December 10, 2024 • 39 mins
Discover how fashion can be a powerful tool for self-expression and empowerment with Sam Stewart, a pharmacist turned fashion blogger. Sam shares her journey of transforming fashion from a perceived frivolity into a creative outlet that boosted her self-esteem and mental health.
Learn practical tips for building a wardrobe that reflects your personality, balances function with flair, and embraces individuality. From body acceptance to minimalist closet strategies, this episode celebrates the transformative power of style and self-expression.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nika Lawrie (00:06):
Welcome to the Inspired with ika Laurie podcast
.
Sam Stewart, welcome to the show.
I'm so excited to have you here.
Sam Stewart (00:21):
Thank you for having me.
I'm very excited to be here,yeah so we are.
Nika Lawrie (00:26):
We're kind of like old friends-ish at this point,
sort of.
So we met within the last yearor so doing our Next Level group
, which is a kind of businessgrowth group, and we really
bonded over our conversationover fashion.
And I'm really excited to talkto you because I think you know,
like we were talking justbefore the show, fashion kind of
(00:48):
gets this stigma about it thatit's frivolous and not important
to our lives and I really wantto change that thought,
especially for women, because Ithink it's such a powerful,
powerful tool.
So that's why I brought you onas this amazing stylista.
You know, bringing fashion tothe world.
So, before we go into all thesequestions I have for you, tell
(01:09):
me a little bit about yourbackstory.
How did you get into fashionand what inspired you about
fashion?
Sam Stewart (01:16):
Okay, well, so I'm a pharmacist by trade and I've
always loved art.
I wanted to be an artistgrowing up, but my parents were
like no way.
Like my, my middle schoolteacher literally said she
should go to art high school,and my parents were like I don't
think so because, like we'reAsian and so you don't do that,
so you have to be like a doctoror something.
(01:37):
So, anyway, so I ended up goingto pharmacy school, which I
love, but I ended up using thatcreativity and like channeling
it into what I was wearing.
So I had a lot of fun kind ofgetting dressed up for work and
stuff, and so I would get a lotof like requests, like my
manager was like you should, youknow, give us a PowerPoint
presentation on what to wear forwork?
And I'm like, no, like I wouldlike people would ask me stuff,
(02:01):
and I'm like, oh, I don't dothat.
And so I, you know, it was alot of fun for me, but I just
didn't.
I guess I just never took itseriously, like as in, it's
something that I could do.
And then we, my husband and I,traveled to Europe because he is
also in the medical field andhe was there for a fellowship.
So we were in Germany and atthat time we were going through
(02:25):
infertility treatments and so wemy friends all had online blogs
.
At that time it was a big thingand it was like that was like
their online journal to shareabout their families, and
they're like you should shareabout your IVF fertility journey
.
And I was like I don't think so.
It was like very emotional andthere was like a lot of
(02:45):
emotional roller coasters up anddown so I just said, no, I'll
just share about fashion instead.
And so that's really how it gotstarted.
It was called my.
My friends want me to blog,blog, and um, that's why I
started sharing fashion.
And then some of my friends andcoworkers would be like, okay,
I have this style problem, howwould you wear a belt?
And I'm like, okay, this iswhat you do.
(03:06):
And so it was a lot of fun andthat's honestly how it got
started.
It was like I call myself likean accidental blogger.
Nika Lawrie (03:14):
I love that, though .
That's awesome.
Sam Stewart (03:16):
Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Nika Lawrie (03:19):
What really brought you like I know you've talked
about kind of the artistic piece, but what really made you love
clothing specific?
Was there something you knowand people who are artistic
might think, well, I'm going topaint as a hobby or you know,
I'm going to learn to play thepiano or something like that.
Was there something specificabout clothing, about the fabric
or fashion that you reallyloved?
Sam Stewart (03:40):
I think it was just , you know, I used to watch my
mom get dressed up and, um, she,we didn't come from like, we
came from a very modestbackground and um, we, like we
shopped at garage sales but shewould have like all these random
things in her closet and shewould.
She told me, like it's okay tobe different because I, honestly
, we couldn't afford anythinglike the stuff that was in at
(04:04):
the time at school.
Like we, we didn't have any ofit.
We couldn't afford anythinglike the stuff that was in at
the time at school.
Like we, we didn't have any ofit.
And so I would get, I wouldbasically like wear
hand-me-downs Like she, shesewed and she would trade her
customers for clothes.
So we'd get these like big blacktrash bags full of like
clothing from her customers'kids and I would go through and
be like, oh my gosh, I could dothis with this.
So it was just like another wayto channel that creativity and
(04:26):
like I would, um, back at thetime there were magazines and I
would check them out from thelibrary and you could, it was
like a way to do art, but likeon myself, and that was a way to
basically be creative.
Um, and then I found that whenI dress, when I really liked my
outfit, I felt really good aboutmyself.
So it was always kind of likethis challenge to find something
(04:48):
that was like in the magazineor similar to what was in the
magazine, because I never hadthe exact thing and then still
made me feel good about myself.
So there was like a lot of.
It was almost like creating artpieces like every day, because
it's with your clothes.
Nika Lawrie (05:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love that.
I love that you brought up that.
It kind of just made you feelbetter.
It was like a mental healthkind of piece, right?
Yes, one of the reasons why Iwanted to bring you on the show
to talk about it is for me,fashion is kind of an
empowerment tool, like when Iget dressed and I feel really
good or beautiful in what I'mwearing, I feel more confident
(05:23):
in my life, I feel like I cantake on more challenges, I can
go talk to more people and feelbetter in those situations For
you, in your interactions withyour community.
I know you have a largefollowing on social media and
you help women kind of figureout how to build their wardrobes
.
What are some of the piecesthat you've seen that have
(05:45):
helped them kind of on a mentalhealth piece?
Sam Stewart (05:47):
Well, I mean, I think first of all, like on that
mental health piece component,I didn't realize why I was
feeling good, but there'sactually studies and there's
this like one pretty famousstudy called the Enclosed
Cognition Study.
It's in like a NorthwesternUniversity in 1992.
And basically they had threearms of participants.
One arm was just like they'rejust people in there, but then
(06:10):
two arms received white jacketsand one arm that received white
jackets were told they wereartist jackets and the other arm
was told that they weredoctor's jackets and so they
were asked to perform these likecognitive tests and the ones
who had the white jackets on,who were told they were doctor's
jackets, performed better thanthe other two arms.
(06:32):
So it's like just putting onthis like white piece of garment
but being told that itrepresents something made these
people act a certain way.
And so that's the thing about um, about fashion and style is, I
think people think, oh, she'sjust like trying to be like cute
or pretty, but there is reallya lot more to it because, like I
(06:54):
caught, I kind of caught itlike your invisible armor.
It's like this invisible armorof confidence that you're
putting on that helps you likego throughout the day and be
like a great leader or a greatmom or, you know, great business
entrepreneur.
So I think, in that way, withthe, the study like that was
like proof that there is amental component to like
(07:14):
clothing and then like thesewomen, I think.
I think the thing with myaudience is that, you know, all
of us are on social media andthere's just like so much coming
at us and it's justoverwhelming.
And I'm, I guess, even though Ilike, like all this clothing
and I have a lot of accessories,I'm actually like a very simple
(07:35):
person, I like thingssimplified, and so for me it was
just like well, how can I makeit more simple so that people
understand and then can feelgood about themselves?
Because that's like part of mymission, so because I feel like
it's like look, feel and do good.
So if you look good and youfeel good and you can do good,
and it's that like ripple effectto where like you're like you
(07:57):
know you're helping other womenor you're helping other people,
so it's just I don't know, Ijust think of it that way, yeah.
Nika Lawrie (08:03):
No, that's beautiful.
I really agree with you.
I love that you say you knowdress for how you want to feel
or that fashion should be fun.
Yes, I think.
Yeah, so explain, because Ireally connect with that dress
how you want to feel.
Because I know, like I said, Ifeel very different in the types
of clothes.
The way I feel when I wearleggings and a sweatshirt versus
(08:25):
a dress, and I wear a lot ofcowboy boots or ankle boots and
stuff, and the way I feel inthat is a very different person.
Can you talk about how we useclothing to feel different?
Like how does that process kindof work?
Sam Stewart (08:41):
Well, I guess I would cause I kind of would
think of like I would talk tosome of my coworkers in pharmacy
and I would always say, well, Ijust wear how I want to feel.
So I want to feel really goodand really confident.
So I would put that dress onversus like if I was really
feeling blah that day.
And I put on like blah clothesand I know that's not very
technical, but like you'retalking about, like if you're
(09:02):
putting on like a t-shirt andleggings and you know that you
kind of feel blah and you putthat on and you feel blah, then
you're probably going to behavethat way too, and so to me it
just makes sense, like if youwant to feel good, you need to
put on things that make you feelgood and like feel super
confident about yourself.
