The Everyday Icon Style Podcast
Welcome to Everyday Icon Style, the podcast for executives, entrepreneurs, and ambitious professionals who are ready to step into their next-level identity. I’m Tiffany Howard, an Executive Style Coach, and I help leaders like you build an authentic personal style while making the mindset shifts that elevate confidence, presence, and authority.
Each week, we’ll explore how style and identity intersect from executive presence and personal branding to wardrobe edits, capsule wardrobes, and lifestyle essentials that support your growth. Along the way, you’ll hear strategies, insights, and inspiration to help you show up as the leader you’re meant to be, inside and out.
If you’re an executive, a 6 or 7 figure entrepreneur, or an ambitious professional who wants to refine your presence, upgrade your wardrobe, and embody the next-level version of yourself, this podcast is your go-to resource.
The Everyday Icon Style Podcast
Episode 189: How to Elevate Your Style Without Starting Over
Somewhere along the way, we've been conditioned to believe that evolving our style requires a complete reset – tossing everything out, spending a small fortune, and beginning again from zero. But what if the solution isn't so drastic? What if most of what you need is already hanging in your closet, waiting to be reimagined?
Style evolution is actually about refinement, not erasure. Your current wardrobe represents years of shopping, money spent, and memories. It deserves to be honored rather than abandoned. By shifting your mindset from "what needs replacing" to "what can I keep and elevate," you unlock the potential in pieces you already own. Small yet significant changes like adding a silk scarf to jeans, updating accessories, or visiting a tailor can breathe new life into your existing clothes.
Ready to transform your wardrobe without the reset? Download my free guide "Why Your Wardrobe Feels Off" It's your first step toward elevating your style in a way that feels manageable, exciting, and true to who you're becoming.
Podcast Episode Mentioned
Episode 184 Why You Can’t Define Your Style
Episode 185 Beyond Vague Style Words
This is the Everyday Icon Style Podcast the space for style-conscious, career-driven women who are ready to look like the next-level version of themselves. Each episode helps you build a wardrobe that reflects not only your executive presence but your real life. With a little bit of guidance, intentional edits and no full-blown transformation required, let's elevate your style and your authenticity one outfit at a time. I'm Tiffany, your style coach. Let's elevate your style and your authenticity one outfit at a time. I'm Tiffany, your style coach. Let's get started. So today we're tackling one of the biggest fears and probably myths that I hear when it comes to evolving your wardrobe, and that would be do I have to throw everything out and start from scratch? Do I have to throw everything out and start from scratch? The answer is no. I think somewhere along the way we've got lost in the sauce, thinking that I have to throw everything away, start from scratch, buy all new things and then, a year from now or sooner, you're back at it again because it doesn't work. And the great thing about not having to start from scratch is that because one, you don't have to go out and spend a lot of money and waste a lot of money. Two, it allows you to ease into your signature style that you're building, because you're building something that is a marathon and not a sprint and takes time and you're always evolving. So imagine having to start over from scratch every time you feel like your style needs to evolve. That's tiresome, even me just thinking about it, and I like to shop. So no, we don't have to start over from scratch, and it doesn't mean. Also, that goes into not having to erase everything that you have, because it means not milled, means building on that, and as you begin to add, you can begin to take things away. So what I'm going to do for you today is I'm going to show you how to evaluate your style using what's already in your closet, so you can step into the next level version of you without overwhelm. I know it can be overwhelming and looking in your closets, it can be overwhelming. Not everyone is like me that can go into your closet and just start tossing things out and getting rid of stuff and throwing things away. It is a process. So that is what we are going to do and that is what I'm going to show you how to do today. So why we fear starting over? So this is always a great place to start is always a great place to start.
Speaker 1:So for a lot of us, our closets represent years of shopping, money spent, memories tied to certain pieces or certain events, and thoughts start to feel like this Too expensive, it's too time consuming and, honestly, it's just too wasteful. So when we start thinking like that guess what? We tune out the voice that's telling us let me out. I think I'm starting to like that now and we're starting to ignore that voice. And when we ignore that voice, and when we ignore and celebrate what we've done and how we've grown, it's like oh, you know what, I don't have to do anything else. These clothes will be fine, but you'll always feel a disconnect because you haven't taken the time to really evaluate what this next level version of you requires when it comes to that signature style at that point.
