“Well, shopping is a disempowering experience.”
I made that statement in a recent conversation with a friend discussing my plans for Boutique Box.
And in that statement is what has always been my end game with my work: to SHIFT the shopping experience for women from disempowering to empowering.
As a merchandiser,
it was my job to analyze sales data to use for future design and buying strategy. It didn’t take me long to see that our business was driven by mark-down sales. Not only did that not make business sense to me, but it meant that women were buying our clothes on sale because of our brand name.
Likely, the clothes were sitting in their closets unworn and unloved. Bought on sale because they were excited about a designer name on sale, but it wasn’t quite right. So, every time they’d go to put the piece on for an outfit, it never felt quite right. And thus it ended up on the floor or back in the closet.
At least that was my intuition at that time.
And as I worked with clients growing Ustyled,
it turned out that my gut instinct as to what was happening with those clothes bought on sale was accurate. The majority of pieces that still had the price tags on in a client’s closet was bought because it was on sale, a specific designer and they thought they could make it work.
In working with a client, we’d go through her closet piece by piece, breaking down the psychology of a purchase to get to the place of embodying the WHY behind each piece. Because even if something wasn’t quite right, there was a lesson in it. And if it was a piece she LOVED, there was something to highlight to bring in MORE of with future pieces.
So, even if an item didn’t stay, we learned something from it. Because, as much as I love Tim Gunn, you can’t and shouldn’t try to make all things work (in life, love and clothes).
So, how is shopping a disempowering experience?
Well, I certainly welcome your thoughts and opinions as well and that will actually HELP me as I develop Boutique Box so I can make sure it is meeting your needs.
Just a few of my observations and insights from clients over the years …
Can we please get some better lighting and mirrors?
If you actually made it out to the store, then you win bonus points! I agree that it’s a lot easier to scan a store than to scroll down a never-ending webpage of options. You are drawn in to details, colors and styles and can quickly assess if the quality matches your desire and the price point. But, then you get into the fitting room. And you may have felt really good getting dressed this morning, but for some reason, every single little detail is on full display in the mirror with that horrendous lighting. This is seriously the easiest fix and yet department stores don’t get it!
What size am I anyway?
You could be a small, 12 and 8 in the three different items that you grab because of the variance in fit by designer and style. When I’ve sent out Boutique Boxes, I’ve definitely had that variety. Except that I can tell when I need to shift a size for a client, it’s not so easy for you to do on your own. So, there you are getting in and out of your clothes with those horrible mirrors and nothing is quite right. Just a little bit frustrating.
It’s not YOU, it’s them.
Option Overwhelm
Ever go into a department store and immediately just feel overwhelmed? It’s a lot to take in if you don’t know what you’re looking for — and even if you do! Even I will get overwhelmed when I first walk in. Then, I re-center myself, refocus on what I’m looking for and for whom, so I can then narrow in on the designers/departments that I want to scan for the pieces I’m trying to find. It helps to have a plan when you’re shopping so you can do exactly that — recenter, refocus and narrow in.
It just takes time.
And time is your most valuable resource — it’s not renewable.
To make it an empowering and fun experience, it takes having a strong sense of your self and your style, knowing what you have in your closet and having a plan for what you’re looking for to evolve and update your wardrobe.
This is why I created the Leadership Style Power tools. To give you a strong sense of your self (the Confidence Catalyst), to help you define YOUR style and how you want to show up as a leader (Find your Leadership Style Power), and ultimately update + evolve your wardrobe to match you life, career and style goals (Wardrobe Action Plan).
My intention for you?
That you get to a place of being able to be able to peek in your closet, pull out a piece, find something to go with it to complete the outfit, put it on and get out the door.
And that the resulting time saved, confidence boosted and life streamlined helps you to create the goals you outlined in the Confidence Catalyst into reality.
BONUS OPPORTUNITY:
If you opt-in to the Bundle (all three for $115) by 7/7/18, I’ll gift you two things to make it that much easier to shift you forward in your Leadership Style Power:
- A LIVE 90-minute Q&A with ME (July 28th at 11:30 AM Pacific) to address any spot you get a bit stuck -OR- just so you get MY expert personal recommendations for you
- A personal invitation to be one of the first to experience Boutique Box when it relaunches this fall (wait list access will open up by invite-only)
If you have any Q’s about the program or these bonuses, please feel free to email hello@catherinecassidy.co and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
For the first 5 women to jump in and say YES to their Leadership Style Power, you won’t just get an invite to the Boutique Box wait list, you’ll get bumped to the front of the Queue.
PS. All of the above is why I’m launching Boutique Box 2.0 this Fall for you. It’s time that it’s easy and empowering for you to update your wardrobe as a professional woman on the rise. More details to come on that soon. If you’re not ready to leap into your Leadership Style Power bundle but want to be sure that you’re in the know + on the invite list, sign up for the Conversation Starter (and my email list) + follow me on Instagram.