Client Story - Amy

No Longer Hiding

When Amy invited Wear Out There into her closet, she felt like she had fallen into a style rut, and found it difficult to dress for her diverse work roles – as a business owner and as an Early Childhood Educator. Amy needed a wardrobe that could easily support her whether she was delivering nutrition seminars to groups across Southwestern Ontario or working with children in the classroom. Amy and our founder, Christina, went through her wardrobe piece by piece, and noticed a trend: she was consistently choosing pieces that overwhelmed her petite frame.

Showing her the difference a few simple tweaks would make, like shortened tops vs. long tunics and hemlines that hit at the knee vs. mid-calf, Amy now feels more empowered to shop and dress for herself. She learned how build a wardrobe around her lifestyle needs.

Huge thank you to Amy for sharing this experience with us. The following is our interview with Amy.

Amy, how did you feel about your style and wardrobe before working with Wear Out There? What were your biggest struggles and concerns? How did this make you feel?

Over the past couple of years, I had been noticing my tendency to choose clothes that I could hide in. As I’ve gotten a little older and my metabolism has begun to slow and hormones are doing their thing, my body is shifting. What I used to be able to do to stay toned, doesn’t always work as effectively as it once did. I started to look for clothes that could hide some of those areas that I was beginning to see as flawed. As a nutritionist, I encourage my clients to own their bodies. To nourish themselves from the inside out and not to get caught up in the number on the scale or what size their clothes are. While I believe this to be good advice, I was having some difficulty buying into it fully myself. I felt disingenuous, frustrated and disappointed.

Why did you decide to get some support in this area?

I met Christina socially and instantly was drawn to her warmth and kindness. I knew that she would be a perfect choice to help me freshen up my wardrobe. I wanted help moving out of my comfort zone a little bit in terms of colour and style as well as good strategies for mixing and matching pieces.

What was the most valuable tip you received during your session that you would like to share with others?

Christina suggested having some of my current wardrobe tailored. Previously, I only thought of going to the tailor to have pants hemmed. Thinking about having some of my other clothing that I really like, but just doesn’t fit me as well as it should was a great idea!

Have you noticed any changes or benefits from the knowledge you’ve learned?

I feel more confident when I go shopping. It is easy to walk into a store and go through my mental checklist and quickly dismiss the clothing options that really don’t suit me and then focus my attention on the clothes that will work well for me. Shopping is less overwhelming now that I have a clear plan in place.

How do you feel about your style now?

Great! I already had a good sense of what looked good on me, but I needed some fresh inspiration and a little gentle nudging to go outside of my favourite colour palette. I feel like I still dress like me but with a sense of freshness and a little edge.

Why is style important to you?

It is a reflection of who I am. While I don’t believe that what I wear defines who I am, it certainly does say something about me. When I wear clothes that I like, I feel more confident and put together.