Discover
Let's Get Dressed"Everyone Needs to Stop Making So Much Stuff": Tibi Founder Amy Smilovic on Finding and Refining Personal Style
Let's Get Dressed"Everyone Needs to Stop Making So Much Stuff": Tibi Founder Amy Smilovic on Finding and Refining Personal Style
"Everyone Needs to Stop Making So Much Stuff": Tibi Founder Amy Smilovic on Finding and Refining Personal Style
Update: 2024-11-25
Share
Description
Amy Smilovic is a fashion mathematician of sorts. Through her 27 years as a fashion designer, founder, and creative director at the helm of womenswear brand Tibi, she's built a fool-proof formula for getting dressed every day through what she's coined the the Tibictionary. She's broken down the closet into three parts: Without Fails, Ins and Outs, and Had to Haves, in an effort to categorize our closets in a pragmatic way that makes dressing seamless. In today's episode, Amy and I chat about finding your three personal style words, how organizing your closet by mood is most effective, and the release of Volume 2 of her styling book, The Creative Pragmatist. PS: Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!
Follow Amy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amysmilovic/?hl=en
Love the show? Follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. To watch this episode, head to YouTube.com/@LivvPerez
For more behind-the-scenes, follow Liv on Instagram, @LivvPerez, on TikTok @Livv.Perez, and shop her closet here https://shopmy.us/livvperez
Birdy Grey: You asked, and here they are - the perfect bridesmaid dresses! Visit www.birdygrey.com now to get your first 5 swatches for free with code LGD
Cotton: Discover The Fabric of Now at TheFabricOfOurLives.com
Produced by Dear Media
This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Comments
Top Podcasts
The Best New Comedy Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best News Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Business Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Sports Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New True Crime Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Joe Rogan Experience Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Dan Bongino Show Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Mark Levin Podcast – June 2024
In Channel
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States00:00
00:00
1.0x
0.5x
0.8x
1.0x
1.25x
1.5x
2.0x
3.0x
Sleep Timer
Off
End of Episode
5 Minutes
10 Minutes
15 Minutes
30 Minutes
45 Minutes
60 Minutes
120 Minutes
Transcript
00:00:00
The following podcast is a Deer Media production.
00:00:04
Hi guys, welcome back to another episode of Let's Get Dressed.
00:00:10
It's your host, Liv Pres.
00:00:12
Happy Thanksgiving Week.
00:00:13
I am thrilled that we're here for those of you who don't know Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
00:00:19
I love it so much.
00:00:20
I celebrate every year at my mom's house and last year I was away for a wedding.
00:00:24
I got no Thanksgiving food, no Thanksgiving vibes, so I'm really looking forward to being back at my mom's this year.
00:00:32
My mom lives at the beach in Malibu, so it's a very untraditional Thanksgiving, like there's no snow, there's no cozy bundling up in layers.
00:00:40
We're like down by the water hanging out on the beach and it's usually very, very sunny.
00:00:44
However, doing a Thanksgiving on the East Coast is definitely on my bucket list.
00:00:48
I have never done it.
00:00:50
Actually even more specific, doing the Macy's Day parade, like being at someone's house on Fifth Avenue and being able to look over the parade, that's on my bucket list.
00:00:58
I would love to do that.
00:01:00
I've been watching the parades since I was a kid.
00:01:02
I would sit on the couch in the morning and it was a tradition for me, so maybe one day I'll do that.
00:01:08
But for now, on Thursday, you'll find me by the beach with my fam eating my mom's famous banana Oreo cream pie, which I'm counting down the days until I get.
00:01:17
It's a holiday week, which means it's the perfect time to be catching up on pods.
00:01:20
If you've missed some of the amazing episodes we've been doing lately, make sure you go check those out.
00:01:25
This week's episode is with someone who I love to follow and have really learned so much from.
00:01:31
Her name is Amy Smilovic, and she is what I like to call a fashion mathematician of sorts.
00:01:37
Through her 27 years as a fashion designer, founder, and creative director of the Women's Wear brand, Tibby, I think she's built a full-proof formula for getting dressed every day through what she's coined the "tubationary".
00:01:50
She's broken down our closets into three parts, without fails, ins and outs, and had to have.
00:01:56
All things she'll go through in today's episode, in an effort to categorize our closets in a pragmatic way that makes dressing seamless.
00:02:04
In today's episode, we chat through how organizing your closet by mood might be most effective.
00:02:11
We talk about the process of finding those three personal style words and how important that is, and the upcoming release of Volume 2 of her styling book, The Creative Pregnantist.
00:02:19
I know you guys are going to love the episode.
00:02:21
Make sure you take notes.
00:02:23
Let's go get dressed with Amy Smilovic.
00:02:27
Hey Amy, welcome to the pod.
00:02:30
Thank you.
00:02:31
You've been a highly requested guest.
00:02:32
That's amazing.
00:02:33
Highly requested.
00:02:34
Like, people get her.
00:02:35
My mom, my sister.
00:02:36
You're like my entire family just jumped in there and was like, "Get her."
00:02:40
She's amazing.
00:02:41
You know what?
00:02:42
My family does that too.
00:02:43
No shame.
00:02:44
No shame.
00:02:45
What do you got to do?
00:02:46
Yeah.
00:02:47
It's like, I have four sisters.
00:02:48
It's like, give me some engagement, guys.
00:02:49
Yep.
