As I've mentioned before, my aunt is one of my style icons. She's worked in the fashion and interior design worlds for as long as I can remember and has probably cultivated a stronger sense of style than anyone I know. Every time I see her, whether we're hanging at her pool in the summer or dressed up for a holiday, she's incredibly put-together, and I don't think I've ever seen her in anything that didn't have some kind of color coordination, interesting layering, or eye-catching jewelry. And don't even get me started on her closet—or should I say closets, plural—which are color coordinated with custom hangers and the whole nine yards.
But as anyone with a great sense of style does, she also tends to shop a lot and therefore has a very full closet. Last week, we sat down over FaceTime to go through her closet and make some much-needed edits. My aunt is starting a new job soon and is generally in spring-cleaning mode, so we had our work cut out for us. After a few hours of cycling through her collection of pants, shirts, jackets, shoes, and bags, I'm pleased to say that we removed a healthy number of items that were not longer serving her and merely filling up prime real estate in her closet. We tossed things like the frilly boho blouses that now feel outdated and the leather pants she hasn't touched in years.
I weighed in on which pieces were holding her back from homing in on her style and which pieces felt worthy of keeping. Get all the details about our joint closet clean-out ahead.
Tossed: Oversize Sweaters
Kept: Jacket-Style Cardigans
The first thing my aunt was ready to remove from her closet was a pile of big oversize sweaters. "I realized they were making me feel kind of frumpy and not doing anything for my overall silhouette." Instead, she's been reaching for cardigans that have more of a boxy jacket shape to them and loves the way they show off her waist when styled with high-waist trousers.
Tossed: Leather Pants
Kept: Wide-Leg Trousers
Now that the winter months are behind us, we tackled her section of cold-weather items to remove what she didn't wear at all this year, and leather pants were the first on the list. While she'll keep one or two pairs on hand that have a more relaxed fit, we removed the others with skinnier fits that she hadn't worn at all recently. "Anything in the realm of a leather jean—they've got to go," she insisted, and based on the way trends are going, I couldn't agree more. Instead, wide-leg trousers are the go-to pants she's wearing the most right now.
Tossed: Block-Heel Pumps
Kept: Skinny-Heel Pumps
She loves a good pair of heels, but some of hers were starting to feel more dated than others. Block heels with rounded toes is one such style we both agreed didn't feel as "now." "I'm craving something with a slimmer heel," she told me and showed me a pair of the Tony Bianco suede point-toe mules she recently bought.
Tossed: Moto Jackets
Kept: Lady Jackets
"While I do think everyone should have a moto jacket, I've come to terms with the fact that I've just never been that girl," she admitted. So with that, we removed an excess of the edgy jackets from her coat closet. "I'm so glad these Lady Jackets are trending because it's truer to my personal style," she continued, sharing a recent J.Crew jacket purchase that she's been living in.
Tossed: Crossbody Bags
Kept: Top-Handle Bags
While we didn't remove every single crossbody bag in her closet, we did agree that we should only keep the more everyday styles and remove any bags that veered too evening because as far as going-out bags are concerned, she's much more interested in carrying a polished top-handle bag out to dinner or an event.
Tossed: Boho-Style Tops
Kept: Classic Poplin Shirting
Midway through our call, she pulled out a series of boho blouses that I personally hadn't seen in years. They featured bright floral prints with ruffle sleeves and had an overall dated feel to them that I honestly couldn't see my aunt wearing today. We kept her classic poplin and silk button-down shirts that she loves to wear with jeans on more casual days.
Tossed: Tangerine Orange
Kept: Cherry Red
"It's all about red right now," she proclaimed, "and I'm loving it through a shoe or a sweater for a pop of color." I couldn't agree more, with the scarlet hue being trendier than ever right now, and she pointed to several orange pieces in the very back of her closet that we ended up removing to make way for a few red additions.
This story was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
