📍 You know the drill around here at Balancing Busy. I wanna make sure that the episodes are short enough that when you have a quick 20 or 30 minutes, you get to listen. Take in some beautiful nuggets that are gonna help you feel more balanced, more empowered, more confident in your life. So this is part.

Two. So often our interviews go longer and I just don’t wanna cut out the goodness. So we break it into two parts. We just finished part one, so if you miss that, go ahead and pop back in and start there. Now let’s jump into capsule wardrobes.

  so what I wanna do from here is I want to quickly talk about capsule wardrobes, because I think that’s a good place for us to go from everything we have been talking about.

And then I wanna do some kind of rapid fire, very tangible, like how can we elevate our fall, winter styling, wardrobes, all the things. So, okay, let’s start with just a capsule. Wardrobes. How do you feel about ’em? Are they a good idea? What are your thoughts?

Yeah, I, I love capsule wardrobes. Um, I think there’s some misconceptions about what a capsule wardrobe is.

One of those misconceptions, I think, is that you have to like all neutrals, um, because many of the examples we see of capsule wardrobes are very, like you were just talking about how you kind of love a style like that. And that’s great, but what about a woman who likes a little more color or likes, you know, extravagant pieces or printed pieces?

You know, I believe that capsule can work no matter what your style is. And in fact, this is the way I’ve worked with most with my clients over the past five years, is creating capsule really, in my mind is really just about. A smaller number of pieces that all work together and can be mixed and matched in many different ways.

So what we were talking about before, about the requirement of being able to wear any one piece in three ways, that is absolutely one of the requirements you wanna be thinking about. And even if you don’t get to an exact number of 37, I believe is the, you know, the magical capsule number. The way I like to think of it is just we are shopping for fewer pieces, but we’re learning how to mix and match them in different ways for different areas of our life.

So I think many women can’t make the leap to the hundreds of items that they have in their closet to how can I possibly get by with fewer items? You can, it’s a skill, you know, either I can teach you if we were to work together, or you can learn to. Figure out how a piece can be worn in more than one way.

And I always like to say accessories and shoes and handbags, they’re unlimited because that’s the, unless you really wanna get strict, you know? But I think that’s kind of the fun and what makes an outfit change and differentiate between one another, so, right. I like to give myself the grace of having more fun and more flexibility with some of the other pieces.

So when you say 37, you mean like 37 pieces total between like. Your pants, your shirts, your sweaters, is that what you mean?

Yeah, so the clothing items, and I also think of it in a seasonal way, so I would think of it as, you know, primarily spring and fall, but there might be pieces you wanna mix in for summer and winter, depending on where you live.

So I live in Omaha, Nebraska. We do have very extreme in different seasons, and so you do need some different requirements depending on what the season is, right? So,

right.

Yeah. By season.

Okay. Wow. Okay. I would need to do a lot of work. There is a lot more than 37 in my closet. Okay. All right. So now let’s do a little bit of rapid fire.

Okay. What would be three simple updates that we could make to elevate our fall winter style?

Okay. I’m gonna say the first thing is think about your outerwear. And we were joking about this before we hit record because I wanna share an example of, well, let me just say that I think many women sort of, their outer wear is an afterthought.

And here’s why. It should not be an afterthought, no matter who you are, whether you’re working or not, this applies to you. However, I found myself a couple years ago going to a networking event, and I mentioned I live in Omaha, Nebraska. This event was in October, which if you know anything about the Midwest, it means it could be 80 degrees or it could be 30 in snow.

And I got the unlucky 30 and snowing kind of day. This networking event was meant to be outside and there was no place for it to be inside. And so here, you know, wanting to show up in a professional way and wanting to make an impression and meet people and all they saw was my outerwear. Luckily, I already had highly believed in investing in outerwear and, you know, having that be a part of your outfit.

But so many people, and this is not a judgment if you know you have one of these in your closet, but so many people that day were wearing just like a fleece zip up or a ski jacket or something over top of their professional clothes. That’s one of the ways in which I think is really easy for you to think about.

Okay, if you have a ski jacket, that’s great. If you’re wearing a casual outfit, what if you do needed to go to a wedding? Um, you know, a nicer place, a nicer social event or a work event. What is even just one coach you could add to up level and work with a nicer outfit? So that would be one. I always say a great, and this is where it gets difficult for me honestly, Leah, because everyone’s styles are so different.

Mm-hmm. And where when I’m working with my client, you know, maybe a great piece for them might be to add a blazer that can work with a bunch of different outfits. But for another woman, you know, I can think of one client in particular of mine. She is in a finance industry, but she absolutely hates blazers.

