Build Your Wardrobe Support Team
Our principal personal stylist and founder, Natalie Tincher, shares the support squad options you should consider to make your style strategy easier and more sustainable—even when life gets busy.
Do you let things pile up (literally and figuratively)? Why do you think we do this? I usually find with myself and with my clients it’s because we don’t have the resources in place ahead of time to make getting sh*t done easier.
Like the piles of pictures and beautiful artwork that “needed to get framed.” This took us over a year to do (if I’m being generous) because we didn’t have our go-to framing shop. Fast forward to taking the time to do our due diligence and find the right resource. Now we’ve got Fahim at A & N Art Gallery, and our walls are finally filling up nicely (and much more quickly). Our frame guy is very knowledgeable; he has come to know us and our tastes; and his shop is two blocks away.
Life these days is a team sport, and we need our support squad in place to keep the relay going without any dropped batons. Your wardrobe and style support team is no exception.
Build Your Style Dream Team
Let’s start making a list of the wardrobe resources you need on your bench to be on call to step in whenever you need them.
List Your Ideal Team
List the team members you need to stay on top of your wardrobe strategy. If possible, make this list BEFORE you have a pile of needs—and update it regularly if you move or your team members change.Here are my suggestions for some of the key players you may need:
Tailor
Dry cleaner
Cobbler
Leather cleaner & repair expert
Personal stylist (of course!)
Sales professionals at your go-to stores
Identify Your Priorities & Nonnegotiables
You’ll want to identify your top priorities when building this team. For example, if you need close proximity above everything else, start searching and filtering there. These priorities and considerations could be the following:
Proximity to home or office
Hours of operation
Ratings & reviews
Referrals-only
Ma & Pa shop or multiple locations
Turnaround time
Cost
Specialty or multi-service
Extra services or offerings (free delivery, loyalty program, expedited services)
Identify your top non-negotiables for making this business or individual part of your team. You can start your search and vet your vendors using these as guideposts.
Build Your List & Lean on Your Team
As you build your wardrobe support team, keep their information on hand. We’ve created a free worksheet for you to download, fill out, keep on hand, and add to as your team expands: