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Cleaning out your closet each season can be a chore. Ransacking your wardrobe to find out whether or not pieces fit and flatter, and determine what items you need to buy quickly becomes overwhelming.
But Megan Dyer, owner of the Style Counsel in Akron, challenges you to view this task as an opportunity to find your style. With her Akron fashion styling and makeup artist service, she helps clients through a wardrobe cleanse that encourages self-discovery and fun on top of sorting through the mass of clothes in their closet.
“What I try to help that person do is see all the amazing potential they have right now,” Dyer says.
Since officially starting the Style Counsel five years ago, Dyer has worked in a multitude of closets and stores, thoroughly examining wardrobes for fit, size and texture to match a client’s lifestyle and personality, while helping them overcome obstacles like cost. Sometimes, she even goes on personal shopping trips with clients or buys them items herself. It’s all about embracing who you are through clothing.
Dyer gives us tips to turn the “chore” of cleaning out your closet into a revelation.
Style: What is It & How Do I Get It?
While the concept of having a personal style can confound many, Dyer says that discovering style is simple. “My personal definition of style is really listening to what you feel good in, things you’re interested in, and expressing that in what you wear,” she says. “It’s very important to know your comfort level, but then also ask the question, ‘How could I take it a little further?’ ”
Style is who you are, but style also means having the confidence to take risks and add to that comfort. Everyone’s journey to find a personal style is different. For example, Dyer found her sense of style spending time in her grandmother’s house.
Whenever she visited, she would raid Nana’s polished closet and jewelry cabinet in an elaborate game of dress up.
“She was really into style, fashion, makeup and beauty products but was always classy about it,” Dyer says. “She really took into consideration how she put her outfits together.”
While she was trying on clothes and experimenting with makeup, Dyer also learned to sew from her other grandmother. Making simple items such as scrunchies or elastic waistband skirts, Dyer found herself admiring the fresh looks. These two influences helped Dyer find her style: a combination of new trends and classics.
“I love quirky, interesting pieces, menswear and sporty items, and vintage too,” Dyer says. “I feel really good when I wear all black, but I’ve been exploring color a lot more lately.”
Find your style with a wardrobe cleanse.
Purge with a Plan
The intimidating task of cleaning old ill-fitting clothes out of your closet can be more manageable if you begin with a method of attack.
Before you dive in, pinpoint your goals. Is your priority to find the right cut, update your look or accessorize well? When Dyer starts cleansing a wardrobe through her Style Counsel service, she asks clients what they want out of the purge. Then she gives out a questionnaire that covers everything from what life stage you are in to your favorite ice cream flavor to how you spend your free time. It’s important to have fun with these questions to discover what kind of look and function you are seeking.
After you know what you want, Dyer suggests creating an inspiration board. Hers is a Pinterest-esque board with links to clothing items from shopping websites. You can make your own board by reflecting on your daily tasks and identifying what items of clothing work best for your lifestyle and complement your personality. For example, if you run every day, stocking up on activewear would be a good move.
“I really want to understand that person and what their day-to-day life looks like because it’s going to help me put a collection together,” Dyer says.
When it comes to evaluating a closet piece by piece, quality is the first filter Dyer uses to purge. She often finds that people have too many low-quality items in their wardrobe that can pill or stretch out. Examples are heaps of worn-down shoes or drawers full of cheap leggings.
“They have 30 pairs of leggings,” Dyer explains. “They need two good-quality pairs.”
While we often buy the cheapest clothing and accessories so that we can get more items, Dyer advises purchasing higher-quality items, even if it means having fewer pieces overall.
Another filter is whether a piece complements your style or makes you feel good. If that fringed sweater your aunt gave you makes you self-conscious because it’s too bold, chuck it. That cutout shirt you bought to be cutting-edge but feels too exposed? Out it goes. The freed-up space leaves more room in your closet for the right pieces.
Shopping Trip
Now comes the fun part: shopping! After eliminating the outgrown and unflattering clothing from your closet, make a list of what you need to round out your wardrobe. Dyer recommends starting with the staples.
“Shoes and pants are the most important items in a wardrobe,” she says.
Thrifting at local spots like Gerri’s Closet in Uniontown or Goodwill can help keep costs under control and still yield well-made pieces that might surprise you.
“I’m all about it!” Dyer exclaims of secondhand shopping. “This is a whole new world, people! You can get the best stuff and pay a fraction of the cost.”
Make a thrift trip faster by looking for certain categories of item — little black dress, power suit, maxi skirt. Dyer, a regular at Blue: A Goodwill Boutique in Akron, also advises hunting for labels you’ve had success with.
“I know the labels that I love and that are quality and fit me really well. When I find ‘em, I buy ‘em,” says Dyer. For her, that’s Giorgio Armani.
Leave room for a few on-trend looks to keep your wardrobe up to date. Dyer says that utility is returning this summer. Newly dubbed “low-key utility,” khakis and cargos are in, but unlike in the 2000s, these are more streamlined with fewer pockets and loops.
Also keep an eye out for the luxury trend with loose-fitting clothing and bold accents like neon and florals, the opposite of what has been popular for a while. “That’s going to be fun for people to get used to because for over a decade we’ve been wearing skinny jeans and everything pretty tight,” Dyer says.
Trends — and your body — are always changing, so she recommends at least an annual cleanse to help you feel confident in clothes that fit correctly and show your personality at that point in your life. It’s always possible to work around budget constraints to find a look you feel good in. For example, a businesswoman used the Style Counsel to find professional items on a budget. Dyer scoured shops such as Nordstrom, Blue: A Goodwill Boutique and Gerri’s Closet for timeless, edgy pieces like a white leather pencil skirt that fit the lady’s style not only for the office but also for a night out.
“To me, fashion is not trends. It’s not labels,” Dyer says. “It’s really an expression of your lifestyle, your interests and who you really are.”
Contact Megan Dyer for a wardrobe consultation at stylecounsel.co or on Instagram @the_stylecounsel.
Glam& Go
Get a fresh look with this simple routine from Megan Dyer, owner of the Style Counsel in Akron.
1. Skin care is key. Incorporate this year’s dewy yoga skin trend by cleansing your face then softly pressing on a mix of facial oil, foundation and moisturizer to wake up your skin for a natural flush.
2. Conceal. “You’re just taking a very simple concealer,” Dyer explains, “dabbing it just where you need it and then using that to cover those areas, maybe a little bit under your eyes, maybe if you have a blemish. That’s all you’re covering up.”
3. Finish it off. Lightly brush your lashes with black mascara. Add light pink lip gloss and a cream blush on your cheeks for an extra pop of color. “It’s a very minimal look, a great day-to-day look,” Dyer says.
Contact Megan Dyer for a wardrobe consultation at stylecounsel.co or on Instagram @the_stylecounsel.
