Coffee Talks: Closet Revamps + Self-Investment

Announcer 0:30
Gloria Steinem once said, we will never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth. Barbara Provost and Maggie Nielsen are the team at Purse Strings that will help you navigate the ins and outs of financial independence so that you can be financially fearless. This is Women And Money, The Shit We Don’t Talk About.

Maggie Nielsen 0:53
Okay, I want to talk about your trip to the stylist, okay? And you went to go see Annie. And Annie was actually sponsored for a Money Talks event. That’s how we met her. We actually met her in person. Checked Out. Her style looked good. Which our event went great.

Barbara Provost 1:12
I thought the event was fantastic. It was so fun to see women coming together and really stepping out on sometimes, what is a skinny limb to talk about money, right? I mean, the hardest nut we have to crack, typically, is that women don’t want to talk about money, but it’s so, so necessary because, like, we always say, if we’re not talking about money, we’re not learning about money. And that’s what we talked about all day long.

Maggie Nielsen 1:39
Yeah, it was a ton of fun, very excited. I can’t wait. We’re gonna do it again, and I think we’re gonna try to bring it to other cities, so we’ll see big dreams here. So we’re very excited. But that is where you met Annie, and I know you hired her to do this consultation, which I just want to know, like, how it went. Would you do? Let’s just dive into it.

Barbara Provost 2:01
Sure, as you know, we have a big event coming up this week. We are headed out to New York, to New York to to go to this in the investment news conference, and then in the evening is an award ceremony. So we’re up for um, female Trailblazer of the year.

Maggie Nielsen 2:31
I’m so glad we’re in everyone’s ears right now singing. I know this is just a real live of what we do all the time.

Barbara Provost 2:36
Yeah. And so, you know, we thought, hey, let’s we work so hard. Let’s make sure we make this event really fun and spectacular for us. We’re going to be in the room with other amazing women that we cannot wait to meet eyeball to eyeball. We’ve talked to so many of them via zoom, but we are so excited just to get in the room with them. But you know, with COVID and everything, how often do you go to a fancy semancy event, like a cocktail event?

Maggie Nielsen 3:07
Yeah, I don’t think either of us have really had things that fit or that we like to wear anymore or make us feel like, damn, let’s go to this event.

Barbara Provost 3:16
I know. I know, right? I mean, because we didn’t really have a reason to do that. But you know, this event is coming up in New York, and also we’re up for another award in Chicago, Chicago, in O, we’re in the top 100 finalized for innovation, which is super cool. That’s in November. But then I also have, you know, a wedding, uh, very formal wedding in June in Italy. So I have these things coming up, and I’m like, I have nothing in my closet for that. And really, I’m not a good shopper. I mean, I’m, every time I shop, what do I buy? The same basic things, right, Maggie?

Maggie Nielsen 3:57
Yeah, like afresh white tee, for sure, a new pair of jeans, a craft jacket. And, you know, we always got to shop around. Is it the right petite size? Because we can’t get a dress that’s too long. I mean, yeah, we all have our go tos.

Barbara Provost 4:12
And, you know, Maggie when, when we lived close to each other, we loved going to TJ Maxx. And we still do. We still do and but I thought, you know, maybe we need to level up a little bit, find something nicer. I don’t know, and I’m really tired. I don’t have the I just don’t have the time or or desire to go shopping. If you were here, maybe we would do it together. But we’re not right. So Annie, we met Annie, our stylist, who joined our event. And, um, she, I met her before, and she’s, God, I wish, I wish I was as tall as her. You probably are Maggie, but you know, for me being, you know, five, three, barely. But I thought, you know, I need to get an outfit right for the cup, for. Events. I need an outfit for these other events. So I reached out to her, and I’m like, hey, you know, and of course, me, it’s on Tuesday, right? So I reached out to her late in the week,

Speaker 1 5:12
and I’m like, week not even

Barbara Provost 5:15
so I’m like, Well, can you help me with this? So what I loved about it, first and foremost, is we just had a 20 minute meeting to talk about, what’s your style, what do you like? What are you looking for? You know, what makes you feel really good? What’s something you’ve worn in the past? It made you feel really good about yourself. So, of course, the assessment.

