Sunday, June 3, 2012

Just one special piece that you love

Consider all the pieces in your wardrobe.  Each year I weave my way into the wardrobes of the average Australian and it's no surprise to me that I find the same things happening to all of you most of the time.  It sure is a surprise to you.  You can't believe that you have spent so much money on pieces that never make it onto your back.  In fact,  you can't believe it to the point that you mostly just can't acknowledge it.  It is quite painful to come clean with the fact that you have been wasting money on your professional wardrobe purchases, year after year.  Are you ready to quit it?  Let's do it.

Set aside 1-2 hours with a cup of tea or a glass of red and a notebook and pen.
Tired & Pilly
Conscious Styling Model
  • Take each item out of the wardrobe
    • do you love it?
    • does it fit?  if not when did it last fit?
    • when did you last wear it?
    • does it fit your lifestyle? 
    • have you had good value for what you paid?
    • based on these questions give it a 1-10 rating
  • Anything below a 5 needs to go.  And that might be straight to the rubbish bin, not the charity bin.  The Salvos don't want tired, pilly garments.  C'mon!  I'm not letting you get away with that one.
Don't quit.  Be like Dory from Finding Nemo and just keep swimming.  Tough exercise but worth it.


You are coming very close to the point of becoming incredibly conscious about what the hell is going on in your wardrobe and more importantly, what the bugger were you thinking when you went to that sale!  Have a look at the conscious styling model and identify where you are on the evolutionary model.  Being fully conscious in the 'Freedom' zone is not hard to do.  It takes an awareness and a little skill and you can do it.
Serious Money!
  • The painful step in this process is to add up the original cost of every item under your ranking of 6.  I know.  This part is painful.  It's really bad when you are not even wearing it because after 2 wears, it's buggered, dosen't fit because you have been on a mission for the last 2 years to drop 2-5 kgs or it just does not fit your lifestyle.  It's time to stop wasting money!
  • Your final step is to now add it up and consider now how good you will feel by replacing all this with just one special piece that you love!  This might be a quality leather jacket, a stunning handbag, a bunch of quality knits to go under your business suits instead of the ones you currently have.  Your mindset shift around this is that you are absolutely worth it.  See yourself reaching for that one special piece and feeling fantastic in it.  If you have been watching The Voice the contestants had a great time in the wardrobe department this week and agreed that what they wear has a huge impact on how they perform on stage.  The same applies to the average professional and more so if you are in a leadership position.
 Congratulations!  You have been brave.  I'm interested in your posts on which items rated above 8 and what the cost per wear is now.  Do share!