At 27, I moved to the US from Venezuela with my whole life in 2 suitcases. It was very hard. But I was also SO excited to start a new life in a new country. (this is a very simple version of this story LOL) And the hardest part? My shoes. I had over 100 pairs (nice ones too 😅), and I couldn't bring them all. But want to know something crazy? I don't even remember which shoes I kept. And I surely haven't thought about the ones I left behind. 7 years later in 2021, I did it again. This time, we...
11 days ago • 8 min read
You know that top you bought because you loved the color? Then you put it on, look in the mirror, and something's off. You look tired. Even after a full night of sleep 😅 Sometimes it's not the top. It's the color near your face. And that top? It's the one that stays in your closet and NEVER makes it into your suitcase. So today, we're finding your colors. And more importantly, your NO colors. 🎨 First, the basics Every color has 3 things going on: Warm or cool. Warm colors have a little yellow...
18 days ago • 6 min read
Hello from beautiful Italia! 🇮🇹 We had a relatively uneventful, but very long travel day. It was, however, the perfect example of crazy temperatures and little airport "peculiarities" so to speak 😅 First, Air France weighed my carry-on. It was 12 kg (26.5 lbs). The limit is 10 kg (22 lbs). The lady who checked us in was the nicest and didn't charge us anything extra, but I thought you should know. It doesn't really fit my lifestyle to travel lighter than that, and I have no intention to make...
22 days ago • 7 min read
Quick question before you scroll: If you packed 3 bottoms and 5 tops for a week away, how many outfits would you get? The answer depends on your tops. If each top only goes with one pair of pants, you get 5. If every top goes with all 3 bottoms, you get 15 outfits. Same 8 pieces in your suitcase. A very different experience getting dressed every morning. 🧮 Tops are where your outfits multiply. When each top goes with all your pants, you'll have so many options to wear every day. You seriously...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Last Thursday I asked you about the moment your closet lets you down. Here are a few things you told me: "I want to remove things but I don't know what to remove and why." "The outfit looks great on the hanger." "I am notorious for overpacking for trips!" Last week I also told you about the four years I went with almost no shopping. During those years, I had to get creative and learn how to style the things I already had in my closet. By the time we left to travel full time in 2021, I knew...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Last time we spent fall in Italy, we ran from the cold weather. (that's what we usually do 😅) 11 weeks, September to December. We started in the north, and headed south to Sicily. It was glorious! I barely needed any cold weather clothes. This time is different. There's no escape route. We leave in 9 days and we're staying north the whole time. ON PURPOSE. Since transitioning to making 'Ways of Style' our full time jobs, we noticed a huge gap in the content I share. There's not much fall...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
"I have a full closet and nothing to wear." That's a line from one of your emails, and I've read it so many times now in so many versions that I could recite it in my sleep. I know that feeling. At one point I owned over 100 pairs of shoes. (Yes. One. Hundred.) A closet packed to the ceiling, and I'd still stand in front of it feeling like I had nothing to put on. How does a closet that full end up feeling that empty? Lately my inbox is full of you saying the same thing in different words. "I...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
“Itchy just thinking about it” That’s what one of you wrote back after my fall packing list email a few weeks back. She wasn’t the only one. Every time I mention merino or cashmere, a few of you reply with some version of: love the list, can’t wear half of it. Meanwhile I’ve been over here recommending merino and cashmere like it’s my job. (It kind of is 😅) So today’s email is for you. Same goal as always: warm, cute, and light enough for a carry-on. Zero wool. Why those fabrics feel so...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Admittedly, this is not a fall email. I know, I know. It’s September, you’re thinking about boots and layers, and I promise I am too. Cold weather is coming to this newsletter in a big way, because I’m getting ready for 3 months in Northern Italy in October. You’re going to get every lesson I learn, every week, for the next three months. (and every outfit and packing list too!) But first I need to close a chapter. Because something happened this year that I’m still a little proud of, and I...
about 2 months ago • 8 min read