Total capsule wardrobe styling

[Muthaofcats]

Hi there

I am approaching a big birthday and one thing I’d love to do as a gift to myself is to start again with my wardrobe.

I find myself post kids with a wardrobe of mid matched clothes over a decade old, mostly falling apart and no ‘outfits’ as such; it’s all just jeans and leggings and random tops.

I have a pretty classic style and not looking for anything ground breaking but I have no idea where to start with a total overhaul as I have zero time for shopping and can’t quite get over how expensive clothes now seem to be. I don’t mind investing for the right pieces but that then adds to the pressure.

My question is whether there are stylists that will not only advise you what would suit but then actually help you go out and buy the outfits you need, rather than just make suggestions of what to look for because I know I won’t end up doing it/having time.

Does such a thing exist that isn’t insanely expensive and if so, any London based recommendations ?

Yes, I think there are stylists who will do personal shopping with you. I booked it once with Styled by Suzy and then had to cancel as I got pregnant! I don't know if they are still in business tbh. They were really popular a few years ago and then there was a lot of criticism about them as they basically told every woman the same thing (apparently - I never actually did it so can't confirm).

But I'm sure there are similar places.

There's also the old MN classic John Lewis personal shopper! I haven't don't that either though.

Have you tried John Lewis personal shopping? Really good and work within your budget, and free! once you have found the right jeans etc can buy more pairs on Vinted.

Thank you for replying - I did try John Lewis once and perhaps was just unlucky with my stylist but thought they were terrible. They basically suggested these gross paper bag trousers because they were vaguely ‘smart’ and I’d asked for work wear options, they didn’t fit or suit me at all but it was all they had in stock. Everything she suggested was really dowdy tbh and I felt gutted I’d wasted my time. Maybe it’s worth trying again or just biting the bullet and spending some time myself on going out shopping and trying some things.

I've heard that before tbh! It's put me off trying them as I know they won't have my size in store, or what they have will be dowdy as anything. I'm an 18/20 and shops never stock enough of those sizes! They seem to think we're a nation of wee tinies (they clearly read too much MN 😁(

Try googling personal shopping stylist. The one I booked and cancelled was in a big shopping centre in London and you went to lots of different shops to try things on. Sounded better than JL (not writing the full name due to stupid auto link feature - bog off to that).

Sorry I can’t be much help in terms of stylists, but I felt the same when I turned 40. Most of my clothes were worn out or didn’t fit any more after having kids. So I picked a few fashion influencers and made a list of the basic stuff they wear, then purchased similar. Mostly I just copy their outfits.

Hi OP,

I've just turned 40. For a birthday treat, I decided to do a colour analysis. I really enjoyed the session, and would recommend getting it done.

I've been using shop style to save capsule wardrobe items. The aim is to buy an item as and when funds allow. It's great as you get a notification if the item goes on sale.

I still need to do a wardrobe clearout (I have lots of old, worn out clothes) to make way for nicer pieces.

One great tip I came across, is to think about your lifestyle when building your capsule wardrobe e.g. if you go the the gym a lot, your capsule wardrobe may have more gym items. Good luck!

Styled by Suzie is still going (follow her on Insta). I'm not sure if she shops in London but I know she does Bluewater, which is surely doable from London. She does tend to have a long waiting list though. But she and her team do online shops where they suggest specific items as well. And it's not crazy expensive. I think she's great, and would definitely use her services if I needed them.

I was in the same boat recently and needed an entirely new wardrobe due to being a much different size. TBH I just shopped at Primark, New Look, sales from cheaper on line companies.
Now I have a new wardrobe and the fact it is all in a similar colour palette tells me what colours I clearly like the best! Also I now know what styles I like and can work on replacing the cheaper items with more expensive, quality ones.
So I pretty much was my own stylist!

Claire Lopez is based in SW London and offers this service. I have been to one of her workshops and she's very good.
https://stylebyclairelopez.co.uk/

If you're in Yorkshire, Dawn is great www.thestyleapparent.com

She might do remote consultations too, and is genuinely really helpful and knowledgeable. Thanks to her, I now wear colours I never would have thought would suit me, and lovely clothes which all work together.