Style Class Cheat Sheet: S6 EP16 "What Item When" (The Starter Kits)
Every piece shown on style class, found here.
If you haven’t watched the episode yet, you can catch it here. If you already have, check out a detailed breakdown of all the looks from Style Class below.
Amy and Sarah have been on the road—meeting with many of you in real life, in the dressing room, and really listening. This week on Style Class, they debriefed those conversations—digging into the challenges you’re facing in your wardrobes. Why certain pieces feel off, flat, or just plain confusing. At Tibi, we know there’s no easy trend or magic formula to cure all your closet pain points—it takes thought, time, and the right vocabulary. In Episode 16, Amy and Sarah break it all down and walk you through the exact pieces to solve these style problems, and we’ve memorialized it for you here.
”I don’t have a workhorse pant in my closet. I work in an office, I want to be put together, and I need a pant that I can wear a few times in the week and never feel like I’m repeating outfits.”
The Tropical Wool pant with a serious point of view. Year-round fabric, the kind of neutral that holds power without shouting. It blends in when you want it to, and shapes to your mood when you crave something more.
“My pants all feel flat—I have different colors, different shapes, but they somehow all feel the same.”
Bring in materials with texture—ones you can feel, maybe even hear. They break the flatness, add dimension, and instantly shift the energy of a look. These fabrics don’t play at the same level as one another. When it comes to shape or length, start with what you already own. A closet full of slim silhouettes? Add some volume. Too many cropped hems? Go long. Lots of fullness? Try something lean. The goal isn’t to double down on what’s “flattering”—it’s to break the monotony.
“I have too many ‘serious’ pants—I’m missing chill. Each time I buy chill, I feel sloppy—not really like me.”
Avoid the dreaded bifurcated closet by looking for pants that are tailored first, sporty second. Don’t fall into the athletic-wear trap. Instead, go for the tailored pant that has ease in the fabrication.
“I have tees and tanks, but somehow I don’t feel cool or interesting in them. I want to feel more!”
You’ve been buying ‘the perfect basic’—but these are algorithm-derived options. They have a neckline to flatter, they’re watered down. Look for tops that commit to a neckline. Go high, go low—don’t do the same thing over and over and hope for a different outcome. Antonyms are key.
“I’m in a top rut. I have button downs, t-shirts, and then ‘designed-out’ tops—it would seem like I have all my bases covered, but I’m in a rut all the same.”
You need tops that we call Valves. They have the ability to turn something up or down a notch, depending on what it’s paired with. They take on and enhance the flavor of your outfit—if we’re using cooking terminology.
Pro tip—look for pieces that:
Dress up something that is super casual, but can also dial down something dressy.
Add lightness to something heavy, or sexiness to something conservative.
Add texture without causing a fight—the terry is genius at this, whether it’s with a silk bias skirt or a suit.
Have a point of view—either in neckline or body shape.
Neutral colors.
“I don’t have a workhorse shirt in my closet. I work in an office, I want to be put together, and I need it to be able to take me through the week with more than one wear.”
The top that can be manipulated so many different ways. Tied, tucked, pulled back, the options are endless.
“I’m in the black & white Ring 2 rut. I’ve tried to add in bright colors, but it feels so off. I still have nothing to wear.
Ring 3. Right now, you have two moods in your closet: classic tailored clean, or bold and exciting. Ring 3 softens and adds dimension. Options are good.
“I need dimension in my look—lightness or contrast” (Alternatively, “I need…ugh, something,” followed by a hand gesture and a furrowed brow).
A skirt that functions as your Antonym. Feel too “heavy, dark, weighed down”? The sheer skirt—every time. Too structured and serious? The pleated skirt in nylon. Too masculine or tailored, maybe too sexy? The balloon skirt is your save.
“I run around with my kids all day. On the weekends, I’m in and out of the grocery store, strolling in down, and I don’t want pants—I definitely don’t want leggings. I need another third options.”
You need the pieces that let you feel more without feeling all extra. The key is a point of view, with all the chill. Think elastic waistbands and nylon fabrications that are appropriate for just being—but have interest baked into them. An easy length that allows you to get on the floor with your kids, and pockets that make sense for your lifestyle.
“I’ve never really thought about skirts as a key basic in my wardrobe. Hence, my closet is filled with pieces that are directional. Not discreet enough to wear over and over again, or multiple ways on vacation.”
You need a clean, straight, minimalist skirt. From business meetings, flights, client dinners, fancy award shows, and then the surprise event with a vague dress code. These skirts play the supporting role to chill out an evening top or dress up a sweatshirt, and they’re incredibly layerable.
“I have skirts in my closet that are all quite tailored. I crave something more eased and more feminine, but when I buy new things, inevitably they are too…bohemian. Or they’re chill but always in a print, or in fabrications like chiffon or silk.”
You want a skirt that has the monikers of femininity—a bit of swing and softness, but without all the tropes—florals, chiffons, peasant-tiered. You want to look for gutsy or sporty fabrications, classic shapes that still maintain fluidity, and low trouser-style pockets.
“I’m investing in a ‘real blazer’ for the first time. Which one will give me the ultimate functionality?”
Look for the Valve—the one that dresses up a track pant, that adds refinement to chilled out denim, but has the ease to relax a suit and give a creative edge all at the same time—and one that is so sharp that when you have a black-tie event, it slips right over the shoulders as the ultimate anti-shawl.
“I have the Liam, and I love wearing Liam blazers. I’m ready for a second blazer, maybe something more tailored? My budget is limited and I want to grow my assortment in a really strategic way.”
Let’s eliminate Tropical Wool materials—because the great thing about Liam is you can add shoulder pads and make him more tailored, he can be belted—he can go full chill but also tidy up. So instead of tailored, what you’re needing is diversity. Think about other options that will give you different sensations—blazers that work like a jean jacket, a track jacket over your workout clothes, and even without a shirt underneath that functions as kind of a “sexy” top.
“I always feel too casual in my denim.”
Pay attention to a range of washes in your closet—bleached, dark, faded black, raw. Make sure to have a range that adds: irony, richness, or both. Think Antonyms here. Or how you can level up with modernity. Or up the luxury element with the richness of raw denim.
“Everything in my closet is more linear, straight—button downs, blazers, all my bottoms. I want dimension…the BIG of Big/Slim/Skin.”
Look for volume that is strategic, through a thoughtful pleat or the curve of the leg. Rises that are long and relaxed allow for manipulation, and bottoms with volume can be rubber-banded and given a new shape. Remove the concept of “the jeans that flatter you the best” from your mind.
“I want a skinnier jean without being the skinny jean person.”
Ease. It’s all about ease. Pay attention to the length of the rise—it’ll tell you everything you need to know.
Love this format of style class! Very useful advice.
The limited Tibi options in Australia is frustrating !