Aug 6, 2020
Robin Allen: Start by Looking Through Your
Closet
The pandemic has given us the
opportunity to understand ourselves and figure out the crucial
changes we must undergo. Most people have started new hobbies and
taken on personal challenges that can help them grow. However, you
don’t have to look too far in making the difference you truly need
in your life. You can start by looking through your
closet.
In this episode, stylist and
personal shopper Robin Allen talks about her background in styling
and her personal style evolution. She discusses the importance of a
closet makeover and how it can change your life for the better.
Robin also shares her story about her relationship with her husband
and her tips on making a relationship work.
If you are looking for tips on
improving your personal style, take the first step by listening to
this episode!
Here are three reasons why you should listen to the
full episode:
- Discover the importance of a closet
makeover.
- How
does finding your personal style build up your
confidence?
- Robin
Allen shares advice on making relationships work as an
entrepreneur.
Resources
- Free personal development worksheet! Subscribe to my mailing address and receive new
episodes of the podcast, along with a worksheet about the
episode.
Episode Highlights
Pivoting amid COVID-19
- During her recovery from a major foot surgery,
she had the opportunity to recoup and relax.
- The
experience allowed her to slow down and analyze where she wanted to
go.
- She
has always done online shopping and styling. As she already had
that option on her website, she didn’t have to redesign the whole
thing in her plan.
Sizing People Up
- With
her ability to “size people up,” she can assess whether an outfit
would fit a person or not. It makes her work a lot quicker
online.
- Robin’s rule — If a piece of clothing is going
to fit you within five pounds, you can keep it.
- During quarantine, it’s not as easy to get rid
of stuff because it’s not easy to shop. Hence, it’s better to keep
things within a rational range.
The Evolution of Her Personal Style
- She
got into styling as early as high school. Being biracial and
different-looking in a conservative community, she wanted to be
different and stand out.
- Every
summer, when she visits her dad in San Francisco, she would come
back with weird outfits. People embraced her style and
race.
- However, when she got into art school, she
wanted to be different by her identity.
- Her
style reflected the identity of all the things she wanted to be.
She went from being hippie to preppy and then to
grunge.
Finding Her Way into the Styling Business
- After
art school, she ended up in LA, where she worked on TV and movie
sets.
- She
then landed a gig as a personal stylist for a close friend at Tower
Records.
Costuming vs. Styling
- For
Robin, doing costumes wasn’t as fun and fulfilling as
styling.
- There
is a very quick “before and after” in styling, and her vision makes
that possible.
What Does It Mean to Be a Stylist?
- There
are varying degrees and definitions of what a stylist
is.
- Celebrity styling — This was the original
definition of a stylist. The stylist and the celebrity have a
mutually beneficial relationship.
- Personal styling — Celebrities hire an
individual for their everyday looks.
- Editorial styling — You create a look based on
the photoshoot’s story for a magazine, TV, or online
media.
- Robin
defines styling as dressing the person for who they are, including
their shape and their lifestyle.
Accessibility of Celebrity Styling &
Fashion
- There
is more accessibility now, but it doesn’t really affect
celebrities; it only reflects the brand.
- Robin’s goal is to always dress a person and
flatter their body.
- A lot
of classic and throwback looks come back because they’re
timeless.
- She
got a lot of gigs because people were impressed at her ability to
size people up without meeting them.
Robin’s Beloved Brands
- Robin
appreciates brands that accommodate different shapes, sizes,
shades, and tones.
- She
mentions Kut from the Kloth, Levi’s, and J.Crew as the most
accommodating and consistent brands.
The Universal Standard
- The
most stressful thing for women is shopping in little dressing rooms
with crappy lighting and ventilation.
- This
is where personal shoppers come in.
- J.Crew has the biggest size range in the US of
00 to 40.
Why Your Closet Needs a Makeover
- Robin
starts in the closet before shopping. She believes it’s essential
to know the clothing pieces you’ve already got.
- It
allows you to go through the process of choosing what you need and
what you don’t.
- Women
have a lot of attachment to clothes and memories. However, if
you’re not wearing them, she suggests passing it along.
Having a Focus List
- When
you have a focus list, you’re not so overwhelmed and stressed
out.
- A
personal shopper’s job is only to guide you.
- The
problem roots from not being ever taught about how to dress as our
body changes.
The Importance of Personal Style
- People will play it safe in dressing up when
they don’t know and see something as an extreme. Looking up the
facts on celebrities allows you to see things realistically instead
of comparing them to yourself.
- People come to Robin when they’re at a point in
their life where they want to uplevel. Other than being “renewed,”
they want to discover who they are and what their style
is.
- She
figures out the roles a person plays in life and dresses them to be
at the highest level of that.
- When
you feel better about yourself, you speak and carry yourself in a
different way.
- Robin
sees styling as a confidence builder, using clothes as her
conduit.
Robin’s Style Career Highlights
- For
Robin, it is more about working with individuals and having them
come back to thank her for those achievements.
- She
says that celebrity styling is nice, but she never felt connected
with it.
- Her
new YouTube channel revolves around black history and black
businesses.
- Listen to the full episode to know how Robin
got into pivoting on YouTube!
- She’s
starting a 100% organic line designed by a person of
color.
Robin’s Relationship Advice
- Robin
and her husband’s relationship started with friendship.
- Communication, for Robin, is the key to making
a relationship work.
- Don’t
stop goofing off and doing silly things.
- Remind yourself and your partner that you love
them.
5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
“Most closets aren't that bad.
You have the stuff. You just don't know how to put it together
because, one, nobody taught you, two, you're just in a rut because
you have too many other things going on in your life.”
“We weren't raised, we weren't
sat down and talked to by our moms or anything about our shape or
body size, what looks good on us because they didn't
know.”
“Yes, clothes do matter; they
matter to the way we feel, to our self-esteem, to everything.
They’re power, and they also give you the leverage that you need
within yourself to take the next step.”
“I'm a confidence builder; I
just happened to use clothes as my conduit.”
“You can wear anything if you
wear it with confidence.”
About Robin
Robin Allen is
the creator of Robin Allen Style. She is a TV and YouTube
personality and an influencer. Robin is also a life and style
expert who works as a wardrobe stylist and a personal
shopper.
You can connect with Robin by
visiting her website, Instagram, or
YouTube Channel.
Enjoy This Podcast?
Learning how you could improve
your relationships, be they romantic, familial, business,
friendships, and with yourself has never been this easy. If you
enjoyed today's episode of The Relationship Ready Podcast, hit
subscribe and share it with your friends!
Post a review and share it! Did you enjoy tuning into this podcast? If so,
leave a review. Share this as well with your family and friends so
that they can feel empowered and inspired to persevere through
life.
Have any questions? You can contact me through email
(heidi@heidibcoaching.com) or find me on Instagram or Facebook. Thanks for listening!
For more updates and episodes,
visit my website. You may also tune in on
Google
Podcasts,
Apple
Podcasts, or
Spotify.
To being
relationship-ready,
Heidi B