The troupe's 2024 personal style accomplishments

and my philosophy on buying multiples

hi everyone!

I had grand plans for a profound end-of-year post… but then a loud squeal and the words, “Mama, I peed on the couch!” snapped me back to reality. The pee-er (my 3-year-old) is in the middle of potty training. So, my dreams of uninterrupted time at the computer have been replaced with urgent negotiations over sour patch kids and a crash course in sanitizing furniture.

please excuse any typos because he barged in a bunch and insisted he had to ‘work’ and started typing

Maybe next year. Or, more realistically, in 15 years when all my three kids are in college.

I do want to say that I am just really proud of all of us. I think the entire troupe community has really evolved.

The Troupe’s 2024 Personal Style Accomplishments:

1. We've all become smarter, more intentional shoppers—myself included! With you all holding me accountable, I have to practice what I preach more than ever.

2. We're leaning into our personal style and moving away from spending money on pieces we don’t need. No more wasting money on designer pieces just for the label (or because an influencer posted it and wore it once). But also, no wasting money (or closet space) on lower-priced buys just because they're cheap.

3. Instead, we’re thinking long-term. Sticking to our wish lists. Asking ourselves: “Can I wear this at least three different ways before buying it?” And if it doesn’t pass the test, we’re putting it back. We’re also not being lazy about returning things that we don’t love. We shouldn’t have to convince ourself we like something. And we certainly should not have to go out of our way to make it work when we can just return it instead.

4. But here’s the best part—we’re normalizing outfit repeating. Actually, we’re glamourizing it. It’s cool to wear a dress to an event that we’ve already worn. In my opinion, this is huge. We’re proving that great style isn’t about constantly buying new things—it’s about getting creative with what we already own and making it look fresh every time.

Troupe’s philosophy on buying multiples:

One of my most important troupe rules is that you can’t buy something you love in different colours.

I get asked to explain my thought process on this all the time. So in the short few minutes I have before the next accident on the couch, here’s the gist:

The true value of an item in your closet comes from its ability to inspire creativity. When you have a piece you love, you find new ways to style it, to make it work in different contexts. This exercise in creativity sharpens your style instinct. This is what makes getting dressed fun. This is what gives us that amazing and satisfying feeling. (kind of like building something yourself from ikea?)

But when you have multiples of the same piece, you lose that challenge. You are just adding the same puzzle pieces* to your closet.

(From a previous post: Think of your clothes as puzzle pieces. Styling is about fitting them together. Avoid buying duplicates of pieces you already have. Instead, choose items that complete new puzzles - pieces that let you unlock new outfits using what you already own. This is how you build a closet full of outfits, not just clothes.)

The need to be inventive disappears because you have more options to fall back on. You don’t get to unlock anything new. You don’t get to feel like you took lemons and made lemonade (is that the saying?). And many people don’t realize how much we love that feeling. It’s the feeling of expressing ourselves. It’s not just for the proclaimed ‘creative people’. We all enjoy that feeling.

When you own multiple versions of something, the piece loses its uniqueness. It’s no longer that special item you look forward to wearing. You wear it more frequently. In different colours. Its appeal starts to fade. You commoditize it. It loses its cachet. And you get bored of it faster, and it becomes overexposed.

I hope that helps you understand my philosophy on multiples. Take it with you for 2025 as we continue our personal style journey together.

Thank you to each and every one of you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for supporting me. And thank you for letting me do my dream job.

Wishing you all a happy new years. My husband and I are going to the movies for new years - we are going to see that Bob Dylan movie with Timothée Chalamet. I will probably be in my donni baby rib scallop black pants and a cozy sweater. If you are dressing up, share your outfit ideas in the comment section - it will be fun to see what every one is wearing and it will give troupers in need some outfit ideas and help them shop their closet :)

Here is some NYE inspo to get you started (a potpourri from my camera roll: screenshots, Pinterest saves and my own outfits)

And some of the top troupe substacks from the year if you want some more trouping:

Troupe in paris

How to decide if you should keep or return a purchase

One of those 'never better' moments in my favorite trench and sneakers with an iced coffee sitting outside

Answering your styling questions

Lessons from client sessions

troupe notes from the week

A styling video is coming up next this week featuring: my martini taffeta pants, the row dress I got on sale and different ways to wear it, a very chic sweater dress I got, my new favorite white tee and more! This will be for paid-subscribers only so make sure to upgrade your account to get access.

xx

Reva