How Trunk Club Is Helping LA Women Hack Their Closets

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When online-based styling service Trunk Club launched IRL men’s consultations in LA a few years back, I thought, "Great, another wardrobe life-saver that forgot about me." What I didn’t know was that in addition to expanding its Culver City clubhouse, the brand was already planning on serving LA’s X-chromosomed citizens and launched its women’s service just a few months later.

I know what you’re thinking: "Hey, doesn’t Racked pay you to know how to shop and dress?" News alert: just as with our nests, even fashion editors aren’t immune to a closet crisis, which is precisely why I wanted to see what Trunk Club was all about. Below, read on to take a mini-tour of the Nordstrom-owned service’s larger space (it’s now just across the parking lot from its previous digs) and find out how Trunk Club’s personal stylists are helping LA women hack their closets.

First up, we took a peek at what’s new at the massive new space. Just like Trunk Club LA 1.0, the clubhouse features a fully-stocked bar with beer and spirits, plus a projector for screening movies and more. And yes, the women’s side has its own booze station, too.

The entrance to the women’s side is located off Venice Boulevard, and you’re immediately greeted by a bright and welcoming space with a handful of dressing stations. This is where the magic happens!

Before your in-person consultation begins, the process usually begins with Trunk Club’s online survey, which will ask you basic questions on your personal style, where you currently shop, your clothing and bra sizes, and more. From there, a personal stylist will give you a call to find out more, like your budget and your wardrobe conundrums.

During my Saturday morning consultation with LA stylist Brooke Lefton, the two of us sit down and chat about what my closet’s currently missing. I tell her that as a new mom, I’m looking for wardrobe upgrades that offer, ahem, "easy access" for feeding my little one, but that doesn’t sacrifice my current style (mostly all-black-everything accented with a colorful statement bag or shoes). Unlike the men’s consultation, the women’s service doesn’t involve measuring tape — a sigh of relief for me, since I'm still working on bouncing back to my pre-baby body.

In less than an hour, Lefton's saved me valuable IRL shopping time. A service that helps me avoid parking (The Grove on a Saturday, ummm no), having workout-like try-on sesh (I've burned serious calories lugging merch into thee dressing room), and shooing away well-meaning sales associates (I'm one of those solo shopper types) — only to leave empty-handed because #hangrygirlproblems? Yes, please and thank you.

As mentioned, Trunk Club is part of the Nordstrom family — which means you can expect cult-favorite labels found on the department store's shelves. Our stylist selected a range of LA-ready picks that transition well from spring to summer, like smart silk button-downs by Equipment, Cali-cool basics by Joie and James Perse, denim from Fidelity and DL 1961, and footwear from Stuart Weitzman and Vince.

Lefton says Trunk Club approaches its women shoppers differently, namely in the way ladies allot their budgets to certain wardrobe departments. "A lot of people will spend $2,000 on a bag but will not spend over $70 on a top," she explains. "It's just because their priorities are bags and shoes, which is a huge difference [from] men."

After revealing her recommendations, Lefton lets us in on a little (not-so) secret: Trunk Club stylists will also come over to clients's homes and perform a KonMari-like purge, swapping out old-season and ill-fitting silhouettes for fresh pieces (and within your specified budget, of course).

For women, she suggests splurging on "really great blouses, because you never know what is going to come up. You can dress up with jeans or dress down tucked into shorts. There's a lot of versatility, [and] it's just something that a lot of women don't have.

A nice jacket that you can literally throw on over everything [is another splurge-worthy piece]. If you're going to get the most versatility and wear the most often, it might as well be nice and be something you're pumped to throw on."

In case you were wondering: The bag's by Elizabeth & James, the top is from Current/Elliott, the jeans are Fidelity, the faux-croc slip-ons are from Joie, and the belt is Ferragamo.

Another time-saving closet hack: for those with a red carpet event or stylish soirée coming up on the cal, Trunk Club's stylists will even ship you outfit options, complete with shoes and accessories. Even better: once you're linked up with a pro, they'll always be your very own sartorial counselor — unlike that one time you went to the doctor's office for your very personal yearly checkup, only to discover that your name was shuffled to another MD and it was sorta like that awkward first date all over again. (Is it just us?)

Into it? Book a sesh with Brooke here; if you prefer virtual consultations, you can still get handpicked items delivered straight to your door through Trunk Club's website here.

Trunk Club's LA Clubhouse is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.