Transitioning your closet season to season is underratedly hard af. Like, tbh, I still haven’t done mine and my room is currently cluttered with winter coats that I’m obvi not wearing right now. However, it’s important to do because it makes getting dressed in the morning a hell of a lot easier. Therefore, given the difficult task at hand, we had to bring in an expert. Meet, Jenny Greenstein, a NYC based stylist who is here to help us with all of our closet transitioning woes, tell us where to shop, and sort out what trends we should be buying.
First, tell me about yourself! A quick career progression run through and what your day-to-day is like today. Also, who are your primary clients?
I’m a personal wardrobe stylist and founder of Your Soul Style. I have a long history working in the corporate fashion industry for companies like Ann Taylor, H&M, and Cole Haan, but always felt called upon to use style as a tool for self-expression, empowerment, and building an authentic self-concept. I didn’t feel that there was space for that in the industry so in 2012, after 10+ years working as an in-house stylist/visual merchandiser, Your Soul Style was born. On the daily, I work with women to define their personal style from the inside out. My goal is to help women enhance and embrace their physical appearance so it is indicative of their unique personality and how they express it. Through Style Coaching, Closet Cleanses, and Personal Styling/Shopping, I assess individual style goals and provide style tips, techniques, and guidance based on what works best for each woman. We also explore the deeper layers, where we look at how appearance is interrelated with the emotional states we experience on a daily basis. I’m commonly referred to as a style therapist. Some topics I cover are: body shape analysis, style personality, self-esteem, shopping strategies, inspiration, motivation, and color palettes. While one of my key areas of focus is the mom space, I work with women at all different transition points. My age demographic typically ranges from 30-45, although I do work outside of those lines.
How do you style clients according to their particular tastes without bias towards your own tastes?
I always remove myself from the equation. While I bring expertise and professional guidance, I’m all about meeting my clients where they are first and foremost, and honoring an individual’s expression. Once I have a solid understanding of a woman’s personal style, taste, and goals, I’m able to offer a roadmap on how to get there. What I put on my own body won’t be the same as what I put on yours. The beauty of style is that everyone’s got their own. My job is to help draw that out.
What are some of the biggest fashion/style mistakes you see your clients make? What mistakes do you see when they’re transitioning their wardrobes season to season?
The biggest challenge women face is letting go. It’s common for us to hold onto old ideas of ourselves that feel safe and comfortable. We are creatures of habit. But this mindset prevents us from moving forward, and it extends to the style realm, too. In order to evolve, letting go is part of the process, and detoxing our closets/wardrobes on a regular basis to create space for embracing the next iteration of who we are is critical.
The other mistake women often make is holding onto items that don’t fit. Our bodies are constantly shifting, and therefore so is the fit of our clothes. How can we feel proud of our current vessel if we are unwilling to release the outdated version? It puts an unrealistic (and unnecessary) expectation on us to be someone we’re not. And keeping items in our closet that don’t fit can also bring up feelings of shame.
As for transitioning wardrobes from season to season, women don’t realize how many pieces have the ability to cross over. When we have pieces that work most of the year, there is an opportunity to invest into them in order to get more bang for our buck.
Are there any winter pieces that can still be worn in the summer? What investment pieces do you suggest your clients buy that work for all year round?
Pieces that work all year round include denim, light sweaters, blazers, camis/tanks (for layering), T-shirts, and most dresses and skirts that are lighter in fabric and can be layered up in colder temperatures. The key investment pieces for all-year wear are: denim, T-shirts, camisoles (for layering), lightweight skirts and dresses (think: satin slip dress) and blazers. All of these items can be reworked to become seasonally appropriate.
How do you transition trends season to season? (For example, the neon trend, which we started to see this past fall and is huge for summer as well.)
Trends are tricky because they are short-lived and don’t last much longer than one or two seasons. I think it’s fun to play with trendy pieces and build a wardrobe that includes them if that aligns with your personal style, but I don’t suggest investing financially when we know something is about to come and go. While I don’t love the idea of fast fashion brands because they aren’t sustainable, they are key players for trends. To make it more sustainable, I suggest brands like Rent the Runway for short-term wear without increasing our carbon footprint.
What are some of your favorite high-end brands? Some of your favorite fast fashion brands? Some of your favorite places to shop for your clients?
My personal favorite high-end brands are Love Shack Fancy, Ulla Johnson, and Mara Hoffman. My personal favorite fast fashion brands include Zara, Mango and H&M. I do try and shop ethically as much as possible and that continues to evolve over time. When it comes to my clients, I take them to department stores like Bloomingdale’s or Bergdorf Goodman to curate items from a range of brands, and when it comes to e-commerce it’s Shopbop, Net-A-Porter, Matches Fashion, or Revolve. Each client is different, so I don’t decide on where I’m pulling from until we meet in person and start to build a relationship.
