3 ways to transform your life and style

We all have those moments that change the course of our lives. The first time we meet our spouse, when we see a phenomenal band, our first wine slushy.

There are three key events that have completely transformed the way I dress and where I put my shopping dollars. Those events have also changed what I share with you, sweet friend.

Maybe they will change your life, too.

When I tried a capsule wardrobe

I don’t often talk about capsule wardrobes because it’s not something I practice anymore. 

However, once upon a time I did test drive the capsule wardrobe and it was a huge turning point for me. (I still encourage everyone to try a capsule wardrobe at least once!)

The ground rules are thus: A capsule wardrobe is a versatile mini-wardrobe that rotates every three months. You plan and shop for the upcoming season’s capsule about a week beforehand, but once the season starts your shopping is done.

Each season you start over again with the more season-appropriate clothes you have stored away and you get to go shopping to fill in any gaps.

If you're like me, you'll learn a ton about yourself from the very process of winnowing down your closet — before you even put on your first outfit.

Here's the thing. Your (read: my) capsule is always the toughest because there's a lot of detoxing involved.

The process of choosing just a few dozen pieces forced me to think critically about my clothes in a whole new way.

I have always loved using my creativity to plan outfits, but this was next level. I had to analyze why I was drawn to certain pieces, what I actually enjoyed wearing and what would pair well together for the long haul.

I had never thought about each individual piece so critically and it has truly informed where I am today and what I teach my clients.

It also very much challenged both my creativity and in my mindset. When you can't shop as a stress outlet or frivolously spend, you have no choice but to start to consider why you make the purchases that you do.

Is it because that new piece actually brings you joy? Or is it because you had a bad day and you "deserve" it?

Be honest: Do you actually know why you buy the pieces you do?

When I started shopping responsibly

Two years ago, I was moved to start shopping more responsibly, purchasing more sustainable and ethical clothing. (If you will recall, I actually took nine months off from buying any clothes at all until I could properly discern my values.)

This nine-month journey taught me so many lessons, one of which was the difference between need and want. Ah, the word “need.” How often we (read: I) misuse this word (as in, “I NEED tacos RIGHTNOW.”). If you have the faculties, capacity and leisure time to read this blog post, there is probably very little that you truly need. I literally saw trends come and go in just the nine months I went without shopping, and believe me when I tell you I didn’t need a single one.

It also taught me to be much more intentional about my clothing purchases. When clothing is simply a commodity and every pair of jeans is $30, you don’t really have to think twice about what you spend your money on. There’s always another sale and everything is disposable. Why spend the brainpower to consider how to build a user-friendly wardrobe when you can change it on a whim?

But shopping consciously showed me to consider how my purchases impact the people and planet around me and taught me and how to "vote with my dollars."

When I found my colors

If you know me, you know how obsessed I now am with color palettes. It’s truly life-changing. Prior to learning about my colors, I told myself that, due to my red hair, I could only wear blues, greens and neutrals. And like many women, I owned a lot of black and gray.

Fast forward to today and this little autumn flower has a closet full of camel, burnt orange, rust, mustard, olive (and still dabbles in blue, don't worry).

I’ve said it before. The completely magical thing about sticking to your color palette is that you can combine literally any of your colors in any form or fashion and they would pair together perfectly. This eliminates pretty much any and all decisions you need to make in the morning. It also helps you minimize your closet by giving you permission to get rid of the colors that don’t fall within this palette.

If you're wondering what your color palette is, I'm giving you a free sample of color swatches for each season (say what?!).

How to change your closet

My online course Conquer Your Closet encapsulates all of these hard-won lessons and more. It is the exact step-by-step system I teach my one-on-one clients to define their style, overcome their limiting beliefs, find their colors and shape and put it all together into easy outfit templates. Enrollment is now open!