Stylist recommendations and is it worth it?

[GingerHat]

I have zero sense of style. My daily uniform is baggy jeans that are too big for me now, a t shirt of some sort and a rotation of some jumpers I bought from whistles. Shoes are trainers I have had for a year. If I'm at work, I wear black trousers and a whistles shirt (I have a few trousers and shirts I rotate, only in the office 1 day a week) or a suit.

I have saved up £1000 to spend on a capsule wardrobe but have no idea where to start and no idea what my style is.

I am happy to spend up to £300 on a stylist to help me with the capsule wardrobe and general styling advice but I have no idea if this is enough or if my budget for clothes is enough. I also have no idea where to find this stylist 😂 I am more than happy to buy second hand.

there's a mum on the school run who looks amazing all the time no matter what she wears. Today she was just wearing tracksuit bottoms and baggy top which I know doesn't sound cool but she was just so well put together.

how do I achieve this?! I just want to throw everything in my wardrobe out (or sell/send to charity) and start afresh. I don't even wear 75% of the stuff in there.

Well, it sounds like you already have a style! A uniform is a great way to simplify what you wear, but it can be easy to fall into a rut.

You could start by upgrading and refreshing what you have. Buy a new pair of jeans that fits you perfectly, try a new cut or length, maybe a different colour for the warmer months?

You can also think about what makes you feel more ‘stylish’ - what does that mean to you? Is it being polished / groomed / coordinated / structured / thoughtful / comfortable / wearing make-up / good quality fabrics and accessories / dressing with colour / etc?

One way that’s often recommended is to use Pinterest or just create a photo gallery on your phone of outfits you see online or in magazines, and then look carefully to see what themes are common - do they all have a similar colour scheme or shape? Could you recreate the looks with just a few careful purchases?

Finally, check out this classic thread that is a great discussion about adding to your wardrobe in a thoughtful way.

@ShangPie thank you so much for your useful post and for sharing that classic thread. I've only read the original OP but that is exactly what I'm going for, I just wondered if I could pay someone to do the leg work for me 😂

I must confess I very much dislike going shopping in person and clothes shopping online. I find it all so overwhelming, there are so many shops selling so many items of clothing which change so frequently. This is why I end up wearing the same thing day in day out.

your suggestion of starting with jeans is a good idea. I'm just so time poor at the moment other things tend to take priority over shopping but I might just have to brace myself for a trip to the shops to find something that suits and is good quality.

I'll also take a look on Pinterest for outfit ideas, thank you!