Boutique Box - Your Style , Closet Clearing

5 Pieces to Buy if Your Body has Shifted

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:06:00 +0000

Buying your correct size is an act of self-love.

We don't need to go into a diatribe of the pressures put on women to 'fit in' to society.

The ideal 'body' has changed numerous times over the course of history.

So let's just leave it at YOUR BODY IS THE PERFECT BODY.

Now, since your body has shifted, the best thing you can do for yourself is wear clothes that fit. You don't need a whole new wardrobe, but you do need to make sure you have at least a small assortment of pieces that mix & match that fit & feel good NOW. We hesitate to call it a capsule because that's a trendy word designed to try to simplify style for women. Understandable, but style is so personal and the capsule wardrobe is so formulaic. With Intelligent Style, you'll develop an innate knowing for how to play with the clothes in your closet and know what will add value when you do want to add something new. Each new piece should create 2-3 new outfits. As your wardrobe evolves and your Intelligent Style (ISQ) improves, you'll be able to create 8-10 new outfits with each new piece.

So this is less about a capsule and more about a foundation.

And so, before you buy anything ...

STEP ONE: GET IN YOUR CLOSET

Try everything on!

Assess what fits and what you can wear now.

Anything that doesn't quite fit or definitely doesn't fit, you can set aside. Ideally, not in your closet. This will help with your clarity for each morning to mix & match a new outfit.

STEP TWO: PLAY WITH THE PIECES YOU CAN FINAGLE

Some pieces may be too big or a smidge too small, but they can still work. They won't be as comfortable (we do want more comfortable), but they'll get you through the transition until you add more pieces you LOVE beyond the first foundational 5.

Jacket that is too big can be belted at the waist.
Bottoms that are a smidge too small can be worn with a blouse untucked (but not too big nor too flow-y).
That blouse untucked can be belted at the waist, slightly front tucked into the bottom, and/or left to flow if they skim the body.

STEP THREE: ADD YOUR FOUNDATIONAL FIVE

These pieces are intended to work well now and shift with you if you do find your body shifting again. Some you may already have in your closet!

-1- Simple Pant or Skirt
This is basically a great fitting but very versatile bottom. Whether it's a pant or skirt is depending on your work environment and your personal preference. We've found people tend to err towards pants or skirts as a go-to and then like to have some options in the other category for time to time. You know which one you are.
-2- Great Neutral Long Sleeve Blouse
We love a white blouse, but that doesn't work for everyone. Neutral is something that will literally go with anything -- patterns, darks, lights, etc. This gives you maximum versatility. Then, you add your accessories for color and personality.
-3- Update your Go-To Blazer with Some Stretch
You may say you don't want to invest in a new blazer when you don't know if you'll shift again, but to have a go-to great blazer changes the game for getting ready quickly. And this is YOUR style of blazer. Maybe that means it's actually a moto, maybe it's a sweater jacket, maybe it's a boyfriend blazer, maybe it's a classic one-button. But, a great blazer is going to usually need to fit pretty close to the body to look it's best, so a style that has some stretch to it will give you more comfort while getting that close to the body fit that makes you look your best.
-4- An Updated Elevated Casual Bottom
This could be a jean, a skirt, or a stretchy linen pant. We're less business formal these days and we also have lives out of work, so a bottom in a more casual, but still elevated fabric takes us through many occasion.
-5- Great Knit Short Sleeve Top
A great quality knit reads like a silk blouse for underneath a blazer or with your favorite bottoms, but it gives you the comfort, versatility and flexibility of the knit. Any color, print, etc.

A few things to note with these recommendations:

We're not giving you visual examples because every person's style is different and we don't want to add bias.
These are all styles (note the fabrics) that will move with you as you shift. One thing we tend to be good at is helping people find pieces that are flexible.
You can mix & match with just these 5 pieces to create 10+ outfits, especially as you add in your accessories, shoes, belts, etc. All those pieces that don't shift when your body shifts.

Ready to LOVE your wardrobe and TAKE BACK your mornings?

This includes a powerful guide for getting into your closet:

NOTE: We open up membership enrollment the 3rd week of each month and you'll be the first to be invited.

Transform your Closet in 10 Minutes (at a time)

Wed, 08 May 2024 15:23:25 +0000

While the wardrobes of women getting dressed for work tend to need more than just a capsule, thinking about getting dressed within the capsule framework will multiply your wardrobe and make it a lot more fun to decide what to wear for the day ahead.

First, what is a capsule wardrobe?

35-40 pieces – a mix of tops, bottoms, jackets, shoes, and accessories – within a color story that mix and match together. With 35-40 pieces, you can get up to 100 outfit combinations.

If that seems extraordinary, consider this mix of pieces:

INTELLIGENT STYLE INQUIRY: How many outfits can you create from these 7 items?

Rather than looking at it as 2 outfits to wear with this one jacket, you can see all the different outfit combos when you consider the shoes, layering, and accessories.

Now, how do we leverage the capsule mindset?

Within the capsule framework, you’re wearing EVERYTHING in your closet. Every piece has a purpose. You’ve included each piece with intention. You add new pieces and immediately create 3-5-10 new outfits.

You leverage the capsule mindset by deciding that from now on, every piece in your closet has a purpose. You WEAR everything. Maybe not all the time (those cocktail dresses), but when the occasion arises, you’re prepared and excited for what you get to wear.

