Wardrobe Challenge Week 1: Intention + Identification

“Personal style is about a sense of yourself, a sense of what you believe in and wearing what you like.” – Ralph Lauren

Who are you?

How do you want to feel when you move through your day?

What do you want other people, (your kids, your clients, your friends,) to think about the kind of person that you are?

Big questions, and really, really important and intentional ones.

Your style, and your appearance, tell a story about your life, where you’ve been, where you’re going, and most importantly – where you are right now.

This week we kick off the 2023 Stephanie Grabow Style Wardrobe Challenge. This free challenge is your chance to start developing clarity around your personal style, clean out and organize your closet, and find the gaps in your wardrobe that are keeping you from feeling pulled together and confident.

Each week, you’ll receive assignments to help you break this giant pie down into delicious bite-sized pieces.

Want to receive the tips via email to make sure you don’t miss anything? Get on the list here.

I’m going live in our Facebook group each week to walk you through the week’s Wardrobe Challenge assignments and answer your questions in real-time. Pop over and say “Heyyyyy Steph!”

Plus, we’ll have smarty-pants guest speakers and handy resources that you can print out and work-through when you’re ready.

And in full transparency, I’m doing this Challenge right alongside of you. Because sister we’ve all got our-own closet issues to deal with.

Your 1st Assignment: Your Intention

What do you want to get out of these 4 weeks?

To feel like you’re being more intentional with your wardrobe dollars?
To have more confidence about putting together an outfit?
Do you want to express your creativity?
Set an example for your kids by treating your body and style with care?
Do you want to feel a sense of calm and peace when you walk into your closet?
Maybe you want to update your style so that you feel more modern and polished?

The first step in the 2023 Wardrobe Challenge is to set your intention.

My intention for these 4 weeks?

Fill the gaps in my wardrobe.

My body has changed substantially in the last year, so nothing fits the same as it did in January of 2022.

(Thank you, Jesus, because this time last year my jeans flat-out went on strike. They were literally worn out from trying to keep my thighs corralled.)

How do gaps in my wardrobe show up?

It looks like walking into my closet to get dressed and realizing that I’ve reached for the same shirt 3 out of the last 7 days because I don’t have enough options for cute tops.

Or I’ve picked up a new outfit for the body I have today (not last year’s body), but I don’t have the right shoes to complete the look.

Or, I have a cute outfit, but when I reach into the coat closet before dashing out the door, I only have a puffer jacket, when I know if I had a great wool wrap coat, it would perfectly top my outfit and elevate the entire look.

Sigh.

Having gaps in your wardrobe can make getting dressed super-frustrating.

And in 2023 we are done with being frustrated with our clothes.

So, what do YOU want to accomplish with this challenge? Share you intention in our Facebook group and see what other women are sharing. You might be inspired or get a whole new idea!

Your 2nd Assignment: (Start to) Identify Your Style

What do you like about what other people wear?

Or what you see in a catalog?

Or even what’s hanging in your closet today?

Let’s figure it out!

Whenever I begin a style appointment with a private client, one of the first things I ask her is “What makes you feel confident and beautiful?”.

Sometimes I’ll ask her to build a Pinterest mood board with photos of things that she loves and that catch her eye.

Now you’re going to do that same exercise.

This is a really important step in our Challenge and builds the foundation for what you’ll do in future weeks, so don’t skip this task. (I mean it!)

Editing items out of your closet is crucial to the closet organizing that you’ll be doing later in the challenge. But if you don’t know what your style is or at least have some sort of a vision for the direction that you’re headed, then how are you going to know what to edit out?

Bonus, breaking down this piece of the puzzle will help to reduce that feeling of closet overwhelm that’s currently looping in the back of your brain. Pinky swear.

And yes, you have my full blessing to do this sitting on your couch with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon, or when you’re on a boring Zoom meeting and cannot take another minute listening to some blowhard use the phrase “now more than ever.”

(That phrase is my ultimate pet peeve and a blog post that is just begging me to write it. Stay tuned.)

Here are your steps for the Pinterest Exercise:

Log into Pinterest

Create a board called Stephanie Grabow Style+ Wardrobe Challenge.

Begin to search for and pin images of outfits or clothing pieces that you like.
1. Not sure where to start?
2. As you continue to pin photos, the Pinterest algorithm will begin to serve you up photos in the mood of what you’ve already pinned.
3. Pin at least 30 images (You’ll thank me later!)
4. Don’t worry if an outfit is in your best color palette, or a particular size, or something that’s exactly right for your body shape. Just pin what you like!
Share your Pinterest board in our Facebook group and pop in to see what others have pinned!

Pro tip for this part of the challenge: Sometimes it helps to keep your focus small.

With the 2023 Wardrobe Challenge, let’s put the spotlight on your wardrobe for January – March of 2023.

That’s it. Just these 3 months.

I’m thinking now through Spring Break. The weather is fairly consistent and you can look at your calendar to predict the types of clothes that you’ll need.

Just as if it were a delicious Mini-Oreo, take this bite-sized approach to thinking about your clothes and your style, and then you’ll want to continue to take bite after delicious bite.

(Real talk, stopping at 1 Mini-Oreo is harrrddd.)

There’s a snippet of my Pinterest board above and if you want to get a closer look at it you can see it here.

Now let’s get to it!

Questions or comments? You can drop them below or pop into our Facebook group and ask them there.

Always cheering you on!

Xoxo,💋

Stephanie