What. A. Whirlwind. It was so fun meeting and working with this year’s makeover winners! I can’t wait to show you the transformations – some subtle, some not-so-much, but all with the intention of making these lovely people’s lives easier, more organized, and help them look their best so they can dominate in their lives and businesses.
Winners were chosen by a panel with consideration given to what each sponsor felt could be done in their particular area (Tease for hair; me for closet and styling) and best fits for the clothing brand sponsors – Miles David, Bonobos, and Monkee’s of Houston. Trust me when I say it was the hardest decision! We received over 70 entries and every single one deserved to win. If you are a clothing brand and want to sponsor some runners-up, I’m game just say the word.
We’re starting things off with our guy winner, Kevin, a self-proclaimed country boy stuck in the city.
Click through for all the before shots, what we did and why, and how it all came together!
Starting with the Basics
Every new client sessions starts with a few basics. First, I take measurements to determine the best initial sizes and body shapes. From there we talk colors, face shape, styles, and then we tackle the closet. If you haven’t been measured in a while, it’s worth another check because you need to know your most accurate size. Most of Kevin’s suit jackets were too big for him!
If you’ve been around these parts for any length of time you know I am a color junkie. Not just any colors though; generally speaking your closet should be filled with colors that look best on you. Of course there is always a way to work in those fringe colors that you may love but aren’t the most flattering. They will serve you best if the majority of the pieces reside in your home base color palette. This Image Matters for Men book is the best cheat sheet for guys to better understand their best colors. You don’t have to treat the color palette as gospel but it’s a great starting place.
Body shape, color palette, and now face shape! While Kevin doesn’t wear glasses, he does wear sunglasses and we talked through which shades are best for his face shape. (These weren’t the winning pair!) Want to know how to determine your face shape? Yes, it includes writing on a mirror. ;-) Check out a segment I did with Rebecca Spera on determining face shape and the best sunglasses for each shape.
Foundations in place, it was time to tackle the closet!
The Closet
We chose Kevin because he has the quintessential married guy problem – relegated to the tiniest closet in the house. I see you gentlemen and it’s ok. With intention and a little tweaking you can have an efficient, effective wardrobe and she can keep the big closet. See what I did there gals? I’m here to help. ;-)
We had three goals in his closet:
- edit anything in the closet that wasn’t a perfect fit for him and his career and lifestyle,
- maximize every stitch of usable space, and
- organize to keep important pieces front and center.
It was impressive how much he had managed to squeeze into this closet! I’m not sure how I managed to escape without a pic of what we edited but I missed that shot. You’ll have to trust me it was a lot!
Two hours later, his wardrobe was edited, organized, and he had some hanging homework for his prolific hat collection.
The Hair
Sandra at Tease is amazing. In preparation, Kevin and I brought in some idea photos based on our closet discussion. We all agreed a tighter around but longer on top style would be great. After confirming it was not only a great look but would be great ON him – she went to work.
Sandra’s not only talented with the cut but makes sure you know how to style it when you get home. Great news, period but especially for those of you looking to do something different and branch out!
A short while later, we had a new man on our hands!
The eventual goal is to grow out the top length but I love that even in the transition, Sandra cut a perfectly flattering right-now style. The cut checked the criteria boxes of elevated style that could still look good in a rush to the office post-workout.
The Clothes
With the closet and new hair style worked out it was time to tackle the clothes! Because smaller closets demand wardrobe efficiency, I wanted Kevin in a great navy suit with a white dress shirt. It’s the most classically dressy option and most versatile depending on tie, shirt, and blazer/pant remixing. Bonobos generously gifted Kevin a beautifully tailored suit which was great in light of his experience with another store who shall remain anonymous to protect the guilty. As a result of *that* store’s fit philosophy, his suits not only didn’t flatter the figure he Crossfits hard for but weren’t age-appropriate or polished enough for his downtown banking job.
If you are not familiar with Bonobos, they are fantastic – for work clothes especially. Their River Oaks District Guide Shop allows you to try on all their fits and determine your correct size. Not all brands are created equal – it’s so helpful to confirm before you order. In store you can see all the available prints and patterns for the season, see true colors, and which fabrics are the best fits for you and your style. Once you have your fit and wish list nailed down you can order directly in the store. For those of you accustom to the pace of Amazon Prime, don’t worry, pieces usually arrive in two days. Future orders are easy because they keep your perfect fit in your online profile.
A word about buying a suit. The first place it absolutely must fit is on the shoulder. If you can grab extra material past your shoulder the jacket is too big for you (regardless of what the people at the store-who-shall-not-be-named say). Adjusting the shoulders in is one of the most expensive alterations and is rarely worth it. Once the shoulders fit, waist alterations are easy fixes and don’t change the overall construction of the jacket. A bit of shopping advice if you are heading out to buy a new suit soon. ;-)
How It All Came Together
We revealed the makeover winners’ final looks at our Makeover For Life 5yr anniversary celebration and benefit for CURE International Clubfoot! The Tease crew was on hand for photo-worthy hair and Brandie Seifert with Hollywood Hippie Cosmetics did the makeup for the gals who you’ll see in the next two recaps.
In Person
Ailee Petrovic with Snapshots and My Thoughts took all the photos for the event. You’ll be seeing more of these in future recaps and on our Instagram feed!
In His Closet
Back in his closet, things looked great! His work threads now have front and center billing and less-often used hunting and workout gear moved to the side. The space dictated some of the organization – short sleeve shirts tucked into the narrower spaces and we left the colorful boot collection on top as both a visual point of interest and best use of space. From a styling perspective, yes, we went thinner slack silhouettes but we confirmed they can all still be worn with his boots!
Officially there were alternative spaces for shoes outside the closet but I’m a fan of keeping everything in one place as much as possible. A sliding shoe rack/bin under the nearby bed would be a nice upgrade for down the road though.
We used every inch of space and hung hats in the back of each rack and along the sides of the closet for his most worn hats. Not only did it add some usable storage but visually made the closet seem deeper which is a nice benefit.
One of my absolute favorite things about my job is seeing what clients are inspired to do after our sessions. Sometimes it’s de-cluttering another area, sometimes it’s a job change, sometimes it’s the way their presence reflects their new confidence. With Kevin, he was inspired to whip up this ruggedly awesome industrial watch stand for his new JORD watch and the others in his collection. I may have already requested one for Charlie!
What He Said
“Going into the process, I knew I needed to update my look but, I have to admit, I was a little nervous I would have skinny jeans and “fashion” pushed down my throat (not that there’s anything wrong with that – it’s just not me). My goal was to update or clean-up my look, not to completely change it into something I’m not. Working with Natalie was great. She knew when to push me a little outside my comfort zone, but also remain within a style that remained “authentic.” She spent time going through colors and styling that would best work for me based on my coloring and build. She focused on “teaching me to fish” instead of just giving me a fish. Working with Natalie I feel like we achieved my goal in finding an updated and authentic style that fits both my body and my life.” – Kevin
What do you think? He looks good, right??! Judy Francis shot the before and after photos and treated us to a dramatic studio shoot. Can’t wait for you to see the other two winners as well!
In the meantime, JORD is continuing the fun and has a giveaway for a $100 gift card and 10% off promo code to Signature Style readers. Click here to enter. Giveaway is open until Mar 18th.
You’re amazing! He looks great. Fun giveaway too! xo
You struck the perfect balance in his makeover!
Best compliment ever – thank you Meggie!