What Moving Taught Me About Style

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Willow and I recently moved to sunny (okay, foggy) Carmel, CA. We couldn’t be more grateful to be here, and everyday we pinch ourselves at least once just to make sure that this is actually reality and we’re actually living in it. The house we made home in Waco, TX was 2,100 square feet and had a formal dining room. The space we are currently making home in Carmel, CA is 800 square feet and our “dining room” is created by pushing our desk up to the kitchen island. If you’re thinking, “Wow, that’s quite a downsize,” then we’re on the same wavelength. Aside from throwing absolutely anything that would fit under the guest bed (our rallying cry is, “No blank spaces left behind!”), here are a few helpful tips that I learned about style through the moving process.

01. LESS ISN’T MORE, BUT IT IS LESS STRESSFUL.

Going from multiple closets in a home, to a shared closet in one room, means simplifying your wardrobe. It gave me a great opportunity to go through my own process. Honestly, there are some things that I miss from my old wardrobe. I wishI had space for every one of my suits and a lot more pants – but I don’t. Even though I miss some pieces, the result is a less stressful closet and I am becoming more creative with my limited pieces. It hurts a little bit now, but I think it’s going to work out in the long run.

02. HAVING A PROCESS MIGHT BE BORING, BUT IT SURE HELPS.

Going through my clothes using a system was not as fun and exciting as just shooting from the hip and going with whatever urge I had in the moment – but it worked out better and the results are visible. One day of boredom following a process, was definitely worth having a less stressful closet every morning moving forward.

03. YOU CAN GO BIG ON ONE CATEGORY OF YOUR WARDROBE, BUT KEEP IT TO JUST ONE.

For me, it’s shoes. I have way too many of them and I like about 90% of them, so I packed 90% of them… The only problem is that you will notice that 800 square feet is not 90% of 2,100 square feet. So here’s the deal – I didn’t really simplify my shoe game at all. This goes against most of what I teach, but I found that you can still make a relatively stress-free wardrobe, even if you go overboard on one category of it – but you have to limit yourself to
that one category. Sure, I could get rid of more shoes, but they make me happy and I like the style benefits that the variety provides. So, I kept all of the ones I liked (way too many) and made it work within the space (Stackable clear shoe boxes are a lifesaver).

Even if you’re not moving in the near future, take a weekend and treat your closet like you’re moving. You’ll probably find some buried treasures, get rid of some free-loaders you never wear, and you just might find a less stressful closet in there somewhere.

If you don’t feel like winging-it on your own, I can walk you through the process I made for simplifying your style and your wardrobe in my signature style course. It’s a good time, and the results are even better!

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