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Every person has a style, and every style deserves support. Enter your style strategy cheerleader and founder of BU Style, Natalie Tincher. Since 2010 Natalie has worked with hundreds of personal clients as well as large corporations and a major global news network—and she is here to guide you.
In this podcast, you will gain clarity and insights on how to connect your style with your authentic self through Natalie's style expertise as well as interviews with other style-supporting guests like designers, clients, and other professionals in and out of the fashion industry.
Whether you love fashion, fear fashion, or fall somewhere in between, it doesn't matter. This isn't about fashion; it's about exploring who you are and how to own your unique style identity. This podcast will help you cut through the noise and examine your personal style holistically so you can "wear who you are" every day.
0:00:03 - Speaker 1
Welcome to when who you Are, a podcast that takes the fear out of fashion and holds space for everyone to explore how to connect your authenticity with your personal style. I'm your host, natalie Tinscher, founder of BU Style, expert style strategist, and your enthusiastic friend in safe space of support. I believe that every person has a style and every style deserves a seat. With over a decade of experience working with hundreds of personal clients, I've learned a thing or two about how to help others have a healthy and holistic approach to navigating how to build a wardrobe that reflects who you are. So pull up your seat and let's get started. Thanks for coming back to another when who you Are Wednesday. So last episode we talked about transitions and Tara talked about the transition back to work after having a baby, so we're going to keep on the theme of transitions. It is officially fall and our wardrobes are changing with the weather, so we are in a transition season. I'm going to admit that summer is my least favorite season to dress for, so I wholeheartedly welcome PSL season. Not pumpkin spice latte. For me, it means pretty style layering. I love layering How's that for an acronym? I absolutely love fall layers. So, as you know, I preach having a style strategy until I'm blue in the face, but I realized when I was putting content together for this season's podcast that I haven't really talked through some of my foundational style strategy principles and exercises. So there's no time like a transition season to begin to walk you through the NAT style 101 of creating a seasonal style strategy Before you even start to shop each season.
Step one is to assess your existing wardrobe. Now I want you to think about comparing this to grocery shopping without a plan or a grocery list. If you don't know what recipe you are using or what you're cooking for, or what you already have in your pantry, you are more likely to buy things you don't need or think you have something that you don't have, or maybe it's spoiled, like we've all gone to say, oh no, I swear I have cumin. And then I come back and there's no cumin. I used it all up last time. Or you may just end up with a mishmash of food that you may love, but you're missing the key ingredients to combine it with to make a beautiful dish. So this is like also like grocery shopping. If you're hungry, if you shop without a plan, if you're shopping just to satisfy an urge to shop, you are more likely to buy things that you don't have a taste for later or that don't fit with the rest of your wardrobe. Friends, we've all gone shopping too, when you're really hungry this sounds good, this sounds good, this sounds good and you just do that graze buying. But then you realize later when you go to sit down and eat it, you're like I'm not really in the mood for that. It really isn't what you normally like to eat, it just sounded good at the time. So let's think of your closet as your kitchen and pantry. We're going to look at it to see what you have first and then create your wardrobe recipes and strategic shopping lists from there.
So we are going to get started today with the first part of assessing your wardrobe and creating a strategy, and that is that assessment. So the first thing I want you to do is to take out all of your cold weather wardrobe. It might be stored away, it might be in the back of your closet. Make sure when you do this exercise, that you have the time and space to get messy, because things will get messy. Ask my clients that have come into their closets. We have nice neat files in the beginning, and then things get thrown everywhere. But we really are going to make clarity out of chaos. So, when you're doing this, pour a glass of wine, a cup of coffee, get out your favorite juice, you know, put on a playlist that you like. Just be sure you're ready, excited and have the sufficient time to assess your wardrobe. At the same time that you're pulling out all of your cold weather pieces, you're going to store away all of your warm weather pieces. So even if you keep all of your clothing out in the open year round, it's important to separate your seasons. So put your off season clothing out of direct sight. Having things you can't wear hanging in front of you is the chaos that contributes to a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear quandary. So now that you've got everything out for the season, you're going to take inventory.
