← Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
283 | Your Closet Is Full of Missed Opportunities — Here’s How to Fix That
00:16:10
If your closet was a financial portfolio, how would it be performing? Chances are, most of your “investments” aren’t pulling their weight. Studies show the average woman wears only about 20% of her wardrobe — meaning 80% of your wardrobe...
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If your closet was a financial portfolio, how would it be performing? Chances are most of your investments aren't pulling their weight. Studies show the average woman wears only about 20% of her wardrobe, meaning 80% of your wardrobe investments are sitting idle. But what if you could flip that around? What if you could get a much higher return on what you already own without buying more? That's exactly what we're going to cover today. I want to help you see your closet as an asset, not a liability. Because the fact of the matter is you've probably already invested hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars into the clothes you own. And the biggest missed opportunity isn't that you don't have enough. It's that you're not maximizing what's already there. So in this episode, I'm going to walk you through unlocking the hidden potential in your wardrobe so you can save money, simplify your mornings, and style the pieces you've already purchased with confidence.
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Welcome to her Style podcast, where we're all about empowering you to show up.
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And get dressed every day with confidence.
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I'm your host, Heather Riggs, a 15 year and counting certified image consultant and color specialist, ready to build a wardrobe and a personal style you love.
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Let's get started. Thank goodness my husband does not listen to this podcast or he would be the first one marching into my office correcting me and saying, heather, clothing is never an asset, it's always a liability. He would totally pull a rich dad, poor dad on me and drill in the fact that an asset is only something that's going to appreciate and value over time. And I know when we had Julie Wainwright, the founder of the Real Real, on the show earlier this summer, I think it was back in June, she did talk about how to be more strategic in thinking long term about the investments that you make, what will at least retain its value over time. And that's going to typically be with more of those high end designer pieces that you would be able to then resell or even if you made a really smart handbag investment, something that was less available, more limited quantity, that kind of thing, it could go up in value. But yes, to be fair, most of what's sitting in your wardrobe is not actually going to earn you more money over time. But I do want you to start thinking, thinking a little bit differently about the investments that you've already made and the ones that you're going to be making in the future. Because odds are you're not done shopping forever. You're still going to have a little bit More to pick up at some point in your life. So we might as well have this conversation right now. Because if you're going to stop feeling like your closet is the enemy. If you are so frustrated when you go to get dressed in the morning and you just think you've purchased all the wrong things, nothing's working for you. The first step really is shifting to the way that you think about what's hanging in there. Your wardrobe is an investment of money, time, and of course, your energy. And like any investment, you do want to get a good return. Now, ROI or return on investment doesn't just mean cost per wear. That is a huge piece of it. And thinking about how much you're going to be able to utilize the pieces that you invest in, but it's also about confidence. Do you feel amazing in it? Is it something that makes you excited to get dressed in the morning? Does it save you time? Does it make putting outfits together easier? Does it make your other pieces look better? And of course, opportunity. Does it help you show up in the way that you want to for your job, social events, or even in your relationships? Even if it's just the way you present yourself in front of your kids, your spouse, your friends, that you know that the items in your closet are aligned with your style goals and the way that you want to put yourself out there in the world. I want you to think of it this way. Every item in your closet is like an employee. Some are going to be your star performers, like the jeans that you wear multiple times a week or the blazer that instantly pulls everything together. And then others are just sitting in the break room hanging out, collecting dust. Those are going to be those trendy impulse buys that never leave the hanger that you forgot you even purchased or that still have the tag on them. And her style team. If you're listening right now and you're starting to worry about whether you inspired that analogy or I'm referring to you as the ones collecting dust, I will say never. You are my all star team all the way. I'm so lucky to have you. But your job as the CEO of your wardrobe is to identify what's pulling its weight and what's not. So let's talk about where we can find those missed opportunities. As I mentioned, and I've said in another episode very recently, most women are leaving 70 to 80% of their closets completely untapped. And that is actually speaking quite generously. Some common examples are going to be that dress that you once wore to a wedding that could easily be dressed down with sneakers and a denim jacket, or styled up again with heels and statement earrings. For another type of event, it could be your basic pieces like a button down blouse, maybe your black trousers or your favorite jeans that are just stuck in