And so that that was just like Icame up with these like
(09:22):
manifestos, cause I was likethis is what I believe about
fashion and it should be fun,because the thing with clothing
is you like clothing is not atattoo, it's not permanent, so
you can change it.
So like if you put on somethingand it's not working for you
that day, you can change it tosomething else, and that's why I
say it should be fun.
There shouldn't be so muchpressure to be like I need to
look perfect or I need to lookthis way.
(09:42):
It just should be fun and makeyou feel good about yourself.
That's what I feel about it.
Nika Lawrie (09:50):
Yeah, I love that too.
I know, for me my style is it'salways kind of been.
You know I grew up in theSouthwest.
I it's always kind of been.
You know I grew up in theSouthwest.
I live in the Southwest againnow, so I've always kind of had
a little bit of a country feel.
You know, cowboy boots and moreof that kind of you know like
you would think of like a Texaskind of look.
Sam Stewart (10:07):
Yeah, I know, I was like I love the boots.
Nika Lawrie (10:10):
Yeah, like you know , I wear a lot of kind of summer
dresses with my boots andthings like that.
But then I also grew uplistening to like punk music.
Like when I was a kid I reallylooked a lot like Avril Lavigne
and I dressed very similar toher, and so there's still
aspects of my style that youknow incorporate kind of that
punk rock look, and then I havekind of that country look and
(10:31):
then I also have, as I'vematured and gotten older, I
think I look more like I don'tknow, maybe like Gwyneth Paltrow
, right, like more of acomfortable, you know everyday
kind of feel, maybe not with herprices, but a similar style.
Sam Stewart (10:47):
They're in a different level.
Nika Lawrie (10:48):
Yeah right, so you know, figuring out how to kind
of merge those.
It's almost like being it'shaving the freedom to kind of be
a chameleon with your own style, right.
Sam Stewart (10:58):
Yeah, and so that's the thing.
So that was a thing that wasreally hard for me, which is why
I came up with like a system inmy program, elevate your Style,
because I felt, like I did, Ihad different styles, like
sometimes I was really feminine,sometimes I was more edgy,
sometimes I was like supereclectic and I was like, but,
how, but?
And I would take these stylequizzes and I was like I don't
(11:19):
fit any one style all the time.
Yeah, so that's where, like,these style words come in, where
basically you, it's like threeto five style words and you talk
about like, or you, you name,like how you want to feel, and
then two of them can be youraesthetic.
So, like, I have five, likethree main style words and then
(11:40):
my two aesthetic words changedepending on the situation Like
cause, as a mom, and like person, like work from home.
My aesthetic is one way, butwhen I'm at a like event, it's
like a whole nother aesthetic,you know.
But the three main words arelike how I want to feel, no
matter what you know, and sothat's like how you've got your
punk, and then you're like moresophisticated and then you're
(12:02):
more country.
But you can have all of thoseas long as you are able to feel
a certain way.
And so, like, my words are likeaccessorized, confident and
elevated, so those are my threemain words, and then like the
other words around it, and sothat's what you can like find,
like what your words are to makeyou feel really good about
yourself.
And then you know, youraesthetics can change depending
on the situation or whatever.
Nika Lawrie (12:23):
Yeah, absolutely.
So let's get into somepractical tips of like how do I
start to do this?
So say, I have a wardrobe ofclothing but, like there it's
not really.
You know, I just buy thingsthat I love when I go to the
store, cause I think that's whata lot of people do oh, this
looks pretty.
But then you get home andyou're like how do I match this
with my Levi jeans or whatever?
Sam Stewart (12:43):
Right.
Nika Lawrie (12:44):
Like and how?
How do we start um taking thepieces that we have and building
out a a wardrobe that reallyfits our aesthetic, our, our
personality?
Sam Stewart (12:55):
Yeah, well, I think number one is you kind of have
to know, like your style,identity or personal style.
So that, starting out with likethose three to five words, so
kind of having that to startwith, cause you have to know
where you are like, to knowwhere you're going, right, and
then when you go through yourwardrobe you have to kind of be
a little bit more meticulous andsay, like, do these, does this
(13:19):
piece like match with my words?
Cause I found that I, you know,I've collected a lot of clothes
and some of that are reallycute that I found like at the
store I loved at the time, butthen I'm like, oh, that doesn't
actually go with my word, so itdoesn't actually need to be in
there because it's, it's gonna,it's not going to fit in with
everything else.
So having your words and thenmaking sure the pieces in your
(13:40):
wardrobe match with that is oneof the main things, because when
we have a closet full ofclothes, it's just like having
all these puzzle pieces that mayor may not be from two to three
different puzzles and put allin a pile.
Nika Lawrie (13:56):
You've mentioned your words having your words.
How do we get that?
Is mentioned your words havingyour words.
How do we get that?
Is that like punk rock or like?
What are those words?
Sam Stewart (14:03):
Yeah, so my, so, like I was saying, the three
words are like kind of how youwant to feel.
So I want to feel likeaccessorized and confident and
elevated, but it could be like,um, you could want to feel like
sexy or feminine or like punkrock, you know.
And then the other two wordscan be your aesthetic.
So that could be like classicor timeless things like that,
(14:24):
and that's what kind of changesand so like you also will have
another thing you need to do isalso like audit your wardrobe
based on your actual lifestyle.
So that's a lot of a lot ofthings a lot of times.
Um, why there's a, a mismatch isbecause you're like I, I love
this piece so much, but itdoesn't actually fit into any of
your lifestyle, like whatyou're doing.
Like you could buy, like youknow, formal gowns.
(14:46):
Like, if you see this formalgown and you're like a person
who loves formal gowns and yougo to nothing formal, you will
have nothing to wear.
So like having that mismatch oflike what you actually do
versus like what's in yourcloset too.
So it's like having it matchyour identity, having it match
your actual like lifestyleactivities, you know.
Nika Lawrie (15:08):
Yeah, so is there a way?
So, you know, we start tofigure out, kind of, what our
style theme is.
I guess, right, the sum of ourwords.
How do we, you know, if we haveclothes that we don't want
anymore and then we're trying tobring in these new clothes, how
do we do this in a mannerthat's not going to break our
(15:29):
bank, like, I know, matching allthose things, you know, you see
, let me step back.
So you see, all these differenttypes of fashion, like
Instagram is a big place whereyou'll see all these different
people wearing these beautifulclothes but how do we do that in
a way that isn't going to, youknow where we're not going into
tons of credit cards.
Sam Stewart (15:48):
I need a whole new wardrobe, right, yeah, I need a
style identity.
I need a whole new wardrobe tomatch it.
That's the thing you.
So you I mean some people can't, but you don't really
necessarily need to do that.
So what you need to do isbasically, as you're going
through your closet, you'regoing to need to go and say like
okay, well, I've got a holehere.
Like I don't actually have anynice white shirts, but yet I do
(16:08):
need a white shirt.
Or um, like I I actually do alot more casual things, but I
don't have any like casualfootwear.
Or so, basically, when you'regoing through your closet and
editing it, you need to seewhere the holes are, and that's.
And you make a list and then youhave to stick to that list.
And then, when you're shoppingso I like there's all kinds of
(16:29):
amazing wardrobe apps Like I useindex I, n, d, y, x and you can
there's like a code stylesaying you can get a $10 credit
there Cause I style there.
But like it allows you to tobasically catalog what's in your
wardrobe.
So, like, if you're likenormally, I say, put in your
notes, app like what you need.
And then like, cause we allalways usually have our phone,
(16:50):
so if you're out shopping, youwon't be like, oh my God, I need
that like pink dress, becauseyou may actually have like three
other pink dresses that arevery similar to it.
So then you're like oh, it'snot on my list, I don't need a
pink dress.
Or if you have like an app thathas your whole wardrobe catalog
, you can like oh, I have threeother pink dresses, and so I'm
notorious with like summerdresses, like I probably have
(17:14):
like 10 of the same dress, yeahexactly, and that's it.
I've even done the same thingwith lipstick and I'm like well,
what am I doing?
Like I have this, basicallyalmost the same version of pink
lipstick.
So it's like.
It's kind of like that, justbasically being very intentional
about what you're like, you'rebringing back in Cause I kind of
say like, think of your closetlike a boutique or like this
(17:35):
fancy club and like, if thatperson doesn't vibe with
everyone else in the club, youdon't want them in your, in your
club.
So you know, so, just like.
And so it's like in a veryexclusive list of people, and so
you want them to match it.
And so you know, like, and.
And then I would say also like,let's say, you have something,
(17:56):
um, I would say like, if youdon't have a way to replace it
yet, hold on to that piece oflike.