Are there any big trends for this coming fall/winter that we can/should start shopping now?
Pre-fall is already in trickling in, but it’s difficult for women to start shopping for the next season while just in the beginning of one. I also need to say that while staying informed about trends is relevant, it’s not the driving force in my work. That said, some to watch out for this fall/winter 2019 are: feathers, power shoulders, satin (keep your slip dress handy to pair with layers this fall/winter), statement coats, pantsuits, plaid (preppy), and fleece.
Images: yoursoulstyle / Instagram; Brooke Cagle / Unsplash
As January drones on and our New Year’s resolutions crumble, we look for other ways to spice up what’s left of our lives. There’s a right and wrong way to do this, and a haircut could go in either of those directions. We’ve all gotten a little too scissor-happy and ended up regretting it for the next year while waiting for our hair to grow back. (I’m convinced your hair grows slower when you actually want it to be longer.) So before you make an appointment with your stylist, maybe ask yourself: do you really want bangs or do you just need a therapist and a weighted blanket? Is your haircut a cute “new year, new me” transformation, or a cry for help? Don’t just take our opinion. We consulted hair stylist-extraordinaire, Dhiran Mistry from Spoke & Weal Soho, to spill the tea on which haircuts are truly the worst.
Bob/Lob
Good Idea: The power-suit of hairstyles has to be a badass bob or lob (aka a long bob). It’s sharp, means business, and doesn’t text its ex at 3am. While it can be a risky hairstyle to try, chopping off those dead locks and getting a clean look seriously helps you portray the image that you have your sh*t together. Mistry also suggests keeping your bob as simple as possible, no high-low or low-key mullets.
Cry For Help: Where it takes a real f*cking turn is when you get too round and bubbly with it. We do not want any bowl cuts happening here. This tragic look, also known as the mom bob, basically screams “I’m 36, my name is Linda, I comment hearts on Reese Witherspoon’s Instagrams thinking she’ll see it and care, and I’ve started hiding the good wine from the kids.”
Pixie Cut
Good Idea: This hairstyle is often super stigmatized, according to Mistry. As a stylist originally from London, he says that many Europeans love to rock the pixie look, but since being in America, he’s noticed many women are uncomfortable cutting their hair that short. For one simple reason: men. They ruin f*cking everything. Mistry’s best advice: dump his ass. Don’t let him micromanage your hair and try to craft you into some dumb image he has in his head of what beauty should look like. You’re your own prize, betch.
Cry For Help: I know you might be traumatized from the pixie cuts of Kate Gosselin circa her TLC show or Jamie Lee Curtis à la Freaky Friday, but these are not the inspos you show your hairdresser.
Venture into the stylings of Cara Delevingne, Janelle Monae, or my personal favourite pixie on the planet, Lupita Nyong’o. So relive your study abroad days and go for this classy European cut.
Shaved Head
Good Idea: Rocking a bald head is one of the most confident and badass hairstyles you can go for. You ain’t hiding anything behind lushes locks or tight curls, it’s all on display. Mistry says many women can pull off this look, but few find the courage to actually do it. He adds that most people (me) use their hair as a distraction from their face because they’re self-conscious about their appearance. But bald bitches know they look sick AF with or without hair.
Cry For Help: If your mental health is questionable and you’ve been on a two-week bender, you’re at an extremely high risk of going all Britney 2007. This is not just a cry for help, but a f*cking scream. If you go bald, do it right or not at all. Impulse head shaving has never once turned out to be a good thing. I can literally promise you that.
One of the best shaved-head looks has to be iconic South Sudanese model and former VS Angel, Grace Bol:
Bangs
Good Idea: Most clients that come to Mistry ask for bangs in order to cover something up—forehead, acne, and in a recent case, a scar from a woman’s Christmas tree falling on her. In other cases of bang requests, Mistry has recently been getting a ton for microbangs. When done right, microbangs can look gothic-chic and modern.
Cry For Help: Cutting them yourself. Enough said.
Modern-Day Shag
Good Idea: Though you can’t perfect the messy bun, you may be able to rock a modern-day shag hairstyle. This look has a ton of texture, layers, and sex appeal. Flawless beings such as Alexa Chung and Julianne Hough are perfect examples to show your hairdresser, Mistry suggests.
Cry For Help: Please, for the love of all that is good in this world. Do not show them a picture of Lisa Rinna. This is NOT the type of shag you’re going for. We love Rinna, but you don’t have a daily glam squad to maintain such hair on yourself, and before you know it you’ll be collecting cigarette buds and a small family of birds in your nest of hair.
