Wanna clean out Your Closet With Me?

Five years ago, my closet was an absolute mess. And when I say absolute mess, I mean it contained a plethora of clothes that did not fit my body, my life, or my style. I was six months postpartum at the time—nursing a velcro baby around the clock, adjusting to life with two kids, all while trying to work from home on my new, rapidly-growing business.

I had a handful of jeans in my closet, but only one of them fit. I owned dozens of shirts, but most of them were too nice to wear while being spit up on multiple times a day. And, so, every day I stood in front of a closet chock-full of clothes and thought to myself: I have nothing to wear. 

I would put something on, and immediately take it off. Nothing fit right. I couldn't breastfeed in half the things hanging in my closet. Again and again, rinse, repeat. It would take me twenty minutes to get dressed, and by the end of it, I still didn’t love what I had on.

One day I had a full-blown, PMS-induced meltdown standing in front of my closet and took (threw?) everything out of it in a fit of rage. 

… and that's how my capsule wardrobe journey began.

Five years later, I am so passionate about the capsule wardrobe, it's stupid. When my friend Callie suggested I turn this passion into a workshop, I balked. A workshop about clothes? How frivolous! How silly! But then the wheels started turning. Every time I took a shower, I started designing worksheets in my head. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

My friend Dana joked a few weeks ago that adding “in a pandemic?” to just about anything feels fitting right now. You want me to respond to that e-mail? In a pandemic? The car needs an oil change? In a pandemic? What do you mean I’m due for a dentist appointment? In a pandemic?

I almost scrapped this idea altogether because it seemed so dumb given all that 2020 has thrust upon us. A workshop about making a capsule wardrobe? In a pandemic?! But then one day I was talking to my friend Adrienne about it and she said, “I don’t know, Ash, I feel like this might offer the sense of normalcy we’re all craving.”

Look, I know you’re probably not even getting dressed right now. As I type this, I am wearing an old pair of maternity shorts I cannot seem to part with, along with a workout top. In case this is not glaringly obvious, I have not worked out today. Not even a little bit. To that end, is this a good time to disclose this workshop is not designed by a fashion blogger? Again, not even a little bit.

I am a regular mom, just like you, who got into this whole capsule wardrobe thing to simplify my life, cut down on decision fatigue, and, essentially, stop hating my closet.

So there’s my (v. impressive) sales pitch. Doesn't organizing your closet among 50 Internet friends sound kind of … dare we say it… fun?

I'm going to lead you, step by step, through the process of studying your wardrobe, defining your style, cleaning out your actual closet, and planning for the future. My friend and writing mentor Callie Feyen contributed “Style Diary” writing prompts for each lesson to keep us all creatively engaged. We're all going to hang out on Slack for the duration of the workshop doing fun and silly things like sharing the most ridiculous things we find in our closets and making one too many references to The Devil Wears Prada. 

I know. In a pandemic?! It almost feels like a crime. I don’t know about you, but I need this right now. I need something normal. Something fun and light and breezy. Away from the news and the political arguments unfolding on Facebook. If you, too, could use a break, and would like to spend a few weeks tackling a Marie Kondo-esque project with me as your personal cheerleader, I would be downright honored.

Sign up here; I’d love to see you in class!