My Wardrobe Rehab Experience

On a typical day, here's how you'll find me dressed:

The unofficial official stay-at-home mom uniform: yoga pants, sports bra, tank top and sneakers. Despite how unglamorous this outfit is, I stand behind it; versatile, functional, comfy.

Last October, I wrote a post called What Not To Wear, where I lamented about the awful state of my closet and my need for an overhaul. In my post I mentioned my friend, Nancy, the best-dressed, most stylish person I know.

Nine months ago, Nancy was contemplating the idea of starting her own personal stylist business. Well, she's done it and I was lucky enough to be one of her first projects clients!

With a closet full of every size under the sun, clothes that didn't go with my SAHM lifestyle and client meetings, date nights and blog conferences that I longed to "dress up" for, I needed some major help. In other words, I was in need of some style of my own.

Nancy's company, Inside Out, Wardrobe Rehab entails a three-phase process: 1) Closet Overhaul, 2) Shopping and 3) Putting It All Together.  My experience spanned from March - July and honestly, I've never felt or dressed better.

1) Closet Overhaul was my favorite part. I love purging! It was so great having someone there with me as I tried on articles of clothing that have been in my closet for far too long and getting a second set of (honest) eyes to confirm that it was time to let go. I ended up donating nearly 50 items!

2) The Shopping phase was the most difficult for me because I'm not a big fan of clothes shopping in general and it was difficult for me to see what Nancy was seeing with some of the selections, but I trusted her and ended with some fabulous pieces that are timeless and will last forever.

3) Putting It All Together consisted of just that; creating complete outfits with what I already had in my wardrobe paired with my newly purchased items.

Here are a couple of my new looks:

Thank you for helping me bring my inner fashionista out, Nancy!

Among many of the fashion tips and tricks Nancy taught me, my four best take-aways were: 

1. Find a good tailor! All pockets can be sewn shut or removed completely and pants can (and often times should) be hemmed.
2. I look really good in bright colors, something I would have normally avoided.
3. A blazer and a necklace can do wonders for any outfit.
4. Nancy is awesome! Well, actually I already knew this, but her business, professionalism and fashion sense are amazing and I know, if she can help me, she can help anyone with their own wardrobe rehab.

If you have any questions about the clothes pictured above or my experience, feel free to ask.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post on some of the outfits Nancy has helped me put together for BlogHer '11... God bless her!

And meanwhile, please check out Inside Out, Wardrobe Rehab’s Website/blog, follow her on Twitter and Facebook for great fashion tips and advice on everything from finding the perfect dress to wear to a wedding, dressing for an interview and packing for your summer vacation.