This post is not sponsored. I received personal styling services from wirl in exchange for my honest opinions.
Have you ever found yourself completely overwhelmed when shopping for clothes and wishing Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear would pop out from behind a rack and help you pick out items that will most flatter you? Or have you ever wished you could have Marie Kondo come in your closet and help you sort through your clothes to figure out what you should keep and what you should give away?
Y’all, these types of services aren’t just for TV anymore….they are accessible to normal people like you and me! I recently got to try one out and am so excited to report back to you on the experience!
wirl is a company currently based in the Triangle area of NC that offers wardrobe styling services. Clients choose a stylist based on their online profiles, then meet with their stylist for either a guided closet makeover or shopping session (or both, like I did!). Pricing varies, as each stylist sets their own hourly rate.
I recently got to spend some time with wirl stylist Tracy Vazquez going through my closet as well as shopping, and I am so excited to share about my experience! All thoughts are my honest opinions!
Closet Makeover
The first thing Tracy and I did together was meet at my house to get a handle on what I already had in my closet before going shopping. Tracy quickly realized upon entering my closet that we might need to do some organizing and decluttering.
I’ve always thought of myself as someone who is pretty good at keeping her closet cleaned out. All of my stuff actually fits in my closet (not spread out into multiple closets or different “seasons” of clothes stored away in tubs until the weather changes). I keep my clothes organized by type and color. And I periodically go through and add unwanted items to my “donate” or “sell on Poshmark” piles. But when Tracy and I started going through my closet, I quickly realized how much stuff I was unconsciously holding onto.
Tracy held up each piece of clothing and asked whether I liked it and actually wore it. Having someone there who I was accountable to was huge! I found myself getting rid of nearly half of the shirts in my closet. Some of them no longer fit well, but I was holding onto them just in case. And other items I really didn’t like, but I had held onto them because I felt guilty about not wearing perfectly good clothing. But the thing is, I wasn’t wearing them anyway. So they were just taking up space in my closet and contributing to clutter and dissatisfaction every time I looked in my closet and saw a bunch of items I didn’t like.
My closet is a bit more bare now, but all of the items are ones I truly love and actually wear. It’s so much easier to get dressed in the morning because there are fewer unwanted pieces that I have to sort through to get to the stuff I actually end up wearing.
Tracy was great about not pushing her own opinions onto me. She had no agenda to get rid of a certain number of items and didn’t give her opinion about whether she liked or disliked the items I wanted to keep. This neutrality was super helpful because it enabled me to focus on what I really love and want to see in my closet.
Of course, Tracy’s neutrality meant that I was responsible for the emotional and mental work of making decisions, which wasn’t necessarily easy! Tracy didn’t wave a magic wand to suddenly clear out half of my closet. I had to do the work with her. Ultimately I think this was a good thing! No one else can tell you what clothes to like or not like. And at the end of the day, you have to be happy with the items you are keeping and satisfied with your discard pile.
Finally, Tracy organized the remaining items in my closet. She showed me new ways to categorize and sort my items to make it easier to make outfit choices. I love the new layout! It makes more sense than the sorting system I used previously.
Shopping Session
Next, Tracy and I went shopping together! Tracy was awesome about choosing places that align with my ethical/sustainable fashion preferences. We went to consignment shops as well as ethical fashion store The Flourish Market (my first time seeing their new space in downtown Raleigh!)
Y’all, I can’t adequately tell you how awesome it is to have a stylist shop with you.
When we arrived at our first stop, Clothes Mentor, Tracy was already there and had a cart full of clothes for me to try on. She specifically pulled items I had requested and items we had identified as gaps in my wardrobe during my closet clean out. I immediately got to work trying on clothes!
The nice thing about having someone else shop with you is that they may pick out things you normally wouldn’t pick for yourself. Some of these items I ended up still not liking once I tried them on, but some of them I was surprised to find I loved and actually ended up buying! For example, I never try on red because it’s just not a color I like. However, Tracy found a red and white Escapada shirt that I absolutely adored once I tried it on! I definitely would not have pulled it myself. Having someone to help you move a bit out of your comfort zone can be really rewarding!
One thing I worried about at first was offending Tracy if I didn’t like or buy the items she had chosen for me. She quickly put my fears at ease, assuring me that she wouldn’t have hurt feelings at all and wanted me to only buy stuff that I was 100% in love with. As someone who tries to buy less but buy stuff I REALLY love, I really appreciated that!
The best part of shopping with a stylist is how efficient it can be. While I was trying on items in the dressing room, Tracy was scanning the store for more items and putting up unwanted items. It was amazing to not have to do all of that work myself!
Tracy and I ended up going to three stores together and checked off most of the items on my list, including work-appropriate shirts and non-jean pants. I also walked away from the experience having a better idea of what I still needed to look for to fill those holes in my wardrobe!
Sustainability
Y’all know I am all about sustainable fashion. I think wirl is a great sustainable fashion service because it helps people find items they love right in their own closets and put together outfits using pieces they already own but may not really know how to style. Many of the stylists are also pros at consignment shopping, which is great for the environment (and your wallet!).
Final Thoughts
I highly recommend wirl if you need help decluttering your closet, putting together outfits from the clothing pieces you already own, or going shopping for new clothes. This is definitely a service I would recommend gifting to someone or requesting as a gift for yourself if paying for this service doesn’t fit into your regular budget. I know I would be thrilled to receive this as a gift—it’s both fun and practical!
If you end up giving wirl a whirl, or if you’ve experienced some other type of personal styling service, I’d love to hear about your experience! Share with us in the comments!
Xoxo Laura
