April 17th, 2013

My Closet

There are some questions I get pretty much with every new client.

Like…do you have a lot of clothes? Yes. BUT … that does not mean I believe you need a lot of clothing to have a versatile, colorful and interesting wardrobe with a multitude of options. I just like clothes. A lot.

Or…do you have a big closet? No. Not even close. Thems the breaks when you live in a nearly 100-year-old colonial. People back then didn’t have, um, shoe collections.

And my personal favorite?

How do you organize your closet so you can put together outfits easily?  By type and color. So all my blouses are together, light to dark. All my blazers together, light to dark. All my skirts together, light to dark…you get the picture.

You know how I know I’m doing it the right way? Because Rachel told me so. And because once I decide what top I want to wear, I can easily hold it up and “scan” it across my jackets to see what it can go with. Easy. Peasy.

Additionally, I have my shoes on shoe racks and in clear see-through Container Store containers. The shoes I wear most often, I have out on the floor of my closet for easy access.

Dresses go on a separate rolling rack outside of my closet in the corner of our bedroom, also organized by color.

Sweaters and tees folded in dresser.

And denim? It’s so anal-geeky, I can’t believe I am sharing this, but here goes…I put them in these fabric bins on the back shelving of my oddly shaped closet. I label the bins  by denim type – skinny, flare, boyfriend/rolled, bootcut. So basically I have a wall of denim. No. Joke. But it works. I know what bin to go to based on the shoe I’ve chosen because that is where I always start — from the bottom up — depending on if I am going to be on my feet all day with clients, running around at the playground with kids or going out on a date with my very tall husband.

What all this does is it makes things easy to find and match and put together. Getting dressed  is a 5-10 minute endeavor instead of a 20-minute one.

Well, most of the time…

 

 

 

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April 2nd, 2013

Disney World Chic?

Let’s get real…there is really is no such thing.  You are running, chasing, standing, holding, grabbing, carrying, sitting, jumping, tiptoeing, spilling, and (don’t forget) laughing and hugging for 12 hours a day — straight.

If I can get by with “cute and comfy? Victory.

So last week’s spring break was spent in Disney World, Orlando, Florida with my husband and three kids — ages 8, 5 and 2. I packed with an eye toward comfort so the Nikes came out first. I didn’t buy these shoes to run, but more to have a pair of shoes that were truly comfortable. And I don’t mean four-to-six-hours-grocery-store-school-taekwondo-swimming-lessons comfortable, but hardcore eight-to-14-hours-a-day-amusement-park-please-don’t-turn-my-feet-into-hobbling-stumps survival. For these life events, you need to bring out the big guns, and I love that those “big guns” come cute now as opposed to marshmallow-like athletic sneakers.

I then proceeded to build outfits for four whole days of Disney magic — around the shoes (those who follow me on Facebook know this is how I always get dressed). I knew there was going to be a “cold front” (temps in the 60s) in Orlando at the beginning of the week so  easy layering was going to be key. This is what ended up going in my bag (plus a few extras):

 

The third look, I planned to layer with either the utility vest or the floral l/s buttonup, depending on the temp and my mood. The floral buttonup also could be further layered with the utility vest.

The key in creating these looks was keeping it in the same color family (in this case, the blues set the acid yellow of the sneakers off really well).  No overthinking or overcomplicating each look, but I still wanted to feel like each outfit was a look. Not just a random collection of tops and bottoms. I also always like to think in “threes” when it comes to outfits — not just a top and bottom, but another additional piece (can be belt, jewelry, cardigan, vest, etc.) to tie it all together.

And off we went. In the end, it was an exhausting and glorious trip. I walked away with a boatload of pictures, memories, laughs and my feet — intact.

 Happy Spring Break!

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February 8th, 2013

Are Leggings Pants?

Yesterday, as I was eating lunch and perusing pics from New York Fashion Week on Instagram, a woman walked by me in leggings and a top. A regular buttonup top that you could wear tucked in, layered under a sweater, etc. And so went a post on my Facebook page: Leggings are not pants.

Now first. If you know me or have worked with me, you know I don’t really subscribe to many hard-and-fast style rules. I think if you are comfortable and you feel good in what you are wearing, it will show. There are some tips and tricks to make clothing more flattering for you (like did you know pulling your top down past your hips actually makes them appear wider? Try having the top hit at the widest point of your hips. Try it now. In front of a full-length mirror). With that being said, there are maybe a handful of do’s and don’ts out there that I currently hold to be true. I say “currently” because clothing is fluid. There can be many iterations and reinventions of the same garment. For example, jeggings — wait for it, wait for it…that collective gasp from the fashion world — are now being fashioned out of more denim-y material so they look less like leggings with a zipper and pockets sewn on and more like real, substantive pants.

Disclaimer done. Back to the leggings. Fewer clothing topics garner more outcry than leggings. There is a 382,000-strong Facebook page dedicated to eradicating from society leggings as pants. What are these things? How can we wear them? What is appropriate? ARE THEY IN FACT PANTS?

No.

