"The first time that I met Raquel I could tell straight away that she has a passion for clothes and for helping people to feel and look great. I went from feeling depleted about my wardrobe to feeling excited about what to wear every day"...
When Susan signed up for a Wardrobe breakthrough she didn't know exactly what to expect.
She knew it was three sessions, split over in time however she wanted it, depending on her budget and time, and she knew we were going to talk about style, colours and having a personalised wardrobe created for her.
By asking her lots of questions and listening to her in the first free informal session, I found out a few pain points on Susan's wardrobe, after listening talk about her current persona, her current lifestyle and body shape, these were her wardrobe issues:
Too many colours in here wardrobe. Not making sense of them all.
Getting bored easily with the wardrobe.
How to feel modern yet feel like herself in her style.
She did not feel excited about any of her clothes.
Too many different style items.
She wanted to know what colours to wear.
How to combine colours easily.
She wanted to make outfits effortlessly.
A wardrobe Analysis was our first session. We looked thoroughly to what she already had ( my mission is to make people user what they have) and remove to one side anything we can built from.
After listening to these pain points, I was able to carry on asking questions following up her initial thoughts, and I gathered immediately her wardrobe needed to represent her fun personality, and find the right amount of attention from people was a crucial point for Susan, because she would not want people to notice her all of a sudden because of her clothes, yet she needed a fresh style to feel great in.
I was determinant to make Susan feel great , and choose clothes that represented her personality shining through her style.
She had been adding clothes to her wardrobe through online purchases for the past two years during and after lockdown, without giving it too much though, I could tell from her wardrobe analysis none of her clothes made her feel great (which is the aim of the service).
After our multiple conversations and feedback back and forth, I analysed her lifestyle, and the message was clear:
A smart/casual wardrobe was needed, and it had to be flexible enough to be worn to the office twice a week, as well as going out at the weekends for errands, brunches, or in the evening.
In our first session, I encouraged Susan to find pictures that inspired her to be a certain style. At first, she struggled, but because I am constantly researching shapes, colours and styles, I was able to give her lots of ideas, to motivate her to start an inspiration board that we both worked on. By being used to listening to people's needs and make the right suggestions, Susan was guided to open her mind to different styles she would not have considered before, yet she felt really comfortable trying. Along the way, Susan was giving me feedback and suggestions when she did not like a particular chosen piece for her wardrobe so we could take that into account to move forward.
I was always by her side, amending pictures, discarding pictures, inspiring, suggesting, asking asking asking some more questions to get exactly her Theme on style, or as she calls it, her "new me style" name.
In our second session, thanks to all the learning I do, I created a colour scheme for her that she immediately loved and felt identified with. Colours that lifted her face area, that she felt comfortable with, and she could easily combine together. By the end of this session, she was so comfortable combining colours in her palette. Susan tends to match colours when putting an outfit together, but after the session, I showed her how complementing colours instead of matching them, had an effortless effect on an outfit. By the end of the session, she was so comfortable with her colour palette and how to mix the colours.
My thorough research started then, coming up with twenty pieces that will constitute Susan's wardrobe "map" as I call it. A digital wardrobe, I always find pieces that people don't have to buy the exact item, but they know the direction they are going for, so in this case, that she could could built up when she is ready, depending on her budget and time. The purpose being she always knows in the future, exactly what style to buy when going shopping, where to buy it from, and what colours to choose.
"The key is to have a "map" so you always know what to buy for your upgraded style, in what colours and shapes, and what shops to buy it from"
By our third session, I was so pleased to see Susan excited about her new "digital wardrobe", from which she already made some real purchases for her collection. Usually, this is the session when people chooses to either purchase garments straight away depending on their budget, or built it slowly over time.
Susan was happy to make purchases right then and there, after giving her a priority purchase item list.
Which is what is was needed the most in her wardrobe to make more use of what she already had.
She also obtained a full list of personalised notes with details on:
Styling
Shapes
List of her shops
General tips on Style
Pictures of how to actually combine the colours in her colour palette.
How to structure her wardrobe so it makes sense.
By providing her with personalised notes, I was glad to see her making outfits quickly and effortlessly, and going out the door every day feeling fab!
Mission accomplished :)
"I really enjoyed the sessions and the follow ups that Raquel used to send more links and information. It was a great journey and I have gone from only having 2 things that I love in my winter wardrobe to a whole capsule wardrobe that makes me smile when I open the wardrobe door. From clothing to shoes/boots and accessories, I am completely kitted out and I honestly feel great now when I get dressed – It is a bit like looking at a box of chocolates and thinking, ‘hmm, which one shall I choose?’"
Why not give permission to yourself to feel great everyday starting a fresh new year? Happy wardrobe breakthrough you!
Raquel