First, I want you to try on the things you aren't sure of the fit, or if you even like them anymore. If you aren't sure, some people will say that if you haven't worn something in six or 12 months, to call it, but I don't think that rule automatically applies. Instead of doing this, I suggest you make some new outfits with the items in question before and or after you shop. I want you to take pictures of those outfits and note these items somehow, maybe put them in a certain part of your closet or put them in a folder on your phone the outfits that you took and challenge yourself to wear those pieces that season. If you do wear them and love them, then keep that item. If you ended up trying to wear them and you're like it just still wasn't right, then that's your sign to maybe donate or put it away for a few seasons and bring it out later and see if you like it again. If you're still kind of attached to that piece, I'm like I'm just not ready to get rid of it. If you do like it, you likely just needed to give it a new point of view by outfit experimentation.
It's like our food analogy again. Maybe you love avocados, but you haven't eaten them a while because you were really tired of making the same avocado toast recipe over and over. Maybe you're like you know what? I want to mix it up. I'm going to make guacamole instead. I'm going to make an avocado salad. You still love the avocado, you just needed a new recipe for it. That's like those wardrobe pieces that maybe you still love, but you're like, yeah, I don't find myself wearing them.
On another note, it's the same with items that aren't the right size. You don't have to get rid of those. You're truly in a weight fluctuation or up and down, so a lot of people will say get rid of it if it doesn't fit. I also don't think that's true. You know yourself, you know your body. So maybe if it's in the way for that season, just get it out of the line of sight like the other stuff and put it away for the season and storage or another closet. Like I said, you know your body, you know your goals. You know that better than anyone else. So if it doesn't fit doesn't automatically mean you have to get rid of it and it also shouldn't be used as something that's really harrowing to you and I don't want you to, you know, get discouraged by that.
It happens to all of us. It just happened to me this last season. I had a lot of fun in San Diego and there were some pants that just didn't quite fit, and you know that's okay. Once I got back into my New York lifestyle, I knew myself. I knew I would be walking more. I knew I was in a better exercise routine and you know, sure enough, I was like I think maybe those will fit. Now pulled them out and they work fine. It just happens. It happens to all of us. It happens as we age, it happens in different seasons.
But you should, on the other hand, donate things that no longer serve you when you're trying on these wardrobe pieces. Sometimes we keep things in the closet because they were quote, unquote, expensive or a certain brand. Sometimes that does us more harm than good. If you just know you're not going to wear it, you know you don't like it anymore. But I've had clients share that they feel guilty that they spent money on something that they didn't wear. For me, I see that when you keep those items in the closet it's not really psychologically serving you well. Sometimes people you know start feeling bad about themselves because they spent money on something that they didn't buy. I say forgive yourself, donate that beautiful piece or sell it and know that it's going to someone else who's going to love it and appreciate it more than you can.
And what about those items that truly don't fit? Why are you keeping them? Sometimes we get so caught up on the size that we forget to look at the item to see if you would even like it if you lost the weight to fit into it. So I want you to assess that as well. So, instead of worrying about if it fits perfectly, look first at do I even like this item? And finally, along the way, when you're doing this activity, make sure you assess the fit and condition of the items you'd like to keep. So sometimes we have pieces that we love, but they need a slight tune up or a slight redesign.
So during this calling process and assess process, I want you to make a tailor pile of the things that need alterations to fit better, or maybe they need some mending to look nicer. I've found that sometimes you don't wear items because maybe the length is just a little too long and you're like I still love this, but something's just a little off and it needs a refresh. Or maybe the pockets need to be sewn down or maybe a button needs to be replaced and that's why you aren't wearing them. Make that pile at the beginning of the season and commit to yourself that you're going to take those items to the tailor and get everything in working order for the season. So, now that you've assessed your existing wardrobe.
I want you next to get out your calendar and see what you have on schedule for the coming months. Do you have any big conferences? Do you have a wedding or a dressy event or vacations? So look at those big events. Now I want you to think of your day to day. What do your workdays look like this season versus last season? I know now a lot of people are in the office more than they were a year ago. So what does that look like? What about your weekends? Do you have a lot more activities? Are you traveling more? Do you have kids and now they have soccer season? Does your wardrobe align with these needs? Do you have the outfit pieces you need for all of the events, both the special events and the day to day? So how are we going to figure this out?
