Reinvent Your Wardrobe From Home: Interview in Appgrooves

Reinvent Your Wardrobe – From Home & Your Smartphone 

Learn how to refresh your look sans shopping spree!

Tracy BlockStaff ReporterPublished: Sep 18, 2020Updated: Sep 19, 2020

“When you look good, you feel good. “

– Stylist Jacci Jaye

These days, we’re not all vying to shop ‘til we drop. Even though a 2019 report published by Statista.com stated that global retail sales of apparel and footwear reached 1.9 trillion US dollars – and are on the rise – given the global crisis, the shopping habits of consumers worldwide are changing. 

While financial struggles due to job losses have impacted shopping budgets for many, others simply lack the motivation to dress up while spending more time at home. Whether you’ve decided not to shop because money is tighter, or because you’re just not feeling all that fashionable, allow two fashion pros to teach you how to refresh your style. 

Relaunching Your Look

Over the course of her career, New York City-based stylist Jacci Jaye has worked on everything from large advertising campaigns to fashion editorials and e-Commerce to lookbooks. She’s also designed films, theater productions, and TV commercials. After years of working on commercial photoshoots and campaigns, she founded Wall Street Stylist, which caters mostly to executives and specializes in styling, personal shopping, and custom menswear. 

• RELATED ARTICLESMust-Have Apps to Improve Wardrobe & Dress Better

However, today, fashionistas everywhere are feeling the burn of getting all dressed up with no place to go. But, Jaye still encourages the fashion-forward to reinvent their wardrobes with minimal budget and effort. “Most people have too many options that they don’t know what to do with, leaving them wearing the same things over and over, just because it’s easy,” she says.

So, how do you even begin the process of repurposing your current wardrobe? Jaye offers the following tips: 

• Perform a general closet overhaul: Assess what you have and organize it. Clean out the back of the closet and get rid of everything that no longer works or fits.

• Go “shopping” in your own closet: Spend time experimenting and trying on combinations of things that you haven’t tried before. Also, take note of what can be perfected with minor alterations and make a pile to take to the local tailor. A lot of us have things in our closets that would be perfect with a few minor tweaks. Fit is everything, and can make an inexpensive garment look very elevated if it hugs your body in just the right way.

• Accessorize and add layers: Play with accessories mixed with your basic staples, such as clean, fitted shirts. You can also play with layers, as well as experiment with simple things, like the various ways to tuck in a shirt and the multiple methods to tie a scarf to make it look more elegant or casual, depending on the occasion.

• Mix and match: Try mixing and matching things you have not put together before. Fashion now is really about mixing highs and lows, like jeans with tailored shirts and formal pants with T-shirts. Throw away the old rules of what goes together and breathe some life into this task, instead.

Pro Tip: As long as you have the proper staple pieces in your wardrobe, according to Jaye, it is easy to reinvent your look. Season after season, the small additions of a couple of trend pieces or styling things in a different way to be on-trend will assist with minimal expenses surrounding a wardrobe refresh. 

The Lowdown on Looking Your Best

Right now, sprucing up your look may be the last thing on your mind. Nevertheless, Jaye says spending a bit of time on your personal style can work as its own brand of self-care. “I think that it is more important than ever for your mental well-being to present yourself in a way in which your image reflects who you really are and the way in which you want to present yourself to the world,” she offers. 

It is very easy to let this slip and to fall into a “style rut” in the name of comfort, but putting effort into your look doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable, according to Jaye. “When you look good, you feel good. It goes hand in hand, and in these trying times, I think we should all be very conscious in doing things that elevate our self-esteem and make us feel good in every way.”

Items You Can Still Flaunt Right Now

Even if you’re just venturing out for a few errands per week, Jaye encourages you to flaunt your favorite fashions. “I always have an assortment of leather ankle boots, fashion sneakers, and jackets, depending on the weather,” she says. “Pick one seasonal trend to feature, and don’t go overboard. Perhaps, add a pop of color via a scarf or an accessory – jewel tones are in this season – or add a cool vibe with a trendy leather or fringe jacket.” Jaye also says faux fur is very in right now, as is anything ‘70s inspired. 

Finding Fashion Inspo

If you’re seeking some style stimulation, Jaye recommends starting with the ShopLookand Fashmates apps. Next, you can graduate to Fashwire, a two-sided marketplace for both designers and consumers, which highlights both established and emerging brands. For consumers like you, Fashwire offers an interactive experience by allowing you to swipe, according to your preferences, and influence designers in real-time. 

More on the swiping … this feature allows users to stay engaged while exercising restraint, especially when it comes to pulling the trigger on your online shopping cart. Simply swipe left if you love a piece and right if it’s not your style, which can help you develop your personal fashion taste without breaking the bank. 

“It allows users to be smarter about their selections as they shop, avoiding the much-dreaded shopping spree,” says Kimberly Carney, Fashwire founder and CEO. “Swiping through designer’s collections in the marketplace gives consumers the opportunity to provide their feedback and be influencers, while giving brands important insights on consumer shopping behavior.” 

A Bit of Editing Goes a Long Way

In addition to Jaye’s tips on how to physically revamp your wardrobe, Carney says you can also utilize Fashwire’s “Swipe the Edit” feature, which was created to help you virtually improve your look. “Our editors suggest the ultimate curation of what they are seeing as the essential pieces for your wardrobe right now,” Carney explains. “Simultaneously, Fashwire’s MyWire social media feed is a unique environment where users post their personal style, and designers are able to share their collections and current inspiration.” 

The Future of Fashion

Believe it or not, COVID-19 will leave a lasting imprint on the fashion industry. “Fashion trends become particularly important in challenging times because it makes what the consumer is responding to – and buying – more vital than ever,” shares Carney. And, Fashwire aims to name and amplify these immediate trends by connecting consumers with designers and giving brands live insights surrounding what, exactly, is trending. In fact, designers are also struggling with the unpredictability surrounding the pandemic, and Fashwire can help them pinpoint exactly where to cut down on production costs and make informed business decisions for future collections, according to Carney. 

“Fashion helps to tell the story of who we are and that we care about what we wear,” says Carney. But, what that looks like is uncertain moving forward, and speaks to the core foundation and mission of why Fashwire was launched. “In the past several months, it has been particularly hard for brands to showcase their collections and sell their products,” admits Carney. “However, the Fashwire platform is rooted in solving a multitude of issues for the future of fashion.”