a rut and you're always styling them the same way instead of reimagining how they could be paired up with different layers or accessories to create a whole different type of outfit. And then of course we already talked about those hidden gems that are tucked away at the back of your closet that you forgot you even owned. I want you to ask yourself, am I leaving money on the table by not reworking the pieces I've already invested in? Be honest with yourself about this. It's not to give you lots of guilt or shame, but just to present new opportunities of looking at your pieces in a different way. Because the chances are your answer to that question is going to be yes, there are pieces that you could be styling in different ways. And we have a lot of self proclaimed Rebecca Bloomwoods in her style collective right now. I've been there too. I've talked about that many times on the podcast. I'm referring referring to the main character from Confessions of a Shopaholic, one of my all time favorite movies and it's based on a book as well. And one of my favorite things about taking women through this process of buying less, shopping smarter, and building a wardrobe that they love is seeing their surprise and delight almost every single time. I think I can count maybe two people who've come through and the closet audit process and said oh my goodness, I feel like I just need to start all over. Most of us will actually uncover a lot of hidden gems when we start opening our closet doors and looking at it through a different lens. And when it comes to your wardrobe, smart investing isn't always about adding more to it. Just like with our finances, it's about managing what we already have smarter. And so here are some ways that you can start increasing your wardrobe roi. We already talked about this. The first thing is looking at how you can style your pieces differently. Our recent Shop your Closet challenge was all about this. Actually, it wasn't that recent. It was back in the spring. And let me know if you want me to bring that event back again. I would love to host that. It was such a turning point for so many of you. But take some of those pieces that you are rarely wearing or that you forgot about completely and look up some new ideas or ways to style them. Whether you want to look on Pinterest or Google or social media. Search for some of those exact items and look for new ways to wear them this season. You might want to layer a slip dress over a turtleneck or pair your structured blazer with distressed denim. Swap your sneakers for boots to completely change the overall feel and presentation of your look and the pieces that you already own. You can also consider alterations. A five minute trip to the tailor can completely transform those meh pants that you are just not feeling anymore into your most flattering pair. You might want to shorten a hemline, take in the waist or adjust a sleeve and suddenly your clothing is going to look a million times better and completely custom for you. You could also look at upgrading some of your pieces, and I don't mean replacing them altogether, but just making a few simple swaps to breathe new life into your old pieces that you're no longer reaching for. You might want to take a few minutes to polish or have your shoes repaired. Replace bland, boring buttons with pearl or resin decorative buttons that feel really pretty and make it look up, leveled, or having a piece reconstructed into something that feels totally different and new. Each of these strategies can make your old items feel exciting to wear again without spending on another complete shopping haul. After going through this process inside her style collective, my client Lynn said, I've hardly purchased anything since starting the program. I have so many things that I can use and enjoy and didn't realize it. I'm almost 68 and now confidently dressing every day. Inez shared a similar sentiment, reporting, my shopping list is not so long anymore. I've learned a lot in our community, found some old jewels in my wardrobe and started matching them in different ways ways and my client Steph said, I'm actually wearing everything inside of my closet. I could not be more grateful. This has absolutely changed not just my life but our budget. I was an overspender and an instant gratification buyer, but Heather taught me how to style myself in a way that feels really good to me, that fits my body. The different colors I need to choose based on the experience I'm trying to create. Let me just tell you, my style and confidence is forever transformed. Now let's zoom out and I apologize. I'm a little bit under the weather. If you can't tell, I'm a little sniffly today. But your closet should function like a portfolio. We want it to be diversified, balanced and tailored to your lifestyle. So you're going to want to have a good mix of staple pieces and statement items. The staples are not necessarily going to look the same for everybody. But those pieces that feel versatile, that work in a lot of different ways, and then bringing in a few pieces that feel a little bit more exciting and in a way that works with your personal style. So it doesn't necessarily mean bold or attention grabbing. It just means a little bit unique for you. And when you audit your wardrobe, there's a couple things that I want you to ask yourself. First of all, which pieces are performing weekly? What are your go to things? What's already working well for you? Of course we want to do more of that. Then which items are just sitting there draining your space and energy? Ask yourself why? And then if I saw this piece in a store today, would I buy it again? That can be a real eye opening moment and a good, neutral and unemotional way to look at your pieces. So if the answer is no, it may be time to do a full audit and make a strategic shopping list for the season ahead. But the goal is to have a well balanced wardrobe with enough staples to cover