Maggie Nielsen 5:37
Makes such a difference. I mean, I can see it’s like you’re not just doing like day to day. You want to look good and get out of the athlete. Athleisure wear. It’s like, I have these specific events, like, we’re going formal, you know, which is really defined, versus, like, this kind of longer, like, Hall of closet, or, you know, switching seasons.

Barbara Provost 5:53
Yeah. And, you know, I would have gone for like, the little black dress, or, you know, the standard, and I really wanted to

Maggie Nielsen 5:59
with jewelry and leopard shoes. Yes, that’s how it would go over exactly. It wouldn’t be bad, though

Barbara Provost 6:06
It wouldn’t be bad, but it would just be the same old, same old, nothing. I wanted to try something different, so she asked me all my sizes and everything, and we met a time to meet. And so here I thought, you know, maybe she would take me to some boutique or something like that. But she’s like, You know what, Barb, I’ve been doing this for a long time, and you can find fantastic things at places like TJ Maxx or Nordstrom Rack. And she even said, you know, I I remember Maggie at the event. Said, Oh, someone asked her where she got her shoes, and she said, TJ Maxx. And I’m like, Yeah. And she goes, they have some fantastic things there. You know what? Maggie we should get every sponsored by TJ Maxx.

Maggie Nielsen 6:49
Every time I wear those shoes, somebody compliments me on them, and they’re Mary Janes. And for those who love a good song, you should listen to Mary Jane shoes by Fergie. You put on those shoes, you listen to Mary Jane shoes in the car and you go to your networking event. You are ready to go when?

Barbara Provost 7:04
There you go. Yeah, you need a little vibe. So, um, I’m like, Okay, I I can go for, you know? I mean, I’m so curious to see what she’d pick. Because, you know, I could shop those racks forever, and I’d walk away with a white t shirt, blue jeans and leopard jeopards And maybe a new purse. So, um Yeah, so she met me, actually, we were at um Nordstrom Rack, so she brought in from a boutique a few little things, some shoes, some boots, some a couple of dresses. But then she scoured the racks there and brought in tons of stuff, right? So,

Maggie Nielsen 7:47
So she brought in clothes from the outside to the store too to try them?

Barbara Provost 7:52
That she had already purchased and had in a bag, okay, that she purchased on her own, just to see if I might like them. So she had some boutique pieces, and then she had some other pieces. And it was, what I loved, is I did not have to do anything but stay in the dressing room and try clothes on.

Maggie Nielsen 8:10
Yeah, Iwas, I was just thinking how when I went shopping this weekend for clothes, I had this vest from TJ Maxx I bought so I literally brought it into the store with me, and I told the lady, like, I need matching pants to go with this vest. And she’s like, what’s your size? I was just that, you know, made well. And then I go in the dressing room, and there’s six pair of pants all my size there, of like, different styles, you know. And then she just told me which one would match. And I was like, you know, I used to hate when people ask me, How can I help you? And now when you just actually, like, tell them how they can help you, and it’s so easy, you’re like, God, why was I not doing this?

Barbara Provost 8:42
I know. I Well, it’s not, you don’t get that at every place. You know, yeah, that’s true. Made Well, yeah, I love their stuff. So Annie just had racks and racks of things that she’s like, this. Could go with this. And you know what? It was, stuff I would never, ever pull off the rack. The dress, like, what

Maggie Nielsen 9:00
about it?

Barbara Provost 9:01
Well the dress that I got

Maggie Nielsen 9:02
for you had never pulled it off.

Barbara Provost 9:06
I know I never would. I would have walked by that a million times and never tried it on, but I could tell it was really well made. Like, you know how sometimes you just put on a dress, you’re like, Oh, this feels nice. It has pockets and kind of a cool sleeve. And I thought, You know what? This is, what I need. I need to get out of my comfort zone. I need to sophisticate up a little bit. And she got me these cute like kitten heel pumps, black that were adorable, that you could wear with blue jeans, or you could wear with this beautiful dress. And I was like, I’m gonna go for it. So that’s the dress for during the day at the conference, and then at night, you know, we tried on a lot. We had these beautiful leather pants. Ooh. I know, but they were super long and couldn’t get them hemmed in time. So

Maggie Nielsen 10:05
on this, you know, five day timeline,

Barbara Provost 10:07
I know, right, I’m still bottom, even though, because, you know, I could wear them to the other event that I have in Chicago, yeah. So, um, she got this beautiful, just very simple set that was a black turtleneck and then a very flattering, again, one of those skirts with all the plates all the way around, which, again, I would never pay for, but you put that on, that whole set on, it’s very elegant. It moves very lovely. And then she got me burgundy heels.