00:02:50
Your family lives here?
00:02:51
Georgia.
00:02:52
That's amazing.
00:02:53
I didn't know that you're from there.
00:02:54
Yeah.
00:02:55
St.
00:02:55
Simon's Island.
00:02:56
Little Island.
00:02:57
12 miles long.
00:02:58
Beautiful.
00:02:59
Yeah.
00:03:00
It was.
00:03:01
I have been on a kick of wanting to explore more of America and parts that I have not seen and parts that are very underrated.
00:03:07
Yeah.
00:03:08
And I feel like Georgia is a place I would love to spend some time.
00:03:10
I love Georgia.
00:03:11
I love it.
00:03:12
And our team members from New York, like we just did a big shoot down there.
00:03:17
Everyone had hash puppies and grits and everyone was so friendly.
00:03:20
It was amazing.
00:03:21
I went down to Savannah for a scud jury panel when I was in college and it was unbelievable.
00:03:28
Yeah.
00:03:29
Savannah's just off the rockers, like insane.
00:03:33
It's unbelievable.
00:03:34
Yeah.
00:03:35
I don't know how to encourage people.
00:03:36
It's like make it a destination, like a stop on the way somewhere, but I spent four days there and truly was inspired by the people, the design, the art, obviously, there was scud being there,
00:03:47
but it was such a wonderful community.
00:03:49
And Paula Wallace's story, starting scud, is I think one of the most inspiring entrepreneurial stories out there.
00:04:00
I don't know it.
00:04:01
Could you share?
00:04:02
Yeah.
00:04:03
So Paula and Paula, if you're listening, I'm going to paraphrase and probably get some things wrong, but she was like a school teacher in Atlanta in her early 20s and she really did not like the way art was taught in the schools.
00:04:17
She felt like it could be much more hands-on and done in a much more interesting way.
00:04:22
And she went home and told her parents that she wanted to start her own art school.
00:04:30
And they were like, okay, you're crazy, like because they were just regular parents in a regular town in Georgia.
00:04:36
And she found this really rundown building in the middle of Savannah, completely rundown.
00:04:42
And for me, growing up in Georgia, I mean, even in the early 80s, you did not walk outside.
00:04:47
Past sundown in Savannah, it was not a heavily inhabited place.
00:04:52
You did not feel safe on the streets at night.
00:04:56
And she found this old warehouse and her parents quit their job, took money, invested.
00:05:04
They, the three of them completely painted all the walls.
00:05:08
And I think it was, she said that that first year, they got everything painted up.
00:05:14
And first year, I think she got like 30 students and it was either 30 or 70.
00:05:20
And she told me she said, when we found out that we got that many students enrolled, she's like, that's when I realized like we'd made it.
00:05:27
And I was talking to her recently about this and I was like, you know, the beauty of it is when you start out doing something on your own.
00:05:35
You get to decide the definition of what it is to have made it.
00:05:40
Because I think right now so many people take a route where they go out and they get investment money, they start talking to VCs, PEs, they imagine a big shark tank,
00:05:50
you know, presentation.
00:05:53
And the thing is, is no one, Mr.
00:05:55
Wonderful on Shark Tank would never agree that 30 or 70 students is qualifying as having made it.
00:06:02
And so people shut down on their dreams really early on when they're not getting that kind of validation.
00:06:09
If you really just bootstrap things and set really reasonable goals for yourself, you can do it.
00:06:16
You're not going to be a, you know, you're not going to have a 2000 enrollment in your run.
00:06:21
But 30 to 70 students, like you got that.
00:06:24
And now the number, I mean, she is one of the most successful schools in the country.
00:06:30
And for sure, from a designer's point of view, when we get a SCAD resume now, you pay attention.
00:06:36
They have got just the best in class offerings there.
00:06:40
But the school's been around now for 30, 40 years.
00:06:44
And she's at the helm and she's transformed not just what a school, but an entire city.
00:06:52
Completely.
00:06:53
The entire city revolves around that school.
00:06:55
It really does.
00:06:56
And I really loved what you just said about everybody having a different idea of making it.
00:07:00
What's your idea of making it?
00:07:01
It's changed over the years, but when COVID happened, we were really forced to articulate exactly what success would mean to us because you were in a position where you were either going to shut down a company and do something new,
00:07:19
shut it down and just walk away and hide or try and revamp things.
00:07:24
And so myself, my husband, who is our CEO and our president, Elaine, we sat down and decided that we would define what it meant to make it.
00:07:36
And we determined that it would mean that we would only work with people that we loved.
00:07:42
And that meant internally and externally.
00:07:45
So it meant stores and it meant our employees.
00:07:48
It meant what we said was that we would, everything that we did meant that we would have to have time for family and a life and enjoy what we were doing every single day.
00:08:01
And the third thing was that we had to be independent and that just not even from a work perspective but just from a personal perspective, not having to ask others for approval and have people dictate what we do every day was incredibly important to the three of us.
00:08:19
And so when we realized that it was about independence, being around people that we really love and respect and family comes first, those three things guided every decision we made from then on.
00:08:31
So pre-COVID when we had 300 million our bust written on our walls in the office, we were like, well, we don't need 300 million and it also doesn't mean bust anymore.
00:08:43
And 300 million had to come off the wall because it would have meant going out and getting outside investment dollars for it.
00:08:49
And if you get outside investment dollars, you're going to be in bed with people that you don't love and you are definitely losing control and independence.
