Staring at the 48 bin liners on my bedroom floor, I felt a huge sense of relief. My two days of painstaking work had been worth it as around 70% of my wardrobe was now contained in these bags. While it was bittersweet to be saying goodbye to garments I’d collected throughout my years of working as a celebrity stylist, I knew it was time.
![[Michelle Barrett: I filled 48 bin liners full of clothes and realised I had a problem]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233643375-0796.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
I was ready to commit to a capsule wardrobe rather than a cluttered closet. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had an instinctual relationship with clothes. Just by looking at a colour or a singular garment or pattern I’ve always been able to ‘see’ an outfit in my mind’s eye. So it wasn’t long before I would then get a hunger to create it.
![[Michelle Barrett: I filled 48 bin liners full of clothes and realised I had a problem]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233643303-1442-e1734525345976.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=597)
Despite not owning a sewing machine, I started making clothes using whatever fabrics I could find from the age of 10. I’d lay the fabric on the floor, cut the garments out and stitch it all by hand. By the time I was in my early teens I was known in my local area for my creations.
![[Michelle Barrett: I filled 48 bin liners full of clothes and realised I had a problem]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233643389-f859-e1734525650427.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Unsurprisingly then, when I was 24, I began studying at the prestigious London College of Fashion and it was during my time there that I landed my first job in styling. My role was to assist another stylist for two live shows over one weekend. We were looking after pop icons such as Boyzone, Enrique Iglesias and Westlife, which was incredibly exciting.
![[Michelle Barrett: I filled 48 bin liners full of clothes and realised I had a problem]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233643376-33c0.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Before that weekend was over I knew it was the career I wanted to pursue. After graduation I became a fully fledged stylist, which meant I had access to unique designer pieces – like a suede 1970s style suit and a pair of vintage Gucci leather embroidered ladies’ gloves – and I couldn’t resist taking those freebies home with me.
![[Michelle Barrett: I filled 48 bin liners full of clothes and realised I had a problem]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233643299-a9f1-e1734525448487.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