If you have no more blackshirts, but you're like this
black shirt is just okay, itdoesn't match my style identity
perfectly, you can hold on tothat black shirt until you're
able to get one Like, unlessyou're, if you're saving or
you're just waiting forsomething like, hold on to that
until you can replace it,because if you literally get rid
(18:18):
of everything, you mightactually have nothing to wear.
So we don't want to put youlike you would never want to be
in a bad situation like thatwhere, like I, got rid of
everything and I only have 10pieces of clothing and some
people can do that but, likemost of us, have a lot more than
10 pieces, you know, unlessyou're like a true minimalist
(18:40):
which I don't know many peoplewho are, I know for me.
Nika Lawrie (18:41):
I actually cleaned out my closet over the last week
and what I found was there werea lot of pieces that I bought
that were like impulse buys.
I just liked the look of it,but then when I actually cleaned
out my closet and went througheverything, I found I really
didn't like the things that werethe cheap fabrics.
I'd rather spend a little bitmore money on something that's a
(19:03):
better fabric that's going tolast me a long time, so really
moved away from those you know,you know 10, 15, $30 items that
you just buy real quick at thestore and really have invested
in higher quality items thatkind of last longer, and so I
think that's a big step to taketoo.
Sam Stewart (19:21):
Oh for sure.
And so that's the thing.
You know, everyone is on adifferent budget, but if you can
purchase the best quality thatyou can at the price you're at,
then do that.
I mean along.
You know, when I first finishedpharmacy school, I was like
definitely on a budget and verymuch in debt, and so, like I had
some.
I had like pieces from forever21, but I would take really good
(19:42):
care of them and they wereactually lasted for a long time
Um, but that was the best Icould afford at the time.
You know, and so like, asyou're able to afford more, you
can like definitely buy the bestyou can afford, especially if
it's not something that like issuper trendy, cause I feel like
and that's where sometimes a lotof us could get caught up or
(20:03):
and I have in the past for surelike it's super trendy, it's so
super cute, and you like spendmoney on this piece, but you
it's it's after a season, you'relike I don't even know why I
bought that, you know so likeeither vintage or high quality,
(20:27):
like secondhand stuff or justreally good items that they can
purchase for a better price yeah, so there's lots, so I guess I
can start with lowest to highest.
But there's ThredUp and so I'vesent my clothes there and, like
you, can find some crazy amazingdeals there.
So I mean.
Nika Lawrie (20:39):
Yeah, some incredible things.
Sam Stewart (20:41):
Yeah, and I like I think that there's like.
So my co-host and I, brandy, wetalk about on our podcast, like
I think there's this stigma andthis fear of um like buying
used clothes and so if you dohave that, there's lots of new
with tag I would say, probably80% of the things I've bought
(21:04):
from ThredUp are brand new, withtags.
Yeah, so there's a lot of newwith tag items on there.
Just in case that's like athing you're like oh, I don't
know about the germs and stuff.
There's a lot of new with tagthings.
So ThredUp is one.
I do buy a lot of pieces fromthe real real also.
And then there's Vestair, whichI have have uh, they have.
(21:24):
It's a collective of a lot ofdifferent people and some of
them are international, so Ihaven't personally purchased
from it, but I know other peoplehave um like locally.
I have a lot of people that umlike.
There's vintage martini, whichis a store here based in dallas,
and they have a lot of liketrue vintage and archival pieces
, but then they also have likemore contemporary pieces.
(21:46):
Um, let me think of what else?
Uh, oh, poshmark Poshmark isgreat too Um, I would say thread
up first, then Poshmark next,then the real real, um and then
um, but then there's also like alot of local places.
So you should I would, I guess,encourage everyone to like
check out their localconsignment places, because I
found some amazing gems at likemy local consignment stores too.
Nika Lawrie (22:10):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah.
Sam Stewart (22:12):
And I think you can also just like not be afraid to
ask questions, because I thinkpeople are like, and look at the
return policy.
Nika Lawrie (22:19):
Are there?
So, like you know, we'regetting the clothes matching our
style, kind of incorporatingthat with the stuff that we may
already have in our closet.
Are there some really simple,like three or four practical
tips that you have of, like, howdo we just accessorize well, or
(22:40):
kind of spruce things up to?
You know, I have a blackt-shirt and jeans on, but like,
how do I make that look?
You know, how do I make itbetter?
Sam Stewart (22:46):
Okay, yeah, definitely, cause that's the
thing, that's what I kind oflike to show on my social medias
, cause you can have somethingsuper plain oh, no, thanks, but
it's cause I wanted to make itso it's like translatable for
people like oh, I understandthat, Like you have like a
simple top and like simple jeansand just very small things.
Like, depending on, like, yourstyle or your body shape or your
(23:08):
proportion, you can do a tucklike either a half tuck, side
tuck Cause there's this hugecontroversy about tucking.
I mean, I don't even like somepeople are like I can't talk
because of my mid region, mybelly, I don't like it.
So some people refuse to tuckand that's okay, you know, but
you can tuck or you don't haveto.
Definitely I'm always like addaccessories.
(23:28):
Like I feel like that's theeasiest way to like level up
your outfit is to just addaccessories, and I always like
there's this rule of threeswhere, like if you wear, um, if
you add a third piece, thatautomatically elevates your look
.
But also I feel like thatapplies accessories.
So like if you wear like anearring and two, two necklaces,
(23:48):
or like a set of three,something it always seems to
like give that more elevatedlook.
And if that's not your style,that's okay too, because I know
some people are very minimal onjewelry and so they just want to
wear one necklace and oneearring and, you know, one
bracelet, and that's okay too.
It just has to match with whatyour style is.
But I feel like definitelyadding accessories like jewelry,
and then even like a belt orsomething or like a scarf Like I
(24:10):
love all accessories headband,like anything Like add an
accessory and then basicallylike small things like the
tucking or like cupping yoursleeves, you know, or even like.
So the thing is like some ofthese button ups, they kind of
really close up and if you justlike get it to open up and see
(24:30):
more of your skin, that'sactually more like, it's kind of
a more attractive look.
So not to be like showing offcleavage, but just like you can
see more skin and it's moreattractive to like see your face
and your neck and your like alittle bit of V.
So just like little things likethat.
But it doesn't have to be, youknow, crazy, it's just like
small little tweaks.
Nika Lawrie (24:49):
Yeah, are there things that we can do to kind of
feel more confident with ourchanging bodies or different
body sizes and types?
Sam Stewart (24:57):
Yeah, I think that's a really hard thing,
cause I I'm like closer to 50.
And so, like I'm in this age ofperimenopause, menopause, women
, and there's a lot of changesgoing on with our bodies.
I think number one is honestlyaccepting it and not talking so
badly about yourself, becausepeople have a lot of negative
(25:19):
self-talk and when you're sayingthings to yourself that you
would never say, to like anotherperson or your daughter like,
that's like super hurtful toyourself and so like basically
being aware of your body andthen stopping with a negative
self-talk and then also like ifyou are aware of your body and
your body shape, then you can,then you actually can have
(25:40):
strategies on how to like eithercamouflage or enhance, like
those pieces, Like, so basicallylike let's say, you're an
hourglass figure and you reallywant to show that off, you can
totally wear like a tight dress,but if you don't, then you can
do something a little looser andno one would know.
So it's just kind of havingbody awareness but then also
body acceptance, like body, likeembrace yourself.
(26:01):
I think that's think that is ahard thing because in our
society and in culture in thepast there's like the standard
of beauty and it may not alwaysbe attainable or achievable for
people, and so I think that wasa thing that I struggled with a
lot growing up, because I'm likethis short, stocky, five foot
four Asian and like I see theselike beautiful, like lean,
(26:25):
elegant Victoria's secret milesand there's nothing wrong with
them.
But I was just like I want tolook like that.
But like, no matter what I wore, I didn't look like that, you
know, and after I under, after Ilike accepted myself and then
like understood my body andfigured out how to like wear
things for myself, then you'relike oh, I actually look nice.
Nika Lawrie (26:46):
You always look stunning?
Sam Stewart (26:47):
Definitely no, but I think that's the thing, cause
I think we're, if we say meanand bad things to ourselves,
it's not, it's not helpful.
Like I told people, like if youwouldn't say it to a friend or
your daughter, then you probablyshouldn't say it to yourself.
Nika Lawrie (27:01):
Absolutely yeah.
Sam Stewart (27:02):
Yeah.
Nika Lawrie (27:03):
One of my favorite things about having the ability
to travel and see differentcultures and stuff is to really
understand how different theembodiment of what culture is,
because it's so different in somany places.
I know there are countrieswhere you know if women aren't
more heavyset, they're notconsidered beautiful, like you
(27:25):
know the skinny supermodels thatwe think of here in the.
United States are not beautifulin other countries.