00:08:57
So it's really understanding what motivates you and what's important to you.
00:09:03
It just becomes a real benchmark every single time you've got a decision looming ahead.
00:09:08
Like we said in our office, we were going to really memorialize why we made the change as we did.
00:09:15
And we had a thing recently where we had taken our winter collection and, you know, before COVID, a winter collection might have had 150 styles.
00:09:26
After COVID, we took it down to, I think, 40 or 50 styles.
00:09:31
And right before we were about to show the collection to the whole team, Tracy and I were like, shit, there's only really 12 pieces here that we will really make us feel new and excited.
00:09:43
We were like, what if we just do 12 pieces, let's do it.
00:09:47
And we convinced everyone to do just 12 pieces.
00:09:51
And our president wrote us and she said, well, if you're going to do 12 pieces for winter, could you consider like doubling them on a styles for a resort?
00:09:59
And I was like, Elaine, no, no, like that's not the point.
00:10:04
And she just wrote back and she was like, delete, delete, delete the email because we all have these brain parts.
00:10:10
You have these knee jerks, but it really requires a team around you to be like, no, remember.
00:10:16
And people say that's me all the time.
00:10:17
It's like, remember the Alamo.
00:10:19
As a consumer, I prefer that.
00:10:21
Yes.
00:10:22
Of course.
00:10:23
Basically, I would rather go shop at a brand that has a very distinctive point of view with a limited amount of skews.
00:10:28
And I don't have to look through nine pages of your winter collection where I'm really only interested in two pieces.
00:10:34
There's the famous smuckers study, business study from years ago where smuckers set up one test in a grocery store with like 200 choices of amazing,
00:10:46
different flavored jams and everything.
00:10:49
I'm going for strawberry every time.
00:10:50
I know.
00:10:51
Well, they did in another grocery store, they did a thing where they had like I think four choices.
00:10:55
Yep.
00:10:56
The one with four choices way outperformed.
00:10:59
And even with that like Harvard business review case study, well known, the smuckers study every time.
00:11:06
So people go out with 100 jams every time.
00:11:09
Yeah.
00:11:10
I just want, I want four really good things, not 100, whatever ones, really good ones that you know.
00:11:15
Whoever made that jam really believes in them.
00:11:16
I agree.
00:11:17
Yeah.
00:11:19
Before we continue with our conversation today, a quick thank you to our sponsor of today's episode, Cotton, Cotton's the fabric of now campaign is challenging everyone to make the natural choice to give yourself enough room to breathe so that you can be more intentional in your everyday life and in what you wear.
00:11:37
To me, Cotton as a fabric, it just feels like a giant hug.
00:11:42
It's the thing that I go towards every single morning when I'm getting ready to tackle my day because it's the thing that makes me feel most like myself.
00:11:49
It feels like a second skin plus it goes really well with everything in my closet and just makes dressing a breeze.
00:11:56
It's breathable and soft and comfortable and honestly, it feels like doing that thing that you need to do for yourself to get grounded after maybe say a really hectic month.
00:12:06
For me, that's going out in nature and whatever it is for you, it's that feeling of getting back to yourself.
00:12:13
I love to go out in nature, put my phone away, leave my laptop at home, be with my loved ones and totally unwind.
00:12:19
I feel completely recharged after I do those weekends and it feels so natural for me.
00:12:24
It feels so good to leave those things behind and just get to the center of myself.
00:12:28
Maybe read a good book, play a couple board games.
00:12:31
That's really when I feel like my most self.
00:12:33
And it's the same way that I feel when I'm wearing cotton.
00:12:36
So cotton is asking all of us to recharging your own way.
00:12:39
Maybe that means putting your phone down for a few hours a day or just going out with your friends for the night and being really present, whatever it is, you do you.
00:12:45
Find that thing that feels natural and makes you feel good.
00:12:48
Cotton is the natural choice.
00:12:50
So go discover the fabric of now at the fabric of our lives dot com.
00:12:53
Let's get back to the show.
00:12:55
I want to get into your wardrobe a little bit because I, you're one of my favorite fellows, I really resonate with the educational side of what it is that you do.
00:13:07
And I love watching you get dressed on Instagram and I would love to hear a little bit about your process getting dressed.
00:13:12
Is it are you walking into your closet and feeling really excited about one piece or are you waking up in the morning and feeling like you want to go after a certain energy or emotion?
00:13:23
I mean, yes to both depending on when so if I've bought something new that I'm really excited about, you know, I'll go into my closet thinking I want to make this work today.
00:13:37
So once I've established that, then is about getting it to feel right for that day.
00:13:42
And then other times I just walk in and I'm like, Oh man, like it's gross outside.
00:13:47
I feel gross.
00:13:49
I want to feel better or I just want to lean into the grossness and I don't give a shit or whatever, but it is about figuring out how you feel, how do you want the clothing to affect how you feel and then understanding which different pieces of clothing will do that.
00:14:07
Ooh.
00:14:08
So that's, yeah.
00:14:10
Is your closet organized in a way to service that?
00:14:14
How do you have your pieces organized in your closet now that's helping you get dressed every day really easily?
00:14:20
What's key in my closet is that I have all the fundamental pieces there.
00:14:24
You know, that I've got, you know, rows of black pants that have, you know, some have shape, some have different textures, some are different weights,
00:14:36
but it really is making sure that I've got all the moods lined up and ready to grab.
