Abby Wood Answers the Question: “What should I wear?”

More than 650 separate muscle groups are enclosed in the human body. Glutes, hamstrings, calves, abs, shoulders and biceps easily come to mind. However, Abby Wood focuses her clients on a unique one: their fashion muscle. As a professional wardrobe stylist, personal shopper and owner of AbbyWoodWear, she helps her clients get their closets and style in shape to help build confidence.

“I encourage my clients to create and foster a relationship with their wardrobes and with their closets. Styling is very much so like a muscle. If you don’t exercise it, it will just go away, basically,” noted the Overland Park, Kansas, resident. “So, if you’re in your closet, looking at your clothes, having a relationship with them, falling in love with them, now there’s something that is going to make you feel more positive and love what you have. And it’ll make you feel more focused. I created AbbyWoodWear to offer everyone the chance to feel their best self and bring confidence to women and men through personal style.”

WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?
Who hasn’t rolled out of bed and depressingly stared into an abyss of a closet, absolutely stumped by what to wear for the day? But by signing on with Abby and AbbyWoodWear, clients receive a start-to-finish experience that makes them look and feel great, but without the stress that can mushroom with this monumental task. The outcome allows you to discover your personal style with pieces that you will love and wear to enhance your attitude.

“We have three main goals with AbbyWoodWear. First, to make people feel very confident about themselves and love what they’re wearing every day so you can take on the day with confidence. It’s about curating a style that is their most authentic self—what makes you feel like you. We’ll start from the beginning by going through the clothes that a client owns. If they love it, we’ll figure out how to wear it and where to wear it. Then we’ll decide on adding any necessary pieces. I can even help style them for a special event such as a wedding or prom,” suggested the wife and mother of one. “I just want to make people fall back in love with getting dressed. Personal style can have such an impact on how we feel and how we take on the day and I want people to look and feel their absolute best.”

Abby holds a bachelor of arts in art history from the University of Kansas. After graduating, she earned a degree in fashion design and merchandising. She launched her professional experience with a bridal designer apprenticeship, moved to creating and showing her own line and shifted through retail management. Her professional styling company was founded in 2017. Between 2016 and 2022, she served as the HERLIFE Magazine fashion blogger.

FORMULA FOR FASHION SUCCESS 
Abby follows a three-step process referred to as Audit, Shop and Lookbook. She starts with reorganizing and reworking the clothes in your closet. Then you select the shopping experience, either relying on Abby to hand-pick your pieces to try on at your home or going together to shop. Before she steps through your door, you will set up for the adventure with prep questions that review your lifestyle and fashion sense to help sharpen your focus. Together you will delve into the answers.

“This is a full styling experience that will take three weeks to complete. We go through everything the client has and ask: ‘What do they have that they love? What doesn’t work? What can be the most flattering?’ and more. We’ll get rid of the things they don’t need and add some things to round out the wardrobe. I call it our shopping roadmap. Most clients choose the concierge experience in which I buy and bring everything to their home. Once we do that, we’ll have one more session, three to four hours, making outfits and uploading photos of them to a digital album or the Lookbook. This is the final step in the process as we figure out your core wardrobe for the season. I place the outfits on a whiteboard and take pictures. I’ll figure out how it’s styled—push up the sleeves, wear a belt. Then I create a shared album on your phone and you can make decisions on your looks each day by reviewing your Lookbook. Some clients have a Lookbook printed to take with them.”

She can conduct the same process for men and she appreciates working with them because in most cases “they don’t take as long because they make decisions a little bit quicker. They like to get things done.”

Closet audit and organization are another segment of her services, and clients who use this service already have a handle on their style. Abby may give them a list of things she believes they need to round out their wardrobe.

Travel styling is another offering at AbbyWoodWear, which she describes as a mini session on what is needed to pack a vacation wardrobe. “The biggest thing for me and for them is making sure that by the time they get to their destination they’re prepared for every day and they can enjoy it without having to worry about what they’re wearing or how they’re wearing it. We will go through their itinerary day by day and talk about activities or what they’re going to be doing during the day, make outfits for each day and pack it all up. By the time you get there, you can enjoy every day and not over pack.”

A HEARTFELT GOODBYE 
Many times, individuals carry emotions tied to their clothes. Maybe they were purchased to celebrate an event or on vacation. Given those attachments, the pieces can be hard to eliminate. But many times, Abby sees clients retaining things for the wrong reasons. “Keeping clothes that are connected to the past may not be a good energy to have in the closet because now they don’t work for your new lifestyle,” commented Abby. “If there’s something that a client really loves and can’t let go of it, then they can keep it. Usually, those pieces just end up in a box collecting dust. Clothes are just things. They don’t have feelings. You may have feelings toward them, but they don’t have feelings toward you. In the end, I would say 99 percent of the people end up getting rid of them.”

As for clients sporting new bodies due to weight loss, Abby suggests that favorite pieces could be tailored to better fit. However, she warns that they may not integrate into your new way of living. “Maybe it’s a different lifestyle for you, but these clothes probably don’t work for your new routine. They’re not who you are anymore,” she stated. “When you’re on a weight loss journey, you might be able to tailor those pieces to fit. But once you lose up to 30 or even 25 pounds, at that point, tailoring may no longer be possible.”

Many times, Abby’s clients are in the process of turning the last page on a chapter in their lives. Divorce, marriage, new baby, recovery from an illness, dating and other positives or negatives can move clients to reflect on their current style and desire a new look. Interestingly, Abby reveals that the closet organization process can morph into a “therapy” session. “One of the things I love about this job is that I have a special relationship with my clients. They’re telling me things within five minutes of meeting them. I’m in their closet and they’re sharing their story, and it’s a very personal relationship that happens very fast,” she remarked. “I’m there for them and they feel like they can talk to me because I will give them authentic feedback and listen. But if I were just going in and helping them technically, like find things for them to wear, that wouldn’t be something I would enjoy.”

For those wanting to try the process on their own, Abby offers this advice. “At least twice a year, go into your closet and try things on. Does this still fit? Does it look worn out? Does it look outdated? If you can do that, it will help keep things in check,” she shared. “I audit my closet every month, organizing and making sure that everything’s in the right place. I remove those things that I don’t love anymore, which can give me space to add something in its place.”

PLANNING A FUTURE LOOK 
For those contemplating opening their own business, Abby suggests employing the key foundation block of her business, sorting through the pieces to find the best. “When you start a business, always take the time to audit your time. Say yes to as much as you can but if you feel like you are spreading yourself too thin as your business grows, learn how to say no and really prioritize the yeses. That will help to create the right space for the right experiences,” she remarked. “With my business, I think I’ve said yes to almost everything that came my way, and it opened up so many doors. Sometimes the experiences were not as great as others, but no matter what, I gained the experience, and it definitely led me to where I am today.”

Whether you are working out your physical strengths in the gym or that newly discovered styling muscle in your closet, Abby says it comes down to loving yourself and the things you wrap around you. “I want people to take the time to fall in love with their wardrobes because it makes a difference in how they start their day and how their day goes. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard that from people. Maybe they felt so great when they wore this outfit. Or maybe they did a presentation at work and so many people told them how confident they looked,” she said. “We all have to wear clothes; they’re a commodity. But why not make it something you love and makes you feel good.”