More and more men are working with personal stylists to help shape their style.  My male clients all want a hand when it comes to shopping for new pieces.  Either they’re not sure where to shop, what suits them, or how to put looks together.

I love helping them get their style mojo back so I thought I would share some extra tips here.  One of the easiest ways to run an efficient wardrobe is to consider creating a capsule wardrobe. It involves focusing on a limited number of key pieces that will form the core of your wardrobe.

Yes, there is some effort to getting a capsule wardrobe in place, but once it is done, you will shop for less, be efficient in getting ready quickly and stylishly, and ultimately feel more confident.

All the garments should work together

So, what could be in a male capsule wardrobe?  Well, you should aim for all the pieces to be timeless and preferably of good quality. This is because you will want to wear each piece year in and year out.

Everything needs to work together, so focus on a colour palette, e.g., black, tan and blue.  This will enable you to mix and match and wear clothing in several ways, getting the maximum wear out of each piece.

There are many theories on how many pieces are needed for a capsule wardrobe, a popular number is 33, which is what I’m using below.  However, the exact garments needed depends on the lifestyle of the person wearing them and how much storage space they have.  Just remember that the idea is to keep it to as few pieces as possible.

In my mind, the capsule wardrobe below is for a man who has a good social life, a hybrid job (sometimes works in an office and other times at home) and enjoys outdoor hobbies at the weekend.  As we’re in springtime I’ve focused on what can be worn now and during the summer.  However, if you want to go for a year-round wardrobe the lightweight puffer could be swapped for a heavy parka and the casual shoes swapped for heavier winter boots. You get the idea!

What to include in a capsule wardrobe for a man

• 2 x jeans (light and medium wash, or medium wash and black)
• 1 x chino trousers
• 1 x lounge wear joggers
• 1 x shorts
• 1 x trainers (neutral colours)
• 1 x casual high top boots
• 1 x leather smart shoes
• 1 x smart/casual shoe (boat or loafer)
• 1 x summer sandal or slider
• 1 x blazer
• 1 x waterproof jacket
• 1 x fleece or gilet
• 1 x lightweight puffer/quilted jacket
• 2 x round neck sweatshirts or hoodies
• 2 x spring knits (could include a cardigan)
• 2 x long sleeve T. Shirts
• 3 x short sleeve T. Shirts
• 3 x non-iron collared shirts (2 x smart long and short sleeved/1 short sleeve casual)
• 3 x polo shirts
• 1 x denim shirt
• 1 x overshirt (shacket)
• 1 x tan belt
• 1 x baseball hat

What do you think? Minimalist, huh? But in a good way – fewer pieces but they work together, so less chance of making mistakes when getting dressed.

When you’re creating your own capsule wardrobe really consider how you live your life and what you need.  Being strict with your colour choices will really help you wear clothes in different ways easily.

If you’d like a more bespoke service drop me a line at info@notgivinin.com and let’s go shopping.  For more information on this service read it here.

Gail x

Clearing clutter is essential to running an efficient closet space.  However, getting rid of clothes can feel wasteful and cause anxiety for some, including me.  But this year I’m going to turn my unwanted items into something more purposeful.  I want to freshen my wardrobe with new pieces and my unwanted clothes are going to pay for it.

I’ve not tried this before, but I’m a quick learner and have already made £380 toward clothes I intend to buy this spring.  My wish list includes pieces that are timeless, but still, it’s quite lengthy.  So, how am I doing this?  Well, I’ve been selling my clothes through Vinted.

An app you can download to your phone, it is known to be one of the easiest selling platforms to use.  It has simple instructions to follow and you don’t pay a fee to sell your goods or pay delivery costs.  The onus is on the buyer to pay postage, but there’s also a buyer protection of 3-8% they pay, which ensures there is re-course if the goods don’t arrive, are damaged, or not as described.

Back to selling, and here’s what I’ve learnt in the less than a month about selling on Vinted.

