Ask these questions about EVERY piece of clothing you buy...

I don’t want you to feel guilty when you shop - I want you to feel empowered.

I want you to enjoy shopping. I want you to raise the standards for yourself and your wardrobe and think about the relationship you’re going to have with every piece you purchase.?

Women in the UK have a collective 558 million unworn clothing items hanging in their wardrobes.?

If you’re a woman reading this in the UK, I’d take an educated guess that you’re holding onto at least one or two of those!?

Why do we keep hold of things we never wear (or have never worn)? Partly it’s the ‘someday’ mentality, or ‘saving it for best’ - it might also be guilt.?

When it comes to clothes shopping, guilt comes in when we:

1. Overspend?
2. Buy things we know we won’t wear
3. Buy from a place of ‘I’m not good enough’

It comes when we try to justify purchases to ourselves, convincing ourselves that we NEED this thing.?

And when you have buyer’s remorse, or your wardrobe is full of things you thought at the time would be great but you never wear… shopping isn’t fun, it’s frightful!?

And so is getting dressed every day.?

You dread the thought of having to go into the wardrobe and find an outfit, because inevitably you’ll be left feeling bad about yourself.?

• Bad that things ‘don’t fit’ (and that must mean you’ve failed)
• Bad that you have clothes you never wear
• Bad that you ‘wasted’ money?
• Bad that you clearly ‘don’t know enough’ about style and you keep making the wrong decisions…

The list goes on. Suffice to say, the experience is not enjoyable.?

You already have enough to beat yourself up with - don’t use your wardrobe as yet another tool for self-loathing!?

When done right (things that fit your actual lovely body, not clothes that you’re using as a punishment) - your wardrobe can be a powerful tool for self-actualisation.?

As I’ve said many times - think of your clothes like employees.?

If they’re not working for you - what value are they bringing to your life??

Any employee in your wardrobe needs to go through a rigorous selection process. As much as ‘I like it’ is important - it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good fit.?

You love your mum but would you hire her? Exactly.?

So without further ado, here’s a list of questions I ask about every item I buy. These are the questions I challenge my clients to ask with every item they buy too.?

4 questions to ask when you buy something?

• Does this support the vision I have for myself? There's no point buying things for s 'someday' version of you if you never wear them. Your energy is so important when you're going towards a goal, and your outfit can help you step into the identity of the person you need to be to get there.
• Out of 10, this makes me feel - ideally we’re looking for 10s (or as close to a 10 as you’re willing to get right now). There's a big difference between 'that will do' and 'this feels great'. And there's a big difference in the compound effect over time of wearing clothes that will 'do' rather than will make you feel 'great.'
• Will I wear this 50 times - yes I know some stylists say 30, but the climate crisis is real. Will you wear this enough times to offset the process of creating it?
• Can I think of 5 ways to wear it? We do this thing where we buy something we like, and we wear it only in one specific way. It's time to get creative! This is exactly what we do on a Wardrobe Refresh day (which you can find out more about below!)

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Someone asked me to share a reminder of my services (and no, it wasn't me!)

So if it's helpful, here you go:

The Wardrobe Refresh

Refresh your wardrobe, change your life! This is for you if you're feeling stuck in a bit of a style rut and you want style that saves you time and makes you money.

We'll spend the day together in your wardrobe. We'll get rid of anything that doesn't align with what you want and need from your clothes, create dozens of new outfits and set you up for style success.

This service is in-person and online, and can be offered as a half-day too. Find out more here

1:1 Style Coaching

This is for women in business, founders and leaders who have big goals and want the style support to get there. Perhaps you've just got a promotion, have founded a business or are going through a launch. Find out more here

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And on another note - my podcast is BACK! It's got a new name - Nothing to Wear and episodes drop weekly on a Monday. Listen here