← Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
292 | Stress-Free Outfit Styling Strategies for Every Holiday Gathering
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Welcome back, friend. Yesterday it dawned on me that Christmas is exactly five weeks away, which means two things. First, I need to get moving on my Christmas shopping, and secondly, I need to make sure you're not doing any holiday outfit panic shopping. So today we're going to tackle the latter and take the stress out of getting dressed for every holiday gathering on your calendar. You're going to learn the exact strategies I use with my clients to avoid last minute impulse purchases. Stick to stop the I have nothing to wear spiral and put together outfits that feel festive and authentically you without buying a single thing you're going to regret later. By the end of this episode, you'll know how to set the tone for each event, choose colors that support your confidence and personal coloring, and build simple, repeatable styling strategies that make holiday dressing feel calm, fun and completely manageable. Let's dive in. Welcome to Her Style Podcast where we're all about empowering you to show up and get dressed every day with confidence. 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. Let's get started. Well, apologies for friend. If you are someone who loves to listen to these episodes in real time as soon as they're published, I apologize. I normally do try to record them way ahead of schedule, but this week got away from me. It's been busy and exciting over here. All good things. I just didn't get to it until today, so apologies for that. If you've been waiting for this one to drop, hopefully it's better late than never. And as my son would say, apparently you get what you get and you don't get upset. I don't know if I ever shared that story with you. We were working on his penmanship over the summer and he hates doing that kind of stuff. He doesn't really love practicing. You know, his letters, his sight words, all of those good things. But we've gotta work on it. And so I had him working on writing his letters the one day and he was rushing through it cause he wanted to move on to the next thing and they were starting to become really illegible and I was like, hey, can you slow down? Rewrite this one for me, I can't even read it. And he literally looked at me with a dead face and said, you get what you get and you don't get upset. And I about died because I had never heard him say that before. It's not an expression that my husband or I said previously to that now we say it all the time because it was one of the funniest moments that I've had as a mom and I literally had no response to it because it was just so spot on. I did get what I got and I didn't get upset about it. But anyway, that just made me think of that this morning because I. I guess you get what you get with the podcast. And anyway, I always love getting these episodes out to you. Apologize. This one's a little behind schedule, but we are gonna talk about something really exciting today, which is your holiday outfit planning. Because I know that we often end up not even thinking about what we're gonna wear until it's like the night before your holiday event, your work party, your family gathering, and then you are just standing in front of your closet thinking, okay, why don't I have anything that's f festive but still feels like me? Because there's something a little bit different energetically about this season. We want to glam it up a little bit, maybe feel a little special, put yourself together in the best possible way as it is such a social time of year. And then what often happens? I don't know about you, but I have been there. You start scrolling online because you don't have anything to wear. You got a last minute scrounge something up and then before you know it, you've got a cart full of maybes. So. So pieces that you're going to try to make do with. And then you end up having this sense of overwhelm, of pressure, and inevitably, feelings of guilt because you had to impulse buy a bunch of stuff to wear that doesn't actually work with your real life and the rest of your wardrobe. And it happens every single year around this time. So, friend, I'm on a mission to help this year look different for you. What if you could walk into every gathering already knowing exactly what to wear without the stress, the overspending, or the morning of meltdown? You don't need a new outfit to feel confident this season. I think what you actually need is a calmer, clearer way to approach getting dressed. Especially during the holidays when everything feels busier, louder, and of course, more emotionally charged as well. So if you've ever thought, I have nothing to wear, I have to go buy something new. Or. Or maybe you feel like, I just don't have the bandwidth for this right now. I'm gonna scrap it, I'm just gonna show up. I don't care if I don't look my best. I want you to hear something which is that those thoughts don't mean that there's anything wrong with you or with your wardrobe. It's simply a sign that you have been approaching getting dressed in a way that doesn't fully support you. When the pressure is high and your calendar's full, it is very easy to slip into those old habits and thought patterns that don't serve you. And I'm talking about, you know, the scrolling, the cart filling, the settling, making things work, second guessing yourself or your style. And it's just because you haven't been given a system that makes it feel simple and doable. And of course, that's what we're