00:14:42
You know, something really baggy, something a little more sharper and clean.
00:14:47
So to me, the key in the closet is to not be repetitive.
00:14:51
When you really repeat a mood straight up, that's when someone's closet tends to get really tilted and dysfunctional.
00:15:00
So a lot of people, you know, they buy the perfect black pant for them.
00:15:05
It's maybe long and lean cigarette style and then they go out and they buy another pant just like it, but it's brown this time.
00:15:15
And then maybe they see a red one and they're like, oh man, that's great.
00:15:18
Now I've got the perfect pant.
00:15:20
This is me guys.
00:15:21
I always say if you love something by in every color, but I actually was listening to you.
00:15:25
I can't remember what podcast it was on, but you were like, don't do that.
00:15:29
It creates monotony.
00:15:30
It creates monotony in your mind.
00:15:32
And so what happens is when you've got that perfect pant that makes you feel so tailored and chic, well, when you want to feel just really chill and approachable,
00:15:45
all the sudden you've got nothing to wear.
00:15:48
So you know, it really is having that diversity of moods in your closet.
00:15:55
So yeah, when you want to feel tailored and chic, you've got it in that black pant.
00:16:01
Maybe you get it if you get like the brown one as well.
00:16:05
But like I would say when you diversify in color, I would jump to different color rings when you do that, or I would diversify in terms of textures.
00:16:14
You know, like if you've got that black slim tropical wool pant that you love, maybe getting the same idea of that, but in a nylon sporting nylon type fabric.
00:16:24
So next time that same look that you love on you, it's given a more sporty chill vibe.
00:16:31
And so it's changing up the mood.
00:16:32
I love the idea of dressing by mood.
00:16:35
And I actually was reading your sub stack and you said the same thing for packing, which is I've been so excited for this interview because it's so different than everything I feel like I've tried to formulate,
00:16:46
I'm someone who likes to pack an outfits.
00:16:49
And I was very, very inspired by you saying pack by mood.
00:16:52
So like let's take the skirt I'm wearing, for example, you would bring this piece and build like four to five looks around just this one piece.
00:16:59
If I had, if you had that in the suitcase, I would be like, guys, this is like a house juice.
00:17:07
Black and white house to you've got the cable cream sweater, the black Napa boots.
00:17:12
So you've got different textures playing and you're definitely giving polished and classic.
00:17:20
And maybe with the length and the boot with the low heel, it's got a modern vibe to it.
00:17:26
So if I were then adding something to that mix, I'm probably not going to add like a cotton button down shirt because that's like more of that.
00:17:35
Like I'm going to add probably a really big red sweatshirt.
00:17:40
So it's a totally different vibe because if you put on a red sweatshirt with that big and oversized, then now you've got something like if you want to fill a little cooler and chill and you just maybe even are going down for breakfast at your hotel,
00:17:57
you're going to do that.
00:17:58
And then I would pack a black bodysuit and like really different earrings.
00:18:03
So then if you're going out at night, maybe some sheer hose and a sandals.
00:18:08
So now like you've got something that is so like over the top like ready for, you know, an amazing bar or whatever.
00:18:16
So really like choosing a few key, it doesn't have to be the bottom, the top can be the key thing as well, but those key items and then being like,
00:18:26
okay, I need super chill vibe.
00:18:29
And then I need something that's like really cool for going out and something really classic.
00:18:33
So don't think then three outfits.
00:18:36
You want to keep, you know, more theme what you've already got in the suitcase.
00:18:40
I think that's a great way to pack.
00:18:42
It's basically thinking in like multiples, so you get way more out of your suitcase.
00:18:47
Way more.
00:18:48
So you're packing for a four day trip.
00:18:49
How many key pieces are you bringing?
00:18:52
I mean, if it were me, I would, if you started right there with, I think it's about putting on like one thing that you know you love.
00:19:00
So if we're going to start with that, so we've already got the other things, right?
00:19:04
We've got a bodysuit.
00:19:05
We've got a red sweatshirt and we've got a pair of heels.
00:19:08
So you got three things now in addition to maybe what you can even get by wearing on the plane.
00:19:13
So now I'm going to pack a big pair of like nylon sporty, slouchy pants, like pleated nylon pants or track pants.
00:19:24
And I'm going to wear that with the sweater.
00:19:27
I'm going to maybe tuck those pants into that boot.
00:19:30
And then I'm going to have a big blazer on with it.
00:19:34
So now I've added a sporty nylon pant and a blazer.
00:19:38
So now I'm wearing the blazer, the sporty nylon pant with the bodysuit.
00:19:43
And that's creating an interesting look.
00:19:45
And then I'm definitely wearing the sporty pants with the big red sweatshirt.
00:19:49
And maybe the heels and the hosiery and that's like a weird going out thing.
00:19:53
Yep.
00:19:54
I mean, you're kind of done.
00:19:55
You're done.
00:19:56
You're so right.
00:19:57
And like, depending on where you're going, if you're going to Paris, you're going to pick up like a great extra two items.
00:20:03
If you're going to Asheville, North Carolina, you're going to get a great t-shirt like you want to also be able to pick up some things where you are and not be so saddled with what you've brought.
00:20:14
This was such a perspective shift for me.
00:20:16
I can't wait to try this next time I pack.
00:20:18
I love how you analyze your closet.