Maggie Nielsen 10:41
Okay, so since this is, you know, women and money a shit, we don’t talk about, I know you’re surprised you were still going to, like, TJ Maxx Nordstrom tracks, like, you know, she wasn’t telling you to go spend 1000s. So we share, like, how much you kind of ended up spending on some of these pieces.

Barbara Provost 10:59
Sure, it wasn’t a lot. So I bought other pieces too to add to it. Because, you know, when you have a stylist there, you got to go all out. So those are the two outfits that I bought for those events. But like I said about those leather pants, I also bought a super cute again, this was from a boutique that was a jacket, one of the short jackets that kind of matches. I know that’s me, right, but it goes well with my hair, the coloring,

Unknown Speaker 11:26
it’s so random.

Barbara Provost 11:27
I bought a green top. So a couple boutique pieces were the dress was only $200 that wasn’t expensive. The jacket was about 200 and let’s see what are the boutique things. And the outfit was from Nordstrom Rack, and I think it was on sale, the black outfit for like, 60 bucks for the whole 60 Yeah.

Maggie Nielsen 11:52
And both of those pieces you could wear separately, yeah,

Barbara Provost 11:56
um. And then she ran to TJ Maxx and got me this beautiful, you know, because it’s sleeveless and it’s in the winter to wear that. It’s kind of a very furry, blitzy kind of shawl.

Maggie Nielsen 12:12
Oh, my God, that’s so you nail the head, I know

Barbara Provost 12:16
it. And we looked at a little bit of bling earrings and things like that. So I was kind of giggly. I was out of my comfort zone. I didn’t have to spend my hours and hours and hours of looking and trying and being disappointed. She did all that running around. Many pieces didn’t fit, which was fine. Other pieces slipped right on, which is fine. I can’t wait for you to see these super cool um pants. Yeah,

Maggie Nielsen 12:48
we’ll actually see if we get those leather pens pants hemmed or not.

Barbara Provost 12:51
Yeah? Well, they did. They’re doing it at Nordstroms. Oh,

Maggie Nielsen 12:55
I was hoping I could steal them to steal them while they were long.

Barbara Provost 13:00
Yeah? No.

Maggie Nielsen 13:02
Um, okay. And then how does any charge? Because I feel like she knows these different things, you know. She knows the store. She kind of has this little inventory in her head, you know. So you pay people for that skill, but she also did some running around. She did some shopping with you. I’m just like, so intrigued how you’d pay for that.

Barbara Provost 13:16
So she charges $150 an hour, but that means I didn’t have to. She when I texted her about when I’d meet, she’s like, I already have shoes for you. So she was on the go right away. She had already been to boutique and gotten a few things for me there. So that’s, you know, time is money. She was at the store prior to me being there, and so everything was set up in the dressing room. We spent only, like an hour and a half together. So only my time was only an hour and a half trying things on. Everything was done, and then she returned the things that that we didn’t use. So I think she spent maybe between maybe seven hours, eight hours so, but I thought it was really time well spent. I have an outfit for four or five different occasions that I needed it for.

Maggie Nielsen 14:08
I feel good about them like you’re excited, you’re not just like I got these fits I know,

Barbara Provost 14:14
and I got some standard pieces, like these beautiful suede, light suede boots that, oh my gosh, Maggie, I’m glad you don’t wear the same shoe size I do, because you would steal them.

Maggie Nielsen 14:28
Yeah, I really would.

Barbara Provost 14:30
So, you know, this is a great investment, just like we say, people need to invest in their financial professionals, right, right? I’m not the expert in this area. Sure, I’ve shopped, you know, I’ve done things, but when you need to level up and go to a different place with your clothes and you need a refreshment, especially after COVID, yeah, I’ll just feel really put together.

