Student Styled: Building A Career- Ready Wardrobe

*This was supposed to be posted months ago but somehow I skipped it in the lineup!

This has been a busy week, if I am honest a busy few month! Lots of overlapping events and projects. BUT I was more than willing to juggle them all because they were projects that I love! One of the projects was me getting to work on a professional styling session with a student. If you have read any of my posts, you know this was one I was extra hype to do! Anytime I get to pick out clothes and make outfits, I am all in. Add in working with students to understand the importance of their appearance and helping them to pick out outfits to fit their style and career choice and its extra icing on the cake! Lucky for her, picking out new clothes happened to align with the second project I was also excited about; the Career Closet Pop-Up Shop I started last year.

“Confidence sometimes starts in the closet and carries into every room after.”

When we met, I was prepared to ask all the exploratory questions I would usually ask a new “client” to try to understand their lifestyle needs, personal style, and what they want to accomplish by working with me. However, to my surprise, she came prepared including a PowerPoint with inspiration pictures and her desired style direction! I love a girl that knows what she wants, even if she needs a little help with getting there. After taking a look at the inspiration she brought and asking a few additional questions about her intended career field, what type of image might go along with that career, and talking about what she already had in her closet that we could build around, we got to work!

First thing we did was go into the Career Closet. For the second year, I have hosted a Career Closet Pop-Up Shop. This Pop-Up Shop is a two-day event where all of our University students are able to come and pick out one complete professional outfit (more to come on this soon). As a student, I wanted to make sure we started with getting her professional outfit. Did I mention the outfit is FREE for the student?! By knowing what she had in her closet and the pieces she still needed, we were able to be intentional about what we selected from the Career Closet. After pulling some pieces that we talked about her needing in her professional wardrobe, we picked out a few tops, a blazer and even a skirt, which she said she hadn’t worn before but was open to trying. You ever seen someone have an AH-HA moment? It is such a good feeling. She had never tried on a skirt before, and I am glad she was open to trying something new because it was great fit for her. You could literally see her face light up and her smile grow as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was an instant confidence boost as she saw herself in a new light.

After trying on our picked-out options, we settled on a black pencil skirt, a red blouse and a black blazer. She also found a pair of black flat to complete her outfit. After completing our shopping in the Career Closet, we made our way to some online shopping to round out her new wardrobe. Because she shared her style is usually about comfort and ease/simplicity, we chose mostly neutral colors that she would be able to mix and match to maximize her outfit options with with minimal pieces. When all was said and done, Teri walked away with 1 blazer, 2 skirts, 1 pair of jeans, 4 tops and 2 pair of flats. This paired with the items she already had in her wardrobe has helped build a well-rounded wardrobe that will allow her to confidently begin her professional career journey. Thank you Teri for trusting me to help you build your wardrobe.

With Style & Grace

-Bianca