Heidi was someone who I would have never thought needed my help. She's beautiful, successful, fashionable, runs a beauty company, and also happens to be my favorite yoga teacher. As I wrote to her in response to her request for help, I imagined her closet to be a magical place. Appearances can be deceiving, however, and Heidi's closet really did need some help!
Heidi's closet before
As always, I wanted to chat for a while first about her style and her needs. Heidi loves classic chic looks with personality. Her style icons are Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn. She was going through a bit of spring cleaning and wanted to change the energy surrounding her closet. She was also having a hard time getting dressed in the morning. She knew she had some fabulous items but wanted help putting them together. She told me that she felt very comfortable in the uniforms she puts on for work (yoga clothes for teaching yoga, and concert black for this other little job she has ;) Associate Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony), but it was every day dressing she was having trouble with.
Another before shot
Heidi lives in an awesome 70's modern house nestled into the side of a hill, surrounded by trees. The master bedroom has four small closets and there is a cedar storage closet in the spare bedroom. When we got into her closet, it was clear why things were overwhelming to her. Formal performance gowns and cocktail dresses were side-by-side with jeans and tees. We sorted everything and got rid of a few things she didn't love (Heidi is banned from buying anything from Ann Taylor ever again). To make the morning routine easier, we needed to separate the formal clothes from the everyday clothes. We delegated one closet for evening - only cocktail and formal dresses and shoes. Gowns she wore very infrequently and clothes that she wouldn't wear again but wanted to keep for her daughter went in the cedar storage closet, as did all out of season clothes. Purses and luggage went in what was originally meant to have been a toiletry or linen closet.
Heidi's closet after
Next, we took the pieces she was having a hard time with and styled some more casual outfits with them. As with her dress selection, Heidi had all the evening shoes she'd ever need, but was lacking some basic casual shoes, like ballet flats and casual sandals. After she did some (thoughtful) shopping, here are a few examples of what we came up with.
These were both pieces that Heidi needed help dressing down. How cute are those flats on the left - Target, $12!
This blouse was easy for evening paired with a pencil skirt or black pants, but can work for day as well with denim.
Here's what Heidi had to say:
"Having Dacy's help with my closet was absolutely amazing! I was so impressed by how she helped me to organize and sort through my clothing, and also how great she was at putting new outfits together with the clothing I already own. As a result, I feel like my old clothes are new again! She also gave me a list of 'holes' in my wardrobe, basically a few things to buy so that I can tie together more outfits with what's already in my closet. Dacy was so thoughtful about helping me to decide which clothes to donate, which clothes to put into storage, and which clothes to keep. She has inspired me to organize other spaces in our home, and our home is already looking more beautiful and feeling much more peaceful with less clutter. Thank you so very much, Dacy!"