Right, you know, men are reallyattracted to that more
voluptuous kind of I don't knowhow to say it, but just kind of
the fuller body it's likehealthier.
Sam Stewart (27:42):
Yeah, I don't know how to say it, but just the kind
of the fuller, healthier, yeah,and, and you know, and.
So it really goes to show that,like, all bodies are beautiful
and types are beautiful, it'sjust, you know, we've been
brainwashed with these differentcultural themes that don't
really mean anything.
Yeah, and it's so funny, though, too, because if you, even if
you go through culture, throughlike different decades and like
(28:04):
times, like what is consideredbeautiful with the female body
is like so different and so it'sso crazy.
Nika Lawrie (28:12):
Yeah, Just here in the United States it seems like
it changes kind of every 20 or30 years?
Yeah, yeah, totally.
Sam Stewart (28:19):
Yeah, and I think it's interesting like you're
talking about different culturesbecause, like you know, um,
like crop tops are a big thingbut then, like in certain
different customs, like croptops are like the uniform almost
like for, you know, like sarisand things like that, and so
it's not seen as so taboo.
So it's just really interestingto me like to see different um
cultures and just like differentways to dress.
(28:39):
I appreciate all of that.
I I think it's really fun.
Nika Lawrie (28:42):
I do too.
I think it's kind of abeautiful piece of the diversity
of cultures throughout theworld.
So I have a couple morequestions for you, but before we
get into the final questions,is there anything that we
haven't touched on that youwould like to share?
Sam Stewart (28:56):
just around fashion and helping women feel
beautiful and feel their best, Ithink that well, I think you
basically touched on it becauseI just feel like every woman is
beautiful and if she could justlike look at herself and like
see that in herself.
Because I feel like most of usare like looking at someone else
and going, oh, she's beautiful,and she's beautiful, I wish I
(29:18):
was beautiful.
But all of us are likebeautiful in our own right
because we're all unique andfeel like we're all like a gift,
and so I feel like I talk, Italk about that in my program
but I feel like we're a gift andwe're wrapping ourselves with
the clothing that are like it'slike gift wrap, you know, and so
we get to like we're all giftsand we just have to wrap
ourselves like however, we wantto to make ourselves feel
(29:39):
beautiful, want to to makeourselves feel beautiful.
So I I do feel like women needto be more appreciative of
themselves and just likeappreciate themselves for being
beautiful.
Nika Lawrie (29:49):
Absolutely.
I love that.
Tell me so.
You have a podcast, you have acourse and you have a new
comprehensive guide.
Can you tell me a little bitabout those things and where can
people find you and get yourresources and connect with you?
Sam Stewart (30:12):
Sure.
So my website is styleofsamcom,and then I have a program
called Elevate your Style.
So it's like a comprehensivepersonal style online program
and basically it kind of guidesyou through my style operating
system.
So it's a way for ambitiouswomen to confidently and
effortlessly dress themselvesBecause, like I said, I like to
be simple, so I feel like I haveto make it very simple.
It's eight modules, but I tryto make it very simple so people
(30:34):
can understand it.
And then this newer thing, whichprobably will be released by
the time your podcast is out, issomething I'm working on, but I
wanted to create something that, um, that women could use as a
guide to help them create, like,basically, a wardrobe that
works for them, versus, like youknow, I think that, because I
(30:57):
used to do content creation andinfluencing and it's always
about consuming but you shouldactually shop your closet more,
because most of us have liketons of cute stuff in our closet
, and so I feel like, just likethe components that we talked
about, like understanding yourstyle identity, making sure you
have pieces in your closet thatwork for you and like your, your
actual real life, not like yourdream life, your Pinterest life
(31:20):
, like that, like giving themthe steps and like some ideas on
how to create outfits and likehow to elevate and style stuff.
Like that is like just like asmaller offer, but I wanted to
have women be able to like haveit because, honestly, a lot of
women are very busy.
Most of us have like many hatswe're wearing and so I've
(31:41):
noticed that a lot of womenthey're like I'm behind, I'm so
sorry, and I'm like you don'thave to be sorry.
This is like your program.
You take it to your own pace,I'm here for you, but it's
almost like it was another thingon their to-do list.
So I wanted to make somethingsmall and easy to digest that
they could basically will helpthem.
Nika Lawrie (32:00):
I love that Cause I think one of the things I think
women fall into like a trapthey sort of fall into is almost
like decision fatigue when itcomes to wardrobe, I know like
my husband's an air force pilotand so he literally wears the
same uniform every single day towork.
And part of me is like, oh,that's so nice, cause you don't
have to think of, do or anything, you just get into the flight
(32:22):
suit and goes out to work.
And so I love that you talkabout really simplifying it,
because I think people getoverwhelmed by the idea of
fashion because there's so muchof it and so many accessories
and how we layer all thesethings.
And to really simplify it, soyou kind of have a uniform in
your own sense, you have a stylethat you go to every day and
(32:43):
you look beautiful in it, butit's simple and not overwhelming
.
Sam Stewart (32:47):
Yeah, and that's the thing I mean, because your
husband is a great example, butalso Steve Jobs and Karl
Lagerfeld they had theiruniforms.
And then also Anna Wintour,who's the fashion editor of
Vogue.
She basically rewears a lot ofthings.
So I mean, like it's not, likeshe's you know, she's not
wearing the latest trends oranything she's like has her
(33:07):
uniform.
So I mean, and she's like afashion editor of a major
magazine.
Nika Lawrie (33:12):
Yeah, I saw the interview with the fashion
editor of Vogue London or VogueEngland, I think it's London,
and she was beautiful.
But she was so just dressed,kind of every day, you know, she
had like a nice pair of pantsand a shirt and some pants.
Like it wasn't fashion, Like itwas you know comfortable outfit
(33:34):
that she was wearing and shelooked great, but it was just
simple and it didn't have to bethis big thing.
Sam Stewart (33:41):
Yeah, it doesn't have to be all yeah, whatever I
mean, and that's the thing youcan, you can make it whatever
you want it to be, and so, aslong as it makes you feel good.
So that's why I was.
I think that's why for a longtime I was really hesitant to
help people with fashion, causeI didn't want them to feel like
they had to dress like me, causelike, if you don't like big
earrings, then I don't want youto wear big earrings, you know.
But now you're like oh, youdon't have like.
(34:03):
Now I know how to tell themlike, this is how you do it and
this is you.
Take what you want and then youlike, you know make it for you.
Nika Lawrie (34:11):
I always love it.
You have really great um uhreels on social media.
I love watching you onInstagram and TikTok because for
me you know you and I have wehave similar but different
styles right.
But the way I see youincorporate different things
into your style every day inthose videos, I'm like, oh, I
could add this little thing ontomy bag.
(34:33):
That makes it feel just alittle bit more, you know,
elevated, or just little thingslike that, and so I love the
spark of inspiration that youbring.
Sam Stewart (34:43):
Yeah, and I think that's why you know, and that's
part of my manifesto, fashionshould be fun.
It should be like not so likeserious, you know.
And then I know, and you knowthere are some professional
women.
They have to.
They do have to dress a certainway because they want to be
take like um, feel confident intheir position, like where they
are, where they're working.
But in general I feel likefashion should be fun.
Nika Lawrie (35:05):
I agree.
I love it.
Well, sam, this has been sogreat.
I'm so, so grateful for youcoming on the show and taking
the time to share all of yourknowledge.
I know it's not a typicalconversation that I have on the
podcast, but I think it's justas important, because it really
does elevate the way you feel,and the whole point of this is
to make people feel their bestand feel beautiful and healthy,
(35:26):
and so I'm grateful for that.
Before I let you go, I have onelast question that I ask all of
my guests what is somethingthat you've experienced or
learned that inspires you, thatyou would like to share with
others?
Sam Stewart (35:40):
Ooh, that's such a good question.
Um, I think that, uh, one ofthe things I actually just
shared this, like I got aquestionnaire but basically, um,
one of the hurdles, likesomeone asked me about one of
the hurdles I've gone through,and there's been a lot, but one
of the things that I had thebiggest struggle with.
(36:01):
It was the struggle within,because I had to shed the
shoulds, and so I feel like, ifyour audience can remember, they
can shed some of these shoulds.
Yes, then that would be better,because I just that's the thing
.
If we can all feel good aboutourselves and we can do amazing
things, that's the thing thereis can all like feel good about
(36:22):
ourselves and we can do likeamazing things.
That's the thing we like.
There is a ripple effect, Likeyou, smiling at one person can
affect like their whole day.
So I just feel like we need toremember that, like like one,
each one of us makes adifference, and so just don't be
so hard on yourself.
Have grace, shed the sheds and,like you, make a difference.
Nika Lawrie (36:37):
I love that.
