inside a digital styling session

& how to prepare for one

Happy Friday! In all the noise of brand discovery, must have lists, “best-of”s, seasonal round-ups and endless aspiration (all of which I do love!), sometimes just peering into a regular person’s closet feels like a breath of fresh air.

How many coats do you have? All of your jeans are the same color. Oh, you have no jeans. You don’t own a pair of shorts or any necklaces. You have 50 purses and no dresses. Your most worn items are a Patagonia fleece and satin hot shorts. It’s all white t-shirts. For this session, you just want me to style this leather harness in for spring. Got it. I get a rush trying to unpack how someone’s inspiration, location, taste, lifestyle, budget, and comfort level nebulously knits itself into a functioning, inimitable wardrobe.

Continuing with the fashion-as-food metaphors, if Pinterest images and collaged flat-lays are the fully cooked meals, the “after” shot, then Indyx (or any digital styling app) is what’s in the fridge. It’s easy to look at a finished outfit or inspo board online and think “oh, the statement skirt is what really makes it, let me order that.” But, thinking about these finished images as cooked meals, the best meal you’ve ever had at a restaurant isn’t really indicative of a functioning, self-sustaining real-life fridge, just like one incredible outfit on Instagram isn’t indicative of a functional closet. It’s just a fabulous moment in time. It feels rare to get a peek into where a person is getting all of these outfit combos from. I attempt to speak to this, but like a chef, I gather tools most home cooks may not need, so that I can do my job more effectively. I’m part real person, part person with the equivalent of an All-Clad stainless steel pan set, immersion blender, creme brûlée torch, and sous-vide machine so I can be ready to teach multiple recipes.

That being said, how is the sausage made when someone isn’t getting gifted things from brands or walking the Challengers (no spoilers, I’m seeing it this weekend) movie premiere carpet or filming a closet tour for Vogue? That’s what I’m hoping to answer in these “behind the outfits” letters.

Speaking of, I could actually use an app that’s like Indyx but for your fridge. My wardrobe? Fully functioning. Fridge? Consistently full of the food equivalent of impulse purchase sequin skirts, jeans one size too small, and shoes I’ll never wear. I’m cruising inspiration like you would not believe, then eating the same lame thing every week. I need Tess to teach a masterclass on this. But I digress…

STYLING YOURSELF

The way Indyx is set up is just one personal styling method, but I’ve come to love it as both a stylist and user. Yes, it’s cumbersome to upload your entire closet (although using website flat-lays before trying to take any of your own photos does make it easier). I don’t digitize or track anything else in my life like books, movies, or workouts, but tracking my closet has helped me become more aware of how much stuff I have and actually inspires me to use that stuff. One minute I’m cruising my wishlist on The Real Real to pick an item to free from Obsessions Jail, only to open Indyx to style it into my current outfits and ask myself if I can go without or just use one of my 232 closet items first…

Herein lies the biggest problem Indyx solves for me. It does not feel like I have 232 things laying around in my tiny NYC bedroom as most of them are strategically zipped into giant underbed bins. I don’t see all 232 things, so I don’t use all 232 things. Something about the digital interface also satisfies the sad little lizard part of my brain that thinks it’s more fun to online shop and look at flat-lays of items I don’t own than it is to play with my clothes.

Now when I feel shoppy, I’ll first paw through my digital rolodex while watching Mad Men or whatever, and then pull those specific pieces when I’m ready to fully don a new combo. No physical exhaustion or post-movie-montage try-on clean up required. When I’m ready to shop, I also have better evidence to point me to a smarter purchase instead of impulsively checking out on a piece I desire in a vacuum, that has no business actually coming home to my close. You can also try this yourself, first. The app is free.

A few outfits I’ve made that I love!!

As a stylist, I’ve also found it helpful to be able to understand a client more deeply despite not having access to their closet in person. If someone asks in an Instagram Q+A how to style a skirt, I can provide plenty of theoretical ideas, which may still leave them shopping, and then spending on yet another piece that may solve that one style ask, but would still then need to be styled with everything else in their closet. I love being able to “close the loop” (corporate barf, sorry, I can’t think of another phrase here) on a question by answering it in the context of their reality.

THE DIGITAL STYLING SESSION

Digital styling is an excellent tool for people who have mostly pieces they love and that fit them well, but want some help turning these pieces into a functional work capsule, a packing list for a trip, or just fresh perspective on anytime looks. A digital stylist can also help analyze your closet to identify holes in your wardrobe, discover brands and pieces in your budget and taste preferences to fill those holes, and then style the new pieces into looks with pieces you already own. As it’s item driven, digital styling is best suited for wardrobe refinement and/or expansion, in my opinion. If you feel that your main issue is pieces not fitting correctly, or you’re looking to start anew after a major change or life event, you may want to consult an in-person or Facetime stylist who can better assess silhouette options.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at a client I recently styled for a vacation.