I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by the very gorgeous Helena Zachariassen from My Happy Home here in Zurich.
Helena is a KonMari Consultant and Life Coach and all round wonderful human. We discussed our top tips for curating and styling your wardrobe with more happiness and sparkle during these challenging times.
We had a great time chatting together, and here’s the end result of our conversation…
Helena’s 6 Tips for curating your wardrobe
Covid, lockdowns and many of us mainly working from home has immensely changed the way we dress and show up every day. However, we can and should get up every day, get out of our pyjamas and choose to show up as if we weren’t staying home all day. In addition, it has a massive impact on our mental wellbeing if we choose to dress with joyful pieces of clothing from a curated, well organised wardrobe, and act as if every day is a fantastic opportunity to shine (which it is)!
If you haven’t yet decluttered and organised your wardrobe don’t worry. Here are some simple tips to bring joy and more order to it!
Tip 1: Ruthlessly edit
I hate to tell you this, but your wardrobe will never be perfect, ever. We are all human, and we will continue to make mistakes and shopping errors and our bodies will change. And that’s OK! Just make sure to continuously declutter and edit what you own. The perfect timing is always right before a season change.
Tip 2: Let go of everything that doesn’t fit
It’s finally time to let go of those unfitting items that are at the back of the closet waiting for a different body shape. The truth is, you will feel so much better when all you have in your closet sparks joy, has a perfect fit and is comfortable to wear!
Tip 3: Donate, sell and give away items often
It will make you feel so good to give things away to a new home, where they can be reused and appreciated.
Tip 4: Use matching hangers
This tip will make your closet smile back at you every time you open it. My favourites are the thin velvet ones, which keep slippery items in place, as well as look gorgeous and tidy.
Tip 5: File fold
Folding makes such a big difference when it comes to smaller items. Try file folding at least with your jeans, sweaters, t-shirts and underwear. You will notice how much calmer your drawers/shelves will look and you will easily be able to see all your favourites at a glance! And you don’t need to go out and buy specific boxes or containers for your folded items. Use what you’ve got in your home (shoe boxes are great!) or let the items stand alone on a shelf, supported by other clothing items.
Tip 6: Add a little something you love
Whether it’s a picture of a loved one, a drawing your child gave you or your wedding shoes – display them so that you get a smile on your lips every time you open your closet.
“Opening up your closet should be like arriving at a really good party where everyone you see is someone you like.”
Amy Fine Collins
Monika’s 8 style tips for refreshing your wardrobe
Tip 1: How do I know which colours suit me best?
I’m sure you’ve experienced walking into a store, loving a certain colour and when you try it on it either makes your skin glow and radiate or it does the opposite, makes your skin look dull and causes shadows. Colour reflects differently on different skin tones and characteristics. Having been trained by Colour Me Beautiful for every skin tone there is a spectrum of colours that work best. What I mean by that is colours that create balance and harmony and compliment your skin tone.
So, for example, if you have a warm skin tone, colours that would work best for you are shades which have a yellow base. If you have a cooler skin tone, colours with a blue base would work better for you.
Tip 2: What is the best way to determine my own unique style?
I always like to think how do you want to turn up in the world? How do you envision yourself? That is the starting point. Because our style should encapsulate the best version of ourselves and tell everyone what we’re about.
We all have a certain style we gravitate towards, even if people say they don’t have style, they do but maybe it’s not the style they would like. As there is so much choice now a days and also lots of information on what we should be wearing, we can get lost in having a style that truly represents US.
With my clients, I do a style personality test which identifies what overall style appeals to them. And another important aspect I look at is my client’s lifestyle.
If for example you love Meghan Markle and Victoria Beckham’s style but you are a stay-at-home mom with little kids, this look wouldn’t fit into your daily life but you can take inspiration from this. You probably want to feel more put together, have clothes that are flattering and good quality and look chic during the day. So, I would incorporate elements of this to make you feel good but also have clothes that are practical for your lifestyle. As mentioned before I also look at what are my clients overall goals and I make sure their outer appearance represents this.
Tip 3: How would you advise people working from home to dress in both a comfy way but also appropriate for online meetings?
Well, I have two free handy guides; one giving suggestions on what to wear for video conferencing and the other one is work from home outfit formulas. I also share tips on setting the stage for your video conferencing as you always want to make sure you are giving off a professional image even if you are working from home.
Tip 4: I have a closet full of clothes but nothing inspires me. Is there a way to combine the items differently or should I just discard what doesn’t speak to me?
If your closet is full and you’re not utilising more than 80% of it then I would definitely do a wardrobe detox and get rid of any clothes that aren’t serving you. However, prior to doing that, think of it as a project. When you have a project, you start with a plan and what you want the end result to be. The same thing applies to your style. Think about what kind of style do you want? How do you want your mornings to be when getting ready? And how do you want to turn up?
The second step, get your style juices going. Getting some inspiration of style and clothes helps with ultimately seeing what type of garments we want to see hanging in our wardrobe. I’m a big fan of Pinterest.
I would also experiment with your clothes. We tend to wear our clothes the same way, again you can use Pinterest for outfit inspiration. Try combining your clothes differently and play around with accessories. Just adding a belt can make the world of difference.
Tip 5: How can I make smarter and more mindful choices when shopping?
Buy with purpose and intention. Basically, before you hit the shops think about what you need. I always recommend keeping a list in your wallet of items you would like. So next time you hit the shops, you just whip out the list stopping you from making any impulse purchases.
Another handy tip when buying something ask yourself ‘can I style this two different ways with items in my wardrobe?’ If the answer is no, then the chances of you getting the most wears out of this item is slim.
And for staple pieces or pieces that you know will live in your wardrobe for a while I would say buy the best quality you can afford. To be mindful and to shop smarter always think less is more, and quality over quantity.
Tip 6: Would you recommend having a capsule wardrobe, i.e. having a few selected items that all work together?
For many when using the word ‘capsule’ they automatically think omg this means I can only have a few clothes in my wardrobe on rotation.
For me what’s important is that you utilize your wardrobe to the fullest. You could have lots of clothes or you could just have a few clothes, but what’s important is that you get the most wear out of your clothes and have a wardrobe that you can easily mix and match. I recommend having a functional cohesive wardrobe whatever the size. When you have this, getting ready every morning becomes easy & effortless.
Tip 7: How can I spice up my current wardrobe with little investment?
Accessories – just adding accessories can make the world of difference and also add versatility into your wardrobe. Another thing that can spice up your wardrobe but depending on your style personality and lifestyle is a statement blazer or jacket. Just having a well-fitted blazer or a beautiful jacket can instantly up-level your style. Also having variation in shoes can dress up and dress down any outfit.
Tip 8: If I want to get myself a new spring wardrobe – how shall I choose what staple items to buy?
I would firstly look at what you already have in your wardrobe and what you feel is missing. I would also look for inspiration, again Pinterest is great for this. Even magazines or influencers etc.
I personally don’t like to give a generic list of staple pieces, because it should be dependent on your style personality, and lifestyle, and clothes that flatter your body. By getting some inspiration and seeing what you would get the most wear out of, these are the items I would say buy.
Try not to go for what’s on-trend unless it’s something that you really like and know you can pull it off. Otherwise, I would invest in pieces that you know you will wear for many springs.
I hope you’ve found all of our tips really helpful. If you’d like some expert guidance with curating your wardrobe, Helena is offering a very generous 15% discount to all my readers on your first KonMari Method session. Click here to contact Helena and book your session – she can’t wait to help you inject joy into your wardrobe.