It's so true and so beautiful.
So thank you, sam, I'm sograteful for you.
Sam Stewart (36:42):
Thank you for having me.
I'm like so honored to be onyour podcast.
Nika Lawrie (36:45):
I'm so happy to have you here.
Thank you, okay.
Welcome to the Inspired with ika Laurie podcast
.
Sam Stewart, welcome to the show.
I'm so excited to have you here.
Sam Stewart (00:21):
Thank you for having me.
I'm very excited to be here,yeah so we are.
Nika Lawrie (00:26):
We're kind of like old friends-ish at this point,
sort of.
So we met within the last yearor so doing our Next Level group
, which is a kind of businessgrowth group, and we really
bonded over our conversationover fashion.
And I'm really excited to talkto you because I think you know,
like we were talking justbefore the show, fashion kind of
(00:48):
gets this stigma about it thatit's frivolous and not important
to our lives and I really wantto change that thought,
especially for women, because Ithink it's such a powerful,
powerful tool.
So that's why I brought you onas this amazing stylista.
You know, bringing fashion tothe world.
So, before we go into all thesequestions I have for you, tell
(01:09):
me a little bit about yourbackstory.
How did you get into fashionand what inspired you about
fashion?
Sam Stewart (01:16):
Okay, well, so I'm a pharmacist by trade and I've
always loved art.
I wanted to be an artistgrowing up, but my parents were
like no way.
Like my, my middle schoolteacher literally said she
should go to art high school,and my parents were like I don't
think so because, like we'reAsian and so you don't do that,
so you have to be like a doctoror something.
(01:37):
So, anyway, so I ended up goingto pharmacy school, which I
love, but I ended up using thatcreativity and like channeling
it into what I was wearing.
So I had a lot of fun kind ofgetting dressed up for work and
stuff, and so I would get a lotof like requests, like my
manager was like you should, youknow, give us a PowerPoint
presentation on what to wear forwork?
And I'm like, no, like I wouldlike people would ask me stuff,
(02:01):
and I'm like, oh, I don't dothat.
And so I, you know, it was alot of fun for me, but I just
didn't.
I guess I just never took itseriously, like as in, it's
something that I could do.
And then we, my husband and I,traveled to Europe because he is
also in the medical field andhe was there for a fellowship.
So we were in Germany and atthat time we were going through
(02:25):
infertility treatments and so wemy friends all had online blogs
.
At that time it was a big thingand it was like that was like
their online journal to shareabout their families, and
they're like you should shareabout your IVF fertility journey
.
And I was like I don't think so.
It was like very emotional andthere was like a lot of
(02:45):
emotional roller coasters up anddown so I just said, no, I'll
just share about fashion instead.
And so that's really how it gotstarted.
It was called my.
My friends want me to blog,blog, and um, that's why I
started sharing fashion.
And then some of my friends andcoworkers would be like, okay,
I have this style problem, howwould you wear a belt?
And I'm like, okay, this iswhat you do.
(03:06):
And so it was a lot of fun andthat's honestly how it got
started.
It was like I call myself likean accidental blogger.
Nika Lawrie (03:14):
I love that, though .
That's awesome.
Sam Stewart (03:16):
Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Nika Lawrie (03:19):
What really brought you like I know you've talked
about kind of the artistic piece, but what really made you love
clothing specific?
Was there something you knowand people who are artistic
might think, well, I'm going topaint as a hobby or you know,
I'm going to learn to play thepiano or something like that.
Was there something specificabout clothing, about the fabric
or fashion that you reallyloved?
Sam Stewart (03:40):
I think it was just , you know, I used to watch my
mom get dressed up and, um, she,we didn't come from like, we
came from a very modestbackground and um, we, like we
shopped at garage sales but shewould have like all these random
things in her closet and shewould.
She told me, like it's okay tobe different because I, honestly
, we couldn't afford anythinglike the stuff that was in at
(04:04):
the time at school.
Like we, we didn't have any ofit.
We couldn't afford anythinglike the stuff that was in at
the time at school.
Like we, we didn't have any ofit.
And so I would get, I wouldbasically like wear
hand-me-downs Like she, shesewed and she would trade her
customers for clothes.
So we'd get these like big blacktrash bags full of like
clothing from her customers'kids and I would go through and
be like, oh my gosh, I could dothis with this.
So it was just like another wayto channel that creativity and
(04:26):
like I would, um, back at thetime there were magazines and I
would check them out from thelibrary and you could, it was
like a way to do art, but likeon myself, and that was a way to
basically be creative.
Um, and then I found that whenI dress, when I really liked my
outfit, I felt really good aboutmyself.
So it was always kind of likethis challenge to find something
(04:48):
that was like in the magazineor similar to what was in the
magazine, because I never hadthe exact thing and then still
made me feel good about myself.
So there was like a lot of.
It was almost like creating artpieces like every day, because
it's with your clothes.
Nika Lawrie (05:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
I love that.
I love that you brought up that.
It kind of just made you feelbetter.
It was like a mental healthkind of piece, right?
Yes, one of the reasons why Iwanted to bring you on the show
to talk about it is for me,fashion is kind of an
empowerment tool, like when Iget dressed and I feel really
good or beautiful in what I'mwearing, I feel more confident
(05:23):
in my life, I feel like I cantake on more challenges, I can
go talk to more people and feelbetter in those situations For
you, in your interactions withyour community.
I know you have a largefollowing on social media and
you help women kind of figureout how to build their wardrobes
.
What are some of the piecesthat you've seen that have
(05:45):
helped them kind of on a mentalhealth piece?
Sam Stewart (05:47):
Well, I mean, I think first of all, like on that
mental health piece component,I didn't realize why I was
feeling good, but there'sactually studies and there's
this like one pretty famousstudy called the Enclosed
Cognition Study.
It's in like a NorthwesternUniversity in 1992.
And basically they had threearms of participants.
One arm was just like they'rejust people in there, but then
(06:10):
two arms received white jacketsand one arm that received white
jackets were told they wereartist jackets and the other arm
was told that they weredoctor's jackets and so they
were asked to perform these likecognitive tests and the ones
who had the white jackets on,who were told they were doctor's
jackets, performed better thanthe other two arms.
(06:32):
So it's like just putting onthis like white piece of garment
but being told that itrepresents something made these
people act a certain way.
And so that's the thing about um, about fashion and style is, I
think people think, oh, she'sjust like trying to be like cute
or pretty, but there is reallya lot more to it because, like I
(06:54):
caught, I kind of caught itlike your invisible armor.
It's like this invisible armorof confidence that you're
putting on that helps you likego throughout the day and be
like a great leader or a greatmom or, you know, great business
entrepreneur.
So I think, in that way, withthe, the study like that was
like proof that there is amental component to like
(07:14):
clothing and then like thesewomen, I think.
I think the thing with myaudience is that, you know, all
of us are on social media andthere's just like so much coming
at us and it's justoverwhelming.
And I'm, I guess, even though Ilike, like all this clothing
and I have a lot of accessories,I'm actually like a very simple
(07:35):
person, I like thingssimplified, and so for me it was
just like well, how can I makeit more simple so that people
understand and then can feelgood about themselves?
Because that's like part of mymission, so because I feel like
it's like look, feel and do good.
So if you look good and youfeel good and you can do good,
and it's that like ripple effectto where like you're like you
(07:57):
know you're helping other womenor you're helping other people,
so it's just I don't know, Ijust think of it that way, yeah.
Nika Lawrie (08:03):
No, that's beautiful.
I really agree with you.
I love that you say you knowdress for how you want to feel
or that fashion should be fun.
Yes, I think.
Yeah, so explain, because Ireally connect with that dress
how you want to feel.
Because I know, like I said, Ifeel very different in the types
of clothes.
The way I feel when I wearleggings and a sweatshirt versus
(08:25):
a dress, and I wear a lot ofcowboy boots or ankle boots and
stuff, and the way I feel inthat is a very different person.
Can you talk about how we useclothing to feel different?
Like how does that process kindof work?
Sam Stewart (08:41):
Well, I guess I would cause I kind of would
think of like I would talk tosome of my coworkers in pharmacy
and I would always say, well, Ijust wear how I want to feel.
So I want to feel really goodand really confident.
So I would put that dress onversus like if I was really
feeling blah that day.
And I put on like blah clothesand I know that's not very
technical, but like you'retalking about, like if you're
(09:02):
putting on like a t-shirt andleggings and you know that you
kind of feel blah and you putthat on and you feel blah, then
you're probably going to behavethat way too, and so to me it
just makes sense, like if youwant to feel good, you need to
put on things that make you feelgood and like feel super
confident about yourself.
And so that that was just like Icame up with these like
(09:22):
manifestos, cause I was likethis is what I believe about
fashion and it should be fun,because the thing with clothing
is you like clothing is not atattoo, it's not permanent, so
you can change it.
