This post contains affiliate links. But even if you don’t buy a thing, you’ll learn something from Kelly’s free sample video. This is good stuff, y’all.
I’m not a fashionista.
Please stop laughing.
But I do like to look nice. Unfortunately/fortunately, though, I’ve adopted the philosophy that I’m not supposed to look good at certain stages of life. When I taught Jr. High, I would sometimes look in the mirror and know something was “off,” but I’d tell myself that kids think teachers are dorky anyway, so I was just playing my part. I mean, I taught Theatre Arts, so I was fine with embracing the role of the Not Quite Put Together Teacher.
Sometimes this philosophy serves me very well, like in the summertime when I’m most definitely more passionate about being in the water with my kids than I am about impressing anyone with my amazing swimwear.
But I’m 42 now, and I need to look a little more put together to make up for some, ummmm, natural changes occurring in my body shape. I find myself wishing I could look more put together. When I do take a rare shopping trip, however, I get frustrated. The types of things I see others wearing (and looking adorable in) make me look ridiculous.
Unfortunately, I’ve “solved” this problem too many times by stuffing my thrift store cart full on half-price Wednesday and hoping two or three of the fifteen things I bought will look good on me.
But over the past year or so, having learned to love Less, and realizing how ridiculous it is that I ALWAYS have Donate Boxes full of clothes I dislike and closets with more to purge, I have decided I would prefer to pay more for quality pieces that look good on me instead of a myriad of meh choices.
But that decision hasn’t helped as much as I thought it would.
I still felt clueless.
And that’s why I’m excited about this course, Adore Your Wardrobe, offered by Kelly of Redefined Mom. Kelly is an over-40 fashionista friend of mine. We met at the very first blogging conference I ever attended back in 2010.
She’s smart, put together, and nice. Nice, as in helpful-in-a-way-that-doesn’t-make-you-feel-dumb.
But even though I knew she was nice and fashionable and helpful, this course still blew me away.
I’ve done three lessons so far. First, I watched the one that is free where she explains the Rule of Four. You can watch it here if you give her your email address. Basically, she explains in that video why some people look put together and some don’t. And how the people who look put together look put together.
Kelly breaks this down into math and science. She claims (and then actually explains how) it’s not about having an eye for fashion, but about understanding rules and principles. In the first two lessons, she talks about body shapes/types and how important it is to know yours. But even though I’ve heard about body types many times, I’ve always just kind of guessed at mine, and never had enough confidence in my guesses to go to the next step of figuring out what works best for the body type I kindof thought I was.
But the first thing you do in the course is get out a measuring tape and complete a worksheet that takes ALL the guesswork out of the process.
It’s cool, y’all. And I’m excited to keep going through the course.
But now for my decluttering-related sales pitch: How much would you purge from your closet if you could confidently determine which things made you look and feel great? How many fewer clothes would you buy if you only bought things you knew (for a fact) would look great on you?
A decluttering related testimonial from one of Kelly’s first students: “It was surprising how many items I wore just because instead of LOVING it. It was nice to have permission to get rid of some stuff I normally hold on to.”
I know not all of you are at the point in your deslobification process where an investment in a course like this makes sense. But some of you are, so I want you to know this resource exists.
But be aware that because Kelly is putting a lot of personal time and energy into this and leading a private Facebook group where people can share their fashion challenges and successes safely, this isn’t an open-ended course. Registration closes on the 22nd of this month and won’t open again for quite a while.
So go try out the no-obligation free video here.
And FYI, because this is something I worried over but then felt relief about with the first lesson, Kelly is all about doing great things with the body you have right now. I’ve gained weight, and I’m very frustrated about that. I’ve often put on clothes that looked bad and thought to myself that I’ll just have to wait until I lose the weight to look decent again. Kelly is very clear that these fashion formulas help you look good no matter what your current “problem area.” I love that.
--Nony
I’m going to give this a try – thanks! Last year I too came to the realization that it’s worth it in the long run not to just chase bargains and buy because “it’ll do” when shopping for clothes but to really select clothing that looks flattering on me. I also wanted to get out of the rut I’d been in of “making do” with boxy T-shirts and jeans which had become my “uniform”.
What I noticed is I’m able to pull it together for an occasion or special event (which makes me feel like – hey, I do know how to dress!) but looking nice every day, day after day eludes me.
Maybe there’s an equivalence to “daily habits” when it comes to dressing nicely… Hmm, a possible blog topic there? Anyway, now that I’ve caught up with laundry (most weeks) thanks to this site, I’m ready to try to dress better on a daily basis. Just the thought is exciting and motivational for decluttering more! I think it’ll help me let go of a lot of pieces in my closet and dresser drawers too once I have the confidence to know what I really do need to dress better.
Thanks for letting us know of this course – usually I hate it when blogs push stuff but it just so happens this is just where I am in my personal development with decluttering!
P.S. Her having a private fb group and her free lesson on 4 points (Rule of Four) were big selling points for me. And your recommendation topped it off! 🙂
I love this, Linda!!! I think you’re going to love the course!
I had a ‘buy lots and figure it out later’ approach to my wardrobe too. I stopped buying anything until I absolutely needed it and now I allow myself to buy something if I truly like it. After weeks of keeping an eye out for something new to spend my Christmas gift voucher on I found a skirt I liked, that fit me, and was priced so my gift card would pay for all of it. I wore out my new skirt for the first time yesterday to see an old friend at a popular winery. Within minutes of our arrival their ‘rustic’ chair snagged my skirt which tore the lace trim. I switched chairs but the damage was done. I feel particularly miffed about it because it was the first time I wore it and I put so much effort into choosing it and it was a gift and I can’t afford to replace it.
Anyway, I guess all that whining is a long winded way of asking if you (after doing this course and buying new things) experience a different emotional response to your clothing when you have spent more time and money on items that you actually like.
I would like to do this course when I have the funds for it, I consider it a smart investment.
I signed up. It seems like a great way to help me decide on what looks good and what can GO in my closet. I like the idea of relying on the science of if it works best for my body type rather than my emotions!
I was on vacation while her course filled up, so that didn’t work out.
But, her blog is well laid out and great for an older mom. Wearing foundation at age forty, even if you haven’t worn it for four decades? Count me in, and while I’m at it I think I’ll snag that bag she linked to on eBay because it was out of stock on that link. I’m glad you met Kelly at the blog conference years ago.
I love hearing this! She’s so great at being realistic and encouraging (without being sappy)!