00:20:21
Like truly, there's a science to it.
00:20:24
And I also have one of the reasons I love following you is because you've been able to break down the experience of getting dressed into something that feels really approachable.
00:20:34
You've packaged it very well.
00:20:36
And I know you wrote about called creative pragmatists.
00:20:38
And volume two is coming out soon.
00:20:40
Which is so exciting.
00:20:41
We'll talk about that a little later.
00:20:43
But I want to get into some of those key phrases because a frequent question I get asked on my channel and in this podcast is really just how to get dressed every day.
00:20:54
How to pick the right thing out.
00:20:55
How to style a great pair of boot cut jeans.
00:20:58
It's really the basics and the fundamentals.
00:21:00
And that's why I really resonate with what you do.
00:21:02
So talk to us about what a creative pragmatist is.
00:21:07
A pragmatist is someone who really resides along the scale of highly creative to highly pragmatic.
00:21:14
They move along that scale comfortably.
00:21:16
They don't feel like they have to be stagnant in any portion of the scale.
00:21:20
There are days where they can be very creative.
00:21:22
There are days where they can be just really like much more minimalist like a Sarah Harris or someone like that.
00:21:30
And then there are days where they can just be right in between.
00:21:33
And like maybe someone like Tamu McPherson would be like the the stereotype of what that is.
00:21:39
I love her so much.
00:21:40
Right.
00:21:41
Tamu is a good example where you can see her just feeling very comfortable in a weird brown suit just as much as she is in a brown suit with a yellow bag and amazing earrings.
00:21:55
And then taking the brown jacket a yellow bag over a green dress with like weird tides.
00:22:00
And you know, but it's all Tamu every time.
00:22:03
She doesn't look like she's flipped into a different individual.
00:22:07
No, she like exudes joy and through her dressing.
00:22:10
She is.
00:22:11
She has such an archetype of her style every time I see her on Instagram, I'm like, there she is.
00:22:16
Yep.
00:22:17
But she very much has those three adjectives.
00:22:19
Everything that she wears is she's always looks like she has ease to her.
00:22:25
And ease doesn't mean that you're, you know, strolling among the beach and Malibu.
00:22:29
Like ease means that you don't look like you're about to bite someone's head off.
00:22:33
You know, or you just don't look like you're the one who's going to be like, I'm calling the manager.
00:22:37
You know.
00:22:38
And then everything that she does has an era of modernity to it.
00:22:43
But it's always a bit of familiarity is there, right?
00:22:46
Like every there's something there that's going to be, you know, harkening to something classic.
00:22:51
So it's, it's someone who really defines themselves as chill, modern and classic.
00:22:58
And it's always on their body all at once in some way.
00:23:02
And so it's really key that you define who you are.
00:23:07
And not everyone's a creative pragmatist at all.
00:23:09
And in fact, 90 percent of my friends are not, you know, they would define themselves as super creative, feminine edgy.
00:23:20
You know, they've got different adjectives that they would use.
00:23:23
It's key to understand which ones really apply to you and lean into that when you're getting, not just when you're getting dressed, but when you're buying things.
00:23:32
It's like you got to tackle the opportunity early on.
00:23:36
So, you know, when you are buying things in the future, you really need to know, where does that sit within your personal style, and what is that going to do for you?
00:23:46
I've always had a hard time with three words, not conceptually, but in practice.
00:23:51
I feel like maybe I'm someone who like sways on them, or if I pick my three words, I'm suddenly like, wait, I want this other word, yeah, maybe one of my three words should be indecisive.
00:24:01
Well, I mean, or, you know, it's not, you know, it doesn't have to be a negative though.
00:24:09
Right.
00:24:10
I think that maybe you crave to be more chameleon-like and unexpected, you know, like the idea of someone being able to anticipate your next move might seem like something that would just be horrible.
00:24:21
Right.
00:24:22
I definitely like to shape shift in my clothes.
00:24:24
I think I dress for an essence.
00:24:26
Yeah.
00:24:27
Sure, of course, I have those days where I love, you know, I have that key piece I'm excited to wear.
00:24:31
I definitely chase a feeling like today, I really wanted kind of like classic New York, maybe a little like Ralph Lauren inspired, but I've always had a hard time finding those three words because of that.
00:24:41
So for people who are listening who might also be like me, what do you recommend?
00:24:45
What's the way in to finding those three words?
00:24:47
The, it's really about thinking of them as first principles.
00:24:51
You want to drill down on words to describe yourself that once you've drilled down to them, there's, they're, you know, you've really gotten to the core essence of something and that it can't be drilled any deeper.
00:25:06
So like, I mean, for sure, in your, I would imagine in your repertoire, it's got a classic has to be in there somewhere, you know, yes.
00:25:15
And so once you've got classic done, you, you want to search for words that build that out a little bit further rather than being another synonym,
00:25:26
you know, sometimes people are like, I'm classic, I'm heritage, and you know, and it's like others, you know, it's all the same.
00:25:34
It's the same.
00:25:35
Look up synonyms and you'll find them.
00:25:38
So it takes a while and one of the things that we talk about is you define who you are in terms of these adjectives that are,
00:25:48
but the ones that don't lock you in.
00:25:50
I mean, chill is hardly, you know, putting handcuffs on you.
00:25:55
That's why I like it.
00:25:56
You know, it can mean a lot of different things to different people, but we also have people talk about what their modifiers are.
