5 Pieces a NYC Personal Stylist Is Editing Out Of Clients' Wardrobes

“It’s fine, it fits” literally comes up during almost every closet edit. It might sound harmless, but it really ruins your overall style. Let me emphasize: it’s not that the clothes are bad, but for a lot of us we have this mindset of, “It still fits, it’s doing the job, why would I part with it?”

And my answer as a NYC personal stylist is simple: just because it technically fits does not mean it’s right. Your clothing is the one area of your life that you have to deal with every single day- you have to get dressed every day and spend probably at least 8 hrs in the outfit of choice, so “it’s fine” shouldn’t be the determining factor.

Can we please do a little better than that? Does the bar need to be that drastically low?

I’m a believer in lifestyle first, so even if your lifestyle is super casual, as it is for most of us, can we at least make your wardrobe say, “This outfit makes me happy.” If you were to run into someone in the “it fits” piece, you wouldn’t be mortified.

A piece of clothing can technically fit you, but if the first thought when wearing it is, “It’s just fine,” it’s not it anymore. It’s not you anymore; it’s weighing you down, and you’re not excited to wear it. And listen, I understand a white tee might not be the most exciting thing- but it should still be better than “it’s fine.” I still want you to like the way it fits; the cotton feels great- you get where I’m going with this. We aren’t settling; that’s where I am going.

I’m not telling you to toss your closet and start over. I’m telling you that removing the “it’s fine” pieces and bringing in the pieces that actually have you smiling- that’s what’s needed. That’s what’s going to help you regain some energy, feel better looking in the mirror, and truthfully maybe put yourself in front of more opportunities because you know you look that good.

So with all of that said, these are some common pieces I see as a NYC personal stylist in my new clients’ closet edits. This is the part of our styling journey where we are reviewing what you have- again, not to purge it all, but really to create a list of what’s truly needed and, yes, purge those pieces that are “just fine” because we’ve decided that the bar can’t be that low.

Here are five I’m editing out of client closets this fall as a NYC personal stylist, and why.

Rothy Classic Flats:

They’re comfortable, they’re washable, everyone owns a pair, and it’s also a stretchy cloth shoe. Now, I’m not against all Rothy’s- like this pair, could totally understand as a washable sneaker, especially if you go to sporting events often! But these flats, wearing to work, I hate. You might have a great outfit on, one that fits you so well and you look 10/10 but then you have this cloth flat on, just doesn’t make it feel as elevated as you’d like.

I would suggest switching to something like this; it still gives you the arch support we love in our Rothy’s, but it’s not a stretchy cloth. If you don’t want Zebra- understandable- choose from the ten other colors. I also love more of the almond toe; it’s going to elongate your leg like a pointed-toe flat but not as formal.

The Silk Flutter Sleeve

The silk flutter, especially in these prints, to me, they feel very juvenile and instantly reminds me of the Limited Too era. Also note, if you have more of an inverted shape, so your shoulders are wider than your hips, the last thing you want to do is draw attention to your shoulders, and this is screaming for the attention. I’m not saying don’t do a print or color, but this as a whole feels juvenile.

The cuts below would work better. If you want to keep more of that cap sleeve, or if you want to do the silk blouse, just look for a longer sleeve. Notice how, by just being a longer sleeve, it looks more updated, and if you have an inverted triangle shape, it wouldn’t be a bullseye stare to your shoulders. These are just two examples; you can browse tops here.

Ankle Boots

No, not all ankle boots! I’m specifically talking about pairs of this type. They sit low, right around the ankle, with little to no heels and predominantly a round toe. They aren’t casual, yet they also aren’t dressy. The reality is they work with few pants, outside of just straight-leg jeans, and if you wear them with a skirt- specifically midi length they cut your leg in the most awkward spot. Essentially, they’re not doing anything for you.

Switch to something like below; essentially, the higher shaft does wonders for elongating your leg versus cutting it off. You can do a heel or a flat; this is the updated version. Again, the almond toe vs. a round!

These boots and al of the other shoes are linked here!

Pull-on Ponte Pants

These are just leggings, and you can’t convince me otherwise! The only time I would deem these pants justifiable is when you’re expecting; I get it. I style women of all sizes, and I have plenty of women that owned these because they carry their weight in the mid-section, so elastic waist- again reasonable. I have so many alternatives for you though!!! The tight leg with the ponte material, is doing more harm than good and its just a legging that you’re wearing to work.

As I mentioned, there are so many options! I also think the beauty of dressing for the office now is that you can have more personality in your outfits versus, let’s say 10 years ago. We’re seeing more business casual, so it doesn’t have to be just another pair of black pants like below a gorgeous plum pair or these cargo black pants

Puff-Shoulder Sweater

The puff shoulder in general had us all; I loved a good puff shoulder! I’m now not so convinced (but that’s my personal styles, doesnt have to be yours) I still like the puff-shoulder for its job: to add structure- so if you have narrow shoulders, completely understand! However, these ultra-covered-up puff-shoulder sweaters aren’t it for you! When there is zero negative space like this, it feels overwhelming, and then to add on the prints, again, another piece I think feels very juvenile.

Versus even just a cardigan like this, again, an element of negative space- unbutton the cardigan a bit, a shorter sleeve. This obviously isn’t a huge puff shoulder, but it’s still the same vibe; it doesn’t feel like a 12-year-old's sweater.

All of my options for sweaters and everything above can be found here!

You don’t need to replace all 5 this week or any at all- but this is your sign to take inventory of what you have for the season. Are you loving all of it or have you outgrown a majority of it?

This is part of what we do on my complimentary discovery calls- assess really where your starting point in your wardrobe is; maybe it’s just a restyling of what you have, or maybe you have large gaps to be filled. I always encourage you to book one so we can dive deeper into it!