Announcer 14:56
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Maggie Nielsen 15:35
I mean, I feel like it’s you know, you want to always, you know, feel good and look good. That’s so much for, you know, women and everything else. And it’s like, you didn’t, you know, have to shoot your whole budget, but it was that little investment to start looking good and feeling good. And, yeah, there’s are another thing that totally you could do by yourself. And you have for, I won’t admit, your age, all the time, but you know, and then it’s like, okay, now and then, you know, for these outfits, it’s super helpful to have people to come in and give their expertise some of that outside look. Because, yeah, the things that you bought, I know, like, if we were buying together, I’d be like, you’re gonna try that on. It does look really good. And I looked and like, the shoulder hits right, and the sleeves hit right, and I was like, yeah, it’s got Yeah, it’s right. She knows she knows what she’s talking about.

Barbara Provost 16:26
She knows what she’s talking about. An expert, she even had me try on this leather dress Maggie that was way too short for me, but I thought, wow, that would look super cute on you. So what did you get?

Maggie Nielsen 16:37
I just got some pants from made Wow.

Barbara Provost 16:43
But they’re not jeans. They’re they’re,

Maggie Nielsen 16:45
like, these tan trousers, oh, they say that they’re flannel. And I was like, how hot are they gonna be? This girl’s like, don’t worry about it. They’re great. And they were great. And then, of course, you know, they put all these other pants in there too. So I got another pair that just looked really nice. And then I ordered these boots. I really want to wear them. They’re really soft leather. They were like, 120 bucks. And my friend has them, and, you know, she knows they’re good. So I was like, alright, I’ll get them. But then I was like, Maybe I need a wide for my little bunions,

Barbara Provost 17:14
little bunnies for those, for those listeners

Maggie Nielsen 17:18
who don’t know why I wear through my shoes really fast. So I try to get really durable shoes. So these are real leather, really soft, but so I want to wear them when we leave tomorrow.

Barbara Provost 17:32
I hope they don’t hurt your feet, though.

Maggie Nielsen 17:34
I think we’re just gonna go with it. Okay. Well, you know, you can’t buy anything in store these days, and don’t make me get on that soapbox.

Barbara Provost 17:44
Oh, like one

Maggie Nielsen 17:46
at a shoe store. You can’t buy the shoes in person at a shoe store, don’t get me Don’t get me going.

Barbara Provost 17:52
I know it’s true for a lot of things, electronics, all of that, you just have to order everything online.

Maggie Nielsen 17:57
I know. So maybe I’ll get that privacy screen today. Maybe I won’t. We’ll see well,

Barbara Provost 18:02
the other thing is, you know, your mom always, always has you covered, because I’m bringing the band aids long.

Unknown Speaker 18:09
I got a box too. I got a box too.

Barbara Provost 18:12
But it’s tough being, uh, fashionable, right? Really

Maggie Nielsen 18:15
is. But, yeah, I wanted to have this conversation. Kind of share your experience, but then also, like, how we go to these professionals for all these different things, how you can, you know, hire them, and they are well worth the investment. I know we’re excited for Chicago, and then we got a couple, you know, Chicago, I mean, New York, and then Chicago, and Chicago, both cities, love them all. And then let’s see. We’re gonna start doing a little bit more podcasting, which we’re excited about. So we’re gonna start, I think, in the new year, doing the show weekly. So we’re excited to have you all tune in a bit more. And then we’re doing, you know, we’re gonna start some coffee talks in the New Year as well, just so everyone can kind of jump on and ask their questions and have these conversations. So we’re buttoning up those details, but we’re getting really excited, kind of for the new year there. We love just chit chatting and having coffee and answering questions and things like that. Yeah. What else do you have to add? Barb,

Barbara Provost 19:17
we just want to start talking about money, whether it’s, you know, investing in yourself for stylist, investing in yourself for a financial professional, investing in yourself and just learning and getting good information and working with the right professionals. And, you know, coming to our next Money talks. And, yeah, if you have a real life, real story, rags to riches or just questions, reach out to us. We’d love to have you on our podcast.

Maggie Nielsen 19:45
Yep, all right, we’ll talk to everyone soon, and have a great week. Talk

Speaker 2 19:50
later. Information is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute tax investment or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified investment lead. Medical or tax professional before taking any action. So.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai