The Everyday Icon Style Podcast

Episode 159: Elevate Your Style and Career with a Fresh Wardrobe

• Tiffany Howard

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What if your clothes could genuinely align with the person you are today, empowering you to face every corporate challenge with confidence? Have you ever considered how much the clutter in your wardrobe could be holding you back? Join me, as we master the art of letting go. Through personal stories and practical advice, I’ll guide you in transforming your wardrobe to reflect your evolving career and aspirations. We’ll address the sentimental attachments and emotional triggers tied to your clothes, helping you to create space for a closet that truly represents your current identity.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

10 Steps To A Stylish, Organized Wardrobe: https://bit.ly/3LeeB7Z


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LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-howard-8b

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3VwhNlB

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3IyGFSl



Speaker 1:

Ignite your style with the Everyday Icon Style Podcast. I'm Tiffany, your style navigator and confidant here to lead women in corporate America on the quest to discover their timeless style. Let's revolutionize your wardrobe, empower your confidence and embrace your inner icon. Are you ready to redefine your corporate chic? Then let's get started. Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed by your wardrobe? I've got just the thing for you. Download my free guide Stylish, organized Wardrobe Made Easy, and discover 10 simple steps to declutter, identify key pieces and create a style that's uniquely yours. Head to the description box of this episode to grab your copy, to start your journey towards a more stylish, elevated and organized you.

Speaker 1:

It's time to let it go Now. I know when we hear this, you're probably like Tiffany. What do you mean? What is a time to let go of the art of letting go when it comes to our style and our wardrobe? Not just the clothes, but also what we thought our style was going to be at this point, in this stage in our careers, in our lives, at our ages, and begin to kind of create something new, because we can't create anything new if we don't let go of the old. So in today's episode, we're going to be talking about and exploring our attachment to clothes, and I'm going to give you some tips on making the decision of when editing your wardrobe, because one of my opinion and I will stand on this heel so speak is that you have to clean out your closet first.

Speaker 1:

I know you hear a lot of style coaches, personal stylists, say, no, that's part of it. Well, you get later down into that. There are other things you have to do. Yes, that's true, but this, to me, is the most important thing and is what's standing in your way of developing the style that you want. Even if it's going by my pyramid that I have for developing your style, you still have to let go of all of that stuff, because the new stuff that you put in it's going to clash and it's going to be all over the place. New stuff that you put in, it's going to clash and it's going to be all over the place. And, most, most importantly, when you open up your closet in the morning to get dressed, or any time that you get dressed, it should make you feel good. It should sing to you whatever song you wanted to sing in the morning, or if you have a playlist, depending on the day, that is what it should be for you, and the first thing that you have to do is let go of the wardrobes, the different styles that are in your closet, to usher in the new. So the first thing that we need to talk about is understanding emotional attachments to our clothing. I bet you didn't know it was a thing we think, other things we have emotional attachments to, but it's also with clothes as well. So when it comes to clothes, often they serve as powerful memory triggers, and all of us have something that is a memory trigger, I think.

Speaker 1:

For me, I'm trying to figure out what I have, or if I've had any clothes that did that. I'll say this there were probably pieces or clothes that at one time that made me feel like a few years ago I had. It made me feel really good. I felt like I was this powerhouse. I was a branch manager, so for me, it was my suits that they were. It showed that, you know, I was like powerful, I had made it and all of the things I looked good, starting in the, you know, down the street when I had to walk or walking into a room and people would take notice, um, but I had to let those go because my career's changed, everything's changed, everything's changed. My lifestyle has changed.

Speaker 1:

So, having to let go of the dressy clothes, I think that I, the few that I still have, I keep some, you know cause you need them. But just being able to let those go, um, because it was brought to my attention that I have a lot of dressy. I have very extremes. I have very comfortable, very casual lay around the house clothes and then I have very um dressy clothes. You know that we used to wear to church and all these type of things and work, but I don't. I've never had the in between business casual, business elevated, casually elevated clothes that I would want to have to look to have. So I actually have to let some of those go. But you might have others. So it could be that college sweatshirt that might transport us back to when we were carefree, back in our college days. A dress you wore on your first date with your partner might evoke butterflies and these items become tangible links to our past experiences. Now you can sometimes keep these clothes, but you may want to put them in. I know with wedding dresses you can put them in keepsake boxes and things like that. You could always do that ways to do that if they're very personal and they're very sentimental to you.

Speaker 1:

But here's the thing Fashion is a key way for us to express who we are and our identity and, with the clothes that we choose to wear, it communicates who we are or who we want to be. So we have to keep that in mind. Think about who am I right now, not who I was five years ago, not even who I'm going to be 30 years from now, because, remember, we're all in corporate America. Where do I want to go? Who or how do I want to be seen? Do I want to be seen as a director? Do I want to be seen as an EVP? Do I want to be seen as an EVP? Do I want to be seen as an entrepreneur? Do I want to be seen as a CEO? How is it that you want to be seen? And that is where we're going to kind of tailor that style as to be as who we are, a combination of who we are and a combination of who we are and a combination of where we want to go when it comes to our career. So we definitely need to help and keep that in mind, because this makes parting with certain items that we have or feel like we're losing a part of ourselves.

Speaker 1:

And the one thing I can tell you is, even though you let go of the clothes, you still have the memories. And the memories are the things that always stay. They are dear and close to our hearts and we can always remember them. I'm sure you have photos and pictures, but the memories are the things that will outlive the clothes, so always keep that in mind too. Now there's also the concept of sentimental value versus practical value too. So while that threadbare, almost gone t-shirt might not be suitable for public wear anymore, it's the memories attached to it that can make it feel priceless.

Speaker 1:

But psychologically, we're also dealing with loss aversion, and this is a tendency to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent gains. So, in in simple terms, the pain of losing something often outweighs the pleasure of gaining something new. And this is what makes it particularly and hard to let go of items we already own, even if we rarely use them. And we all have those t-shirts. You know they're really big, they're really outworn, you can barely see the wording on them anymore and you use them as night shirts or something. If you're cleaning the house, you're lounging around the house because they're comfortable. And we have to keep in mind that the pain of losing something is hard. If you've ever lost anything or someone, you know that it's hard. But when we begin to really think about it, we can't usher in what we want unless we let go of what is currently in our closet right now. So I want you to keep that in mind when you are editing and cleaning out your closets and I will remind you of that when I'm working with you with editing and cleaning out your closets. And I think for me, I understand that a little bit better, and it's something why I don't want to ever overlook cleaning out closets, because I know there's a lot of emotional attachment to clothes that we kind of have to begin to slowly remove them out so that we can usher in the new.

Speaker 1:

So here are a few common reasons for holding on to clothes. Common reasons for holding on to clothes. Now, it might need some mentality. The I might need it someday. Mentality is classic. You know those clothes. Well, you know what? I might need these shoes one day, and I'm guilty of this too. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm super guilty of this. I might need those shoes one day. Or you know what, I might need that dress one day. You know I might have an interview I might have to go out on, you know, to a gala or something.

Speaker 1:

It's that voice that keeps telling you to keep the cocktail dress you haven't worn in years, just in case you get invited to a fancy event. And in today's world, how many of us are really going to fancy events anymore? And if we do, how we go to fancy events has changed. So this thinking it also stems from a fear of future regret or a desire to be prepared for any scenario, which I think we were taught that you always need to have a little black dress, you always need to have a suit, you always need to have a parachute, um flat, you always need this just in case you need something to go to in last. And that's fine in theory, but we do it with everything because we'll use the little black dress. For example, how about if that little black dress that you have is outdated? How about if that little black dress doesn't fit anymore? Maybe you need to update it from a little black dress to maybe a little purple dress. So we have to kind of keep that in mind that it's okay, even though we know it's very hard. Um, and we also fear that too. Like, well, I don't want to have to buy one again, because what if something happens? Or my other favorite you? Soon as you get rid of it, here comes that invite. Hey, we want to bring you. Invite you to a cocktail party. Damn, I just got rid of that dress. Guess what we can replace it, and that's kind of what we have to quiet that voice.

Speaker 1:

Weight fluctuations and our body image issues. They also play a significant role as well in this. So many of us keep clothes that no longer fit, either as motivation to change our bodies or as a safety net in case our weight changes again, and this can be complex, often tied to feelings of self-worth and body acceptance. Here's the thing If you're in weight fluctuation, can we learn to love our bodies in the process? So if you are and this is for somebody that either has to lose weight or gain weight, or even if you're trying to maintain and keep in the middle, if you're trying to lose weight, for example, wouldn't you love to have a wardrobe that is new and that expresses who you are today than who you were five years ago, because we have to remember, it also attaches to those feelings that we were five years ago and instead of just buy pieces that fit right now and as something begins to get big too big for you, guess what Take that out and you put something else in. This is where, also coming to buying clothes that you can take in or take out and tailor them until it's like you're at that actual goal weight that you have, and then you can begin to buy new pieces based off of that.