So like if you put on somethingand it's not working for you
that day, you can change it tosomething else, and that's why I
say it should be fun.
There shouldn't be so muchpressure to be like I need to
look perfect or I need to lookthis way.
(09:42):
It just should be fun and makeyou feel good about yourself.
That's what I feel about it.
Nika Lawrie (09:50):
Yeah, I love that too.
I know, for me my style is it'salways kind of been.
You know I grew up in theSouthwest.
I it's always kind of been.
You know I grew up in theSouthwest.
I live in the Southwest againnow, so I've always kind of had
a little bit of a country feel.
You know, cowboy boots and moreof that kind of you know like
you would think of like a Texaskind of look.
Sam Stewart (10:07):
Yeah, I know, I was like I love the boots.
Nika Lawrie (10:10):
Yeah, like you know , I wear a lot of kind of summer
dresses with my boots andthings like that.
But then I also grew uplistening to like punk music.
Like when I was a kid I reallylooked a lot like Avril Lavigne
and I dressed very similar toher, and so there's still
aspects of my style that youknow incorporate kind of that
punk rock look, and then I havekind of that country look and
(10:31):
then I also have, as I'vematured and gotten older, I
think I look more like I don'tknow, maybe like Gwyneth Paltrow
, right, like more of acomfortable, you know everyday
kind of feel, maybe not with herprices, but a similar style.
Sam Stewart (10:47):
They're in a different level.
Nika Lawrie (10:48):
Yeah right, so you know, figuring out how to kind
of merge those.
It's almost like being it'shaving the freedom to kind of be
a chameleon with your own style, right.
Sam Stewart (10:58):
Yeah, and so that's the thing.
So that was a thing that wasreally hard for me, which is why
I came up with like a system inmy program, elevate your Style,
because I felt, like I did, Ihad different styles, like
sometimes I was really feminine,sometimes I was more edgy,
sometimes I was like supereclectic and I was like, but,
how, but?
And I would take these stylequizzes and I was like I don't
(11:19):
fit any one style all the time.
Yeah, so that's where, like,these style words come in, where
basically you, it's like threeto five style words and you talk
about like, or you, you name,like how you want to feel, and
then two of them can be youraesthetic.
So, like, I have five, likethree main style words and then
(11:40):
my two aesthetic words changedepending on the situation Like
cause, as a mom, and like person, like work from home.
My aesthetic is one way, butwhen I'm at a like event, it's
like a whole nother aesthetic,you know.
But the three main words arelike how I want to feel, no
matter what you know, and sothat's like how you've got your
punk, and then you're like moresophisticated and then you're
(12:02):
more country.
But you can have all of thoseas long as you are able to feel
a certain way.
And so, like, my words are likeaccessorized, confident and
elevated, so those are my threemain words, and then like the
other words around it, and sothat's what you can like find,
like what your words are to makeyou feel really good about
yourself.
And then you know, youraesthetics can change depending
on the situation or whatever.
Nika Lawrie (12:23):
Yeah, absolutely.
So let's get into somepractical tips of like how do I
start to do this?
So say, I have a wardrobe ofclothing but, like there it's
not really.
You know, I just buy thingsthat I love when I go to the
store, cause I think that's whata lot of people do oh, this
looks pretty.
But then you get home andyou're like how do I match this
with my Levi jeans or whatever?
Sam Stewart (12:43):
Right.
Nika Lawrie (12:44):
Like and how?
How do we start um taking thepieces that we have and building
out a a wardrobe that reallyfits our aesthetic, our, our
personality?
Sam Stewart (12:55):
Yeah, well, I think number one is you kind of have
to know, like your style,identity or personal style.
So that, starting out with likethose three to five words, so
kind of having that to startwith, cause you have to know
where you are like, to knowwhere you're going, right, and
then when you go through yourwardrobe you have to kind of be
a little bit more meticulous andsay, like, do these, does this
(13:19):
piece like match with my words?
Cause I found that I, you know,I've collected a lot of clothes
and some of that are reallycute that I found like at the
store I loved at the time, butthen I'm like, oh, that doesn't
actually go with my word, so itdoesn't actually need to be in
there because it's, it's gonna,it's not going to fit in with
everything else.
So having your words and thenmaking sure the pieces in your
(13:40):
wardrobe match with that is oneof the main things, because when
we have a closet full ofclothes, it's just like having
all these puzzle pieces that mayor may not be from two to three
different puzzles and put allin a pile.
Nika Lawrie (13:56):
You've mentioned your words having your words.
How do we get that?
Is mentioned your words havingyour words.
How do we get that?
Is that like punk rock or like?
What are those words?
Sam Stewart (14:03):
Yeah, so my, so, like I was saying, the three
words are like kind of how youwant to feel.
So I want to feel likeaccessorized and confident and
elevated, but it could be like,um, you could want to feel like
sexy or feminine or like punkrock, you know.
And then the other two wordscan be your aesthetic.
So that could be like classicor timeless things like that,
(14:24):
and that's what kind of changesand so like you also will have
another thing you need to do isalso like audit your wardrobe
based on your actual lifestyle.
So that's a lot of a lot ofthings a lot of times.
Um, why there's a, a mismatch isbecause you're like I, I love
this piece so much, but itdoesn't actually fit into any of
your lifestyle, like whatyou're doing.
Like you could buy, like youknow, formal gowns.
(14:46):
Like, if you see this formalgown and you're like a person
who loves formal gowns and yougo to nothing formal, you will
have nothing to wear.
So like having that mismatch oflike what you actually do
versus like what's in yourcloset too.
So it's like having it matchyour identity, having it match
your actual like lifestyleactivities, you know.
Nika Lawrie (15:08):
Yeah, so is there a way?
So, you know, we start tofigure out, kind of, what our
style theme is.
I guess, right, the sum of ourwords.
How do we, you know, if we haveclothes that we don't want
anymore and then we're trying tobring in these new clothes, how
do we do this in a mannerthat's not going to break our
(15:29):
bank, like, I know, matching allthose things, you know, you see
, let me step back.
So you see, all these differenttypes of fashion, like
Instagram is a big place whereyou'll see all these different
people wearing these beautifulclothes but how do we do that in
a way that isn't going to, youknow where we're not going into
tons of credit cards.
Sam Stewart (15:48):
I need a whole new wardrobe, right, yeah, I need a
style identity.
I need a whole new wardrobe tomatch it.
That's the thing you.
So you I mean some people can't, but you don't really
necessarily need to do that.
So what you need to do isbasically, as you're going
through your closet, you'regoing to need to go and say like
okay, well, I've got a holehere.
Like I don't actually have anynice white shirts, but yet I do
(16:08):
need a white shirt.
Or um, like I I actually do alot more casual things, but I
don't have any like casualfootwear.
Or so, basically, when you'regoing through your closet and
editing it, you need to seewhere the holes are, and that's.
And you make a list and then youhave to stick to that list.
And then, when you're shoppingso I like there's all kinds of
(16:29):
amazing wardrobe apps Like I useindex I, n, d, y, x and you can
there's like a code stylesaying you can get a $10 credit
there Cause I style there.
But like it allows you to tobasically catalog what's in your
wardrobe.
So, like, if you're likenormally, I say, put in your
notes, app like what you need.
And then like, cause we allalways usually have our phone,
(16:50):
so if you're out shopping, youwon't be like, oh my God, I need
that like pink dress, becauseyou may actually have like three
other pink dresses that arevery similar to it.
So then you're like oh, it'snot on my list, I don't need a
pink dress.
Or if you have like an app thathas your whole wardrobe catalog
, you can like oh, I have threeother pink dresses, and so I'm
notorious with like summerdresses, like I probably have
(17:14):
like 10 of the same dress, yeahexactly, and that's it.
I've even done the same thingwith lipstick and I'm like well,
what am I doing?
Like I have this, basicallyalmost the same version of pink
lipstick.
So it's like.
It's kind of like that, justbasically being very intentional
about what you're like, you'rebringing back in Cause I kind of
say like, think of your closetlike a boutique or like this
(17:35):
fancy club and like, if thatperson doesn't vibe with
everyone else in the club, youdon't want them in your, in your
club.
So you know, so, just like.
And so it's like in a veryexclusive list of people, and so
you want them to match it.
And so you know, like, and.
And then I would say also like,let's say, you have something,
(17:56):
um, I would say like, if youdon't have a way to replace it
yet, hold on to that piece oflike.
If you have no more blackshirts, but you're like this
black shirt is just okay, itdoesn't match my style identity
perfectly, you can hold on tothat black shirt until you're
able to get one Like, unlessyou're, if you're saving or
you're just waiting forsomething like, hold on to that
until you can replace it,because if you literally get rid
(18:18):
of everything, you mightactually have nothing to wear.
