💌 Style Mail: It can be about clothes AND saving democracy

Aka how to get ready for spring amidst the chaos

It just keeps coming, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you - but I’m anxious every morning to look at the news or check social media. But when I don’t, I’m worried that I missed something important. I’m doing my best to maintain a balance between being informed & staying sane (it’s a daily struggle).

But as I said in the comments of a recent Instagram post (this one spurred a lot of conversation) - it’s okay to still talk about clothes. Because we need to find joy where we can. And it’s not totally about the clothes, it’s about how the clothes make us feel. Clothes can make us feel powerful - so that we feel empowered to speak up, so that we’re prepared to stand up & so we’re ready to show up.

And it can be about clothes & human rights & supporting marginalized communities & saving democracy at the same time (here’s a great post with actions you can take right now).

With that being said - spring has sprung. And I think the cusp of a new season is a great time to revisit your closet. So, here are some ways you can prep for spring & enjoy the change of season.

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🗒️ Style Notes

Do you have the urge to go through your closet - but you don’t have the motivation? It’s not just you!

Here are 3 ways to clean out your closet - without doing a big closet clean out.

If you are spending time in your closet, there are some things that you may have a hard time letting go (believe me, I hear it from clients all the time).

Check out 5 things you can toss from your closet (read to the end for 3 questions to ask yourself before you toss!)

Are you more concerned with enjoying spring outfits than cleaning out your closet - but the weather isn’t cooperating?

Here is one step to start feeling spring, even if it’s still winter-chilly.

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🕶️ Style Tip

Even if you have spring on the brain, your winter clothes still deserve some attention. So, before you put winter styles into hibernation, check out a few things.

See if anything has stains that need to be addressed. Clean the soles of winter shoes & boots. Take care of any small repairs. Store items appropriately (so they won’t be a mass of wrinkles when you pull them out later this year). And while you’re at it - see if there’s anything you rarely/barely wore all winter & decide if it still deserves space in your closet.

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❓ Ask Paul

Many of my clients are moms with young kids, who are concerned about getting their ‘nice clothes’ ruined with little ones. And some other clients are just stuck in the mindset of ‘I’m going to get it dirty’.

I actually had this conversation in a DM on Instagram:

Do you have a clothing, fashion or style question (or anything else)? Comment with your question & start it with ‘Ask Paul’ - I answer a question (or two) every month!

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☝️ One more thing

Are you participating in the boycotts & economic blackouts? If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, I shared a bit more here. And as a quick recap - you can be an activist with where & when you shop. You can support companies whose values & politics you align with - and boycott companies who don’t.

I’m following theonecalledjai on Instagram & ThePeoplesUnionUSA for details on the boycotts (this is where the February 28th economic blackout started). And there’s also a separate faith-based Target boycott during Lent (details here in an AP article).

But no matter if you’re following this schedule or not - you can be more intentional with how you shop by researching where you shop. If DEI is important to you, here are Instagram posts from TheFifteenPercentPledge with companies that continue to support DEI & companies that have rolled back DEI. And you can also head to GoodsUniteUs (they have an app I use all the time!) to see specific brand & company political contributions.

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Let’s Work Together!