gonna fix today. I'm gonna show you, or I guess since this is a podcast, I'm gonna tell you exactly how to take the stress out of getting dressed for any holiday event on your calendar. We're gonna eliminate the impulse shopping, overthinking, and, and defaulting to something that doesn't make you feel like the very best version of yourself. So we are going to get your clarity, creativity, and your sense of control back into play this season. And what I put together for you today is the three S's of stress free holiday style. And this is basically what I walk through with all of my clients and for myself every season. But we're kind of putting the holiday spin on it, and I wanted to really package it up in a way for you that makes it smooth, simple, and helps you plan outfits for every holiday occasion without the overwhelm. So again, we're going to talk about the three S's of stress free holiday style. The first one is to set your scene. I think every great outfit starts with context, not your closet. So for a minute, we're going to put a pin on what you have in your existing wardrobe. And before you pull even a single hanger off your clothing rack, I want you to stop and look at your calendar and consider where you're going, who you'll be with, and then the level of formality for those occasions. And then I want you to ask yourself two questions, and it's important to cover both of these. The first one is, how do I want to feel? And the second one is how do I want to show up? Because those aren't always the same thing. You might want to feel comfortable, but appear elegant and refined, or you might want to feel confident but appear very approachable. And so when you identify both the internal feeling that you want to have and the external feeling that you want to give others about who you are. Right. So the internal feeling and more of the external presentation, if you will, then you can start to think about putting an outfit together that meets in the middle. Sometimes it's going to be the same, but often I think it's different. And so we've got to figure out how to bring it all together. As an example, let's say that you're going to attend a company holiday party. You might want to feel like your best, most powerful self and kind of show up owning the room, but also appear relaxed and personable so that you can easily talk to anyone. People will approach you. You don't look standoffish or aloof. That might translate to something structured like a blazer, but you're going to wear it in a softer fabric or a really approachable color. And when you know the energy of the event and the role that you want to play at the event, that's when everything can really start falling into place. It's going to automatically eliminate some of the options from your closet and help you get really laser focused on what you do want to have. So you're not going to guess at what to wear anymore. You are going to intentionally set the scene with your outfit for how you want to feel and how you want to be perceived. All right? The second S is to set the mood. Now, this is where color is going to become one of your most powerful skills, styling resources. Not because you are chasing trends or forcing yourself into a predefined holiday palette, but because color has the ability to shape how you feel and how you show up before you ever say a word. So this is a really critical step to consider in here. And I want to be clear. Color psychology is incredibly helpful across the board, no matter what time of year. But it only works when the colors you choose also support your natural coloring and make you feel like your most confident self. So instead of just grabbing whatever looks the most Christmassy or appropriate for New Year's Eve or whatever holidays you're celebrating, I want you to think about the emotion that you want to bring into each event. We just established that a little bit in the last step. And then you're going to think about what colors are going to best present that in your outfit. And most importantly, then you're going to choose a version or versions of those colors that that best harmonize with you. I'm going to give you some examples. Let's say that you want to show up feeling confident and also looking really grounded. You might, in that case, want to reach for a deep Rich tone. If I've given you a personal color palette, you could reference your formal neutrals, but either way, make sure that you're choosing a hue that flatters you. It could be a dark olive, raisin, navy, plum, espresso, forest green, merlot. It doesn't have to be one specific color, but any deviation on those colors. I love playing with unique combinations of hues that would otherwise maybe feel really holiday friendly, like that traditional red and green combination, but you're going to put your own unique spin on it in a way that flatters your coloring and also works to express your personal style preferences as well. If you want to feel celebratory and look really eye catching when you show up to your next event, maybe you're going to choose your best metallic or a vibrant accent piece, but in a temperature and depth that complements your undertones. If you want a softer, more elegant presence, you might lean into lighter or more muted colors. But again, keeping in mind your ideal softness and saturation, color is not about limiting yourself. So even if you have been given a color palette by someone, whether it's myself or someone else, I don't want you to feel boxed in by that. I really want you to think about selecting the emotional energy that you want to embody, freeing