Cracking the ‘Closet Code’

Fashionista Martina Vickers has an innate sense of style and great advice for building your wardrobe, so using her skills to open a new boutique, Closet Code, was a natural progression.

Opening at Kingston’s Super Valu Towne Centre in July 2021, Vickers has been pleasantly surprised by the support she’s been getting. “I’ve been receiving support from family, friends, people who follow me from my blog, and people I don’t know,” she says with gratitude. “I’ve been receiving more support than I expected.”

Graduating from Johnson and Wales in North Miami, Florida, with a bachelor’s degree in fashion marketing, retail and merchandising, Vickers has been serious about being a part of the fashion world for a long time. Before she took the entrepreneurial leap of opening her store, she started the blog Closetcode.co, where she documents her outfits in new locations, as she notes that food and travel are just as important to her as fashion.

The name, Closet Code, came to her after a brainstorming session, where she thought about how people were always asking how she paired pieces together, where she got the pieces from, and wanting a name that would stand out. “Everybody always said, ‘I love your wardrobe. I would love to have your closet.’ So then I kinda said, hmm, maybe it’s like the secret, so this is the code to the secret – Closet Code.”

PLEASANT WELCOME

On entering the store, customers are welcomed by Vickers, who pleasantly attempts to get an idea of your style, what pieces you’re into, what will suit your body type, and then advise from there. “I pick pieces and kind of tailor-make the experience based off what a person tells me they like. I love pieces that I feel you can get multiple wears out of, unless you tell me it’s for a specific event.”

The fashion lover also recommends that people get good basic pieces to build up their wardrobe, giving them the ability to dress them up or down, based on how they are accessorised.

Vickers is inspired by two stars in the fashion world, one being Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who has more of a tailored wardrobe, which places her more on the business side; and the second being Hailey Baldwin Bieber, who she feels her stylist does a great job of giving her really nice colours and pieces that suit her body type.

Fashion doesn’t only focus on a person’s clothing, as accessories and shoes also play a great role, so Vickers has a tip. “Less can sometimes be more, but also, there’s nothing wrong with going all out and being extra, it just depends on the look you’re going for. However, with accessories, try and gather pieces in the same tone, little sets of stuff that match together, like an orange bag, orange shoes, or you can do browns and nudes.”

Another code? Don’t get pieces based on trends or seeing something on somebody else, but instead, buy things that suit your body because that is what you are going to most confidently wear.

Closet Code is located at Super Valu Towne Centre, Shop #34, 144 Constant Spring Rd, Kingston, and is on Instagram at @closetcodeco.