I Sold Everything in My Closet and Hired a Stylist—We Picked Out These Pieces for My Rebrand

I sold almost everything in my closet last month. 270+ pieces shipped off to TheRealReal.

I wasn’t moving or heartbroken. I did it because I looked at a wardrobe full of gorgeous things that should be making me feel beautiful, and instead, I felt lost. That feeling had been building for a while—my closet was full of everything from my first pair of big girl pumps (Gianvito Rossi) and white leather Gucci slides (truly an era), to Thom Browne runway pieces that had no business being worn to dinner in LA. I had handfuls of ornate Zimmermann dresses and 20+ pairs of jeans that all required a very specific shoe to look good (you know the kind of jean I’m talking about).

Mind you, in the midst of all of this collecting, I’d lived a very full life. I got my first job, met my husband, sold a company, pivoted into private equity, pivoted out of private equity, had two babies...and along the way, I lost sight of the version of myself I wanted to be presenting to the world.

It was time for a rebrand.

I’d always thought hiring a stylist was for celebrities and red carpets, but my friend Pia Mance (Founder of Heaven Mayhem) educated me on the everyday benefits of a personal stylist. She inspired me to treat this as my rebrand, and so I applied the same formula I’d apply to a brand to myself. Said formula requires an overarching vision and strategy, but it also requires you to partner with the subject matter experts in bringing that vision to life.

Enter my stylist, Zoe Stewart.

I know, intellectually, that I have good taste. But the level of expertise you need to know exactly which t-shirt will fall just so on your specific body is incredibly high; it requires daily research, deep industry understanding, and hours of trial and error. You need to understand fabric composition, color theory, seams, and cuts. The reality is that I do not, and as a result, my outfits felt like something anyone would throw together versus the considered, almost surgical thoughtfulness I wanted them to convey.

If admitting to yourself that you have a problem is the hardest part, finding the right stylist is the second-hardest. Once I started asking around, I realized that most women whose style I admired worked with a professional. So I went deep into who they worked with; Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Substack became my best friends. Let yourself fall down the rabbit hole. There are so many talented stylists out there, but I knew how critical it was that I found the one that understood me on a deeper level—not just my aesthetic. When I found Zoe, it just clicked; there’s a sense of restraint in her work, and she has a sharp eye for silhouette, texture and proportion. I love an architectural, layered look that’s rooted in simplicity and minimalism—she has this instinct for making clothes feel just so: modern, specific and entirely natural to me.

Let’s get into the brass tacks of what I wish I had known about hiring a stylist from day one. First and foremost, I put it off for so long because I was deeply intimidated. I’ll be so honest: It’s not nearly as scary or unattainable as you’d think.

Mind you, it does require investment—money and time. I offset much of my new wardrobe expenses by parting with my old pieces, but stylists charge a fee for their time and expertise (as any expert does). Zoe and I work in a retainer capacity, so instead of charging by the look (where she’d source a head-to-toe outfit for me for a particular event), she charges a monthly fee that covers 15 hours of styling services per month. Some of that scope includes:

• Creative direction across my wardrobe and appearance
• Researching, selecting, and presenting outfit options aligned with my aesthetic, for upcoming events but also in my day-to-day
• Closet audits and wardrobe editing sessions
• In-person and virtual fittings
• Shopping on my behalf
• Advising on gifting
• Loan coordination

She started by presenting me with an initial deck of dozens of foundational pieces and had me order around 30. She then came to our first fitting with a dozen more hand-sourced one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, accessories, shoes, and bags. When I think about the time it would have taken for me to research and find all of those pieces, I’m nauseated. And frankly, many of the brands I never would have found or ordered from without her recommendation.

We played with clothes for hours and none of it was about shopping, buying more, or consumerism. It was about maximizing what I had and leaning into the silhouettes, fabrics, and proportions that I looked and felt the best in.

The wardrobe I have now is the smallest I've ever owned; so small, in fact, that my husband can fit his clothes in our closet for the first time in ten years (he’s ecstatic). It’s also the only one I’ve ever loved. Every single piece was chosen with intention. Everything works with everything else. There are no orphans, no work versus weekend items; in fact, there’s one pair of leggings and one sweatshirt. I have nothing lazy or sloppy to fall back into. Moving forward, Zoe will help me evolve that foundational wardrobe for the seasons, craft new looks for opportunities, and help me continue to refine and sharpen my perspective.

So without further ado, let’s talk about what made the cut.

Tops

Bottoms

Dresses

Shoes

Bags

Accessories