00:26:04
So if I'm chill modern and classic, and if you turn out to be chill modern and classic as well, we can still be the same adjectives, but we don't interpret them in the same way because you modify them.
00:26:18
And for me, things having a bit of humor to it is a way that I usually modify what I'm wearing.
00:26:26
You know, I really like to fuck things up a bit.
00:26:29
What would you say to someone who looks at their closet and just has a bunch of stuff and no idea what to wear?
00:26:34
I think that you, you need to understand who you are.
00:26:37
You've got to get your adjectives down.
00:26:40
Once you get that down, I break apart my closet into three categories and that's what I call the without fails.
00:26:47
Those are the fundamental pieces in my closet that every time when I put them on, they speak to chill modern and classic, they are my identity straight up.
00:26:57
And for me, someone like me that probably comprises about 50 to 60 percent of my closet.
00:27:04
And then there is a portion of my closet that I call in and out.
00:27:08
And those are things that I'm really drawn to.
00:27:12
I have an emotional reaction to them in that I'm like, oh man, if I buy that new tiby or Louisvay or Boteca, Balenciaga or something of,
00:27:23
I'm just using those brands because they can conjure up quick images.
00:27:28
But, you know, if I bring in that one item, it's going to make that blazer or those pants that I live in feel all the sudden brand new.
00:27:38
But those things that I'm drawn to, it's, once you understand your adjectives, I can look at a, again, I'll use Louisvay, for example.
00:27:48
I can look at a Louisvay top and be like, oh, it's got this big sculpted sleeve and it's a really strong saturated color.
00:27:57
And the fabric is really like strong and it's got an interesting point of view to it.
00:28:04
I can look at that and be like, that is something that, even though it's got all that strength and modernity and point of view, there are still elements of it that are still chill and it's very modern and it's still quite classic.
00:28:17
And that's why, when I look at the Louisvay and I love it, I understand that it's going to have a place in my closet where I can look at something from Chloe and say,
00:28:29
oh, that's beautiful.
00:28:31
I like, I really love that.
00:28:32
I can really appreciate it, but maybe there's one too many elements to it.
00:28:38
There's one bit of softness that is just too feminine for me and I can make one outfit for it.
00:28:45
So I tell people, when you're shopping for new things, you know, if you put on a top,
00:28:56
but it requires the bottom from another brand to actually give you a feeling that you want, that's when you want to back away from it.
00:29:05
But if you can put on that top from Louisvay and you can put it with your favorite pair of pleated nylon trouser pants, and when people see you, they'll say, oh,
00:29:16
my God, that's so you.
00:29:18
But it's you, like 2.0, you know?
00:29:21
And so those fundamentals with everything new that you buy that's crazy and pushed, those fundamentals keep you grounded and they make it so that you see yourself in something.
00:29:32
So in your closet, you've got the fundamental pieces.
00:29:35
You've got these things that are meant to come in maybe for two years, three years, and then you'll put them away for a while, but you don't call up the real wheel.
00:29:43
You put them away and then you can bring them back out later on when you're in the mood again for something cropped and big.
00:29:49
And then in my closet, I have something that I call had to have.
00:29:53
And those are things that they don't have to make sense to anyone but yourself.
00:29:59
They're oddly emotional and you wanted them and you can't really explain why if someone came to me and they're like, why did you buy that?
00:30:09
And over the top, Fendi beat it, weird skirt.
00:30:14
That is a mini skirt when you don't ever wear a mini skirt.
00:30:18
Like why?
00:30:19
I could give you a hundred and one at once.
00:30:23
I'm like, I don't know, I was really drawn to it.
00:30:25
And there's some things that are meant to be art in your closet and that's okay.
00:30:28
Yes.
00:30:29
And the thing is, is making sure that when you bring in those pieces that are meant to be art or that are meant to be art that you like hang up once or twice a year, don't get duplicative on those and don't purge them either.
00:30:44
So purge things that over fill, over fill in that category.
00:30:49
So yes, I just bought this Raban beat it like sequene, jangly, silver, and gold bag.
00:30:56
But that's it.
00:30:57
I don't need, when I have an urge for a bag that I can love, fall in love with.
00:31:02
I'm like, no, I've got that one bag in there.
00:31:05
I'll wear it twice a year or whatever, but I don't need more of those bags.
00:31:11
And really, and I know from people that it works because we laid down this as principles over three years ago, and people write to me all the time and tell me they're buying so much less than they ever have.
00:31:27
And I know that it works because when, when I set out to redo the book and come up with the CP edition two, I wanted to include new principles because that seemed like what you would want to do when you're doing a new book,
00:31:42
but there were no new principles to add.
00:31:44
And I didn't delete any of the principles.
00:31:46
I was like, fuck, these, like these were solid.
00:31:50
And it almost got like, if I were to add more principles, it would be like psych.
00:31:54
It's like having a tone down collection.
00:31:55
I didn't have to add new principles and over the last three years, since I wrote the first book, I found clear ways to describe them.
00:32:05
I found better examples to communicate them, and I updated all the sketches.
00:32:10
So I ended up rewriting the whole book, but I didn't change one of the principles or any of the core concepts behind the principles.
00:32:18
That's really exciting.
00:32:19
Yeah, because if you bought into it, you're not, you're going to really like, it's not like psych.
