Taking back control...
January 10, 2024
Now that the decorations are back in the loft (?), there is no better time for a fresh start, a declutter (or I prefer to use the word 'edit') - it's time to take back control. Of course, this will mean different things for different people. It might be eating more healthily, drinking less alcohol, sorting the finances, organising your wardrobe or clearing out the kitchen cupboards. For me, it's about re-evaluating my priorities in business and ensuring I am working as effectively as possible (oh and all of the above too of course!) .
The need for a 'Wardrobe Edit' - It always tickles me how every time I mention these words to a client, they assume a ‘guilty as charged’ look about them! It’s a well-known statistic that we wear about 20% of our wardrobe, 80% of the time. This means you can very easily have a wardrobe (or multiple) full of clothes but when it comes to going out with friends or loved ones you feel you have nothing to wear. You might create a panic pile on the floor of your bedroom, frantically trying some previously successful outfits but now they are a bit tight, or not appropriate for the time of year or you just don’t feel good in them anymore. This can leave you feeling frustrated and despondent. Editing your clothes allows you to see the wood for the trees (or the ‘feel good’ outfit from the ‘that’ll have to do’). When we can really see what we have in our wardrobe and we know we feel good in it, our energy levels are boosted and we rediscover our confidence.
Meet Leah (below). I met her in a charity shop in Cheltenham. We were both commenting on each other’s purchases and got onto the subject of sustainability whilst paying for our pre-loved items at the till! Leah is an entrepreneur. She’s owned a number of businesses to date, all focussed on listening to the client's needs - much like my Personal Styling. Her latest venture is called The Art of Order , a professional organising service to organise rooms, sometimes whole houses and even workplaces… allowing you to cleanse your space and your mind and gifting you back your time.
I love meeting (and collaborating) with other women in business, so we decided to find out a little bit more about what makes each other tick over a cup of coffee and discovered our businesses have a great deal in common. These are just a few questions I put to Leah to delve a little deeper into her world:
What does a typical client look like for you?
There isn’t a typical client. Every client is individual in their needs. I have had clients who are highly organised, high earning professionals, hoarders, stay at home mums, and even those who are retired who have moved home and have downsized. The clients who utilise my professional organisational services are also a cross spectrum of men and women.
I love the strapline on your website: ‘edit, organise, breathe’. I imagine reorganising a room or someone’s home can be quite cathartic? Yes. Extremely cathartic, and on so many levels. I’m an empath, and I feel, and embrace, the sheer relief that my clients feel once the first and final edit is complete. They start to experience for the first time quite how liberating it is to be free from unnecessary clutter. How uplifting it can be to edit and cleanse your home, allowing your mind some clarity, and that sigh of relief after you’ve conquered something truly satisfying………….the feeling of being able to breathe! Hence my tag line ‘Edit. Organise. Breathe’! As this is exactly what happens, and in precisely that order!
Do you find clients are able to learn from the experience and adopt new ways?
Totally. Every client I have had the opportunity to work with has said how the process has helped them implement new systems in other areas of their home, and now they know the best way to approach it, will continue to do so.
As with any bespoke service, people will often assume it’s out of their reach. Can you give us an indication of what the cost might be to reorganise a bedroom for example?
A typical double wardrobed bedroom, along with drawers, maybe some under bed storage, along with vanity units etc., take approx. 1-1.5 days, based on an 8hr day. A days professional organising costs £240.
People are often shocked at the time it takes to fully edit & re-organise a room; to remove everything from the room, emptying each drawer and every item from the wardrobe, to then sort through each item adding it either to the charity, for sale, or the ‘return to the wardrobe’ pile takes longer than people think. Once the edit is complete I then return the items in an orderly and aesthetically pleasing fashion!
More often than not people fall short of a full edit of their bedroom as they become easily distracted, move on to something else, or lose interest, which in turns leaves the room/wardrobe etc. never being fully edit and re-organised. This is where my services are invaluable. I am very thorough, and I am able to stay focused and on track to ensure that set goals are met. Accountability is key!
There will be a huge push on sustainable fashion again this year, getting value per wear on items you already own or buying second hand to reduce the impact of your purchases. If we can all be a little bit more mindful of waste and more open to re-purposing items, it might just help make the world a better place?
For more information on Wardrobe Edits or any aspect of my Personal Styling services just drop me an email: wendy@styleandcolour.co.uk or call me on 07788 713554.
If you would like to find out more about Leah's services simply visit her website or email her at info@theartoforder.co.uk