So we don't want to put youlike you would never want to be
in a bad situation like thatwhere, like I, got rid of
everything and I only have 10pieces of clothing and some
people can do that but, likemost of us, have a lot more than
10 pieces, you know, unlessyou're like a true minimalist
(18:40):
which I don't know many peoplewho are, I know for me.
Nika Lawrie (18:41):
I actually cleaned out my closet over the last week
and what I found was there werea lot of pieces that I bought
that were like impulse buys.
I just liked the look of it,but then when I actually cleaned
out my closet and went througheverything, I found I really
didn't like the things that werethe cheap fabrics.
I'd rather spend a little bitmore money on something that's a
(19:03):
better fabric that's going tolast me a long time, so really
moved away from those you know,you know 10, 15, $30 items that
you just buy real quick at thestore and really have invested
in higher quality items thatkind of last longer, and so I
think that's a big step to taketoo.
Sam Stewart (19:21):
Oh for sure.
And so that's the thing.
You know, everyone is on adifferent budget, but if you can
purchase the best quality thatyou can at the price you're at,
then do that.
I mean along.
You know, when I first finishedpharmacy school, I was like
definitely on a budget and verymuch in debt, and so, like I had
some.
I had like pieces from forever21, but I would take really good
(19:42):
care of them and they wereactually lasted for a long time
Um, but that was the best Icould afford at the time.
You know, and so like, asyou're able to afford more, you
can like definitely buy the bestyou can afford, especially if
it's not something that like issuper trendy, cause I feel like
and that's where sometimes a lotof us could get caught up or
(20:03):
and I have in the past for surelike it's super trendy, it's so
super cute, and you like spendmoney on this piece, but you
it's it's after a season, you'relike I don't even know why I
bought that, you know so likeeither vintage or high quality,
(20:27):
like secondhand stuff or justreally good items that they can
purchase for a better price yeah, so there's lots, so I guess I
can start with lowest to highest.
But there's ThredUp and so I'vesent my clothes there and, like
you, can find some crazy amazingdeals there.
So I mean.
Nika Lawrie (20:39):
Yeah, some incredible things.
Sam Stewart (20:41):
Yeah, and I like I think that there's like.
So my co-host and I, brandy, wetalk about on our podcast, like
I think there's this stigma andthis fear of um like buying
used clothes and so if you dohave that, there's lots of new
with tag I would say, probably80% of the things I've bought
(21:04):
from ThredUp are brand new, withtags.
Yeah, so there's a lot of newwith tag items on there.
Just in case that's like athing you're like oh, I don't
know about the germs and stuff.
There's a lot of new with tagthings.
So ThredUp is one.
I do buy a lot of pieces fromthe real real also.
And then there's Vestair, whichI have have uh, they have.
(21:24):
It's a collective of a lot ofdifferent people and some of
them are international, so Ihaven't personally purchased
from it, but I know other peoplehave um like locally.
I have a lot of people that umlike.
There's vintage martini, whichis a store here based in dallas,
and they have a lot of liketrue vintage and archival pieces
, but then they also have likemore contemporary pieces.
(21:46):
Um, let me think of what else?
Uh, oh, poshmark Poshmark isgreat too Um, I would say thread
up first, then Poshmark next,then the real real, um and then
um, but then there's also like alot of local places.
So you should I would, I guess,encourage everyone to like
check out their localconsignment places, because I
found some amazing gems at likemy local consignment stores too.
Nika Lawrie (22:10):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah.
Sam Stewart (22:12):
And I think you can also just like not be afraid to
ask questions, because I thinkpeople are like, and look at the
return policy.
Nika Lawrie (22:19):
Are there?
So, like you know, we'regetting the clothes matching our
style, kind of incorporatingthat with the stuff that we may
already have in our closet.
Are there some really simple,like three or four practical
tips that you have of, like, howdo we just accessorize well, or
(22:40):
kind of spruce things up to?
You know, I have a blackt-shirt and jeans on, but like,
how do I make that look?
You know, how do I make itbetter?
Sam Stewart (22:46):
Okay, yeah, definitely, cause that's the
thing, that's what I kind oflike to show on my social medias
, cause you can have somethingsuper plain oh, no, thanks, but
it's cause I wanted to make itso it's like translatable for
people like oh, I understandthat, Like you have like a
simple top and like simple jeansand just very small things.
Like, depending on, like, yourstyle or your body shape or your
(23:08):
proportion, you can do a tucklike either a half tuck, side
tuck Cause there's this hugecontroversy about tucking.
I mean, I don't even like somepeople are like I can't talk
because of my mid region, mybelly, I don't like it.
So some people refuse to tuckand that's okay, you know, but
you can tuck or you don't haveto.
Definitely I'm always like addaccessories.
(23:28):
Like I feel like that's theeasiest way to like level up
your outfit is to just addaccessories, and I always like
there's this rule of threeswhere, like if you wear, um, if
you add a third piece, thatautomatically elevates your look
.
But also I feel like thatapplies accessories.
So like if you wear like anearring and two, two necklaces,
(23:48):
or like a set of three,something it always seems to
like give that more elevatedlook.
And if that's not your style,that's okay too, because I know
some people are very minimal onjewelry and so they just want to
wear one necklace and oneearring and, you know, one
bracelet, and that's okay too.
It just has to match with whatyour style is.
But I feel like definitelyadding accessories like jewelry,
and then even like a belt orsomething or like a scarf Like I
(24:10):
love all accessories headband,like anything Like add an
accessory and then basicallylike small things like the
tucking or like cupping yoursleeves, you know, or even like.
So the thing is like some ofthese button ups, they kind of
really close up and if you justlike get it to open up and see
(24:30):
more of your skin, that'sactually more like, it's kind of
a more attractive look.
So not to be like showing offcleavage, but just like you can
see more skin and it's moreattractive to like see your face
and your neck and your like alittle bit of V.
So just like little things likethat.
But it doesn't have to be, youknow, crazy, it's just like
small little tweaks.
Nika Lawrie (24:49):
Yeah, are there things that we can do to kind of
feel more confident with ourchanging bodies or different
body sizes and types?
Sam Stewart (24:57):
Yeah, I think that's a really hard thing,
cause I I'm like closer to 50.
And so, like I'm in this age ofperimenopause, menopause, women
, and there's a lot of changesgoing on with our bodies.
I think number one is honestlyaccepting it and not talking so
badly about yourself, becausepeople have a lot of negative
(25:19):
self-talk and when you're sayingthings to yourself that you
would never say, to like anotherperson or your daughter like,
that's like super hurtful toyourself and so like basically
being aware of your body andthen stopping with a negative
self-talk and then also like ifyou are aware of your body and
your body shape, then you can,then you actually can have
(25:40):
strategies on how to like eithercamouflage or enhance, like
those pieces, Like, so basicallylike let's say, you're an
hourglass figure and you reallywant to show that off, you can
totally wear like a tight dress,but if you don't, then you can
do something a little looser andno one would know.
So it's just kind of havingbody awareness but then also
body acceptance, like body, likeembrace yourself.
(26:01):
I think that's think that is ahard thing because in our
society and in culture in thepast there's like the standard
of beauty and it may not alwaysbe attainable or achievable for
people, and so I think that wasa thing that I struggled with a
lot growing up, because I'm likethis short, stocky, five foot
four Asian and like I see theselike beautiful, like lean,
(26:25):
elegant Victoria's secret milesand there's nothing wrong with
them.
But I was just like I want tolook like that.
But like, no matter what I wore, I didn't look like that, you
know, and after I under, after Ilike accepted myself and then
like understood my body andfigured out how to like wear
things for myself, then you'relike oh, I actually look nice.
Nika Lawrie (26:46):
You always look stunning?
Sam Stewart (26:47):
Definitely no, but I think that's the thing, cause
I think we're, if we say meanand bad things to ourselves,
it's not, it's not helpful.
Like I told people, like if youwouldn't say it to a friend or
your daughter, then you probablyshouldn't say it to yourself.
Nika Lawrie (27:01):
Absolutely yeah.
Sam Stewart (27:02):
Yeah.
Nika Lawrie (27:03):
One of my favorite things about having the ability
to travel and see differentcultures and stuff is to really
understand how different theembodiment of what culture is,
because it's so different in somany places.
I know there are countrieswhere you know if women aren't
more heavyset, they're notconsidered beautiful, like you
(27:25):
know the skinny supermodels thatwe think of here in the.
United States are not beautifulin other countries.
Right, you know, men are reallyattracted to that more
voluptuous kind of I don't knowhow to say it, but just kind of
the fuller body it's likehealthier.
Sam Stewart (27:42):
Yeah, I don't know how to say it, but just the kind
of the fuller, healthier, yeah,and, and you know, and.