00:32:26
A quick break from today's conversation to shout out our sponsor of today's episode, Birdie Gray, for all of my winter brides and spring summer brides coming up to because we love being organized and planning ahead.
00:32:38
I highly recommend checking out Birdie Gray.
00:32:42
They have the cutest, most budget friendly dresses that are perfect for any wedding vibe or aesthetic that you're working with.
00:32:48
They believe that a wedding should look and feel great without breaking the bank, which is why all of their bridesmaid dresses start at just $99, and what I love about it the most is that they have so many different fits,
00:33:01
fabrics, and colors in mind.
00:33:03
So for any color scheme, you won't be showing up out of the color scheme.
00:33:07
They have everything for everybody from neutral champions to soft blues, gemstone colors like fuchsia and amethyst, they got you.
00:33:15
I also love that they're not just for bridesmaid dresses, so for all of you who have been messaging me about really affordable little white dresses, all under $150, they got you.
00:33:25
Engagement photo outfits, they've got you too, that's the red outfits, also that too.
00:33:30
They have everything.
00:33:31
They also have really cute PJs for getting ready as well.
00:33:35
Visit www.birdie Gray.com now to get your first six watches for free, available for a limited time until December 3, that's b-i-r-d-y-g-r-e-y.com,
00:33:47
birdie gray, b-i-r-d-y-g-r-e-y.com, so you can find the bridesmaid dresses that are perfect for you.
00:33:55
Let's get back to the show.
00:33:57
So addition to is just a deeper dive into the principles that are already there, that are already part of your foundation.
00:34:03
So if you bought the book before, I think you are going to get, I hope, much more juicier information to help you even better understand what you believe you already understand.
00:34:19
We printed it.
00:34:20
It was printed in London, and they'll be on their way soon.
00:34:23
Oh, that's so exciting.
00:34:25
Yeah.
00:34:26
I can't wait to see it.
00:34:27
I often get asked from people who are redoing their closets, or they want to go and buy some new things, they're feeling a little stale in their closet.
00:34:34
Yeah.
00:34:35
And a question I'll get asked is, where do I start?
00:34:37
What item do you think I should start with to help kind of redesign and re-inject some life into my closet?
00:34:44
Well, I think that what I would define first is when you're saying re-inject some life in your closet, what most people are struggling with is they've got so much life happening in their closet that they're really just looking to create a stronger through line,
00:35:03
so that they can be more experimental with purpose.
00:35:07
And then other people are like literally, they are literally starting out, and those people tend to be in their late 20s when they're like, I'm ready for, I know who I am,
00:35:17
and now I can't wait to get started with this and purge who I was and really get started with who I am.
00:35:23
I get that frequently from that age range, but then also from new moms who are looking to revamp their style off of having a baby.
00:35:29
Yeah.
00:35:30
And usually the new moms though, a lot of them, they were the younger person who had the crazy closet, you got pregnant, you had the baby, and then you're like,
00:35:41
shit.
00:35:41
So now you're figuring out not only just who you are from a stop perspective, but now who are you with, like, these little things running around around you?
00:35:50
And so that's where those fundamentals are key.
00:35:54
And fundamentals are things that, you know, you really want to figure out like, what are the perfect bottom pieces for you?
00:36:03
And that's where you don't want to get duplicative if, you know, if you know that you need the perfect eased out pant, the perfect tailored pant, the really chill skirt,
00:36:14
the really sporty type bottom, you want to really check off different moods and textures with what your fundamental pieces are,
00:36:24
and you can get started with five or six pieces there, and I would definitely do them in neutrals, do not try and like tackle that with something red or purple or yellow,
00:36:38
but get those neutral items down and then get your, for me, I'm someone who wears jackets a lot.
00:36:45
I prioritize, I would do jackets for me ahead of tops because I'm not a top person, right?
00:36:49
100% a great jacket can transform jeans, easy pair of pants.
00:36:54
Yep.
00:36:55
So if I'm going to be starting out my closet, I'm going to nail with two or three different jackets.
00:37:01
I'm going to have something really oversized.
00:37:03
I'm going to have something longer and leaner and I'm going to have something more bulbous rounder or something.
00:37:09
So then I get three jackets and, and ideally ones and like a tropical wool ones and like a nylon type fabric.
00:37:18
One is, you know, if the tropical wool was a navy, maybe the third blazery type thing is a lighter color, light gray or something like that.
00:37:28
And then maybe I'm going to make sure that I've got the range of the t-shirts that I need.
00:37:35
I've got the range of the button downs that I need.
00:37:39
And so right now that's, you know, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, you know, 14 pieces that you need in your closet and ideally you've invested a little bit more than what you would normally spend on something because when you get those pieces right,
00:38:00
you want them to last forever.
00:38:02
I want to highlight before we close out one of my favorite of your tips, which is one ton or none.
00:38:07
Yes.
00:38:08
Not least so much and getting dressed in terms of what you were just saying, where the eye goes.
00:38:13
Training your eye.
00:38:14
Yes.
00:38:15
Could you talk us through what that is?
00:38:16
It's one ton or none came about because I really try and help people figure out where the anciness comes from when you're getting dressed.
00:38:26
And what is your eye seen as a result of how you feel that maybe even no one else is seen?
00:38:33
When you come out and your friends are like, oh my god, that's perfectly good.
00:38:36
I don't know why you're upset.
00:38:37
And you're like, oh, it's just something not off.
00:38:40
Yeah.
