80/20 in your Closet

16.08.24 06:45 PM - By Boutique Box

"The other day, I walked into my closet and looked around and had the aha moment: Oh my god, I love everything!" - Mira Panek

“I feel like up until this point I had stupid style and now I have Intelligent Style.”


A revelation Boutique Box client Mira Panek shared around her Intelligent Style Evolution she went through last summer.

Of course that was the goal for Mira to experience & why she went through the evolution. But it was the a-ha of what that actually meant that connected the dots.


Stupid style doesn’t mean bad style. To Mira, this was shopping because it felt like something was missing, but never feeling like she’d filled the gaps. Something always seemed to be missing.


The thing is — you have to have done a good amount of work to even get to ‘stupid style’ on your Style Actualization Journey … Stupid style is ‘good enough’ style.


‘Whatever, this works.’


We need to get out the door quickly, dressed in clothes that are at least ‘appropriate’ for the occasion or audience, but don’t love what we’re wearing.


What we wear is loaded for women.


Meredith Koop, stylist for Michelle Obama, articulates what women navigate every day, whether they’re First Lady of the United States or getting dressed for work: “You have to celebrate fashion but also be aware of the message people are going to take away,” she said. “Fashion can bolster communications in the best-case scenario, or be a silent partner, or actually distract.”


Style is a tool. It communicates to you and for you.


Mrs. Obama herself highlights the power of style in her memoir: “It seemed that my clothes mattered more to people than anything I had to say,” and “Optics governed more or less everything in the political world, and I factored this into every outfit.”


This is why women get stuck.


Where do you start when everything you do is going to be looked at under such a discerning lens? Because, let us be clear, this is what women are navigating everyday subconsciously, whether they’re just starting out in their careers or already ascending to leadership roles.


And this is why Intelligent Style starts with YOU.


Navigating the nuance with ease is an inside job.


This is what shifted Mira from ‘stupid style’ to Intelligent Style:

  • She started with an inner inquiry & created a vision for her style that was grounded in how she wanted to FEEL & how she wanted to CONNECT with others.
  • Then, we went through her entire closet to learn from what she already has — focusing on fit, colors, quality, and mixing & matching.

  • Finally, we helped her create a Wardrobe Action Plan — what to update, add & evolve.


Instead of staying stuck, Mira leveraged style as a tool. Intelligent Style is intentional and this is why it becomes effortless.


What Mira discovered through her Intelligent Style Evolution was by being intentional, she unlocked the key to it all feeling effortless. Mira has kindly offered to share her story in the hopes of inspiring others to bring Intelligent Style to their wardrobe.


In Mira’s own words: “I love clothes and the idea of beautiful design, but had no idea how to dress my body and bought what the Fashion Industry served up to me. I tried to fit myself into that rather than the other way around.”


Here’s the thing: the fashion cycle feeds off of a disempowering message — you don’t yet have enough, this will make you feel better, this is what’s in, etc. Intelligent Style takes you off of that hamster wheel.


KEY TO NOTE: It was a few years from when we first met before Mira emailed to book her first session.


This is important because this is quite common. It often takes a lot of time before women say YES to this support.

What flips the switch?


She was ready for the change.


She was ready for it to be easy. She was ready for the support and realized that she wanted to learn.


Learn being the operative word because that’s why Intelligent Style works. It’s not about rules; it’s not about ‘shoulds.’ It’s about learning through experience (embodied cognition).


You learn from what you have, you learn from what you want, and you learn to connect the dots to close the gap.


It’s been about 20 months since Mira‘s first session. We started with an inner inquiry through the intake process to guide her to creating this into reality, starting with what she had in her closet.


There were three key growing edges for Mira:

  • Finding the right fit for her athletic body
  • Creating a color story to easily mix + match (and not be basic)
  • Having FUN with playing with mixing + matching

Mira was determined to love everything in her closet, so over the course of her Evolution, she did try on every piece in her closet to assess fit & style. We guided her to create looks from what she had so she could begin to learn the elements of an outfit. She donated or gifted pieces that weren’t right for her. And we’ve added pieces strategically through Boutique Box.


Where is Mira now with her style after doing the inner and the outer inquiry?


“Now, I feel like I do have intelligence around my style. I know what works for my body and my closet. I know exactly what makes sense, and what’s missing.


The other day, I walked into my closet and looked around and had the aha moment: Oh my god, I love everything!


I feel like I have a color story that works for me and I like, but it was a surprise. A palette I wouldn’t have expected or have chosen on my own. I have colors that work for look great on me & I know how to mix & match. I know what shapes look good together, what fabrics look good together and it just works. I have about one third of the clothes, but now have a year’s worth of looks.


Now, I just need some places to get to wear them!”


Style is an outward expression of your inner self. Intelligent Style goes a layer deeper — because we start with YOU, your expression is innate, effortless and influential because your presence is authentic and grounded in YOU.


The Intelligent Style Evolution works because we’re breaking it down step by step, so you can integrate each level of embodying your Intelligent Style. We’re eliminating the overwhelm, the frustration and the TIME it takes to figure it all out yourself so it’s FUN again to get dressed each day.


Confident, authentic, present and powerful.


Resources to meet you where you are ... 

If you need a fast transformation and have very specific needs, invest in 1-1 support. https://www.yourboutiquebox.com/VIP


If you need updates over time and want access for A's to your Q's, invest in the Boutique Box Membership. Get to know us and join the Intelligent Style Community here: https://www.yourboutiquebox.com/getstarted


If you need a few updates for an event and want confidence in the fit and style to try before you buy, book your Chloe Kristyn Style Edit, HERE.

Boutique Box