your closet taking up space (that is $25/wear). Versus if you buy a $400 blazer that you love, and you wear it for 3 years, 50-60 times (that is $6/wear). In the long run, high quality capsule pieces are a better investment for your dollar - plus you look better doing it! Personally, I would rather have a closet of 20 high quality staple items versus a closet of 100 cheaply and poorly made items. I used to own the latter, my closet in Miami was the size of my NYC bedroom, but now I have a much smaller closet and everything fits perfectly, because I edited my closet down quite a bit. A great resource on closet editing is stylist, Allison Bornstein, her website is here - her content on TikTok is great too.
Same blazer 3 ways:
3. Shopping & Continuing to Edit/Purge
By this time, your closet should be revamped and now it will just take time to grow. I like Allison Bornstein’s 3-word system, so it can help you when you are shopping online or in person. Ask yourself, does this item fit into my 3 words? For me, my 3 words are Classy, Sexy & Chic. As a woman with curves, you have to make sure your clothes cover you in the right areas while still highlighting your assets - but not in an overbearing way. Dressing for your body type is so important to keep in mind when thinking of your 3 words and the style you want to emulate. Pinterest is such a great resource here, or the save button on Instagram. You can view my Revolve favorites here! And Happy shopping!