Summary5 min read

HER Style Podcast | Episode 308

Title: The Most Overlooked Skill in Style? Knowing How to Use What You Already Own
Host: Heather Riggs, Certified Image Consultant & Color Specialist
Date: January 19, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Heather Riggs tackles the widely shared struggle of having a closet full of clothes, yet still feeling as though there’s “nothing to wear.” She delves into the root causes of this frustration, debunking the myth that shopping is the ultimate solution. Instead, she empowers listeners to develop the overlooked but crucial skill of knowing how to use what they already own. With actionable insights and relatable anecdotes, Heather reframes the relationship with personal style and offers a preview of her upcoming “Shop Your Closet” challenge, designed to transform shopping habits and daily dressing routines.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Shopping Becomes the Default Solution ([01:16])

Shopping as a Coping Mechanism: Heather explains that most women shop not out of a genuine love for shopping, but to solve a problem—whether it's to make mornings less stressful, to feel more confident, or to avoid the discomfort of not knowing what to wear.
The Shopping ‘Reset’ Illusion: New purchases offer a short-lived sense of relief, not because of the item itself, but the hope it will simplify life.
- “Buying something new can create a temporary sense of relief, almost like a reset button. It’s that feeling of, okay, I’m going to deal with this mess later. Future me will have better options.” (02:08)
Shopping as a Stand-in for Clarity: When style problems arise, shopping is used to quickly “solve” the problem, even though it rarely addresses the deeper issue.

2. Rethinking “Wardrobe Gaps” ([04:45])

Most Gaps Aren’t Real: Heather challenges the belief that missing items are the root problem. Major life transitions (weight loss, career changes) are valid exceptions, but for most, the perceived gaps stem from unresolved discomfort or a lack of styling skill.
- “But what’s actually missing most of the time isn't an item. It’s a new way of looking at what you already own.” (06:18)
Comfort in Familiarity: Repeatedly purchasing the same styles, silhouettes, or colors isn't a lack of creativity but is because those are the familiar pieces you know how to use.

3. The Real Missing Skill: Using What You Have ([08:05])

Building Styling Skills vs. Amassing New Purchases: The episode emphasizes that true satisfaction with your wardrobe comes not from shopping smarter or buying more, but from developing the skill of styling and remixing what’s already there.
- “Learning how to use what you own doesn’t mean forcing yourself into clothes you hate. It’s not about making do or lowering your standards. It’s about building up a skill you can rely on forever.” (08:22)
Shifting the Relationship with Shopping: When you know how to style your clothes, shopping becomes a conscious choice instead of an emotional crutch.
- “You stop feeling like your style is one purchase away… you begin to trust yourself more—not because you have more clothes, but because you know how to work with what you already have.” (09:00)
Consequences of This Shift: Less stress, more confidence, fewer purchases, and a wardrobe that feels intentional and complete.

4. The “Shop Your Closet” Challenge Announcement ([09:38])

Challenge Purpose: Designed to break the default reliance on shopping by teaching essential styling skills.
- “This challenge is about replacing shopping as your main style strategy with something far more powerful. And it’s the skill of knowing how to use what you already own.” (10:01)
Details: Free, live, three-day event (January 27–29 at 8pm Eastern) with real-time Q&A and supportive community.
Encouragement to Join with a Friend: Doing the work together adds accountability, encouragement, and fun.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Shopping becomes the stand in for the clarity that you actually need. It's the solution you reach for when you don’t know what else to do.” – Heather Riggs ([02:38])
“Most wardrobe gaps aren’t real… We have not gone through some incredibly major transformation overnight.” – Heather Riggs ([05:05])
“When you don’t know how to use your clothes, everything feels incomplete. So every new piece feels like it might be the answer that finally brings everything together.” – Heather Riggs ([06:48])
“Shopping gets to become a choice, not a reflex. That shift is subtle, but it’s so amazing.” – Heather Riggs ([08:44])
“You don’t need another haul. You don’t need to shop smarter—well, maybe a little bit smarter, yes... For right now, you just need to work on building a new skill set.” – Heather Riggs ([09:22])
“Clarity, not more clothes, is what actually creates ease.” – Heather Riggs ([09:33])
“If this episode made you realize, okay, I’ve clearly been using shopping to solve things that it cannot actually fix, then this is your next step.” – Heather Riggs ([10:26])
“Doing this work together is such a game changer… You’re going to have encouragement, camaraderie, and accountability in the best way.” – Heather Riggs ([10:50])

Important Segments & Timestamps

Shopping as a Solution & Its Limitations – 01:16 to 04:45
The Myth of the “Wardrobe Gap” – 04:45 to 07:00
Skill Building: Styling What You Own – 07:00 to 09:20
How This Changes Your Relationship with Your Closet – 09:00 to 09:38
Shop Your Closet Challenge Announcement & How to Join – 09:38 to 11:00

Takeaways & Action Steps

Challenge the habit of shopping as the immediate fix to style frustrations.
Begin practicing new ways of putting together outfits with your existing wardrobe.
Join the free “Shop Your Closet” Challenge for real-time support and skill-building.
Invite friends for increased accountability and fun in the process.