Well, the next activity is to make more new outfits, or look at the outfits that maybe if you did this exercise before you made the previous season. So look and make sure you have outfits for each of these events and categories. While you're putting outfits together, you may find that something's missing. Is there something that you wish you had or need more of to make making outfits easier. It should be really easy, when you have a closet that's really strategically working, for you to just piece together outfits, no matter what your style personality is. So this will help you understand your wardrobe gaps. Maybe you're like, eh, like I just don't have the right silhouette of jean and you know that's going to go on a strategic shopping list. So you can see, from this assessment and these activities we can start to make what I do call your strategic shopping list, or SSL.
So, for example, last year, as I did this part of the exercise and I do do it every year I realized I was missing the perfect pair of black ankle boots with a thin shaft that could go under my updated denim silhouette. I also was missing an everyday black purse and I was missing neutral crew neck thin sweaters. So I was finding it hard to mix and match. I had t-shirts, I had turtlenecks. I didn't have just basic thin crew neck sweaters. So that created my SSL.
So the items on your SSL should be as specific as possible, including a budget for each item, to keep you honest. For example, in this new black bag I just discussed, I knew I wanted it to be a long-term investment, so I was willing to spend some money on it and the cost per wear was going to be low. I needed it to fit my remarkable tablet that I take to clients. I wanted it to have some texture, so it was interesting to mix with flat black, and I needed it to have straps long enough to fit over a coat. I also needed it to be something that I wanted to take from day to night, because that fits my lifestyle. Often I'm going from day and then I have a dinner at night or something in the evening.
So the final steps in assessing your wardrobe and creating your SSL is to ask yourself what, if anything, needs to change to help you feel excited by your seasonal wardrobe. So this is where we bring in current trends, new brands, maybe a color update, different silhouettes and other considerations to keep you feeling excited by your style brand and to feel like it's evolving with you. So you'll note that we did a lot of just practical exercises before we even brought in trends, which is a little bit opposite of how a lot opposite of how the fashion industry works actually, like we just had Fashion Week a couple weeks ago and they were telling you what you needed on your list. This activity is helping you dictate what you need and then you will go to the brands and look for it, not the other way around. So you are the master of your style brand and your style strategy. So when you're looking at these things, you feel excited about looking your wardrobe. What's missing? What are you seeing outside that maybe excites you? What do you have, maybe that you experimented this season before that you want more of or you want a fresh take on it? So, as I said, I do this entire exercise year after year and I did it again this season. It's no different and I've been getting really, really, really strategic and thought for the last few years because I've been really feeling like my style brand and what I'm adding is speaking to me and enhancing who I am, and it's also making getting ready really easy. So I told you about my list last year.
This year, my list was really short and it's really impactful. So, as we know, I love a blazer, but I wanted to take it a little further, knowing that I love this, and up my third layer game and make it a little more creative and versatile. So my challenge and strategy was to up level my third layer game as my first and foremost strategic update. So my SSL looks like this this season and I've already started to fill it in. One is a unique third layer. So you can look at my recent IG posts.
I did for a recent really unique and cool piece that I got from a brand, adn. I added one oversized leather blazer that then up levels just the black blazer game. And then I wanted one bomber jacket and a neutral. So I knew I wanted this piece, because I still love a statement bomber that I have from years and years ago, but it doesn't really always mix and match with the pieces I have. So I always keep wishing that this were just like a cool, easy, neutral bomber jacket. So that went on my list this year. And then, since I invested in my gorgeous black boots last year, I didn't need boots, but I am lacking a fall, non sneaker and non boot shoe.
I love a loafer. I've always loved a loafer and because they're very on trend this season, they're also on trend for my Natalie style. So I added a pair of black loafers to my SSL to round out the plan. And then, finally, just to add that little element of style which you can really easily do in accessories. I added that, decided that my pop piece and accessory was going to be to play with socks Again, there's something really on trend that feel aligned with my style brand without making a huge investment, and they just change up the game a little bit. But I don't have to reinvent the wheel. They'll play well with the loafers and all of my denim silhouettes that I updated in the previous few seasons that I'll still wear this year. So I know that this really short list that I made will give me a lot of new outfit options and I know each piece fits with my style brand because I've been doing this exercise year after year and I will be happy to wear these pieces for seasons to come and I'll just shift it a little bit, or maybe I'll wear it exactly the same because I love it so much.