So we’ve worked really hard to add a piece. That add pieces that make her look like the, you know, boss lady, old money, you know, very luxe and sophisticated without the blazer. Um, but personally, booties come to mind for me. I love booties. And whether you’re someone who likes a flat sole or a healed sole, I love a pair of booties with jeans and dresses and everything.

And I think as it gets colder here, that’s another thing to invest in. Um. And yeah, I’m gonna leave it with that because it’s become so specific. This is why you guys will never find a list of top 20 things to buy for fall from me, um, because I really am so attuned to whatever it works for you. And your particular style may not be the same as the woman next to you, so we’ll leave it at the jacket.

Yeah, well, no, I actually really love that, the jacket and the shoes. I think those are two things. That can, they’re, they’re typically a little bit more expensive. Yeah. So they’re easier ones to be like, oh, I’m gonna wait. I’m gonna, we wait. Yeah. But they do make such a difference. Yeah. And bringing everything together.

And I live in one of those states too. I’m in Washington, but I’m in eastern Washington. Yeah. And so we have all four seasons, right? Yeah. It’s 105 today and we will be covered in snow in the winter. And so I’ve really, and it’s, as you’re saying this, I’m realizing Yes. I mean, we were joking before we recorded.

’cause I was telling you I have been really investing in. Like wool coats over the last several years, me and j. Crew, let me tell you. I, like, I go through and I’m like, got it, got it, got it. Yep. Um, not that they have to be j Crew, that just happens to be they, yeah. I wait for the sales, so like, I already know the sizes.

I’ve gone and tried everything on and then Yep. You know, I wait till the end of, and, and so I’ve been like picking up different coats and it’s, and it’s so much fun. And my husband, we’ve done the same thing and, and it’s so. Fun. How like, I mean this is just, I’m taking a total side tangent, but people are always commenting on my husband’s dress and, um, and how stylish he, you know, he looks and, and he does, he looks so handsome and it’s so funny because what they don’t really understand is it’s like we have two of those nicer coats that he switches out between, we have his entire wardrobe is honestly all basics.

It is. Almost all from one single store and he literally has like 10 t-shirts in slightly different colors, 10 polos in slightly different colors, 10 long sleeves in slightly different colors, and like 10 pairs pants in slightly different colors. It’s like literally the same things, but then you add the jacket and you add the shoes and you know, it’s just, it’s super easy, but it comes together.

So I love this idea of actually realizing and just thinking about, yes, I think that the outerwear. That could be the jacket, it could be the scarf, it could be the hat. It can definitely be the shoes. Those, those things really do, do help.

Um, you know, there’s one other thing I’m thinking about when, you know, jeans is a very common hot topic for the fall and what jeans to wear, what’s in and out.

The one thing I’ll say is jeans are very specific and shapes of jeans are very specific to your particular body type. And that’s something I talk about too, like which ones naturally just compliment what you’ve got. But I will say if a woman is looking for a gene to kind of run the gamut of different seasons and being able to wear that pair of jeans with in different settings of their life, I will often, often recommend.

An ankle length gene, maybe like a straighter silhouette or maybe a little bit of a boot cutter flare that hits at the ankle. And here’s why. Even if I’m thinking about this in the form of my life, an ankle length gene can be worn with a pair of sneakers if I’m wanting to wear that to my kids’ games. Um, it can be worn with a sleek booty that where the booty hugs the ankle and it kind of comes up under the hem of the gene.

And that can be worn in maybe a nicer setting with a blazer if I’m going to work, um, it can be worn with a nice flat if I wanted like a more casual look, but a slightly more elevated than a sneaker. There’s just so many different options you can play with when it comes to an ankle length gene. Um, that is always one of my top recommended pieces for my clients, just ’cause it can hit so many different areas of your life.

I love that you said that. I am thinking about my closet. And I can tell you almost all of my pants are right at the ankle. They’re all like a crop. And they’re just right at the ankle, right above the ankle bone. And it is for that exact reason. In the summertime, I’m throwing ’em on with sandals in the fall and spring, I’m gonna be throwing ’em on with, you know, all kinds of different ballet flats, sambas, whatever.

Yeah. And then in the winter, they’re all going to booties. Yeah. And you know, whether it’s like just kind of a, a black basic. You know, kinda combat style or it’s more a wedge or whatever. But like yes, that is 100%. So, okay. I’m gonna say for anybody who is a visual, there are so many things you’ve been talking about that I’m giggling ’cause I’m like, oh my style board.

