I work with quite a few different types of clients. In addition to the clients who’ve always been frustrated by all things wardrobe, there are those who aren’t sure what to keep and what to donate and who have a hard time letting go. Others love clothes and fashion but just shut down when they enter a store, overwhelmed by the number of options and decisions to be made. I have quite a few who have truly great style but need an objective eye and outside perspective to validate that they’re on the right track.
The client who has the hardest time is the one who loves clothes and shopping but is never sure what to wear together. They KNOW they have good stuff (and might already have all the right stuff) but they’re consumed with doubt when trying to pair items. “I love yellow flats, but don’t know what to wear them with. What shirt can I wear this scarf with? What shoes go with this dress? What kind of top goes with skinny jeans? Why would you wear a jacket inside?”
The most helpful thing for these clients is to have a visual representation of all possible outfit combinations. In the past, there were a few things I could do if I wanted to create outfit combination photos for clients. I could take photos of outfits as they tried them on. It worked, but people tend to get distracted by the fact that they’re in the image and get self conscious. It also takes a while to keep swapping out accessories for all possible combinations.
I could take photos and create collages with a photo collage program, but that took for-ever, because I had to start over with every combination.
I could photograph flat lays of every possible outfit. This is also pretty time consuming and a little weird when I’m taking photos for an hour or two and the client is just hanging out with nothing to do.
Finally, in 2015, I started working with a company that provides an online platform for digital lookbooks, specifically for personal stylists to use with their clients. The digital lookbook has three sections: “My Closet”, “Lookbook”, and “Finds”.
“My Closet” is where photos of your own individual items are uploaded. Here’s a link to a real client’s closet. Shout out to Kourtney for letting me use her as an example! As she buys new clothes, she quickly takes a photo and uploads it herself. Then I can make outfits with the new items without even leaving my couch.
In the “Lookbook” I can easily drag and drop items into outfit collages. Then I can quickly make copies of the outfit and switch out shoe or accessory options. As you can see, I can create separate sections for different needs: in this Lookbook, there are sections for Fall 2015, Professional and Hip (outfits for professional events), Leather Jacket (outfits using a new piece), Winter 2015, and Cruise 2016 (every outfit she’ll need for vacation).
In “Finds”, I can link to suggestions for any pieces that I think your closet is missing - the perfect white tee, the steamer you should all own, etc. Here you can see my suggestions for leather jackets for Kourtney.
I’ll be moving to package rates instead of hourly rates soon, and the digital lookbook will be an add-on for any package. Again, not everyone needs it, but those who do, can’t live without it. Here's what Kourtney had to say about it:
"When I first started working with Dacy, I was so excited to get rid of clothes that I wasn't wearing, to go shopping for some new pieces, and to create a style for myself. I was excited all the way home from the mall with all my new finds, but found myself petrified the very first time I tried to dress myself. After all the hours I had already spent with Dacy going over what pieces went with what, simplifying, accessorizing, and coordinating, I still couldn't manage to put together an outfit! It was so discouraging, and I felt awful. I picked out something old, and texted Dacy about what a failure of a student I was.
But she had the solution: the digital lookbook. Holy cow, it changed my world. Dacy took photos of all the pieces of my wardrobe, from jeans and sweaters to shoes and necklaces. She was then able to put together suggested outfits for me that I could look at whenever I needed to. I felt better not having to text her in a panic every time I wanted to leave the house in something other than spandex, and over time, this system allowed me to get more confident in making my own choices of what pieces went with others. After a couple months of using the lookbook, I didn't even have to look at it as much because I had learned a bit more about what would work and felt confident in my style.
And bonus: when I was leaving for a cruise vacation, all I had to do was call Dacy and ask her to update my digital lookbook with a packing list. Voila! No-stress packing, and we didn't even have to meet.
I know not everyone has the trouble I have putting outfits together, but the digital lookbook has been invaluable to me in crafting and using my new wardrobe successfully. Dacy's guidance with it has been priceless!"
See, the cool thing is that a few of those clients who were dependent on the lookbook to start with have become comfortable switching up combinations on their own. Everything can be mastered with practice!
Are you someone who'd love to have a digital version of your closet?
P.S. If you'd like to create your own digital closet without my help, check out St. Louis-based app Hanger.
(Photos by Celeste Boyer)