Well, after some long Saturday afternoons and lots of Youtube tutorials, the product I’ve been mentioning is finally here. Meet Wear Your Clothes, a template designed to help you fall in love with your closet, define your personal style, and break the purchase-then-purge cycle. The template includes prompts, some of my favorite style resources, and ways to plan for purchases that feel creative and not restrictive. The template is $14.99. Other templates in the personal style space are upwards of $70+ but I wanted something that felt like a tool not an investment.

If you’re new to Notion (where the template is hosted), it’s a free space to organize ideas, create lists, and plan. Trust me, it’s super easy to use and way better looking than Excel or Google Sheets.

If you’re like, “Why a template?” it’s a bit of a long story. Almost two years ago, I worked with a close friend to transform her closet. She had an impressive career, fab new role, and wanted a wardrobe that matched. We created a set of rules, a color scheme to follow, and over the course of many months, weeded out her haphazard collection of pieces collected over the years to replace it with intentional, aligned pieces. I loved the process and knew it wasn’t something I could replicate easily.

The inkling of a template was born.

I started using Notion when I went full-time freelance a little over a year ago. I needed a place to organize ideas/drafts for this newsletter, my client list, invoices, and personal goals. I fell in love with the platform and started imagining the template less as high-level concept and more as an actual project.

It’s tough to admit that even as a conscious consumer who shops almost 95% secondhand, I’m constantly cycling out clothes from my closet. I felt sick of the tote bags I made my husband drag to Buffalo Exchange for $13 in store credit. I knew it was time to build a tool to help clothes lovers (aspiring and already) break the cycle.

Personal style has been a project of mine since I was, really, four or five. A babysitter dressed me up in a fashion show of my greatest outfits, snapping pics for my mom, and the rest is history. Getting dressed has been my greatest joy always. And grief! I have vivid memories of meltdowns in front of my closet in elementary school over not knowing what to wear.

As an adult, I know I’m feeling off when I can’t land an outfit. It’s an outer indication of my inner wellbeing. Usually, I fall asleep picturing the outfit I’ll wear the next day. Not everyone loves clothes like this, but almost everyone understands the power of personal style. When we wear what makes us feel good, our days follow suit.

Here are the three takeaways I’ve had since using Wear Your Clothes over the past few months.

Visibility is Everything

There’s this tab called “Closet Inventory” in the template. And yes, it’s exactly what you think it is. While the hours I spent inventorying every piece of clothing I own weren’t delightful, they were integral to this process. Once it was all uploaded, I could organize by category and start asking questions like, “Why so many t-shirts that go unworn?” or “There might be too many jeans.”

The Importance of Dressing For Your Body (right now)

This feels touchy, but it’s important. I had all these dresses from when I was knee-deep in my ED. I’d try them on when I’d gone most of the day without eating, feeling smug and delighted by how they hung against my body. I never wore them outside the house because what if someone offered me food and I ate it and bloated a little? Basically, these harmless pieces of clothing were impossible benchmarks for a body I’ve never had. Time to move on! I sold them on Poshmark and felt deep relief.

Sentimental Is Reason Enough

You’ll notice there’s a tab in the “Closet Inventory” tab called “Origin Story.” I added sentimental, assuming I’d have a few shirts of my dad’s to add, but in the end, I realized I have a ton of sentimental clothing. What a gift! I’m so anti a capsule wardrobe where everything is sterile and solid and made from linen in Maine. Clothes carry feelings. And that’s ok.

Archived Outfit

Alright, let’s talk clothes! I’m going to rapid fire some random secondhand pieces I’m loving. Let’s get into it. The only rule? Must be under $50.

Summer is here! Ish, well, not really. This purse is $38.

Ignore my bad screenshot! This is an XL leather trench for under $40, people!

I’m obsessed with Mackenzie Child. This set! It’s $50.

Darling $30 pajama set. You could tie dye it, just saying.

Feeling boho slash don’t want to spend $280 on a shirt like this from a brand that rhymes with Boen? This is $48.

Honorable Mentions

I’ve been using this serum instead of my usual green face lotion and loving it. Also, just in time to save my winter skin, this barrier cream from Kiehl’s is a win.

My Last Innocent Year—This was a recommendation from my best friend. Not to speak for all these books, but I read all of them in the course of 2-3 days. This book is no exception. Think college campus, the wrong-ish kind of love, and growing up.

I’m Glad My Mom Died—Of course you’ve heard of this. I was apprehensive + proven wrong. Really moving and well-written.

Miss Aluminum—Ruby rec! Think Eve Babitz but a little more cohesive. It’s a memoir of motherhood in a very different time aka Hollywood in the 70s/80s.

Book Lovers—My foray into the world of romance! I had the time of my life with this book. I can’t recommend enough.

Thank you for reading! Seriously! I’m so happy to share this little template with you x