Leggings are not pants. They just aren’t. Pants can be worn with t-shirts, buttonups, etc. Leggings simply cannot be worn with a regular ol’ top like you would with a pair of jeans or trousers. It helps me to think that leggings are just a step — a very, very small step — up from tights. Would you wear tights with just a top?

Ok, ok, I know that, you say. I don’t do that. I wear mine with longer tops. Like a sweater that covers my backside and frontside (please, please ladies, do not forget the importance of the frontside). Lift your arms up. Is the garment now up around your bellybutton? You move in daily life. Your clothes should still make sense when they move with you. If your top barely covers your front and backside, when you move, it will move up too.

Go tunic. Something that hits mid-thigh works.

Well, you say, my leggings are made of thicker material. They are faux-leather. They are velvet. They are thicker, much thicker, than tights. Are they still primarily a stretch material? Then they are still leggings. They still hug you in areas you don’t want the world to see. And, I don’t think I need to tell you that I am not referring to your backside.

See above about going tunic. Or dress. No skirts — we aren’t 7 years old.

And with that, I reaffirm my stance on leggings not as pants.

But then there’s this…

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January 4th, 2013

Welcome 2013. Now on to the Sales…

The new year. No zombie apocolypse. So, now we can get back to shopping, right? And what better time to shop than now with sales coming out the wazoo. Ready, set…wait, wait, wait. Cool your heels just a sec {cue loud break noise}.

Anyone who has worked with me knows I have mixed feelings about sales.

I love a good deal as much as the next gal, but I am against the idea of a deal just for the sake of a deal. It is the easiest way to fill your closet with pieces that don’t quite fit and don’t work for you both in terms of your lifestyle and/or personal style. Truth time: Are you the one with 10 pairs of black trousers that all just sit there collecting dust? This pair bags in the crotch. This one the waist is a bit too tight. This one the waist a bit too loose. This pair has a floating hem line — even with flats. What do they all have in common? Bought on sale. Good “deals.” Except if you add up what you spend on those “deals” that never get worn…well, you get the idea.

So, off my soapbox — for now. But come on…let’s get real. We aren’t made of money. Shouldn’t we take advantage of sales? Of course. I have mentioned it before in a Facebook post. There are items that I do recommend buying on sale if you find the right one. Let me repeat: if you find the right one.

Cinzia Rocca wool/cashmere coat available at Nordstrom


1. Dress coat. Dress coats are typically one of the more expensive items of clothing you will buy. So, if you can find one on sale that fits well and it is good quality, buy it. Right now, my favorite spot for dress coats on sale at Nordstrom (up to 50 percent off!) and J. Crew (offering an additional 30 percent off already-discounted sale items). And who can resist this great color for 65 bucks!

Dooney & Bourke tassle bag available on dooneyandbourke.com


2. Purses. I often find clients that balk at the purse prices these days. And I get it. Sort of. Honestly, people overlook the style value of the purse because it’s an accessory. Like shoes, though, there is no easier way to “make” an outfit — even an extremely dressed-down, casual outfit — than with a great purse. And conversely, no easier way to miss the mark with an outfit. Don’t overlook the clutch for formal looks. You can be completely put together — great dress, shoes, jewelry — and strike the completely wrong note with a too-casual bag.

Another upside to investing in a great bag? Much like shoes, any weight fluctuation you may experience doesn’t affect the bag you carry!

My favorite spots for designer bags are shopbop, outnet (sister site to the behomouth net-a-porter, Gilt and Dooney & Bourke (every month they have “specials”). I also find gems at Anthropologie and J. Crew.

Cole Haan Hollis boot available at Nordstrom

3. Shoes. Pair of great pumps for work, knee-high boots or red party shoes. Yes. Red. And please…Rag & Bone at half off? Sign me up…

Rachel Roy Foil Printed Sequin dress available at Bloomingdale’s

4. Party Dress. You know you’ve been there. Furiously trying on dresses before for an event only to find yourself sweaty and stressed from the experience only to settle on…something that will do. Buy a dress when you don’t need one. One that fits. One that is fairly simple. One that hits all the marks in terms of what you want to show off. It can be black. Or not. But it should be classic. Get it tailored. Store in the back of your closet. Even if you want to buy another dress for your event, know that if you don’t find one, you have a good one in your back pocket.

Locally, I am always on the hunt when these spots have their post-holiday sales: Muleh ((50 percent of sale is on now — and they carry Chie Mihara, one of my go-to cute-and-comfortable shoe options), Relish (sale starts January 11) and Need Supply Co. (additional 15% off sale items now).

Happy New Year, everyone, and happy shopping!

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December 21st, 2012

Happy Holidays!

Who knew a Snap ‘n Go would become so indispensible for work?

The last returns have been made. All my clients dressed, accessorized and ready to party. And me. Breathing a sigh of happy relief.

I am taking the week off and then the New Year — a busy time with inaugural festivities, New Year’s resolutions (finally getting rid of that old prom dress in your closet?), and more.

I will have a special on closet audits come early January so keep up on ze blog or Facebook.

Until then, I want to thank all my wonderful clients for making my job so fulfilling and just straight up fun.

I leave you with this oldie but goodie that applies to your holiday festivities and beyond:
“When in doubt, wear red.” – Bill Blass

See you in 2013! xx

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