Welcome! I'm Holly Chayes.

This online space has been around in one form or another since 2010, it focuses on making, creativity and living a curious life, plus a lot of clothing.

Some of the projects I've worked on in the past 10+ years include...

Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes

An interview podcast that's all about clothing (and also, not *really* about clothing at all). Find all the details and listen to conversations about comfort, style, change and shopping here. Or search for Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who Wears Who?

A personal style coaching and content practice devoted to helping you own and wear your clothes intentionally, instead of being worn by them. Discover your own style guidance, and learn more about the practice of intentional style at WhoWearsWho.com

The Self-Made Wardrobe Project

Predecessor to Who Wears Who, a year-long challenge in 2014/2015 where I only wore clothes I made. That year would have been a lot easier if the clothes had magically made themselves. Learn more about The Self-Made Wardrobe Project and explore the archives here.

The Shawl Geometry Book Series

Enough shawl shapes to keep you knitting for a lifetime. A multi-year exploration of math, shape and space in knitting, where I documented traditional shawl shaping, and iterated on those traditions to create new recipes of shawl shaping. Ultimately this lead to 75+ shapes, and 400+ pages of common and uncommon shawl shaping instructions. This project was inspired by a dozen individual shawl designs, each encapsulating a love of geometric lace design. You can find The Shawl Geometry Series here.

 

Thank you for being here with me. –Holly

 
 
 

To-Do Lists: Do you write things down just to cross them off?

/
24 Mar 2025
/
I like having a record of events. I love the productivity meme split between “putting things you’ve already on your to-do list just to cross them off is stupid” and “putting things you’ve already done on your to-do list is genius.” It’s the cousin of the “to back plan or not to back plan” split in the planner world. (Back planning is just where you go back after events have already passed and add them to your planner.) I think I love the split because it gets to the heart of the question: what is a to-do list for? What is a planner for? Obviously they are both tools to get things done – to plan the project that is life. But I also use my as an imperfect record of events. When I get to the end of the day (or week) and ask: where did today go?! I...
Read More

On putting off and finally setting up a library donation

/
20 Mar 2025
/
“It’s only… what good could it possibly do… don’t bother…” Putting off setting up a recurring library donation I’ve been meaning to set up a nominal monthly recurring library donation for an embarrassingly long time. Every time I borrow a book, or return a book, or browse the shelves, I think about it. And mean to do it. And fail to do it. Sometimes I consciously think: But most of the time it’s more of a soft and sly whisper of a voice, that is very familiar, but does not sound like me: I doubt I’m the only one who hears this voice. (For the sake of other people’s minds, part of me kind of hopes I am the only one. At the same time, I doubt it and appreciate the company.) Individualist thinking about collective resources But I had a realization this morning that finally got me to do...
Read More

I love a blank page.

/
17 Mar 2025
/
But having an ice breaker helps. Every piece I’ve ever knit has begun with a slip knot. Every set of coaching notes has begun with the date. Journal entries with “good morning”. Designs of all sorts with a spark or a brief or a script. I love a blank page. It’s like a field of fresh snow – perfect for running though and leaving footprints scattered around the place. Listening to the crunch and squeak. Feeling snow slide into your boot from exuberant running over snow drifts that are a little deeper than you expected. Snow covered trees blending with a snow colored sky as you leave a mark on the world that will one day melt. I love a blank page. But having an ice breaker helps. So consider this an ice breaker for Poetry & Practicalities. It may just be what was percolating along side everything else. Photo...
Read More
1 2 3 … 190

About – Holly Chayes

I’m Holly, a style and wardrobe consultant.
In short, I fix broken wardrobes.

In long(er), I work with you to bring your clothing into alignment with who you are, and who you feel you are meant to be.

More about me...

Stay in the loop

Get new posts delivered straight to your inbox!

Follow

Follow on Bloglovin