yourself of any limiting thoughts or beliefs about the best colors you can wear, and choosing the versions that excite you, that make you feel ready and eager to get dressed, and that of course, bring out your best features. When you combine the psychology of color with an understanding of what works best on you, you're going to be able to create outfits that not only match the mood of the event, but that align with your natural beauty, your personality, and of course the message that you want to communicate. It's a very subtle shift, but it makes getting dressed feel intentional instead of random, and it keeps you looking your best instead of trying to fit into some generic holiday mold of what you think you should wear or what you've seen everybody else wearing this season. Now, before we get into the third S, I just want to add if you are listening to this thinking, okay, I love these ideas but I could really use some hands on help put putting this all together. Then you are going to love what I have coming up because this season I'm offering an exclusive bonus for women who are already inside her style collective or who decide to jump in and join us by Sunday, November 23rd. It's just a few days away the deadline for this, but we are going to be running our holiday style sos Workshop. This is a live masterclass. It's happening the first week in December where I'm going to walk you step by step through how to finalize your holiday outfits, remixing what you already own and feeling stylish and confident all season long without buying a single thing that you're going to regret later. This is a live class. I'm going to do some training in the beginning where we're really going to deep dive and go further than what we can share here on the podcast. We're going to deep dive together and then we're going to have live implementation time where I will coach you personally. We can look at your options, we can explore what you might need to fill in the gaps and make sure that you're making really smart, strategic and confident decisions about what to wear for all of your upcoming holiday events. This is only available with my anti Black Friday special going on right now, and I promise it is the kind of investment that will pay you back in confidence, clarity and peace of mind every single morning for all of the events that you have coming up this holiday season. I'll share a little bit more about that at the end of the episode as well. But if your wheels are already turning, you might want to go ahead and check out the link in the show notes right now while you're listening. Okay, so let's wrap this up with our third S, which is style with strategy. And this is the step that is going to turn your feelings of chaos and overwhelm into calmness, groundedness and confidence. And once you know the vibe of each event and the mood that you want to create with your use of color, then you can start planning your looks intentionally so you're not scrambling the day of that's really key, is to get ahead of this and start start doing it now. So you're going to start by identifying one focal point for each outfit. It could be a statement show show a statement shoe. I don't know. You could put on a show with your outfit if you want, but what I meant to say was a statement shoe. Maybe it's a bold lip color, a textured fabric, or a bold pair of earrings. Just kind of pick your one key focal point, big statement. Try to think about placing it in an area of your body that you really want to highlight for some bonus points points. And then you're going to let everything else support that feature. So if you can find just one thing that you're excited to wear, whether it's makeup, a new hair accessory, a great handbag you really just need one key piece to start with, and then the next thing that you're going to do is plan your outfits in advance, right? And I'm talking about actually trying them on. I know that this feels a little bit time consuming. It doesn't always feel glamorous, but it is definitely worth it. To pre plan, snap a couple of photos of yourself in the outfit. This is really going to help you get a different perspective on your look. Troubleshoot any little fit issues or styling details that you want to take it. Like to finish the look and take it up a notch before you go to the event. I hate when you show up somewhere, you feel like your outfit looks great, and then you see pictures later and you're like, oh, no, this thing wasn't exactly right or I should have made this adjustment. So again, get ahead of it. Take the pictures now. See how you look and feel and everything. And then you can label each outfit by event in your phone. And then, boom, you've got your own holiday lookbook ready to go. All the outfits are fully styled, prepped, ready to repeat. And when that little event reminder pops up on your calendar, you are already going to know exactly what to wear. You have it fully dialed in. You know you look amazing and you're ready to go. And I'm going to give you one more little stylist secret, which is that you can also have one outfit formula ready for each category of event. You don't have to reinvent the wheel every single time. So, for example, your go to casual combination might be an elevated knit sweater with tailored jeans and a metallic shoe. And then maybe for formal gatherings, you might want to opt for a statement dress, some refined outerwear and more modern or contemporary jewelry. And once you find what works, then again, this could be anything. So of course you want to think about your personal style. Look at your mood