We Went for Baseball. Edit Your Wardrobe (and Dress Code), Don’t Start Over
My hubby and I took a trip to Baltimore for baseball over Labor Day. We not only had a great time watching the Red Sox play the Orioles, but we also learned so much about Baltimore history. We’re huge Red Sox fans, and last year we decided it would be fun to visit all 30 MLB stadiums. Over Labor Day, we walked into ballpark 11: Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
I had the baseball version of the trip semi-planned in my head. A food tour, a ball game, and good food and wine. That’s how I initially thought about visiting the ballparks.
What keeps happening instead is that, as we travel to different cities, we learn amazing history about the US, the neighborhoods, the people, and fascinating stories. The trips are so much more than baseball.
Camden Yards is a good example. The ballpark was built on land that was part of the original B&O Railroad. Yes, the same B&O Railroad from Monopoly. Someone was willing to keep a piece of history and build around it. Now you have Camden Yards, one of the parks people actually travel to see, not just pass through on the way to somewhere else.
How I work with clients
As a stylist and a consultant, I can’t stop thinking about how similar this is to how I work with clients. We edit, update, and build using what they have. It doesn’t matter whether it’s with a one-on-one client (in a closet) or in a conference room with a leadership team that wants an updated dress code people can actually follow. In both situations, it’s not a complete reset.
Whether I am working with a one-on-one client or a corporate client, my question is: how do you want to show up, be remembered, and be thought of?
A woman in business may come to me thinking she needs a whole new wardrobe, when in reality she needs a few key pieces. A firm may think it needs to create a brand-new policy, but really it’s a few key additions to clarify expectations.
Every day is a new day, and you decide to get dressed with intention in what feels authentic. You decide what you want to keep. You decide how you want to stand out and be remembered. Then you edit. Then you update. Then you build.
When I put an outfit together for a client, I still ask them to try it on so I can check to see how it fits, literally and figuratively. It’s not about trends; it’s about whether they stand taller and feel confident. If the answer is no, it does not matter how good it looked on the rack.
Before you buy a new wardrobe: 3 questions
Before you buy a new wardrobe, walk through what you already own and ask and answer these three questions:
- What do you already have that makes you stand taller? Keep that; make a note to buy similar.
- What are you holding onto for later (a job, a size, or a version of you)? Let go of those pieces.
- What are the pieces you wish you had or know you are missing? Is it a jacket, a pair of pants that fits your body now, or good, comfortable shoes that go with your outfits? Those are the pieces to add. Check out the A Few Key Pieces blog.
Most closets I edit do not need 40 new things. They need the gap filled and the guilt removed. Then getting dressed gets easier and more fun. For more information, check out the Permission to Let Go blog. You can check out How to Stop Feeling Like You Have Nothing to Wear.
Before you update the dress code: 2 definitions
A company is not that different. A one-line dress code, “business casual,” “dress for your day,” doesn’t provide clarity. Ten different people will picture ten different outfits. My job is to ask what the company’s values are, what its vision and brand are, and who it works with.
Before you rewrite or update the dress code, ask or define these items:
- Define business casual and business professional by giving real-life outfit examples based on the setting: a client day, in-office, virtual, Friday logo apparel day.
- If team members wore the outfit examples given, would they feel comfortable if a client stopped by unexpectedly, or if they attended a leadership meeting or represented the company at an event?
A clear policy and examples clarify expectations.
We are still planning on Ballpark 12 & 13 for next year. I will go to the games and leave time to explore whatever we did not plan for.
If you would like to learn more about working together, email me at elisa@turnkeystyle.com
Elisa Ellis is a Dallas-based Wardrobe Stylist and Consultant, the founder of Turnkey Style, and author of The Style Advantage: I Say What HR Can’t. She has been mentioned in or featured in the Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, The Guardian, CNN, and ABC Affiliate in Dallas, TX, WFAA. She works one-on-one with women in business and partners with companies on dress-code guidelines, trainings, workshops, and keynotes. The trainings and keynotes can be CPE-eligible for CPAs.