How you and your clothes can become a winning team

If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. Women across the world may buy a lot of clothes, but find putting together an outfit difficult.

Either items don’t match – the styles or colours are wrong – or something is lacking in the overall look.

It can be a minefield and, more often than not, results in a bedroom knee deep in tops, skirts, trousers and dresses.

Overcrowding can contribute to this state of confusion, with many items rarely worn but taking up space, and other clothing buried unseen among tightly-packed hangers.

Add to this, drawers stuffed full and shoes in a bag behind the door – no wonder we don’t get the most out of our purchases. To the rescue comes Stephanie Roper, aka the Wardrobe Angel. Clothes are her passion, and she knows how to create a sense of style and what looks good on different body shapes.

“By identifying what suits you, what to keep and what to recycle, and what to buy to really make your clothes work for you, you should not face the dilemma of what to put on in the morning or how to make the most of your figure,” she says.

From her West Yorkshire base, Stephanie visits clients in their homes. “As well as people who want to organise their wardrobe, I talk to people who have overcome shopping addiction and want to sort out their clothes. They want to start again and learn how to put outfits together and style themselves. I had one client who had so many clothes her husband built a room above the garage for them.

“I also work with people who have lost weight and need a new wardrobe but don’t know where to start. And you often find that people in their 30s and 40s whose shape and lifestyle has changed. They need a new wardrobe to reflect that.”

Stephanie set up her business after a varied career as a visual merchandising manager, developing the look of a store and its displays to attract customers. Working for leading high street names including H&M, Marks & Spencer and New Look, the job took her to destinations including America, Dubai and London. She mastered the art of dressing mannequins and showing merchandise to its best advantage.

“I covered the whole visual experience of the store, from the window displays to walking in, first impressions and the layout,” she says. “It is fascinating – you see trends coming and going.”

She first hit upon the idea of organising people’s wardrobes after returning from a spell living in Dubai. “I didn’t settle,” she says. “I went over there with 19 boxes of clothes but came home with just one suitcase. At the time I had to go to a wedding and also attend job interviews. I’d chosen the contents of the suitcase carefully and was pleased to see that they served both purposes and others too.

“It surprised me as I’d always associated having lots of clothes with having more to wear, but when you have a lot of clothes it can become stressful and frustrating.”

She refers to the ‘capsule wardrobe’, a term coined by Susie Faux, the owner of a London boutique in 1970s London.

It encompasses a collection of a few essential items of clothing that will not go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers and coats, which can then be updated with seasonal pieces. The idea was popularised by American designer Donna Karan who, in 1985, released an influential ‘capsule collection’ of seven interchangeable work-wear pieces.

“You have a minimal number of pieces, but they go together to create lots of outfits,” says Stephanie. “For it to work it needs to be based around one colour palette – you need three to four colours that work together.”

Even when the rest of her clothes arrived back from Dubai, she gave a lot away. “You need a few more than a suitcase holds to be individual and avoid getting bored with your clothes – but I have nowhere near what I used to have.”

She decided to use her ideas in retail and experience of downscaling her own wardrobe to help others.

She hasn’t looked back. “It has been the most fulfilling experience of my life, but also the scariest,” she says. “It is like launching yourself off a cliff and not knowing what is going to catch you.”

Now she not only organises and styles individuals – she also attends parties, styling groups of friends and helps with personal shopping.

Her clients range from 20-somethings to octogenarians. “I helped a woman in her 80s who wanted to know what suited her. She had a keen interest in her figure and look. She had some beautiful clothes and also wanted to find out which labels were worth insuring and including in her will.

“I’ve also been contacted by wives, booking in husbands who find shopping difficult. They always enjoy it.”

She adds: “Wardrobes are fascinating to me. Each client has a story told through the clothes in their wardrobe. My mission is to get them to make the most of what they’ve got in there.”

Top tips

Stephanie’s eight ways to make your wardrobe work for you.

1. Find a place where your body shape meets your style.

2. Buy a few pieces of carefully-chosen vintage to add individuality to your wardrobe.

3. Your wardrobe should reflect the life you lead.

4. Models are perfectly proportioned – that’s why everything looks great on them. Play to your body and style strengths rather than trying to emulate a false ideal.

5. When buying something new, think, ‘How much wear will I get out of this?’ Do you need it? Will you use it? Love your clothes – all of them.

6. The smallest details make the biggest difference – the roll of a cuff, an extra bracelet.

7. Online shopping sites that act as a clothing comparison website, such as ShopStyle, are very useful.

8. Consider other uses for sentimental items you no longer wear – T-shirts can be made into cushion covers, for example.

wardrobeangel.co.uk or call 07542 825740