So for me, this is how you create a sustainable style strategy. I don't just mean sustainability in the way that we talk about with the impact on the environment, which of course, we're doing because we're buying things, wearing them longer, but I also mean a sustainable style strategy in the way that you can sustain it year after year and it sustains your day-to-day life much more easily than looking in your closet and feeling really overwhelmed because you're constantly thinking about your style. You're updating it smartly each season. What you strategize for this year will build on the work that you did the year before. You learn more each season about your likes and your dislikes. With each seasonal strategy, you work through these considerations. You don't need to start from scratch. So all these steps and considerations are made with my client partners and I. Every season, we literally do this. For example, my client Jean and I work together for, I think, more than 10 years I'm pretty sure it's more than 10 years and we create a seasonal style strategy plan each season through reviewing her existing wardrobe and taking all of these questions and considerations into account.
So many times the strategy is really minimal and it doesn't change, but she's the mom of three girls who are now in their teen and preteen years. In addition, last fall she decided it was time to pursue one of her passions and she enrolled in a very intense culinary school, while also juggling all of this momhood. So we're talking commuting into New York from New Jersey every day from, I think, 9 am to 4 pm, and making it back to New Jersey for school activities, parents' nights, sports all of those things that happen when you have busy active teen and preteen girls. So her girls are getting more and more involved in sports. Meanwhile, gina's life has gotten much busier. So her every day daytime needs hinged on a quick, easy and comfortable for day wardrobe. And then she often needed to come home, change quickly when she got there and make an evening school function, make a sport, make a dinner, make something. So we needed function first. We also looked at her calendar and saw that she had an annual Black Tie Charity event coming up in a few months. So it's multiple months away, but she knows she doesn't. She didn't have an outfit for it.
So, knowing that school was starting for her and her girls, we knew we wanted to take care of that need early before things got even more hectic and more busy. You know how it goes Once the fall starts, things get moving. You think you're going to have time for things and you may not. Then you're scrambling last minute to get something for an event and then you may make a choice that's just based on desperation. So for Gina we created a list, her shopping list that looked a little something like this Two to three pairs of elevated joggers.
For daytime, that was for school, for commuting, for weekends soccer all of that. One pair of straight-league black jeans that work with existing boots, and evening blouses and blazers. That was for that come home quickly change and it worked for pretty much any evening event that she had. Then we added two pairs of comfortable sneakers, one black and one light color, to mix with what she had. Three nice t-shirts to replace the stained ones that she had before that were ready to serve a different purpose. These t-shirts needed to be able to be layered with joggers or worn with the jeans and a blazer. Then we had three elevated sweatshirts for when the season got colder and that one black tie outfit.
So, before and after we shopped for these pieces, we created and photographed her outfits. The outfits we created were categorized by day, school function, dinner dates and then the black tie events and holiday parties. That part was really important for her, knowing her needs and goals were fast, functional and that planning was more important than ever. So we took the time to make her style strategy sustainable for her busy life. She could look at her photos and know okay, tomorrow I'm going from school, I'm quickly getting ready and I'm going to wear this evening outfit. It really helped keep this part of her life less hectic. It also helped her breathe some new life through her wardrobe enjoyment and style satisfaction while she was navigating this busy transitional season of change in her life. So now she's done with school. This was her strategy last year and she's looking to start home business. So we met last week. We reassessed and realigned her strategy to make sure it evolves with her needs in this next chapter of establishing her style brand. We still don't have a huge list, but we are adding a few other strategic needs that will help enhance her style brand.
So I hope you can see that by starting in your closet, it will help dictate what your shopping is, instead of the reverse. So your where, who you are. Challenge is, of course, to make time to do this exercise. It is the perfect time of year to do it. I want you to make your seasonal switch, assess your fall wardrobe and start making that strategic shopping list. If you have questions, pop into my IG to ask them. I'll do a Q&A in our next NAT chat to answer some of them. And remember, while you're doing this exercise, it's okay to play in your wardrobe.
This is all meant for you to build more intentionality surrounding your style so you can be sure that it aligns with who you are and how you want to show up each season. This is a practical and useful exercise to making sure you wear who you are season after season, because, like the weather transitions each season, so do you and so does your style. We'll see you next time. Thanks for joining another where who you are Wednesday. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media or leave a rating and review. Be sure to follow along for episode news updates and other bonus style insights on Instagram through my business account at BU Style that's the letters B, u and Style or my personal account at natalie underscore tincture. And don't forget to subscribe to where who you are, wherever you listen to your podcasts. Thanks again. See you next time.