your everyday life and just enough statements to keep things feeling fresh and fun. Here's how we can put all of this into practice. I'm going to give you a few things. I want you to write them down. You don't have to do all of them right now, but start adding this in as you are auditing your closet and thinking forward about what you want to bring in next. So the first thing is to do a remix challenge. And it's just what I said. I want you to pick one underused item and challenge yourself to style it in three different ways. Maybe it's that floral skirt that you have not touched in months. You could try wearing it with sneakers and a long sleeve T shirt or a button down and loafers. Or maybe it's a chunky sweater and boots. Suddenly it's not one skirt, but you have three completely new outfits. The second thing is to do your full audit with an ROI in mind. And when you're auditing or editing what's in your closet, don't just ask, do I like this? Instead, ask, is this working for me? Does it serve my life and work for my wardrobe as a whole? Remember, we want to think of our wardrobe as a cohesive collection, not as a bunch of individual pieces. That's going to make it so much harder for you to put things together and get dressed in the morning. Number three is to lean into your style foundations. I am always going to come back to this. We want to make sure that your colors, your fit preferences and your personal style are all represented in the items that are in your closet. These are the filters that make remixing everything easier. So if you know that you love natural, effortless looks and you have a strong desire to feel comfortable in your clothing, then stop forcing yourself into structured pieces that feel too rigid and never end up leaving the hanger. You can get rid of all of the things that aren't feeling good on your body anymore. Then number four is to track missed opportunities. So create a list of items that you consistently skip over and write down. Why? Ask yourself, why am I not wearing this? Why am I glossing over it in the morning? Why am I putting it on and taking it off? Does it have a poor fit? Is it an ill, flattering color? Does it not work for my lifestyle anymore? This list is going to become your guide for what to tailor, what to donate, and what to rethink. Again, we want to do more of what's working and avoid repeating mistakes. So it's important to notice what's not working also so you don't continue buying things that fall within those same parameters. And then number five is to do a gap analysis. Only after you've maximized what you already own can you identify the true gaps. Maybe you realize you're missing a versatile pair of shoes or a layering piece that would make multiple outfits possible. This is kind of going back to step one. Where were you a little bit stuck in saying, oh, I could use this floral skirt in this way if I had this other piece, and then making sure that other piece is also going to make additional outfits. So you're not just bringing things in to make one outfit work, but making lots of new outfits work. And that's where your money should go. Not on another irresistible top that you bought just because it caught your eye or it looked so amazing on that influencer or in the ad. We want to really be thinking long term about what's going to give you that investment back. And when you start treating your closet like an asset, here's what happens. Obviously, you're going to save a ton of money because you're going to actually be using and maximizing what you already own and challenging yourself to get creative and not fall into those outfit ruts where you're re wearing the same things on repeat. You're going to simplify your choices because you will have fewer what do I wear spirals in the morning. You're really going to be thinking more strategically about what you need when you dressed and ensuring that you have it ready to go. You are going to see your confidence boost in such a big way because your outfits will then feel more intentional and aligned with the way that you want to show up. And you're going to move from consumer to curator because you'll be building a wardrobe that actually serves your life instead of weighing you down and draining your budget. So again, it's not about having more clothes, it's about making the clothes you already own work harder for you. So here is the quick recap. Your closet is full of missed opportunities, I promise you that. And the fix isn't always buying more, but it's learning to use better. By shifting your mindset, spotting the idle investments, and putting a few practical steps in place, you can completely change how your wardrobe performs for you. If you want personalized support with maximizing your wardrobe's roi, I would love to invite you to team up with me inside her style collective. This is my 90 day course group coaching program where we do the deep work of applying these principles to your unique closet so you get those results much faster. Thank you so much for hanging out and spending this time with me today, friend. Remember, your wardrobe already holds so much potential, so it's time to get in there and get creative with it. Have fun playing dress up this week and making the most of what you already own.
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Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to stop copying everyone else's style and start dialing in your own swoon worthy signature look, head over to take my free 5 minute personal style quiz which you can find at the link in the show notes. If you've enjoyed our time together, please be sure to rate, review and subscribe to Her Style podcast so you never miss an episode. Finally, I invite you to make this a two way conversation and send me a DM over on Instagram Instagram @Heatherrig style to let me know how I can best support you on your style journey. I'm always here for you in style and service. Until next time.