Speaker 1:So when you feel like your clothes no longer match who you are, it's natural to panic because I do it all the time and you think the only solution is a complete and total reset. This isn't working out right. This isn't going to the gym, where you sometimes have to reset how you eat. This isn't how you're resetting your home. Reset how you eat this isn't how you're resetting your home, because most of the time, you already own the pieces that you can form the foundation of your new style.
Speaker 1:Everybody has certain components or pieces of capsule wardrobes, and I like to say to have two one, the essential one that we always get the list for, and then two, your own personal capsule wardrobe. So those pieces are already there to help you with building a solid foundation, and that's what they are. They're the foundation With a foundation. All you'll have to do is begin to build upon that, and you also have to begin to evaluate the other pieces a little bit more intentionally. Now there is a mindset shift that kind of comes along with this that a lot of us don't realize. And why? Nine times out of 10, a lot of styles, even if you go talk to personal stylists, even if you see makeovers on TV, why they don't last? It's great to dress everything up real pretty, but without changing and reframing how you think about it, you're always going to revert back to your old ways of dressing and shopping. So instead of asking yourself what do I need to replace, because that's the first question we go to, instead begin to ask what can I keep and elevate, and just the small details that you can make or change will actually help with this. So here's an example A pair of jeans. This is probably that you have heard this example for the past. This will be the last time I hope you hear it, but it is a great simple example that I know of Scrolling through TikTok and I see this young man.
Speaker 1:He has on a white tank top, blue jeans, loafers, baseball cap, and the thing that caught my eye, that kind of elevated the look, was a silk scarf that he tied to the belt loop of his jeans and just let it hang. Fabulous, easy to do. I have a pair of jeans. I need to buy a better white tee. I have loafers. All I need to do is buy a silk scarf and tie it, and that would all I need.
Speaker 1:So I'm taking something that I already have and elevating it just a little bit, because we're taking I'm using the details just to elevate it just a little bit to make a whole entirely different outfit. It can be that easy and, plus, it helps you with jumpstarting and experimenting experimenting along the way and experimenting along the way. So when you begin to approach your wardrobe and starting over and building upon your foundation. You're not going to discard everything you own we don't wanna do that but you're honoring it and you're adapting it to who you are now and with this mindset it's going to also take the pressure off of and allows you to see your closet as a resource and not necessarily a burden, because I know a lot of you have 5011 clothes in your closet, piles and piles. But as you begin to go through it this way, it will make editing and cleaning out your closet a little bit easier and hopefully, just a little bit less overwhelming. So now I'm going to give you just a few practical ways to elevate without starting over.
Speaker 1:So the first one I want to tell you is I want you to identify your core keepers. So these are your two capsule wardrobes. I'll call them One, your essential capsule wardrobe that we always hear and talk about. Two, your personal capsule wardrobe of things that you must have in your wardrobe, and I want you to think about maybe six to ten pieces that you must have in your wardrobe. Will some of them overlap in the traditional pieces of a capsule wardrobe? Yes, but I want you to have fun with this.
Speaker 1:What do you need? Do you need a pair of thigh high boots? Do you need a new structured tote bag? Do you need graphic tees? Do you need tennis shoes? What is it that is an everyday staple for you and that is what's going to help you with building and identifying and building this second capsule wardrobe that is tailored just for you. I want you, then, to begin to upgrade the details Small changes like the silk scarf. That's a small change. It could be, and the things could even be swapping out old shoes for an updated loafer, or adding a belt, or adding jewelry and which is what I'm also getting into is going and buying better fine jewelry either. Not better fine jewelry, but looking more so toward the end of fine jewelry and refining. What are my staple pieces going to be when it comes to my accessories and when it comes to jewelry, which could also be one of your identifying your core pieces. So that may also even be one of my personal core capsule wardrobe. For me might be I want to have a tennis necklace and maybe two tennis bracelets and a watch. That could be two for one, so you can take the first and the second one and you can kind of combine those two together a little bit.
Speaker 1:Next, tailor for transformation. We underestimate the power of a good tailor. They can take in hem pants. They can take a pair of pants out. They can make it more flattering, make it a little bit updated. So those trousers that might be a little bit too big because you've lost some weight, you can get them taken in and give it a whole new life and a whole new way of looking and seeing them. Even if you could even I don't even know if people dye clothes anymore I know we used to but even going and if you can like dye clothes, like dye a pair of pants or a shirt or something that might even breathe new life into a piece that you have. But definitely taking them to a tailor to transform them into, to something new and elevated will help Layer in fresh staples.
