Orchestrating Your Style

The other day I was shopping. Lucky for me, shopping is part of my job as your Confidence Creator.

As I was waiting in line (and this was the case in several stores), I couldn’t help but notice the people in front of me, specifically their shopping behaviors. And believe me, these behaviors are exactly what retail marketers want to happen.

Smart merchandisers always have strategically placed points of purchase (POP)- a focal point luring you to add products and designed to capture your attention. You have seen them, and I’m sure succumbed to their purpose, snatching up a candy bar at the grocery store. We all have, that’s why they work.

The women in front of me were drawn to the flip-flops that were among the POP. They gleefully grabbed several pairs, each in various colors. Mind you, they never tried them on and were giddy that they were getting a bargain.

That got me thinking…how many of us purchase our clothes on sale? I’m all for bargains, but how many of us are like the women in line- inspired by the markdowns, yet have no intent on trying them on to see if they fit, are comfortable, or how they look on their feet?

It’s no wonder that many of us have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.

If we have closets full of items that we purchased on sale yet aren’t reflective of our style or purpose, they have no value.

What comes to mind are orphan items, that one piece we own yet goes with nothing. You cannot see me raising my hand, but I was guilty of this. Or, that pair of shoes we had to have, yet sit in our closet unworn.

Which leads me to…Orchestrating Our Style.

What Does An Orchestra Have To Do With Style?

A lot!

Let’s think about what comprises an orchestra.

• Strings
• Percussion
• Woodwinds
• Brass

Each section has the right amount of instruments, and together, they create beautiful music. Should one part have too many or not enough, the balance is skewed and doesn’t sound as it should.

This my Fiercely50ish fashionistas is the same with our wardrobe. It’s all about balance.

Let’s start with shoes. Typically a favorite of many women. I have clients who have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of shoes. These many shoes take up a lot of precious real estate in closets, which can cause style stress when deciding which pair to wear and really are not necessary. Yes, you can read that sentence again.

Think about it, if you have 25 pairs of shoes, you have 52 weeks in a year, and then factor in the seasons. I’m guessing you don’t wear all 6.25 pairs of shoes each season, let alone throughout the year.

Imagine how the percussion section would sound with ten times more drums or cymbals than they need. It would be deafening, and you wouldn’t hear the other three sections. It would just be noise and not a work of musical art.

When your wardrobe operates like an orchestra, where every piece has a purpose and collectively contributes to the end goal, you have limitless ways to create phenomenal outfits.

What this means is that your accessories, belts, jewelry, shoes, tops, bottoms, skirts and dresses, and jackets all work in concert (sorry for the pun).

If you work your wardrobe right, you will be amazed at the combinations you can put together-including fewer shoes. You can curate outfits with the same shoes, and each time, they will look totally different. Very similar to each piece, the orchestra plays with the same four sections.

Purpose Serves Us

We truly don’t want a closet full of things and nothing to wear. It’s stressful. It does nothing for our style.

Focus on how each piece of your wardrobe will play a role in your whole outfit. Remember, if the ‘sales lead you,’ you will continue to fill your closets with pieces that really have no value.

It is truly possible to fill your closet with items you love and work well with each other. Amazing things begin to happen when every item in your wardrobe has a purpose.

#Fiercely50ish!

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