style story: shira gill
and parisian painters as style icons
I reached out to about six years ago on Instagram because I had gotten a request for a personal stylist in the Bay Area. I thought the work Shira was doing with minimalist wardrobes (as a piece of her larger organizing business) was amazing and she had incredible style so I wanted to give her the referral. I don’t think the client worked out, but we connected, and during a phone call, realized we had really similar approaches to not just minimalism but life as well. We were both looking for ways to slow down and yet also had ambitions that felt in conflict. It’s been a joy to watch how Shira’s managed an ever growing business and publishing three books with calm and grace, although I’m sure she’d be the first to admit it’s not always smooth sailing. While her first two books were more about organizing items, her latest book, Life Styled (out today here!), is about organizing life. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy and it is full of really simple and practical small changes to reduce the overwhelm of all this *gestures at the world*. If you’re someone who likes to reset at the new year, this would be a great book to set the mood.
Q: Introduce yourself, your work, and how you spend your time.
A: I am an organizing expert with a minimalist philosophy and the author of three books - Minimalista, Organized Living, and LifeStyled. I also write a completely paywall-free Substack newsletter, The Life Edit which shares actionable tips to streamline and simplify All Of The Things.
My new book, LifeStyled, is a practical guide packed with user-friendly tools and strategies to help readers declutter and transform every part of their lives—. from health and home to relationships, personal finance, business and beyond.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area in a 1200 sf 100-year old bungalow with my husband, two teenage daughters and our Australian Shepherd, Patches.
Q: What was your style like when you were a child?
A: Pretty wild! I was a child of the 80’s and really rolled with it - oversized sushi earrings, plastic bangles up my arms, neon t-shirts, a purple beret, you name it.
Q: Growing up, what messages were you given about what you should or shouldn’t wear (and from whom or where do you think those messages came)?
A: My parents were creative, hippie, intellectual types who emphasized prioritizing experiences over things and embraced a fully anti-consumerist mentality. I don’t remember either one of them recreationally shopping ever but they both had great style and encouraged me to express myself freely through my clothing. I don’t recall any real limitations other than my mother forbidding me to wear black as a kid because it felt “too serious.”
Q: How has your style evolved since you were younger and what phases have you gone through with your style (i.e. high school grunge phase, early working days business casual phase, etc)?
A: I used to be guided by trends for sure - there was the Esprit sweatshirt and Guess jeans (with ankle zippers!) phase, the flannel shirt-Doc Marten phase, and of course the floral babydoll dress phase…I tried it all but after much experimentation, ended up landing on a really simple, mainly monochromatic uniform. I have a busy brain and a tendency towards anxiety and I’ve found that keeping both my home and my wardrobe super minimal calms my nervous system and makes me feel grounded. I’ve probably spent the past ten years wearing white, gray, and denim paired with big sunglasses, and sneakers. Sometimes a hat. I wear all of my jewelry on my body and never take it off. Getting dressed takes two seconds and zero mental effort which feels like a victory.
Q: How have external pressures to conform to the ideal standard of beauty and the thought of how others view you affected your style?
A: The biggest external pressure I feel is simply the pressure to constantly buy and consume MORE. This thing is VITAL for your fall wardrobe. You MUST have a boyfriend blazer. This bag will solve ALL of your problems…It can feel so noisy and relentless. I guess in a sense my quiet rebellion is to wear basically the same thing every day. I’ve also worn the exact same black dress to every formal event I’ve been invited to for the past 15 years (spoiler: nobody notices or cares!).
Q: How have your sense of style and shopping habits shifted along with changes in your body?
A: As my body has shifted since having kids and now moving into peri-menopause I have become much more aware of comfort. I hate anything that pinches or feels constricting. Recently I donated all of my tight high waisted jeans and am on the hunt for some slouchy mid-rise trouser pants. Taking recs!
Q: What barriers do you encounter in trying to express your style? Are there any situations or spaces you feel your style prohibits you from accessing or gives you better access to?
A: I really loathe feeling fussy or fancy and I often find myself stumped on what to wear when invited to a more formal work or personal event. I want to be the person who truly doesn’t care about being judged and just wears ripped jeans and a sweatshirt to the party. Working on it!
Q: Do you have any style icons? Who are they?
A: This may sound crazy but I once saw some house painters in Paris who were headed to work in white t-shirts,white trousers, and white sneakers with paint splatters all over them and it stopped me in my tracks. Iconic and perfect. So a Parisian house painter?
Q: How would you define your current relationship to clothes and style?
A: Evolving. While I’ve felt really at ease in my uniform of vintage jeans and white blouses for years, as I approach my late 40’s I find myself yearning for a refresh. I’ve been playing with more androgynous looks pairing loose blazers with white t-shirts and classic sneakers. I think of style as a creative and expressive act so I feel curious to see what emerges…
I’ve also become increasingly aware of the catastrophic environmental impact of our collective consumerism (check out the Buy Now! documentary) which has only strengthened my commitment to buying less, mainly secondhand.
Q: What makes your style authentic to who you are today?
A: My work revolves around minimalism and simplicity so it checks out that my style is quite neutral, minimal, and timeless. I’m also a busy working mom, often transitioning from dog walks to work meetings to kid pick up so my wardrobe is quite casual, comfortable, and versatile.
Q: Do you wear anything that’s conventionally considered unflattering?
A: I love a mumu and I live for an oversized gray sweatshirt. People are always telling me to accentuate my waist but I prefer things that are more drapey and feel effortless rather than structured.
Thank you so much, Shira! Make sure to subscribe to Shira’s Substack, The Life Edit, and pre-order her new book, Life Styled. Paid subscribers, read on for a few of Shira’s favorite things.
P.S. Read past style stories with guests like Virginia Sole-Smith and Jessica Dafino here.