Final Thoughts

Heather’s compassionate, down-to-earth approach reframes the search for style satisfaction—from chasing new purchases to cultivating the confidence and creativity to make the most of what’s already in your closet. The episode is a call to recognize and develop the oft-overlooked artistry of using what you own—a skill that promises lasting clarity and ease in getting dressed.

To Join the Challenge:
herstylellc.com/challenge

Loading summary

Transcript9 lines

[00:00]
A
I want to talk about something that sneaks up on a lot of us. It's when you're shopping or scrolling and you catch yourself thinking, I don't know why, but I keep buying the same kinds of things and it never actually fixes the problem. You're not shopping wildly or buying random stuff. You're choosing pieces that make sense, things you genuinely like, and yet your closet still feels incomplete. In this episode, I want to unpack why shopping becomes the go to solution even when you're trying to be intentional. Why so many wardrobe gaps aren't aren't actually real, and what changes when you stop trying to fix your style with more pieces and learn how to use what you already own instead. This isn't about willpower, and it's not about needing better clothes. It's about a styling skill most of us were never taught. And once you understand it, everything starts to feel calmer, clearer, and way less emotional. So let's get into it, friend.
[00:57]
B
Welcome to her style podcast, where we're all about empowering you to show up.
[01:02]
A
And get dressed every day with confidence.
[01:05]
B
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.
[01:17]
A
Let's get started. Okay, let's start this one out by talking about why shopping generally becomes our default strategy. Because this is the the root of so much frustration. And most women don't shop because they love shopping. I mean, you and I might love shopping, but not everyone does, if you can believe it. And if you're in the latter camp, that is perfectly okay too. No matter what, all of us tend to shop because we're trying to solve something. We're trying to make our mornings feel less exhausting. Like we just want to get dressed, feel decent, and not already be annoyed before the day has even started. Tell me I'm not alone in that. We want to feel more confident and stylish when we walk into a room. And when getting dressed starts to feel like one more thing to figure out when you're already thinking about the day ahead, the meetings, the errands, the people you're going to see. Buying something new can create a temporary sense of relief, almost like a reset button. It's that feeling of, okay, I'm going to deal with this mess later. Future me will have better options. I'm going to get them now. And the tricky part is that this relief doesn't come from the item itself. It comes from the belief that the item might simplify things. That's why this pattern can exist even when you're shopping thoughtfully, even when you're being budget conscious and you're trying your best to be intentional. Because shopping becomes the stand in for the clarity that you actually need. It's the solution that you reach for when you don't know what else to do. And over time, that creates a very specific, specific dynamic where every style problem starts to look like a shopping problem. When getting dressed feels harder than it should, you think, okay, well, maybe I just need to go out and buy some new options. Or if you're feeling bored with your clothes again, it's probably time to go shopping. Or if you're not feeling confident lately, you think a new piece might help to solve that problem. And none of this is wrong. It's very human. And listen, you know, I was a major shopper in my early adulthood, so I say this with love and zero judgment always, because I've absolutely been there. But if shopping is the only go to that you have, you're gonna keep doing it even when it's not actually solving the problem. That's why you can shop better and still feel stuck. And why you can invest in nicer pieces and still feel underwhelmed when you look in your wardrobe. And why the closet never, ever feels complete. Shopping is not the real issue here. It's just been your way of solving a problem that was never really about that. And this is going to lead me directly into what has kind of been a second realization that I've had recently. And I want you to brace yourself. This one's big. It's that most wardrobe gaps aren't real. Now, if you've been through a major change lately, I will say that could be the exception. If you lost a significant amount of weight and your clothes legitimately do not fit you properly anymore. If you made a big career pivot and now you don't have the right things that you need to wear for your new job. There are times and seasons in your life where you hit a major right turn and you don't have a wardrobe that keeps up with that. I've talked about this before. It's why you need to constantly reevaluate what you actually need to get through your day to day and what's in your wardrobe. But I would say for most of us, that's not usually the case. We have not gone through some incredibly major transformation overnight. And so I think the gaps in our wardrobes feel real because something feels unresolved. Maybe we don't fully trust what we have, or we can't quite see how everything is supposed to work together. So instead of sitting with that weird, unsettled feeling, our mind jumps straight to figuring out what's missing. Because not knowing what's wrong feels uncomfortable, and we just want an answer fast. So we immediately cut to, okay, well, I must be just missing the right pants, or I probably need a better layering P to go with this outfit, or if I just had different shoes, this would finally come together. But what's actually missing most of the time isn't an item. It's a new way of looking at what you already own. When you don't know how to use your clothes, everything feels incomplete. So every new piece feels like it might be the answer that finally brings everything together. And that's why shopping feels so tempting in moments of uncertainty, because it doesn't really require you to get creative or to do anything differently. And this is why so many women end up buying the same types of pieces over and over and over again. If you've ever looked in your closet and you're like, wow, I have a lot of this silhouette, or how come all of my T shirts are white or black? And I've never really deviated from that, or I have a lot of the same kind of safe items, and I default to this one kind of outfit formula over and over. And it's not because you are boring or because you lack creativity. It's just because those are the pieces that you already know how to wear. So your brain, especially in those moments of urgency in the morning or when you're just quickly trying to find something when you're out at the stores, it's reaching for familiarity and something that it feels confident using. If it's worked for you before, you know it will probably work for you again. So instead of building up that confidence, shopping is going to keep you stuck in that loop, constantly searching for clarity in the form of another purchase. So you're not doing anything wrong. You're just only using the tool that you've been given. Now, learning how to use what you own doesn't mean forcing yourself into clothes that you hate. It's not about making do with what you have or lowering your standards. It's about building up a skill that you can rely on forever. Because once you know how to use your clothes, shopping is going to start to lose that emotional pull that it has on you. You're no longer buying for relief or for confidence or out of confusion. Instead, sh Shopping gets to become a choice Not a reflex. And that shift is subtle, but it's so amazing when you get to the point where you don't have to shop for anything, you fully understand how to make what you already have work in a better way for you. You stop feeling like your style is one purchase away. You stop scanning for the missing pieces constantly. You stop feeling like you're never going to get to the wardrobe that you love, and you'll begin to trust yourself more. And it's not because you have more clothes and but because you know how to work with what you already have. And that truly changes everything. It changes how you evaluate new pieces and decide what gets to make the cut and come into your closet. It's going to change how often you shop, how much mental energy your wardrobe takes up, and most importantly, it's going to change your relationship with your closet. So instead of being this constant source of what am I missing? This isn't working. It's all going to really start to click. So let me say this clearly because this is the heart of the episode and what I really want to drive home for you today, it's that you don't need another haul. You don't need to shop smarter. Well, maybe a little bit smarter. Yes. You know, I have tips and opinions on that too, but I really think for right now, you just need to work on building a new skill set. When shopping stops being your default solution, everything else starts to feel lighter. Because clarity, not more clothes, is what actually creates ease. And this is exactly why I've put together our upcoming Shop your closet challenge. Not to tell you what to buy, not to give you product links at a discount or to give you outfits to copy. Definitely not to overhaul your wardrobe. This challenge is about replacing shopping as your main style strategy with something far more powerful. And it's the skill of knowing how to use what you already own. You've already made some amazing investments. We want to make sure we're capitalizing on that. And inside this challenge, you're going to start to see why certain things work well, why others don't, and how to make confident decisions with the clothes you already have without forcing, settling, or second guessing yourself. This is a free three day experience and we are doing it live from Tuesday, January 27 through Thursday, January 29 at 8pm Eastern every day. You can join us live in real time, come in, ask your questions at the end of each session, or you can always come back and watch the replays. Whatever fits your life right now. So if this episode made you realize, okay, I've clearly been using shopping to solve things that it cannot actually fix. Then this is your next step. You don't need more clothes, you just need a better way to work with the ones that you already own. You can save your free seat right now@herstylellc.com challenge. I would absolutely love to do this with you and if this episode made you think, okay, I I know someone else who needs this too, then please invite her along. I will tell you, doing this work together is such a game changer. It's so much easier to show up when someone else is in it with you. When you're texting each other and cheering one another on and asking what you tried today and how you're doing with the homework, it will make such a massive difference for you. You're going to have encouragement, camaraderie and accountability in the best way. The kind that makes you want to show up, try something new and keep going instead of giving up. So please tell your friends to sign up with you for the Shop your Closet challenge. You can send them to herstylellc.com challenge and I cannot wait to see you there.
[10:56]
B
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.
[11:10]
A
The link in the show notes.
[11:11]
B
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 eatherigstyle to let me know how I can best support you on your style journey. I'm always here for you in style and service.
[11:34]
A
Until next time, Sam.