Lani Inlander on How to Find Your Style

To continue the 'How to Find Your Style' series we chatted with Lani Inlander, Founder of Real Life Style. Real Life Style is a style consulting company providing personal styling and corporate style consulting services in the DC and New York areas. Real Life Style was founded in 2006 on the belief that everyone deserves a wardrobe they love. Lani digs into 3 tips that are universal and I'm sure we can all relate to.

There are 5 major style types. Sometimes we are one style at the office and another on the weekend. Sometimes we are a combination of styles. The 5 major style types are Classic, Chic, Whimsical, Avant-garde, and Bohemian. Think about which style resonates with you most. You want to use your style type as a filter for focus both when shopping and editing your closet.

Now that most of us are working from home, you might also think about your Work From Home Style Type. Are you a Video Conference Boss, wearing your Ally pumps under your desk? Or are you more of a Saturday Morning Sweats kind of girl? Be realistic about what you are going to wear, and therefore, what you need.

2. Find Your Power Color

Do you have a color that makes you feel bold and confident? A color that garners you multiple compliments every time you wear it? This is a power color.

Your power color is what you should be wearing every time you need an extra boost of confidence like on a first date, going to an important meeting, or presenting in front of a group. In fact, you should always be wearing your power color when presenting to a group or meeting on Zoom. People pay more attention to what you say when you wear color.

How do you figure out your power color? Try on all the colors in your closet and see which ones make your eyes sparkle and make you look like you need the least amount of makeup. Still not sure? Wear a different color every day and count the compliments. Don’t have enough in your closet? Go to the store with a friend and try on a bunch of new colors. Well, maybe do that in a few months. In the meantime, jewel tones such as emerald green, ruby red, amethyst purple, and sapphire blue are universally flattering colors.

3. Edit Your Wardrobe

Having an edited, organized closet, and maintaining it every season, will save you an unimaginable amount of time. Here are my 5 steps to cleaning out your closet:

1. Evaluate: Take out all of the clothing, shoes, and handbags that are worn out, stained, don’t fit, need repair, you don’t like, or have never worked.
2. Donate: Recycle the worn and stained clothes at your local H&M. Repair or recycle the clothing that needs repair. If you don’t like it or it has never worked, admit defeat and donate it to someone who can use it while the item still has life left in it.
3. Divide: Move all of the clothes that are not in the current season to a different closet or the least accessible section of your closet. Do the same with out-of-season shoes and bags.
4. Beautify: Put all of your hanging clothes onto matching black velvet hangers to save space and create a uniform look. I like the Container Store non-slip velvet hangers.
5. Organize: Arrange your hanging clothes by category, sleeve length and color, hanging from sleeveless to long sleeve and light to dark.

As a personal stylist, I am on my feet all day. I've had foot surgery so I don't mess around with uncomfortable shoes, knowing the cost of the damage they are inflicting. I didn't think I would ever be able to comfortably wear a pair of fashionable, pointed-toe flats again. My Ally flats don't give me shooting pains through the arch of my foot or dig into the front of my foot like other dressy flats do. I don't even miss my custom orthotics, which I wear with almost every other pair of shoes I own. I am so happy to be able to bring this chic silhouette back into my wardrobe and introduce it to my clients!

If you need more help or accountability, check out the RLS 4-week Wear Your Power E-Course.