board for inspiration. You can repeat that endlessly with a few small tweaks. You can add a different combination of colors or textures or accessories just to make everything feel a little bit fresh for each one. But you don't have to start the whole process again and again. And that is really how you're going to start to build some style confidence. Because you're not winging it, you're working with a plan. When you put all of this together, you're going to start to see why these three styles steps work so well. I will tell you, style is emotional first. That's why we begin by setting the scene, getting clear on the feeling that you want to bring into each gathering and the way you want to show up. Then it's visual second, and you can really set the mood by expressing that feeling through color, texture and some of the visual elements that align with both your personal coloring and of course, the message that you want to communicate. And then the last piece. The third way that style really comes together is with that strategy. And I'm talking about the planning, the outfit formulas, making the intentional choices to highlight your favorite features, and making everything feel easy and repeatable using those simple frameworks and timeless art and design principles. And when you follow the process in this order, starting with the emotional component, then the visual second and strategy third to really bring it all together. Get Getting dressed stops being stressful guesswork and truly becomes a calm, almost intuitive extension of who you are and how you want to move through the season. And if you're thinking, okay, that sounds nice, but I wish someone would just tell me exactly which formulas fit my body, work with my lifestyle and suit my taste. That is literally what we do. Inside Her Style Collective, I will help you build these repeatable systems so you can stop overthinking, start trusting your instincts and enjoy your wardrobe again. You're going to learn all the rules and really master them like a pro, and then also feel confident to break them like an artist. This isn't about boxing you in, but really freeing you from some of the rules you've been putting on yourself when you get dressed. Again, I think confidence isn't about having more clothes, it's about knowing which clothes work for you. So let's take a breath together. I want you to picture yourself walking into every holiday gathering this year. Not feeling frazzled, not doubting yourself, but just showing up fully relaxed, smiling, being present, able to focus out on others, feeling deeply confident because you know that you look good, you know that you're showing up as the best version of you and you already feel like yourself. And that is what these strategies are designed to give you. So if you're ready to go deeper, if you want to stop the panic shopping and truly transform how you approach your wardrobe this season, then this is your moment, friend, your smart move. This holiday season, while everyone else is opening up all those tabs and chasing Black Friday deals and buying clothes that they're going to regret later, you are going to choose something different. You're going to choose clarity, confidence and lasting change. And when you join Her Style Collective by this Sunday, November 23rd, you're going to get exclusive access to my Holiday Style SOS workshop that live masterclass again. It's happening the first week in December. We are really going to finalize all of your holiday looks together. We're going to work within your existing wardrobe so you don't have to buy anything so you can show up set to feel stylish, confident and completely in control all season long. This isn't another purchase to justify. It is the investment that is going to stop the cycle for you. We're going to get rid of the stress, the guilt and the second guessing for good. Because you deserve a wardrobe that makes you feel amazing and a style strategy that keeps up with every version of you in every transition of your life and every season on your calendar. So I want you to make the smart move today. The link is in the show notes to join us or you can head to herstylellc.com collective to learn more and to grab your spot before the bonuses end on November 23rd. You're also gonna get 30 days of extra access to the program so you have a lot of breathing room over the holidays. You can also get started for less than $250 right now with an interest free payment plan. And yes, you will have the option to still snag a fully custom personal color palette even if you'd rather spread the investments out with the payment plan. So no worries about that. And you will also get locked in with our lowest renewal rate and first access to exciting additions coming in 2026. There are so many good perks coming going on for the next few days, so if you've been wanting to do this, I encourage you to jump in now. It's the perfect holiday gift to give yourself or to ask your loved ones for. Remember, you don't need to buy more things that won't actually fix the problem this Black Friday or chase a new outfit to feel like your best self. You just need a new approach. We gotta work with what you have in a whole new way. And that's exactly what we're gonna do together inside Her Style Collective. No matter what. I hope you'll put what I shared with you today into practice. Get planning ahead of time so that you can feel comfortable, confident and fully yourself at every celebration this season. 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 eatherriggstyle 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.