My Top Tips for Selling on Vinted

• Put the brand name first. People can search for garments, colours, etc., but if you have decent brands I would start with the title in the description.
• Don’t make your heading too niche. I added a coat of Steve’s and put Parka and got no traction.  I have since changed it to coat.  Perhaps someone doesn’t need a parka until they’ve seen the one I’m selling and are running searches for coats.
• Try and post as many as you can in one journey to save on your time and petrol costs.
• You can define the delivery services that you’re happy to work with. Evri, Inpost and Yodel all have shipping shops or lockers near me and near each other, so it’s an easy and quick task.
• Source cheap packaging. The large mailing bags from B&M are a decent size and you get 10 bags for £2.99.  I’ve also found local traders are great for low-cost packaging.
• You can also use old packaging bags that you’ve received goods in, like Amazon, ASOS, etc. Just make sure you cover old addresses and barcodes with the new address labels and packing tape.
• Wrap clothes in tissue paper or you use gift bags when you can for even greater presentation of the goods to the customer.
• Each customer is asked to review you as a seller. If you want to build a good reputation you want to communicate with buyers and deliver goods to them in an exemplary and timely fashion.  I aways drop a note to buyers to let them know when I’ve posted.
• Upload when you think people will be looking online, e.g., in the evening. I’ll upload just before drive time on an evening and on a Thursday or Friday night to get pick up over the weekend.
• Always upload at least three items at a time to get some traction, but no more than four. If you have lots I would upload a group of items over the course of a few nights.
• Take and upload as many photos as you can to help customers see everything clearly, especially any imperfections. Be honest about any marks or damage.
• Adding measurements can help sell an item. Or at least have a tape measure in the house as potential customers have asked me for measurements before so they know they’re buying something that will fit.  There is a no return policy on Vinted, so if it doesn’t fit they’ve wasted their time and money.
• If an item isn’t selling, it could be the way you’ve described it or the first photo they’re seeing isn’t appealing, so first I try and consider if the photo is doing the garment justice. Try taking a picture of you wearing the goods to show how it can be worn and with what.  You can upload 20 pictures.
• Vinted encourages low price selling, but if you have a brand that’s on-trend, sell it as high as you can. Customers will negotiate. You can always reduce the price if you feel its too high and not getting much interest.  Or you can bump a garment for a small price, which is basically advertising it at the top of people’s feed for a few quid.
• Don’t be afraid to barter. A lady contacted me to buy a faux leather black mini skirt.  I had it on for a low price and she tried to lower me again by two pounds, so I wrote to her and explained that I knew this type of garment is going to be a really popular fashion piece in the spring.  It is, I’ve seen them in retailers.  I explained she was getting a bargain and she paid me what I was asking.  It was still about 30% of what she would have paid brand new.  It was a steal.
• You can also offer your garments in bundles at reduced rate. You are given examples of how a bundle could be reduced, e.g., 10% or 20%.  I’ve not had any interest in this but I think this could be good if you’re selling lots of the same thing, e.g., baby clothes.

Admittedly, I’ve been on Vinted less than a month, but I’m super happy with my sales so far.  I will add more thoughts to this post or edit with updates as I go on, but for now, I’m happy with how things are going.  I’m really pleased to have some money to spend on clothes that I actually want to wear, rather than hoarding a bunch of clothes that’s taking up room in my wardrobe.

If you’ve given this app a go please let me know how you’re getting on.

Gail x

We come in all fabulous shapes and sizes.  Thank goodness, wouldn’t it be boring otherwise.  Some days I’m happy with my body and others not so much, which can be said for lots of the clients I work with.  Sometimes they’re good to go in whatever they wear, other days getting dressed can leave them not feeling their best.  Which is commonly the reason why they book an appointment with me.  They want to understand why they’re feeling this way, get past any issues, and feel more confident.

I believe that if you have clothing that doesn’t make you feel great and isn’t being worn its for one of three reasons – it isn’t the best colour or pattern for you, it doesn’t fit or flatter your body shape, or it doesn’t suit your lifestyle.  Today, I want to tackle the fit.

Styling Can Be A Balancing Act

If you don’t know (and where have you been) there are five basic body shapes – round, inverted triangle, rectangle, triangle and hourglass.  You’ll be one of these, or a mix – our bodies change and can fluctuate in shape during our lifetime.  If you’re a triangle or inverted triangle, you’ll be  wearing different sized clothing top and bottom.  For example someone who is a triangle (pear) shape is wider on the lower half of their body and is narrower in the shoulder.  Someone who is an inverted triangle is the opposite and will have wider shoulders than hips.  Both body types will need to wear differing top and bottom to accommodate this and sometimes it can leave the wearer feeling a little out of balance

Triangle Body Shape

Here, if you want to re-dress the balance, I’m going to share some ideas of tops to wear, with examples of what’s currently available in stores. Let’s kick off with ideas for pear body shapes.  The idea is to add more width to the upper half without losing waist definition, or, alternatively, drawing the eye up and away from an area you might not be comfortable with lots of attention.

So, for example, we’ve got an off the shoulder top from River Island to add more width and a cold shoulder jumper which highlights and brings more attention to the shoulders.  There are tops here with more embroidery and pattern around the shoulders to draw the eye up and wide, puff sleeves to emphasise shoulders, and, of course, stripes that pear shapes can wear with ease.  Just make sure you tuck in the tops to keep your waist on show.

Inverted Triangle Body Shape

If you think about the opposite requirement for inverted triangle body shapes (strawberry), then the detailing is on the bottom half and there’s a desire to tone down the more stronger shoulder line and wider top half.

Simple shirts are a great start and when  it comes to adding details look for designs that draw attention away, to the wrist, for example, like this River Island shirt.  Button down shirts automatically offer a v neck which is nice for elongating the neck and breaking up the shoulder line, while scoop neck tops are good for the same reason. I really like this satin top from River Island with detailing around the neck as it draws the eye in and away from a wider shoulder.  The top from H&M does a similar job, drawing the eye lower down the chest.

Just the tip of the tricks that I could teach you.  To find out more about balancing your body’s silhouette consider booking my Personal Style Development and Colour Consultation appointment and become more armoured so that you feel great too.

Gail x