Reddit reviews The Curated Closet: A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe

Are you a reader? I have a couple suggestions that you may enjoy, and your local library should be able to get them for you--maybe they have them, maybe they get them transferred from another library, maybe they acquire them.

I'm working my way through The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees and it's brilliant. It helps you identify and build your style step by step with a series of really smart exercises. I think what's difficult for a lot of people is that style is about 1) self-knowledge and 2) editing. I can buy something I think I look cute in for a party, but if it's in a color or a style that doesn't match the rest of my closet, I may hate it and only wear it once. She'll help with all that.

The other is Suze Orman's The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying. The ONLY reason I'm recommending this one is because you identified a mindset of yours that it seems like you want to change. This book gets into the emotional crap behind money in a way I haven't encountered before.

Because there are a lot of emotions behind money. My husband and I both grew up very humbly. He had two working class parents and a sister, and they passed down a lot of feelings of scarcity, of not having enough. They thrift shopped and hoarded (not badly, but elsewhere in his family it's much worse). For my husband, it's very difficult to get rid of old things, and he buys the same items over and over.

Me, I grew up with my single mom and brother. My dad had money, but he was incredibly stingy with it. We were never poor in an institutional way--but we were broke all through my childhood. I did not get new clothes during the school year. I didn't have the cool shoes. My adidas were from Payless, and they had only two stripes. All of this was made much worse by the fact that my dad married a woman who dressed her kids in brand-name clothes. They were popular, well-dressed, well-to-do, and my dad was the one who wound up paying for my step-mom's overspending.

So while I don't have a problem getting rid of old things--we got rid of lots of stuff when my mom moved us to a cheaper place to live every year--I know that I have to be careful treating myself, because part of me feels like that very small, very uncool new girl in school with the wrong shoes and no money to make it right.

I like nice things now. It's intertwined with my personality in a way. I want the ability to dress like who I think I am. And that's okay! But if I don't examine those feelings, I can easily wind up overspending, trying to make myself feel good in all the wrong ways.

What I do: Set money aside just for clothes every paycheck. I made it a percentage of my total pay, but for you it might be something else. If I want something nice, I have to wait until the money is in there. If I need something simple, like to replace a pair of jeans or shoes, it makes me really think about what I already have, how much I want to spend, and how it will fit within my existing clothes.

There's nothing wrong with being frugal. But frugal doesn't have to mean cheap. Frugal could mean buying a $300 wool coat and keeping it for 10 years.

Thinking about your style, analyzing your wardrobe and planning for your purchases will help you know when it makes sense to spend more money on an item like boots you will wear every day, or a good bra, etc. And when it's fine to buy something cheaper, like a white tank top you'll sweat through all summer and be able to easily replace next year.

You've got this. I mean, I'm a total nerd, but I always start with books. Best of all, the library is free!

Today:

• I ordered some makeup stuff from Ulta rather than going into the drugstore and going "oh, this is on sale? I should get it. this looks interesting, maybe I'll get this too" and then 2 weeks later wonder why I have literally 14 different lip balms
  
• I opted out of a free gift with purchase (a branded water bottle) with that Ulta order because lol I do NOT need another water bottle
  
• I talked myself out of the F21's STORE CLOSING sale I passed by because I knew it was going to be clothes that would last a year at most and even for 50% off it still wasn't worth it
  
• on a similar note, I requested two books from the library about having a smaller/sustainable wardrobe

I’ve been reading about capsule wardrobes lately and am trying to move that way with my wardrobe. I realized that despite my over abundance of clothing, there are only certain specific pieces that i wear over and over again and really love. Personally, I don’t think an extremely strict capsule wardrobe would be very realistic for me, but I think there are a lot of good principles that can be pulled out of the concept. I love the idea of focusing on quality, versatile pieces that fit you well and that you feel great in vs. as many fast fashion/trendy/cheap pieces as you can afford (which I realized is how I currently shop and is definitely why i always feel like i have nothing to wear even though my closet is overflowing).

I ordered a book on Amazon called (the Curated Closet. I haven’t finished it yet so I can’t 100% vouch for it, but I’ve flipped through it and read the first couple chapters and I think it will be really useful for me. It’s very functional, it gives you exercises to do to help you develop your personal style and then build your wardrobe around that as a guide.

I just read The Curated Closet and found it to be very helpful. I didn't do every exercise in the book, but it's SO helpful and sounds perfect for what you are looking for. I got mine from the library.

The book first has you basically brainstorm what styles you love and what you love about them. Then, through a very detailed process, you distill down to eventually curating your dream wardrobe with clothes you absolutely love and fit your lifestyle, including a wardrobe for work, after hours, exercise, etc. The book also include comprehensive selections on how to identify quality clothing and a good fit, what can be tailored easily, how to shop, how to update your wardrobe, how to style, etc.

