STYLIST NEWS: "How to Date Your Wardrobe," a New Book By Heather Newberger
Charlotte Sims interviews Heather Newberger
I am so proud to introduce Heather and her book HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE, because it is a unique invitation open to all shapes, sizes and genders, to discover your truest sense of “style”. Heather shares her own life experiences from her past and present, gradually offering tools for the reader to help them embrace their body, find the right fit and tackle what they really want to say to the world with their wardrobe.
I would like to applaud Heather for taking on the monumental task of describing the elusive Style, and breaking it down for easy consumption by the broader public. She has long been a proponent of an inclusive fashion industry and now she has a book that testifies to this. Here, the reader is never alone in their journey. HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE is filled with personal experiences and quick worksheets for the reader. Heather is consistently there, gently offering her support and tools. Style is no longer an elitist enigma. With HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE, the mystery is finally unfolded and available to all.
Q: What inspired you to write HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE?
A: I spent the majority of my childhood in an XL Wishbone T shirt and blue stirrup leggings. My parents were both environmental educators, so we didn’t have fashion in our home. However, the older I got, the more I began to obsess over what the other girls at my high school would wear. A doughy six foot tall 15-year-old, I yearned to look like one of them – but I couldn’t figure out where to start. Because I didn’t have what I considered to be a picture-perfect body, I felt as though I wasn’t allowed to engage with fashion, because I assumed you had to have one if you did.
In many ways, HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE is an olive branch to that very teenage self – the one who tried on a skirt in Hollister and cried when it didn’t look right - and every other person who has ever felt bad leaving a store without their desired purchase in hand. Written to walk with the reader through their personal journey (and not “help” them - I hate the word “help” because it takes away the agency of whomever you’re speaking about, or to) I wanted to write something that would utilize my personal experiences, as well as my professional knowledge, to open doors for anyone who has ever felt excluded from the fashion industry, and/or wants to reengage with it from a different perspective.
Q: Who would you say this book is for?
A: HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE was written for so many people. From the individual who despairingly wears the same sweater every day because they’re too overwhelmed to consider another option, to every person who has ever felt alone in a dressing room. Of course, so much of it comes from combatting bad experiences I’ve had over the last 30 odd years, but this isn’t just a book for cis white women.
Specifically, it was very important to me while writing that I eliminate gender from the text entirely - because fashion is for everyone! So many books that discuss style are created to speak directly to different genders and body types, and I didn’t want to do that. Because while HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE is a book about style and is also a guide, it’s not a style guide. It’s a tool that teaches you how to reframe the way you think about your personal style, which is everyone’s individual and universal right.
Q: It sounds like the book goes beyond just revitalizing your wardrobe. Can you share a bit about that?
A: Absolutely! HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE was designed to recontextualize not only the way we think about clothes, but also how our bodies wear them. While the book gives readers what they need to revive their existing relationship with their wardrobe, it also stresses the importance of creating a space to revitalize their perspective, so that ultimately, they can reinvigorate their attitude when it comes to style – and themselves.
Q: What is the one thing you want people to keep in mind while shopping for clothes?
A: That every section is fair game! Whether you’re a cis male or a queer woman, it really doesn’t matter what part of the store you shop in as long as whatever you’re purchasing makes you feel like your most authentic self.
Q: Tell us about your experience as a stylist! How has your own sense of style changed since you started working in fashion, if at all?
A: I’ve been working in the photography industry for over ten years, and roughly five as a freelance stylist. But it wasn’t all that long ago that I was constantly rooting through my own wardrobe, searching for the right pieces and coming up short. While I’d espouse the notion of having a streamlined closet to others, I struggled to get rid of my own things which made it all the more difficult to suss out what pieces I really loved, and which ones I was just wearing because I didn’t feel like I had anything better to put on.
It’s incredibly easy to fall into the trap of wearing the same five things. If in your mind, you’ve written off these pieces as “easy,” they can quickly become your go to’s when you don’t feel like you have the extra 5% to “make an effort,” even if they’re not flattering, or make you feel great.
In HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE I urge readers to make tough choices before they get stuck. If you love every piece of clothing in your closet, it becomes much easier to assemble outfits that convey your narrative. Each of us tells a story with the styles we put on, and you want to make sure your look signifies to others what you want to say.
Q: Let’s talk masks. Is it important to match your mask to your outfit? Should we stick to the basics or play with color/pattern? Help!!
A: First and foremost – however you decide to mask up is your choice! As long as you’re doing it, you’re on my team. Personally, I’ve gravitated towards disposable ones, as frequently I’m on set surrounded by people, and want to be able to throw my mask away at the end of the day (if not half-way through, and re mask again!)
That said, I’m a huge fan of patterns. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a great example of someone whose doing it right. My rule of thumb is - whenever you’re playing with pattern, you want to pull your outfit color from the smallest detail. So as an example – if you’re wearing a mask with cheetah print, you’d want to wear an outfit that’s all black – as opposed to one that’s brown or orange.
Q: Has your approach to style/fashion changed at all during the times of quarantine/COVID-19?
A: One of the interesting things about HOW TO DATE YOUR WARDROBE is that it was actually written twice! The first iteration was penned before the pandemic, while the second two- or three-months in. The biggest difference between the manuscripts is that the first was designed to empower the reader to subvert retailer expectations, while the second (and final draft) refocuses on body positivity through individual selectivity.
Even though 2020 was a tough year for us all, it did give me the opportunity to reconsider how I wanted to walk with readers through their fashion journey. While the book still includes fun tips that will energize readers to shop differently, I ultimately wanted to make the book a resource for shifting individual perspectives.
I liken the book to Mari Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. While the information she’s disseminating isn’t particularly novel, the book is designed to change the way you engage with inanimate objects to experience personal growth. My aim with this book is exactly that. Everyone has to get dressed in the morning, so why not discover how you enjoy it most?
Heather Newberger is a freelance fashion stylist, author and member of the Stylist CoOp.
A seasoned professional who has spent over ten years making pictures, and even more writing nonfiction at her parent’s kitchen table, Newberger’s mission is to create a space for people who don’t care about fashion, to care about fashion, through personal narrative and storytelling.
A graduate of Ithaca College with a BS artist degree, she lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with her three-legged cat and 27 jean jackets.
To see more of her work you can visit her website, and follow this link to purchase your own copy of “How to Date Your Wardrobe” today!
Cartoons by Hilary Fitzgerald-Campbell.