00:38:41
Right.
00:38:42
And one ton or none really gets to the essence of what is often off when you're getting dressed.
00:38:48
And when your eye doesn't settle, you don't feel settled.
00:38:53
And you know, feeling settled is a really big thing because when you don't feel settled, it's hard to focus.
00:39:00
It's hard to go into a meeting and tackle something at hand.
00:39:03
It's hard to go in and analyze a problem properly.
00:39:07
And it makes you snap at people.
00:39:08
I snap at my husband.
00:39:09
He's like, what the fuck did I do wrong?
00:39:11
And I'm like, I'm wearing the wrong shoe.
00:39:12
It's not you.
00:39:13
It's my belt.
00:39:14
Yes.
00:39:15
That's a whole title of.
00:39:16
That's a good sub-sack.
00:39:17
It's not you.
00:39:18
It's all the time.
00:39:19
It's my shoe.
00:39:20
I'm actually thinking about how many times that's happened.
00:39:23
Yes.
00:39:24
Yeah.
00:39:25
You're like really pissed.
00:39:26
Yeah.
00:39:27
And you're like trying to figure out why.
00:39:28
Yeah.
00:39:29
And so your eye, darting around can really make you crazy.
00:39:33
And so even with what you're wearing right now, with the cream and the tweed and the black, a red leather belt would be crazy.
00:39:42
Where am I looking?
00:39:43
Yeah.
00:39:44
I don't know, you know, right now my eyes landing right on that cream sweater.
00:39:49
So even though you've mixed in a lot of different textures and everything, the eyes still going right to the cream sweater.
00:39:56
And it's why you can look at a Balenciaga runway show where they're wearing like all this crazy color down the runway.
00:40:04
Yeah.
00:40:05
There's something very oddly settling about it.
00:40:09
It's your eyes not going focusing right in on like the turquoise skirt because it's also got the laminated pink high boots and the purple weird blouse and the print.
00:40:20
You know, like it's so over the top that that's a ton.
00:40:24
And you're just seeing this kind of fabulousness down the runway.
00:40:29
And that's why I hate like in magazines when they talk about runway to reality.
00:40:34
And they'll show that over the top Balenciaga look and they're like mimic this look with a turquoise pair of pants and this printed diamond bomb first and bird blouse.
00:40:44
And you're like, that doesn't work.
00:40:45
It doesn't work.
00:40:46
That doesn't work.
00:40:47
Why?
00:40:48
Because like you're like your eyes bouncing around and then you're like, I'll put a sensible shoe on to calm it down and you're like, that did not calm it down.
00:40:57
That didn't help.
00:40:58
Because it made your eye, you know, it didn't need a sensible shoe.
00:41:02
It needed a weird ass shoe and a weirder bag and you really have to lean in when you're doing that, I think.
00:41:08
It's a real bigger, go bigger, go home moment when you do ton.
00:41:11
Yes.
00:41:12
Yeah, because if your eye is going to two different places, you did not nail ton.
00:41:19
And that's why Leandre Medine for me is always a really great example of ton, the good ton for sure.
00:41:26
And I love ton style.
00:41:30
That's where my heart sings, I get so excited about it.
00:41:32
I'm not good at it, but I love admiring it from afar.
00:41:35
We always close out the show by asking one question and that's if you could change anything in fashion right now, what would it be?
00:41:41
It could write a stub stack with like 100 things that I would change in fashion right now.
00:41:47
The number one thing I would do is everyone needs to stop making so much shit.
00:41:51
Yeah.
00:41:52
Just stop.
00:41:53
You're coming with number one answer, everyone says this, yeah, I loved the example you gave in the beginning of like narrowing down your collection to keep pieces.
00:42:01
I think that that is such a great example to set for so many people.
00:42:05
And I really hope again, as a consumer, I would love to see more of that.
00:42:07
Yes.
00:42:08
Narrow down.
00:42:09
But that's why a quick wrap around, even as a brand, you have to figure out your adjectives because a lot of people get confused and they think narrowing it down means I am going to only do really dresses with lace and I'll do eight of them in eight different colors.
00:42:27
And that's not narrowing it down.
00:42:29
It's really lean, you know, you can be broader with less as long as you're doing it within your adjectives.
00:42:37
It's when you are trying to be too many things that you get all over the place, but you also can't be too singular because then it's one note flat.
00:42:44
Once people are done with that dress, they're done with you.
00:42:47
Yeah.
00:42:48
Yeah.
00:42:49
Yeah.
00:42:50
Yeah.
00:42:51
No.
00:42:52
I'm good.
00:42:53
No.
00:42:54
Yeah.
00:42:55
Give me a focus.
00:42:56
Yes.
00:42:57
Give me your three words.
00:42:58
I agree.
00:42:59
Thank you so much for coming on.
00:43:00
I love you.
00:43:01
I love getting inside your brain for a little bit.
00:43:02
It's so much fun.
00:43:03
And there were so many things that you said that are principles that I live by.
00:43:05
Yeah.
00:43:06
And you've completely changed my perspective.
00:43:07
So thank you so much.
00:43:08
Yeah.
00:43:09
Cool.
00:43:10
All right.
00:43:11
Thanks.
00:43:12
[Music]
00:43:41
Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.
00:43:50
Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.
00:43:56
Thank you.
00:43:57
Thank you.
00:43:58
[BLANK_AUDIO]
00:44:08