It was very helpful for me as someone who has worn hand-me-downs most of her life (thanks big sister!) but is almost 30 and never really defined a personal style. I encourage you to take a look at it before going out and making any purchases. You won't regret it!

First, I want to congratulate you on losing the weight! I started a new job about six months ago and wardrobe was basically what I wore in college and graduate school. I wanted to step up my wardrobe a little bit, so I picked up The Curated Closet from my local library. It has helped me define my style and helped refine my wardrobe. One of the 'exercises' it has you do is to create Pinterest boards of your clothes to help you define your style and what not.

I've only tried Poshmark and had mostly successes. I've gotten some great pieces (dresses, sweaters, jeans, and flats). But I would agree with u/Truant_Muse, patience is key and knowing measurements.

Good Luck with building your wardrobe! I can't wait to see it :)

Yes! I am catching the 90s vibes too. I love that aspect of it. Maybe there’s a designer out there making a similar inspired dress that’s not so straight across the neckline. If you like, you could sell yours on Poshmark or consignment and put the cash towards the new one.

I checked out The Curated Closet from the library awhile back and it helped me a great deal. I didn’t even finish reading it before it was due (curse of an over ambitious reader!!) and I still got so much from it.

Into Mind is recommended here a lot, as well as her book, The Curated Closet.

What a great post! I want you to dress me.

On a related note, I have this book on my list. One of my favorite bloggers says it changed the way she got dressed.

I read "The Curated Closet" and it really helped me define my style to what i need and wear vs who i would like to be. It also really helped me narrow down a color palette that works for a capsule wardrobe. Typical day to day wear skinny ankle jeans (dark denim & grey), flats, half tucked linen tshirt or 3/4 breton shirt and sunnies with bright red lips as an accent. Crisp white button down for a dressier day with sleeves rolled up. Sometimes I throw on a scarf and heels. I love sheath, fit & flare dresses and pencil skirts. I have no actual changes in seasons just a monsoon season. 🤣 Which sucks because i love layering!!! I like to keep it minimalist and effortless. The bags that work the best for me are Celine trapeze, box and belt and an hermes kelly dupe. When i want to dress up a bit i switch to a Chanel bag.

Have you seen this book? https://www.amazon.com/Curated-Closet-Discovering-Personal-Building/dp/1607749483/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501584822&sr=8-1&keywords=closet+book

I have so many clothes but find myself only wearing less than 1/10th of my closet. One big problem is we get tempted by clothes that are "good deals" so we end up buying what we don't necessarily love. I am working on shrinking my closet as well but it's so hard to let go.

I feel the same way! The author of The Curated Closet (which I got from the library) recommends putting your favorite images into a separate folder (not just Pinterest). I did that, deleted the ones that didn't match, and was left with a pretty clear winter style. I made a list of key pieces, crossed off the few things I already owned, and then I was ready to check thrift stores. I'll probably ask for jewelry and a jacket for Christmas/birthday, so I'd only have to spend a lot if I buy shoes. Good luck!

I actually know what I've spent exactly since February 1!

I'm a post-grad student who lives at home, and basically my only other expense at the moment is food. I pay for everything out of my savings right now as my program doesn't allow time for a job :(

Clothes: $751. A lot! I bought a pair of prescription sunglasses I was reimbursed for which were included, but I also bought white jeans and a Hillary-esque pantsuit which were both kinda expense, as well as other bits and bobs. I don't thrift as I'm a bit of a weird shape and I just don't have the energy to find things that would fit! I know I like interesting cuts and patterns, so I'm willing to pay a little more for something that isn't basic.

Beauty: $487. Also a lot! I prepaid for eyebrow waxing services for the year, and a haircut. These are basically the only services I pay for. I have nail colours that go with my clothes at home, and I'm pretty into skincare so I spend a bit on that. I'm obsessed with glossier makeup right now so it's a bit of a premium over drug store.

When I was working I had a pretty strict budget for everything. Once I had taken all my money for rent, utilities, groceries, savings and insurance, what I was left with was my fun money which I could use however I wanted, usually on clothes, skincare, and makeup. I had different spending and savings accounts to keep everything separate. It's boring but it worked to keep my spending under control!

My feeling is that you should try to meditate a bit on what kind of look genuinely makes you feel your best. Don't think about what other people wear, just on what you feel good in. Your best tools to get you outta the rut are pinterest for your aesthetic goals, and a trusty excel sheet for the planning and expensing. I also read a book called The Curated Closet that I really liked that I think would be a helping hand in getting you started on actually building a wardrobe.