These are all on there. Like the blazer with the, with the jeans and the white t-shirt and like the tennis shoes. Oh, I got that all over. Like a style board. So yes, we’ll definitely link into that so people can see And, and I’ll say, I know, you know, you mentioned. Um, your gift that you have for like, the mindset reset and, and I downloaded it beforehand and looked through it all, it was really great.

So I’ll make sure that that’s linked as well. Um, so, okay. What would be, let’s see, what would be one thing that you would want women to. To be able to shift when they step into their closet, when they’re, you know, in getting ready, whatever, where whatever time to just feel more joyful instead of stressful when it comes to getting dressed.

Uh, this is the ultimate, isn’t it? To walk into your closet and not feel the guilt. To not feel the stress, to not feel the shame. I just want to pin something I said before about how much of our stress in our closet comes from us trying to anticipate what other people want of us and how we should, there’s a lot of shoulds, how we should show up and honestly.

That is causing us more stress and more distance from peace than almost anything else because the answer is always inside us about what we like or what feels good to us, like in our gut. We always know. And then the worry is if I step outta my closet wearing what I most love, what might happen, you know, will I be judged?

Will somebody not like it? Will I not feel like I fit in? But if you can get your pla yourself to a place of, really, this is where self-trust comes in. And this is an important theme for me when I’m speaking and when I’m working with my clients is, you know, even after we’ve done some shopping and we try these things on, the first thing I ask them, when they put something on, they’re always like, what do you think you know, is this a good one?

And I’ll say, what do you think? Because I want them to start trusting themselves and start listening to what their gut is telling them. It’s an, it’s something that’s not talked about enough because we work so hard to want others to like us, and we want to fit in, and we want all these things to happen.

But honestly, if we can just lean into what makes us us, that is gonna be your power when you walk outta your closet. Every time. Yes. And it might feel a little uncomfortable walked. I’m not gonna just skim over the fact that doing this is always easy. ’cause it’s not, it’s not easy to show up. You know, like for example, when I go to my kids’ soccer games or any other sports sporting events, I’m not always wearing athleisure.

Although sometimes I do, sometimes I’m wearing a blazer with a pair of jeans and I get the looks like, where are you going? Like, and I, and I. It doesn’t really matter because that’s me. I’m not trying to show off to anybody. That’s just what I feel comfortable wearing. Um, and when you can kind of find that assuredness in yourself, that’s where you really start to feel the freedom.

You start to feel the weight lifted off yourself because now you’re just working to please one person and that’s you.

Hmm. That’s so good. And I, I see that completely how. As we can get more comfortable in trusting ourselves, not looking for the validation when we’re purchasing something, when we’re wearing something, we can start to feel so good.

We’ve all shown up to something and worn something that we didn’t feel very comfortable in, but mm-hmm. Someone said we should wear it and yeah. You know, you just felt a little bit off, so I really love that. As we wrap up, what would be the the last thing you would wanna share with? Any woman listening to this who you just, you want her to remember this moving forward as she’s stepping into her closet or going shopping the next time.

I hear a lot of women tell me that, you know, by the time we’re working together, I often work with women that are in their, uh, end of their thirties, into their forties and fifties. And I think there’s sort of this fear that I don’t have a style like. You know, I don’t know. Do, do I have one? Will I ever have a style?

And I want to encourage women that if you’re feeling that way, I assure you, you do. It’s just a matter of finding it, and it’s a matter of doing some of these things that we’ve talked about today. Um, asking yourself honestly, who is the woman that I’m becoming? She’s in there. And honestly, it’s normal for us to change when I think about myself and that my 20-year-old self.

She was a different person. You know, she wore slightly different things. She liked, and maybe I was very assured of myself and my style. And maybe you’re thinking, man, I knew, like I knew what I was doing in my twenties. I felt like I was on my style game and now life has happened. I’ve been married, I’ve had kids or whatever.

You know, the situation might be for you. Life has happened and you’ve just kind of fallen away from it. So this is a matter of not that, whether you have style or not. It is just a matter of coming back to yourself and and finding you again, and it’s okay to start over and it’s okay to say, well, I like that once, but this is what I like now and I’m ready to start anew.

Give yourself that permission to start over and to allow yourself to find it and allow yourself to be honest with what that is.

Hmm. So good. Ellie, thank you so much for being on the podcast with me today. We are gonna 📍 have all of your links literally right below, wherever anyone’s listening, and we will also have, um, just the things that we talked about, resources, they’ll all be there for everyone so that they can go find Ellie, check out her resources  and, and all the good things.

So thank you for being on the Balancing Busy podcast with me.

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