Speaker 1:This is sort of choosing one or two new items that feel aligned with who you're becoming, and this could be a modern bag, a new silhouette in trousers or even a bold accessory. It could even mean and I do this, but I don't do it often taking at-leisure wear which I like and pairing it with a pair of shoes, with, say, a blazer or white button down or a silk blouse or a heel. We've seen it. So layering pieces that way is also another way to begin to experiment with an updating and taking your wardrobe and your personal style to the next level, or whatever that may look like for you. You want to be able to do that because this is also going to put the personality into personal style. This is what is going to separate you from everyone else that looks the same. So, wanting to layer in fresh staples and even layering different pieces that are kind of like, adjacent, or things that you think would look cute you've always wanted to try. You're able to try it in this instance as well. I want you to also create new outfits from old pieces, and this could go back into more so, taking a pair of gray sweatpants, taking a white button down and then adding a blazer or a cardigan on top of it, and then wearing a loafer or wearing a pair of tennis shoes with it you know what that's actually an outfit. I'm going to try.
Speaker 1:So being able to do that in creating outfits and giving yourself permission to explore and have fun. We don't do that when we see little kids playing in their mom, grandma's, auntie's closets and pulling out the clothes and the makeup and the shoes and they put together these amazing outfits that as a kid, it looks cute and they are having fun and they think it looks amazing and we might look at it strange, but not only is that the innocence that they have, but they're actually, it's their creative side that they have, and we've seen kids out and they might have on the princess dresses and then may have on cowboy boots, and their parents allow them to do that. Why? Because they're able to express themselves and they're giving them your kids express, they're allowing their kids to express themselves through how they dress and that is what we need to allow ourselves to do. That outfit that that little kid has on has personality and I use it because I see little kids, especially little girls, do this a lot and I think it's so cute and I think it's so adorable and I begin to wonder why can't I do that myself anymore as an adult? Because as an adult, we kind of get away from that and we get into the world of wear what you want. Wear, wear this, this, this is what's acceptable, this is what's presentable, this is what's in style. But is that style for you? Or is that what society or what the latest trends are, instead of just being able to express ourselves and have fun like we did when we were little kids.
Speaker 1:And the main point I want you to take away from is this Style evolution isn't about erasing your past wardrobe. It's more about refining it so that it supports your present and your future. It's about laying the foundation so that everything that's built upon it is going to be built to last, and every now and again you'll have to make small yet significant changes. So if you're realizing that your wardrobe it just needs a complete overhaul, I want you to pause and I want you to stop. You don't have to do that, but you may need to do some adjusting to match the person who you are and who you and who you're becoming, and that is why I've created something to help you with that.
Speaker 1:And it is called why your wardrobe feels off, and in this free guide, it will show you the reasons and it will allow you to think out, because it is 80% of your growth and 20% close. It will allow you to lay the foundation of what it is you are wanting to build and asking the right questions, going deeper on some, creating a style statement of how you want it to be helping you create a shopping list and writing all the notes out and getting everything out of your head, and you want to think of this as your first step and it's actually a great step with elevating your style in a way that feels more manageable and exciting and fun, and you can find the link in the description box of this podcast episode, so be sure to click it right now or right after you listen to this episode. So, in closing, the next time you feel like nothing in your closet is working, that's okay, it is going to happen. Why? Because by the time we realize that something is off, we're about four or five versions of ourselves past, when we should have done this. So it's okay, it's a normal part of the process, but I do want you to remember that you don't have to throw it all away.
Speaker 1:I want you to go back and I want you to find the staple, important pieces that you need and to remember that it's not about replacing everything.
Speaker 1:It's about reimagining some of the pieces in your closet that you already have and then layering them into and with pieces that will represent who you are evolving and becoming when it comes to your signature style, and I want to thank you, as always, for tuning in. I can't even believe that in about another 10 episodes, I think I will be celebrating 200 podcast episodes. I just realized this as I was filming this today, so it is definitely exciting time and definitely a time to where I want to say thank you for everyone who has been listening and following along this journey along the way, and maybe my 200th episode might be about things that I've learned about myself and things about if I've learned about podcasting and why I enjoy it so much. So thank you for tuning in and supporting me. It means the world to me, and until next time, I want you to remember style isn't about starting over. It's about evolving with intention, and I will talk to you guys in the next episode.