Jazzing Up Your Wardrobe Without Spending (hardly) a Dime

My closet before Vanessa waved her magic wand.

You may have seen one of Vanessa’s Go-To Outfit features–she takes every day occasions and puts together the simplest, but BEST, outfits for each one. I’ve found myself buying everything she recommends, so when Vanessa officially launched her personal styling business, Revamp Your Style, I couldn’t have been more excited for her to come over and peek in my closet. Vanessa gave great advice and put together some ensembles that I would’ve never thought of. Following are some of the things she did–all with pieces that I already had. –Alex

One of my biggest issues with my clothes is that I have a hard time going through them and knowing what to get rid of. I start feeling sentimental and

Vanessa took each piece out of the closet and suggested ways to wear it.

though I know if I haven’t worn the item in the last year, there’s little chance of me wearing it anytime soon, I find myself hanging it back up. SO, the first thing I wanted Vanessa to do was to go through my things and have her take out what she thought was out of style, or what she didn’t think would work for me, etc., with no “buts” from my end. As she did this, she put together several outfits that I hadn’t thought about wearing, or with those items that I loved but didn’t know how to wear, she came up with some suggestions. Here are some tips:

Vanessa considered this wash to be too light to wear with boots in winter.

1. Gaucho jeans: I didn’t know if these were out of style, so I hadn’t worn them once this past summer. Vanessa said to keep them, and when it was winter time, one could wear them with boots. Important note here: You can only wear boots with Gaucho jeans in winter IF the jeans are a dark wash. Mine are too light to do this, so they went to the back of the closet until summer.

2. Button down collared shirt: My husband gave me one of these type of shirts recently, and I had worn it with a tank underneath, over skinny jeans. Vanessa agreed that this was good, but also recommended wearing a bigger belt over the shirt for a bit of a looser look. She also said that I could layer it over my Anthropologie dress.

3. For those shirts that I normally wear only in summer, she said to not be afraid of layering them over a long sleeve tee to keep them going through winter. This

A simple gray dress can be punched up with a purple scarf and tights in a slightly darker hue.

could be done with dresses as well. Vanessa said to wear a gray dress (that I had) over gray or black tights, with boots and a long sleeve black tee underneath. I could add some punch by draping a purple scarf around it. Another tip is that it’s okay to wear different colors of gray together–I always assumed I had to wear black with gray.

I always though this dress was too casual to dress up, but Vanessa made it work by adding the dressy shoes and the fun turquoise jewelry.

4. I love this (shown at right) black, cotton, strapless dress, but don’t wear it often because I thought my accessories were either too casual or too dressy. Vanessa showed me to not be afraid to mix it up–she paired it with my black, satin, strappy “wedding” shoes, a silver and turquoise necklace, and plastic chunky aqua ring.

Close-up of the accessories with the black cotton dress.

I would've never thought to pair ths summer dress with jeans and cowboy boots.

5. This dress (shown at left) was given to me at the end of summer and I was afraid that it would be out of style before I had the chance to wear it again. Vanessa paired it with my skinny jeans and cowboy boots or simple, tan flats–I could now wear it through winter.

What’s in for winter:

• Billowy sleeves
• The color purple
• “Boyfriend” sweaters (button down cardigans that are a v-neck, long, and usually have a pocket on either side.)

What’s out:

This is a shirt that I hardly wear because it's too warm for summer and too thin for winter--Vanessa threw on my scarf and hat set and said I could wear it year round.

• Asian inspired pieces
• Shorter lengths on tops (if you have one that you absolutely love, layer over a longer length tank, cami, or tee.

Other Misc. Tips:

Skinny jeans--where they should fall.

