👕 How to curate a wardrobe and stop impulse spending on clothes w/ stylist Kyla Brown

Does clothing hold a special place in your heart and wallet? Rachel explores the deeply emotional relationship between clothing, identity, and impulse spending with stylist Kyla Brown. This conversation goes beyond fashion tips to examine how our wardrobe choices reflect our inner journey of self-acceptance, belonging, and the difference between shopping for who we are versus who we fantasize being. Kyla shares her essential wardrobe checklist and transforms how you think about curating versus consuming.

 

💬 "Shopping is the act of: I'm just out here looking for things to buy. Curating is saying 'I'm building a collection of things that are going to serve me in some way, shape, or form'. When you shift it from being a pastime to a project, that's when you're curating." - Kyla Brown

 

About our Guest:

Guest info: Kyla Brown (it's Kyla not Kayla!) is a style coach who helps brilliant women create brilliant closets. She believes your style is an opportunity to integrate your whole self and works with clients to discover their authentic expression through intentional wardrobe curation.

Take the Style Archetype Quiz: https://www.itskylanotkayla.com/quiz

https://www.instagram.com/itskylanotkayla/

 

Key takeaways from the episode:

• Impulse spending on clothes often stems from looking to external items to tell us who we are, rather than making empowered choices form the inside-out

• Body acceptance is foundational to building a wardrobe that actually works for you, not a fantasy version of yourself

• Fast fashion has made clothing shopping about impulse and accessibility rather than functionality and intentionality

• Shopping should be approached as a project requiring research, not a pastime or emotional outlet

• It's empowering to leave stores empty-handed—practicing consent with your spending builds integrity with yourself: Repeat after me: "It's not in my plan to buy something today"

 

⏰ EPISODE BREAKDOWN

The Psychology Behind Clothing Impulse Spending [00:05:48 - 00:18:00] Rachel and Kyla explore why clothing is the most common impulse purchase category, examining how fast fashion, daily dressing habits, and identity formation create the perfect storm for emotional spending.

 

Fantasy Self vs. Authentic Self [00:15:25 - 00:20:37] Buying for who you wish you were versus who you actually are.

 

Body Acceptance and Wardrobe Building [00:18:39 - 00:21:06] Rachel shares her personal journey of moving from rejecting her changing body to embracing her hourglass shape, and how this acceptance led to better clothing choices that actually flatter her.

 

From Shopping to Curating [00:24:47 - 00:29:17] Kyla reframes the approach to acquiring clothes, moving from impulsive shopping sprees to intentional curation projects, including practical scripts for leaving stores without buying.

 

📚 Resources Mentioned

• Kyla's Essential Wardrobe Checklist: https://www.itskylanotkayla.com/closet-essentials-checklist

• Kyla's AI Styling Tool - personalized styling guidance bot trained on Kyla's expertise

• ThredUp - online thrift store for sustainable fashion finds: Get 45% off + free shipping on your first order: https://www.thredup.com/r/F6W8KE

• Rent the Runway/Nuuly - clothing rental services for special occasions

• Studio Ghibli soot sprites - Kyla's money creature visualization

 

💬 Join the Conversation 

How do you approach shopping for clothes? Is it impulsive or a curation? Click on the big orange button on our site right from your phone or browser and let me know [specific question related