Liz Teich - On a Quality Over Quantity Closet

Image by @michellerosephoto

With aanInstagram handle like @thenewyorkstylist, it's clear Liz Teich is the one to trust with all of our style and wardrobe questions. But Liz faced many of the same challenges as the rest of us when it came to maternity and postpartum choices, which is what led her to assess her own closet and build a business helping other moms focus their wardrobe.

What's key in Liz's book? Quality basics that can tie an outfit together and make it look more polished.

How did your definition of "essential" change when you were becoming a mother for the first time to after the birth of your second?

With my first baby, I thought I needed to buy a ton of cheap clothes that I didn’t mind getting dirty (because #momlife) and the only thing I still wear after 3 years is a button down top that I splurged on.

What was the biggest style change for you?

My biggest style change was that I only shopped for pieces that felt “me” and I began to only purchase pieces I knew I’d wear for years to come. I actually re-evaluated how I shop and curate my wardrobe after getting back to my pre-baby weight the first time around. Quality over quantity was my new motto.

I invested in classic pieces and utilized sustainable more affordable retailers for the trendier items (even my trendy pieces are still pretty classic). Other moms seemed to take notice and sent me messages to help them with their wardrobes. After nearly a decade of styling for brands, I modeled part of my business to help other moms get their wardrobe focused in a better place too with my popular Closet Cleanse service.

What do you see as a common style thread when working as a personal stylist to new moms as well as a professional commercial stylist?

Everyone tends to have a ton of pieces that they think work for them, but more often when I’m working with my personal styling clients, they lack key *quality* basics that can tie and outfit together and make it look more polished.

For my commercial styling brands, I tend to have to fill in the holes for them to create looks. It’s also those basics that can make or break a look.