A stylist, a professional organiser and a minimalist wardrobe
You may remember that way back in Sept 2017, I wrote about an experiment that I was about to embark on with my family to reduce the amount of time that I spend doing laundry each week. Enter Project 333 minimalist fashion challenge. If not you can read it here.
A capsule wardrobe consisting of 33 items of clothing for a 3-month period.
I was anticipating some positive changes in my personal wardrobe and hopefully a lot less laundry – but I truly underestimated how much time it would save me, nor did I anticipate how much easier it would be for my daughters to keep their bedrooms tidy.
Yes, you heard that correctly! A minimalist wardrobe helps my kids keep their bedrooms tidy!
The results have blown my socks off…. which personally, I found astounding considering I support people to declutter their wardrobes for a living.
A big part of my success was meeting with Stylist and Fashion Blogger, Janette Wojtaszak from The Statement Life. I’d never met with a stylist before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I like to dress on-trend, but by no means do I follow what is happening in the big world of fashion or subscribe to the notion of ‘fast fashion’. In fact, I am probably the total opposite, I would prefer to spend double the price on a classic, quality item of clothing than purchasing fashionable pieces that will only be worn once or twice.
So, if I don’t subscribe to high fashion, why did I hire a stylist?
Well, simple really. I had the foundations of my capsule wardrobe sorted, but I wanted to inject some fun and colour into my wardrobe and given that the rules of the challenge dictated that I was only to have 33 items of clothing (including accessories!), I wanted to ensure that I got these items right for my body shape, hence the reason for Janette’s professional guidance.
I must say that I had a fun, fun, fun time. Janette has such a friendly, gentle nature and really put me at ease immediately. But at the same time, she really challenged me by recommending that I tried on outfits that I would never have considered on my own.
Janette opened my eyes up to a lot of possibilities and took me into stores that I would never dream of entering (well not in the past 10 years!) and I was surprised that I could find items that covered my bulging, stretched mummy belly and made me feel beautiful in fashion stores I had deemed ‘young people’ stores and to never enter again under any circumstance. So, what do you know?
I walked away with some fabulous new pieces for my capsule wardrobe that I loved.
Throughout the styling session, Janette helped clarify the style that suited me and what I should look for when shopping on my lonesome (Ha! Lonesome? I always have my 3 daughters in tow) or when decluttering my own wardrobe. Janette also inadvertently gave me permission to let go of some items of clothing that I had been holding onto from my breastfeeding days (think Henley tee’s, button down and cross over tops) by commenting ‘these styles make everyone look older’. This immediately made my decision to let go of these tee’s super easy. I’m nearing 40, the last thing I want to do it look older than I already am.
So big thanks to Janette. My styling session was a highly, highly enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend a session with Janette Wojtaszak to anyone who was interested and will consider enlisting her services again the next time I am looking at doing a major wardrobe edit. Oh and just so you know, these are my own thoughts, Janette has not asked me to refer her and I get no advantage in doing so.
A styling session. A massive wardrobe declutter. My wardrobe capsule is complete. Major and positive lifestyle change.
Click here for more details about Janette Wojtaszak and The Statement Life.
Click here for more details on Courtney Carvers Project 333 minimalist fashion challenge.