We’re not committed to ONLY capsule wardrobes because they’re constraining. That’s how they’re designed. But we are committed to ONLY buying things we love that make us feel amazing right off the bat. (Editor’s note: Some pieces you LOVE but you’re also not 100% yet off the bat … those are pieces that will move you along in your evolution of style.)

And how do we get here in only 10 minutes (at a time)?

Intelligent Style leverages a concept called embodied cognition. Embodied cognition is learning through experience. Embodied cognition is when you know something so innately, that it feels effortless. Intelligent Style is effortless. You get to effortless through experience.

What keeps us stuck from doing something we’ve always wanted (like have a closet full of clothes we love) is the overwhelm of the project.

So, let’s break it down. 10 minutes at a time.

Go into your closet.
ID 5 pieces you LOVE.
ID 5 pieces you want to love and you’re not yet ready to let go of.
ID 5 pieces you never wear and keep ‘just in case.’
For those ‘just in case’ pieces, immediately add them to your donation or resale pile.
Also for those ‘just in case’ pieces, note if you do need this item and add it to your ‘wardrobe action plan.’
Take those 5 pieces you want to wear and pick one to play with to create outfits NOW. Spend these remaining 7 minutes playing with clothes.

→Yes, you should not be over-thinking each of these categories. You KNOW. So the first 6 steps should take 3 minuets or less.

For your next 10 minutes:

Pick another 1 or 2 from your want to wear pile to play with and create outfits. These pieces tend to be the ones that stretch you to your next level of your style evolution. There was something about them that made you say YES to adding it to your wardrobe, even if you weren’t quite ready to OWN wearing them.

Step into it. Embody your next level.

For your next 10 minutes:

Rinse and repeat these 10 minutes of embodied cognition until you’ve gone through your whole closet and are left with ONLY pieces you LOVE and wear.

DIVE DEEPER WITH THIS FREE WORKSHOP ON 8/16/24

It's time to CHANGE your Shopping Experience

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 02:00:00 +0000

"Well, shopping is a disempowering experience."

I made that statement in a conversation with a friend discussing my plans for Boutique Box.

And in that statement is what has always been my end game with my work: to SHIFT the shopping experience for women from disempowering to empowering.

I went to work in corporate fashion because I loved the power of style. For me, style is a form of self-care. Style is how I show up for myself. And, I have never had a giant wardrobe. It's always been intentional, in part because of necessity and a minimalist budget.

However, in my 6 years in Corporate, I quickly saw a disconnect between the customer and the designer.

As a merchandiser,

it was my job to analyze sales data to use for future design and buying strategy. It didn’t take me long to see that our business was driven by mark-down sales. Not only did that not make business sense to me, but it meant that women were buying our clothes on sale because of our brand name.

Likely, the clothes were sitting in their closets unworn and unloved. Bought on sale because they were excited about a designer name on sale, but it wasn’t quite right. So, every time they’d go to put the piece on for an outfit, it never felt quite right. And thus it ended up on the floor or back in the closet.

At least that was my intuition at that time.

And as I worked with clients growing my first business, Ustyled,

it turned out that my gut instinct as to what was happening with those clothes bought on sale was accurate. The majority of pieces that still had the price tags on in a client’s closet was bought because it was on sale, a specific designer and they thought they could make it work.

In working with a client, we’d go through her closet piece by piece, breaking down the psychology of a purchase to get to the place of embodying the WHY behind each piece. Because even if something wasn’t quite right, there was a lesson in it. And if it was a piece she LOVED, there was something to highlight to bring in MORE of with future pieces.

So, even if an item didn’t stay, we learned something from it. Because, as much as I love Tim Gunn, you can’t and shouldn’t try to make all things work (in life, love and clothes).

So, how is shopping a disempowering experience?

If you don't feel your style or life needs represented by what's in the stores, it's not you. It's the system. Buyers are buying based off of what sold last year. Large groups are not understood, so just not represented.

For instance, one client who had a good sense of her style and a fairly straightforward size went shopping at a department store to take advantage of the markdowns. She knew what she wanted and needed (we call this a Wardrobe Action Plan). She spent 3 hours trying on SO MANY pieces and walked away with only 2 that worked. And, when I was a personal stylist, that's how much time (or more) I'd spend hunting to find pieces for a client. So let me underscore for you: It really is that much work.

Add to the frustration with styles, sizes for women aren't standardized, so how much confidence do you have ordering 'your size' between brands? Every brand runs different. Often, even within a brand, the sizes can vary widely. FIT for women is tough and larger brands are designing for scale, so trying to fit the most bodies. Of course, that means most people are left out of the equation.

To find pieces that fit your body, style and life while adding value to your wardrobe (we like to call this 'mix and match-ablity'), it's just going to take time and consistency. Hunt, buy, try, return, rinse and repeat.

Unless you shop with Boutique Box.

We're on a mission to empower women through style.

You do know your style. It's the process that has shaken your confidence.

With the Boutique Box Membership, we have you create a detailed Intelligent Style Profile, build your closet in the cloud with us, and then leverage that to find for you the perfect pieces to add value to your wardrobe. We will recommend 1 or 2 pieces at a time and you let us know if you want to try them. Imagine finally feeling supported in style and having fun with it again!