Speaker 1:

So we tend to also hinder ourselves based on that as well, and I know for me, for an example, I did that when I had fibroid issues, I wore clothes that were big two things really, that. And also, I never liked my chest as growing up, so I would always wear big shirts but I would always wear things to cover up because I didn't like how I looked, didn't like how I feel, and so for me, I'm still whole, was holding on to those clothes because it mentally, sometimes it takes a while for our minds to catch up to our bodies. So, um, always trying to figure out, you know, and just stay mindful of this, will change, because I'm put, especially if we are putting in the work, it will change. And guess what, when you get to that end result, wouldn't it feel great to have a wardrobe that reflects that end result and that is updated and not something from five to six years ago? Guilt over past purchases it's another powerful thing as well. Now, that expensive jacket you bought on impulse you never wore, we've done it. Keeping it might feel like it's a way to justify the expense, even if it's taking up space in your closet. And I've had to get rid of things as well too. Now, if you have expensive things, that's the perfect time to sell them, especially if they're designer.

Speaker 1:

You have a lot of different platforms where you can sell them at. You can go on to the real world. There is TradeZ, there is Poshmark, there is Fashionphile. There are different places where you can go and sell them. Now, you might not get all of the money back for it, but you're at least going to somehow as a way to kind of recoup your money that you lost. So it's not like you're throwing out and somebody else can actually benefit and add it to their wardrobe, something that they're trying to add but they can't necessarily find in the store. So I want to kind of make you keep that in mind. There's actually I have a pair of shoes in my closet that I probably need to sell. That I wore a few times and because of the cost and the price, you know, and it's like that. So I have an idea Let me know over on Instagram, underneath this post, if you want me to, because I could actually sell them online, if you would want me to, because I could actually sell them online, if you would want me to walk you through the process of how to sell clothes online, and then I can go ahead and do that for you.

Speaker 1:

So, last and not least, it's the nostalgia. So emotional connections can make it hard to part with certain items the shirt you wore to get your dream job, or a scarf gifted by a loved one who's no longer with us. How about you take that scarf and you can still utilize it or put it in a nice keepsake. You can even I've seen it to where you could actually put them in picture frames and keep them up, something of that nature, because I totally complete and understand and get that and they carry emotional weight that can be difficult to let go of. I get it, but take the ones that, um can something can be changed out of them. I'll even use jewelry. You can sometimes take them to jewelers and from the jewelers they could actually change it into something different, into something new. So keep that in mind, that those type of things are probably the hardest to get rid of, but there's always ways around that.

Speaker 1:

So now let's talk about a few benefits of decluttering your wardrobe my favorite part. So, while holding on to clothes might feel comforting, there are numerous benefits to decluttering your wardrobe to clothes might feel comforting. There are numerous benefits to decluttering your wardrobe. First, it can significantly reduce stress and decision fatigue, saving you time. Reducing your stress because you're standing there trying to figure out what the hell am I going to wear and trying to dig through clothes to find something. That is an hour past and you have to be out the door in like five minutes. So when your closet is overstuffed, choosing an outfit, it can become a daily challenge. We want to take that challenge out of your daily routine.

Speaker 1:

It's that simple and by having a streamlining process and streamlining your options, getting dressed is smoother and more enjoyable. It should be a joy and it should be a easy, relaxing way to start your day and to get dressed and not having this stress of oh my god, I can't find my purple slacks, like no, you should be able to find it, pull it out and go. It can improve your self-image and your confidence. So when your closet only contains items that fit well, make you feel good, you're more likely to feel positive about your appearance and you'll enjoy getting dressed again all in the process. And decluttering creates more physical space and it improves your organization, and it improves your organization, and this not only makes your living area more pleasant, but can also help you better appreciate and utilize the clothes you choose to keep. Again, when you open up your closet, it should sing like ah, like angels on high, that is what. Or whatever music. That is how your closet should make you feel when you're getting dressed and when you open up the doors.

Speaker 1:

So to conclude and tie all of this together, I want us to remember one thing Letting go of clothes isn't just about creating physical space. It's about freeing yourself emotionally and mentally, and by understanding the psychology behind our attachments and using these strategies and understanding why it's important now, you can create a wardrobe that truly serves you and reflects who you are today. So let's continue the conversation over on my Instagram. You'll find it here. The description the link to my Instagram account is in my page is in the description box of this below. Let me know your thoughts and also let me know if you want me to show you possibly me selling some clothes online to help you get a better understanding of it. So, with all of that being said, I hope you guys have an amazing rest of your day, stay healthy, stay safe, and I'll talk to you guys next week in the next episode.