Dyed Hair
Good Idea: We love a good Balayage, but the absolute key to dying your hair according to Mistry is not to stray too far from your original shade. The further you go from your natural color, the more likely you are to damage your hair, and there ain’t nothing cute about that.
Cry For Help: Don’t trick yourself into thinking blondes have more fun. Bleached out peroxide blonde hair is just about as classy as Lindsay Lohan’s mugshot(s). Dip dying died along with Tumblr in 2012, so don’t try the partial bleaching.
For more hair inspiration, follow Dhiran Mistry on Instagram.
Images: Adrian Sava / Unsplash; dhiranmistry_ (2), alexachung, yukamannami, gracebol, caradelevingne / Instagram
I have seen a lot of disturbing shit go down in 2017, like Blac Chyna’s nipples posted on my morning newsfeed and people trying to make just sucked dick lips snogged lips happen. But nothing is more disturbing to me than what teenagers with an Instagram account are doing to their eyebrows. I mean, barbed wire eyebrows? Fucking BROW carving? Lord, Jesus, why must you test me with the extraness? It’s like people are just asking for me to report their Instagram selfies as offensive images to Instagram HQ. Sighs. Like, don’t these kids know that eyebrows are sacred and a part of me that I only share with my most trusted allies the person I pay way too much to craft my brows into a basic shape?? Fucking youths. And look, I too have come a long way in the eyebrow department since the current eyebrow trend. I can’t just vaguely gesture to my face when I talk to my brow girl anymore. No, I have to have some sort of a plan. Considering that, honestly, my skills stretch about as far as knowing the best wine for under $12 and how to alienate people with my dark sense of humor, figuring out the best brow look for me took some Googling extensive research. If you, like me, have no fucking clue what your face shape is, much less what kind of eyebrow structure will go good with it, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a guide on how to make your eyebrows look better than your Labor Day Weekend beach body based on your face shape:
Oval Shaped
Oval faces resemble an upside-down egg, and if you’re still unsure as to if that description fits your facial structure then I suggest holding up an egg to your face in a mirror for a side-by-side comparison. Then Snap me that entire journey of self-reflection. I could use a good laugh at another person’s expense win today, thx. Your best brow look is going to be a slightly arched brow. It’s a simple, yet classic look and it’ll match the perfect proportions of your face shape, you lucky bitch. Make sure the arch of your eyebrow begins two thirds of the way out. And DO NOT put the arch in the middle of your brow lest you end up with McDonald’s golden arches on your face. That said, I’m just going to leave this cautionary message here:
Square Shaped
If your face is equally long as it is wide then congratulations, you have a square-shaped face. The good news is your face has got angles for days and I wouldn’t be surprised if you think you’re a model on Instagram. The bad news is even though your bone structure is on point, you can’t get batshit with your brow game. You’ll want to go for a softer, rounded brow so as to soften the lines of your face. Let’s not forget the depressing tale of this “Obamacare victim” (lol) who was definitely actually a victim of some very bad brow advice:
Heart Shaped
If you’re looking for a celeb comparison for this one, think Kourtney Kardashian. Heart-shaped faces tend to have a widow’s peak, their cheeks are wider than their hairline, and their chin is narrow AF. Again, even though bold brows are in, you’ll want to cool it with your extraness lest you scare children away with your eyebrows. A well-groomed brow is your go-to brow as it will balance out your petite jawline and emphasis the upper half of your face. The goal here is to create a shape that’s controlled, but you don’t want your brows to be thinner than my will to live or Sandy Cohen bushy. It’s a fine line you must walk so good fucking luck with it.
We’ll pray for you, Sethelah.
Round Shaped
You’re probs that friend who always gets carded at bars and isn’t allowed to try the free samples at Costco without a parent present thanks to the psychopaths who run the free samples booth who just assume you are a child. *takes slow, calming breath* Congratulations because you, my friend, have a baby face round-shaped face. Because you have no angles or definition to your face, a high arch is the perfect brow shape for you. It’ll make you look like you actually have a bone structure and maybe those tyrants at Costco will finally let you have a free sample. PRAISE.
^^Actual footage of me trying to get a free sample at Costco
Diamond Shaped
Diamond-shaped faces are unique AF. The hairline is more narrow than the cheeks and the chin is slightly pointed, giving these blessed people all sorts of fun angles to work with in their selfies. If it sounds like you might have a diamond-shaped face then I recommend a curved or rounded brow shape. It’ll make the widest part of your face look less wide and create a sense of balance and symmetry.
READ: What Guys Really Think Of Your Eyebrows
