2024 Volume 6: Personal Style with Conni Jespersen

Featuring Conni Jespersen, founder of Art in the Find

This month, as part of my “professional life” Substack this month, I want to highlight a fellow small business owner, Conni Jespersen, wardrobe stylist and founder of Art in the Find. Have you ever struggled to figure out what to wear in the morning? Or had trouble deciding whether or not to buy/keep a piece of clothing? If so, keep reading. I know this will be helpful!

You may recognize Conni’s name from our recent trip to Kenya or maybe you already follow her on Instagram! Even though I’ve known Conni for nearly five years, there’s nothing like traveling with someone to really get to know someone. :) 

Have you ever seen someone look so chic on safari?

One of the things I noticed right away was how easy it was for Conni to get dressed each day. And what’s more - it’s not like she just threw things on in a haphazard way. She looked as if she had put a lot of time and thought into each outfit, giving attention to detail, even though I know she spent very little actual time getting dressed. 

Then she told me about how she packs for trips. You can watch her very helpful reel here. The long and short of it is, she tries on all of her outfits ahead of time and makes sure the pieces she is bringing are versatile and can be worn with each other. This saves her time and keeps her from overpacking. I couldn’t believe she fit everything she needed for a 10 day trip to Kenya in a carryon! I wish I had watched her video before I packed my huge checked luggage suitcase to the brim. ;)

Of course I knew Conni had good style - I had been following her for years. But what I didn’t know is that she has a unique way of explaining personal style that I found to be extremely helpful and insightful.

I recently took Conni’s Style 101 class and I want to share a few of my takeaways with you.

1. Personal style evolves.

2. Style, personality, life circumstances are intertwined.

3. Knowing yourself = knowing your personal style.

One of the key exercises Conni takes you through in her Style 101 class is determining the adjectives you would use to describe your personal style. This is so important because as you look at the items in your closet or are deciding if you want to purchase something, you can judge whether or not they are “you” if they fit into the adjectives or not. 

For my five adjectives I landed on: chill, classic, minimal, intentional, sexy

These words describe my personal style, but what was surprising to me is they describe my personality. It seems so obvious now, but I really hadn’t considered that before. What’s interesting though is - I’m slightly uncomfortable with the word sexy, though I know it’s true. It could probably swapped out for beautiful - meaning I like to feel beautiful in the clothes I wear. I know that’s when I feel the most confident. I also know that when I’m uncomfortable in an outfit, the most common issue is it’s not making me feel beautiful. It might be time to get rid of the pants (I tend to hang on to things for too long) or maybe the proportions are off, but it’s the feeling that is my indicator. I wouldn’t have realized any of this had I not done Conni’s exercise! And recently I bought a pair of new pants and honestly, using my 5 adjectives as a checklist was so helpful and saved me the back and forth decision making!

To take Conni’s class, click here and she was kind enough to give us a code,  STYLE10 for 10% off!

Natalie Borton, Conni Jespersen, and me (along with our safari guides Nanana and William) in the Maasai Mara.

If you’ve been reading along, then you know I usually frame my Substacks by talking about What I’m Up Against, What I’m Celebrating, What I’m Learning, etc. This month, in addition to my own musings, I thought it would be fun to hear from Conni, a fellow entrepreneur with a different perspective. Conni is so thoughtful, so I know her responses will resonate!

Another example of how when you know your personal style, you know how to dress for any and every occasion. No need to buy “vacation” or “safari” clothes.