👜 I tried Allison Bornstein’s AB Closet Editing System

Allison Bornstein has taken the internet by storm with her wrong shoe theory and three word method, but my favourite of her systems is the AB closet editing system. I had the pleasure this week of reading Allison’s book ‘Wear it Well’ which I have decided is a must buy for any fashion lover. I immediately did the experiment in my own wardrobe, and this is what happened…

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What you will learn today…

🧢 The AB Closet Editing System in 3 Steps

👢 5 Takeaways from the AB Closet Editing System

👟 How can you dress oversized and delicate?

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The AB Closet Editing System

Step 1 - identify your ‘regulars’

These are the pieces which you gravitate to and that you wear on a day-to-day basis. They don’t have to be your favourite pieces, just the ones you come back to again and again

Step 2 - categories your ‘nevers’

The clothes that are left are your “nevers” i.e. the pieces you never or almost never wear. These need to go into three piles:

• no, never - these are the clothes you actively dislike, don’t fit you or don’t feel comfortable

• not now - these pieces are seasonal, or for a specific occasion, or you want to keep them but they’re not for this moment

• hows - these are the pieces you LOVE but don’t know how to style

Step 3 - organise by category and colour

The two categories to put back are your ‘regulars’ and your ‘hows’. Once you do this your wardrobe will be full of clothes you love! Allison recommends organising them by category and colour, and being as specific as you can. Now you can donate your ‘no, never's and store your ‘not now’s

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5 Takeaways from the AB Closet Editing System

Three “energies” that often play a role in the moon style root are protection, sultriness, carelessness. People with the moon style root need to feel strong, powerful, protected but also like they are careless and don’t care for the rules.

1. Your style is what you wear

   Allison’s focus on pulling out your regulars shows that it doesn’t matter what’s in your wardrobe; if you’re not wearing it, it’s not a part of your style.

2. The way your wardrobe is set up will dictate what you wear

   If your wardrobe is full of clothes you dislike, are uncomfortable or you don’t truly want to wear it will be harder to find the things you do love

3. Your wardrobe should prioritise functionality

   Your wardrobe should be set up in a way which makes getting dressed easy. The things you wear on a day to day basis are as important as the fanciest items in your wardrobe, and should be easy to access

4. Mix the things you don’t know how to wear with the things you do

   This sounds so intuitively obvious, but it’s something we never think of. So often, I find myself trying to pair a crazy item with a crazy item because I am so distracted by its craziness - in fact, wearing your crazy pieces with other pieces you trust is the best way to make it feel like a normal part of your style

5. Things you feel you should keep, but that you never wear, probably don’t belong in your wardrobe

   I felt so guilty about the idea of getting rid of some of the items which are “classics” or “timeless” or “basics” as I have but-what-if-I-need-it-in-the-future-itis. If you’re not reaching for it regularly, its probably not as much of an important item as you thought, and if you don’t love it, why keep it?

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WEEKLY CURATION

📙 Book - Wear it Well by Allison Bornstein | As you may have gathered, I loved reading Allison’s book this week. Her book is packed with fantastic insights and is so beautiful

🚪 YouTube - How I Made a Digital Wardrobe (& How It's Helping Me To Shop LESS!) by The Anna Edit| I am a huge digital closet nerd so I loved hearing Anna share her experience. I am definitely going to be looking into Indyx and comparing to some of my other favourite digital wardrobe apps

🌸 Reels - nature colour hunt by @motherblue_ | even though this reel is about an exercise you are supposed to with children, I think this is such a great way to think about colour and do our own colour explorations

🧸 TikTok - dressing like the polo bear by the real Lin shady | This is such a fun tiktok where Lindy recreates the outfit of the bear on her Ralph Lauren jumper - its so meta I’m obsessed

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🤍 Check out our Style Scholars community

Want to learn to dress your best? Go through the process of transforming your style with guidance across the year.

1. Weekly exclusive livestreams: workshops, Q&As, case studies

2. Resources: notion templates, exercises and challenges

3. Community: learn from each other, share your outfits and your learnings

Check out the Style Scholars community HERE

Upcoming Events:

• Wear it Well by Allison Bornstein | Book Club | 28th Feb

• How to AB Edit Your Closet | Workshop | 6th March

• How to find your 9 wardrobe essentials | 13th March

• Q&A | 20th March

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New Uploads:

🌹 YouTube - Find Your Sexiest Colour in 5 Minutes  | If you enjoyed my content on David Zyla, you will love this video! I break down your Romantic colour and how to wear it in your style

🌱 Reel - The 8 Style Roots | I break down each of the 8 style roots through the lens of personality

💗 Reel - am I a spring or a summer | I show the difference between spring and summer pinks against my facial features

🕷️ Reel - how to look edgy without black | Dressing moon when you don’t suit black can be a challenge, these are my solutions…

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Ask Me a Question!

This week’s question comes from Fern, thank you so much! She asks…

‘I have width and vertical which often means sizing up. This usually makes my outfits look more relaxed and oversized. How can I style these pieces to counterbalance this so they look more formal, delicate or sensual for example?

For Flamboyant Naturals, creating a delicate, soft feel whilst dressing for your lines can be a challenge. There are a few ways to combine your style with your body type, in this scenario where you want to keep your silhouette, colour, accessories and pattern are your friends.

Patterns:

• watercolour

• large florals

• polka dots

• gingham

Colours

• pinks or peaches

• greens

• blues

• purples

• yellows

Accessories

• large bows

• straw hat

• basket bags

• headband

• charm bracelet

I would love to use this newsletter to get to know you guys a little and create a little community of style fanatics! This newsletter is a great opportunity to answer some of your biggest questions.

If you would like to submit one you can do so using the button below:

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Until next time…

Thank you for reading this week’s newsletter. I post every Friday at 4pm. I am on a mission to make this the best style newsletter in the world, but I need your help. If you have enjoyed today’s newsletter, please share a link with a friend you think might like it to. And if this is your first time reading Curate Yourself, subscribe using the button below ;)

Ellie-Jean x

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