• Skinny jeans: These should fall just above your heel and be bunched slightly at ankle.
• Buttons: If you button just a couple of buttons on a shirt, always do so below or above your bust–never at nipple area. And don’t do the top one only.
• Scarves: Vanessa loves scarves as an accessory. This her advice on wearing them: If you’re putting one over a tee by itself, then the scarf needs some
  

  I'm a jeans and t-shirt type of gal--Vanessa told me to spice it up by adding a scarf and a pair of fun sneakers.

  texture–chunkiness or a pattern. If you’re wearing one over a sweater, then the scarf can be plain.

• Jewelry: If you wear bangles, don’t wear a chunky ring, or vice versa. Keep it simple and pair with a necklace.
• Get crazy and wear dresses over pants!
• Assembling an outfit: Don’t be afraid to center an outfit around a cardigan or a scarf–it doesn’t have to be centered around the shirt/pants/skirt.
• Belts: I really like the look of belts over tees, but I always feel silly in them. Vanessa had this advice: “Yes, you can wear belts.  It’s a style that anyone can wear. You should wear either a very thin belt that wraps around 1-2 times OR a wide belt 3-4″ wide. Try to stay away from the normal size 1-2″ belts that you might be used to as they are not flattering or modern. You can get braided belts, solid belts, stretchy belts, anything really as long so the width is good. Target has some very nice leather belts that I was impressed with.  They were a little on the pricier side–around $30-$35, but for leather, it can be worth it as it will last a long time.”
• What to hang? Vanessa says to hang everything you use to make an outfit out of–this would include tees and sweaters. That way, you have everything at your fiungertips and you don’t forget about that “one sweater at the back of your bottom dresser drawer.”

My closet after; doesn't it look nice and organized?

A couple days after we were done Vanessa gave me a folder, complete with reminders on the outfits we talked about, suggestions on a few key items to buy, and pictures to show what I should be looking for. It couldn’t have been a more complete job. The best part? I consciously get ready in the morning–no longer am I throwing on sweats because I’m feeling lazy which translates into feeling a whole lot better about myself.

Breezy Tip: Want Vanessa to help you out? She has a package for any occasion, pricing is below. You can contact her at: revampyourstyle16@cox.net.

Complete Package Special which includes:
Consultation with Closet overview (3 hour max), Shopping (3 hours) & Showing (no time limit) $125.00
Need an overhaul of your own personal wardrobe?
Consultation with closet overview (3 hour max.)$50 total
Closet’s done, but you need help purchasing some/all items!
Personal shopping $25/hour
Know what you want, but don’t have the time to go get/find it?
Shopping $25/hour
Have a special event coming up and no idea of what you should wear?
Special occasion (family pictures, weddings, reunions…) $25/hour
Need to replenish your kids’ wardrobe for the new season?
Kids’ wardrobe $25/hour
Want your hubby to look a little, well…cooler?
Husbands’ wardrobe $25/hour

About Vanessa Corbett of Revamp Your Style: With a degree in textiles and merchandise management, Vanessa’s fashion career started with four years of retail management, where she then moved on to her true passion–buying. She worked as a buyer for five years in the action sports industry with such companies as Volcom and the Tilly’s chain of retail stores. Vanessa’s love of clothing, accessories, shopping, and people have led her into her current exciting adventure–being a personal stylist. She helps moms find their inner style and brings it out by going through their closets and reconfiguring outfits as well as being their personal shopper. Not only does she do this for moms, but she can do it for their children as well. Interested? You can email Vanessa directly at: revampyourstyle16@cox.net

Want to be in the know?  Make sure to subscribe to Breezy Mama — it’s free! Click here!

Related posts:

1. Your Go-To Outfit: Winter Breezy Mama’s Go-To outfit whiz, Vanessa, is back with yet...
2. Your Go-To Outfit: Fall Breezy Mama Vanessa — our fashion expert — brings new...
3. Your Go-To Outfit: Kid’s Birthday Party I don’t know about you, but I’m always wondering what...
4. Your Go-To Outfit: Date Night Hello, a night out with no kids! We’ve previously given...
5. Best Jeans for Your Butt Type and More Whether you’re little in the middle, but you got...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.