So it really goes to show that,like, all bodies are beautiful
and types are beautiful, it'sjust, you know, we've been
brainwashed with these differentcultural themes that don't
really mean anything.
Yeah, and it's so funny, though, too, because if you, even if
you go through culture, throughlike different decades and like
(28:04):
times, like what is consideredbeautiful with the female body
is like so different and so it'sso crazy.
Nika Lawrie (28:12):
Yeah, Just here in the United States it seems like
it changes kind of every 20 or30 years?
Yeah, yeah, totally.
Sam Stewart (28:19):
Yeah, and I think it's interesting like you're
talking about different culturesbecause, like you know, um,
like crop tops are a big thingbut then, like in certain
different customs, like croptops are like the uniform almost
like for, you know, like sarisand things like that, and so
it's not seen as so taboo.
So it's just really interestingto me like to see different um
cultures and just like differentways to dress.
(28:39):
I appreciate all of that.
I I think it's really fun.
Nika Lawrie (28:42):
I do too.
I think it's kind of abeautiful piece of the diversity
of cultures throughout theworld.
So I have a couple morequestions for you, but before we
get into the final questions,is there anything that we
haven't touched on that youwould like to share?
Sam Stewart (28:56):
just around fashion and helping women feel
beautiful and feel their best, Ithink that well, I think you
basically touched on it becauseI just feel like every woman is
beautiful and if she could justlike look at herself and like
see that in herself.
Because I feel like most of usare like looking at someone else
and going, oh, she's beautiful,and she's beautiful, I wish I
(29:18):
was beautiful.
But all of us are likebeautiful in our own right
because we're all unique andfeel like we're all like a gift,
and so I feel like I talk, Italk about that in my program
but I feel like we're a gift andwe're wrapping ourselves with
the clothing that are like it'slike gift wrap, you know, and so
we get to like we're all giftsand we just have to wrap
ourselves like however, we wantto to make ourselves feel
(29:39):
beautiful, want to to makeourselves feel beautiful.
So I I do feel like women needto be more appreciative of
themselves and just likeappreciate themselves for being
beautiful.
Nika Lawrie (29:49):
Absolutely.
I love that.
Tell me so.
You have a podcast, you have acourse and you have a new
comprehensive guide.
Can you tell me a little bitabout those things and where can
people find you and get yourresources and connect with you?
Sam Stewart (30:12):
Sure.
So my website is styleofsamcom,and then I have a program
called Elevate your Style.
So it's like a comprehensivepersonal style online program
and basically it kind of guidesyou through my style operating
system.
So it's a way for ambitiouswomen to confidently and
effortlessly dress themselvesBecause, like I said, I like to
be simple, so I feel like I haveto make it very simple.
It's eight modules, but I tryto make it very simple so people
(30:34):
can understand it.
And then this newer thing, whichprobably will be released by
the time your podcast is out, issomething I'm working on, but I
wanted to create something that, um, that women could use as a
guide to help them create, like,basically, a wardrobe that
works for them, versus, like youknow, I think that, because I
(30:57):
used to do content creation andinfluencing and it's always
about consuming but you shouldactually shop your closet more,
because most of us have liketons of cute stuff in our closet
, and so I feel like, just likethe components that we talked
about, like understanding yourstyle identity, making sure you
have pieces in your closet thatwork for you and like your, your
actual real life, not like yourdream life, your Pinterest life
(31:20):
, like that, like giving themthe steps and like some ideas on
how to create outfits and likehow to elevate and style stuff.
Like that is like just like asmaller offer, but I wanted to
have women be able to like haveit because, honestly, a lot of
women are very busy.
Most of us have like many hatswe're wearing and so I've
(31:41):
noticed that a lot of womenthey're like I'm behind, I'm so
sorry, and I'm like you don'thave to be sorry.
This is like your program.
You take it to your own pace,I'm here for you, but it's
almost like it was another thingon their to-do list.
So I wanted to make somethingsmall and easy to digest that
they could basically will helpthem.
Nika Lawrie (32:00):
I love that Cause I think one of the things I think
women fall into like a trapthey sort of fall into is almost
like decision fatigue when itcomes to wardrobe, I know like
my husband's an air force pilotand so he literally wears the
same uniform every single day towork.
And part of me is like, oh,that's so nice, cause you don't
have to think of, do or anything, you just get into the flight
(32:22):
suit and goes out to work.
And so I love that you talkabout really simplifying it,
because I think people getoverwhelmed by the idea of
fashion because there's so muchof it and so many accessories
and how we layer all thesethings.
And to really simplify it, soyou kind of have a uniform in
your own sense, you have a stylethat you go to every day and
(32:43):
you look beautiful in it, butit's simple and not overwhelming
.
Sam Stewart (32:47):
Yeah, and that's the thing I mean, because your
husband is a great example, butalso Steve Jobs and Karl
Lagerfeld they had theiruniforms.
And then also Anna Wintour,who's the fashion editor of
Vogue.
She basically rewears a lot ofthings.
So I mean, like it's not, likeshe's you know, she's not
wearing the latest trends oranything she's like has her
(33:07):
uniform.
So I mean, and she's like afashion editor of a major
magazine.
Nika Lawrie (33:12):
Yeah, I saw the interview with the fashion
editor of Vogue London or VogueEngland, I think it's London,
and she was beautiful.
But she was so just dressed,kind of every day, you know, she
had like a nice pair of pantsand a shirt and some pants.
Like it wasn't fashion, Like itwas you know comfortable outfit
(33:34):
that she was wearing and shelooked great, but it was just
simple and it didn't have to bethis big thing.
Sam Stewart (33:41):
Yeah, it doesn't have to be all yeah, whatever I
mean, and that's the thing youcan, you can make it whatever
you want it to be, and so, aslong as it makes you feel good.
So that's why I was.
I think that's why for a longtime I was really hesitant to
help people with fashion, causeI didn't want them to feel like
they had to dress like me, causelike, if you don't like big
earrings, then I don't want youto wear big earrings, you know.
But now you're like oh, youdon't have like.
(34:03):
Now I know how to tell themlike, this is how you do it and
this is you.
Take what you want and then youlike, you know make it for you.
Nika Lawrie (34:11):
I always love it.
You have really great um uhreels on social media.
I love watching you onInstagram and TikTok because for
me you know you and I have wehave similar but different
styles right.
But the way I see youincorporate different things
into your style every day inthose videos, I'm like, oh, I
could add this little thing ontomy bag.
(34:33):
That makes it feel just alittle bit more, you know,
elevated, or just little thingslike that, and so I love the
spark of inspiration that youbring.
Sam Stewart (34:43):
Yeah, and I think that's why you know, and that's
part of my manifesto, fashionshould be fun.
It should be like not so likeserious, you know.
And then I know, and you knowthere are some professional
women.
They have to.
They do have to dress a certainway because they want to be
take like um, feel confident intheir position, like where they
are, where they're working.
But in general I feel likefashion should be fun.
Nika Lawrie (35:05):
I agree.
I love it.
Well, sam, this has been sogreat.
I'm so, so grateful for youcoming on the show and taking
the time to share all of yourknowledge.
I know it's not a typicalconversation that I have on the
podcast, but I think it's justas important, because it really
does elevate the way you feel,and the whole point of this is
to make people feel their bestand feel beautiful and healthy,
(35:26):
and so I'm grateful for that.
Before I let you go, I have onelast question that I ask all of
my guests what is somethingthat you've experienced or
learned that inspires you, thatyou would like to share with
others?
Sam Stewart (35:40):
Ooh, that's such a good question.
Um, I think that, uh, one ofthe things I actually just
shared this, like I got aquestionnaire but basically, um,
one of the hurdles, likesomeone asked me about one of
the hurdles I've gone through,and there's been a lot, but one
of the things that I had thebiggest struggle with.
(36:01):
It was the struggle within,because I had to shed the
shoulds, and so I feel like, ifyour audience can remember, they
can shed some of these shoulds.
Yes, then that would be better,because I just that's the thing
.
If we can all feel good aboutourselves and we can do amazing
things, that's the thing thereis can all like feel good about
(36:22):
ourselves and we can do likeamazing things.
That's the thing we like.
There is a ripple effect, Likeyou, smiling at one person can
affect like their whole day.
So I just feel like we need toremember that, like like one,
each one of us makes adifference, and so just don't be
so hard on yourself.
Have grace, shed the sheds and,like you, make a difference.
Nika Lawrie (36:37):
I love that.
It's so true and so beautiful.
So thank you, sam, I'm sograteful for you.
Sam Stewart (36:42):
Thank you for having me.
I'm like so honored to be onyour podcast.
Nika Lawrie (36:45):
I'm so happy to have you here.
Thank you, okay.
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