Shop Your Closet!

Carefree dressing means something different for everyone. I like the concept of having a few versatile pieces that all work together and can be worn dressed up or down to serve my needs.

Have you had to change the slices of your wardrobe pie over the years?

I have a very busy social and work-life right now. I do not attend many casual functions or relax at home very often. That means my wardrobe pie may be sliced differently than yours. 

For your clothes to serve you well, you need to be realistic about your life. For example, if you have a closet full of office-appropriate garments that you never wear anymore because you have retired, maybe it is time for a good purge.

I have purged my closet several times since I lost forty-five pounds a few years ago. I certainly didn't get it right at first!

I now own mostly separates in solid colors, and I hang them in my closet by type. My tank tops are together from lightest to darkest. My blouses are hung together lightest to darkest and so on. When I walk into my closet, it is easy to "shop" for the day's look. 

I also similarly store my accessories and shoes to tell at a glance what I have to choose from.

As I am getting dressed, I think first about the weather. I never wear white or light-colored pants on a day that might include rain. The pants will become permanently stained from splashback as you walk. Thankfully that silly rule about not wearing white after Labor Day has been put to rest.

Shop for the colors that flatter your complexion and silhouettes that complement your shape so that the items work together.

This old top from Chico's is an excellent example of a piece that I have worn in many ways. I like it because of the simple neckline and unique hem. The three-quarter-length sleeves help me appear taller and slimmer. The asymmetric hemline also breaks up the horizontal line so that the eye is not drawn to the hip area, nor does that break line cut my body in half, making me look shorter and broader. Wearing a dark color on top visually minimizes my largest half.

This top fabric is also three-season material, which means I can wear it for most of the year.

This same top could be worn with slim black pants and heels with fabulous jewelry out to dinner or a formal function.

I could just as easily pair it with faded jeans and a pair of flat sandals to be worn to a casual function.

When the elements of your wardrobe serve you well, you spend much less time saying, "I have nothing to wear!" and lots more time living your life and looking great while you are at it.

That's why I share what I have learned. I hope my tips prove helpful to you as you build a wardrobe that works well for you.

Dress For Your Personality

A lot has been published about what colors and styles to wear or not to wear. I believe that dressing in what makes you happy is the key to a successful style.

We met with friends over drinks and hors d'oeuvres to discuss a project a few days before I got my hair cut. I always try to dress appropriately for the weather, the event, and lastly, I bring my personality into the mix. I have been saving these photos to share with you when the post calls for it. 

It was a cool evening, and the professional nature of the event called for a more polished look than my usual combos.

Even though I am wearing old pieces from my wardrobe in the picture above, I do not usually put them together in this way. The more relaxed cut of the dress pants combined with low heeled shoes and the loose-fitting tank top with a neutral blush color jacket do not reflect my nature. The edgy straw clutch bag, along with the jazzy necklace, were my attempts to add "me" into the mix.

Yesterday we would visit my parents and then have a light dinner to end a great weekend. The lack of an "event" to dress for meant that I could just put on what felt right for the weather. 

You can see how much happier. I look wearing clothes that reflect my personality.

Not just because I am acting silly, but you can tell that being true to myself in the way I dress makes me feel more confident and happy.

The tips and tricks I share with you are intended to help you evaluate your wardrobe and determine if the pieces work for you and with each other. The secret to success is found in how you put the items together and then accessorize them. It does not matter what color they are (certain colors and tones will indeed look better on you than others), how much they cost, or where you bought them. If the elements in your collection can be combined to show your unique personality and make you feel confident, that is what matters.

This way of dressing does not require that you have a huge wardrobe. It is all about knowing what is right for you and your lifestyle. What I wear, including my heels, might not be right for you at all. My budget may be entirely different than yours. The colors that comprise my core wardrobe may not be right for you. The points I make here show you how I use these elements to put together looks that work for the event, the weather, and my personality. I am just using myself as an example to help you use these basic guidelines to figure out what works best.

The Capsule Wardrobe

Today's special guest is Dr. Carol Walsh.

5 Keys to Building a Fabulous Capsule Wardrobe

Building a wardrobe capsule is a fabulous way to maximize your wardrobe, expand your creativity, and save significant time and money. With just 10-12 pieces of clothing, you can easily create 3-4 weeks of stylish and fun new outfits. Unlike my minimalist friends who encourage you to downsize to just 10, 20, or even 30 pieces of clothing, I LOVE clothes and have WAY MORE than 30 pieces. However, to successfully wear everything I have in my closet, I’ve created mini-capsules. Mini-capsules take the stress out of that “what am I going to wear today” syndrome most of us feel every morning when we walk into our closet. If you want to get more wear out of your clothes and make getting dressed in the morning exciting and fun, follow these five (5) steps to build your own wardrobe capsules.

1. Choose a Theme – There are several ways you can go with this one. If you work in an office, you may want to create a few Work Capsules and Weekend Capsules. If you work for yourself or from home, you may want to create themes based on your favorite styles like Casual Chic, Boho, Romantic, Urban Edgy, or Sporty Casual. By following a theme, you’ll avoid defaulting to your favorite yoga pants and sweatshirt because you just don’t know what to wear.

2. Choose a Color Scheme – The key to a capsule wardrobe is the ability to mix and match your selections. This is much easier to do if you work within a particular color palette. The picture provided above is a perfect example. The core color scheme is red and yellow. Denim, white, gray, and black are actually neutrals and can be worn with any color scheme, so these neutrals serve as a secondary scheme. You can always start with a neutral color like black, brown, navy, or gray, and then just add pops color, like fuchsia, green, or violet, to add dimension and interest. 

3. Choose a Fun Print or Pattern to Build Upon – You’ve got to incorporate a fun and exciting pattern or print into the mix. This could be animal print, florals, stripes, paisleys, or an ethnic print. In the picture above, I built this capsule around that beautiful ethnic print midi-skirt. From the skirt, I determined the theme (classic chic) and color scheme because I pulled the corresponding colors from the skirt. Also, don’t be afraid to mix and match your prints and patterns. The rule of thumb is to ensure the colors can be found in both garments.

4. Choose Your Accessories – Would you bake a cake and not frost it? Of course not! The same is true of your outfit. You should NEVER wear an outfit without some type of accessory. Try a statement necklace, a few dainty dazzlers, layering bangles, or a fabulous scarf (you can actually use your scarf as the fun print or pattern to build upon). Accessories can also add to your outfit theme and will assuredly take ANY outfit from boring to amazing. Also, don’t forget to add a fun clutch or handbag and fabulous shoes. You can add up to 2 handbags and 3 pairs of shoes to any particular capsule. 

5. Create a Style Notebook – Once you create your capsule, do two things. First, lay everything out on your bed and take a picture. That way, you’ll remember which outfits made up your particular capsule. Second, be sure to stand in front of the mirror and take a selfie of what you’re wearing. If you’re rotating through 10-12 pieces of clothing over the course of 21-30 days, it’s easy to forget what you put together on day 8. It’s absolutely ok to repeat a look, but you’ll want to make sure you’re recreating it purposefully and not accidentally. You may also find ways to improve upon a previous outfit if you remember how you styled it before. 

Finally, have fun! Creating a capsule wardrobe is like putting a puzzle together. It takes a little work to see which pieces go together, but when you’re done, you get to enjoy the masterpiece you’ve created. Once you’re done with one capsule, launder, repair, and/or you’re your clothes to the cleaners. You’ll also want to assess which items are not working for you anymore and determine if you want to donate or replace one or more pieces. This will keep your wardrobe fresh and up-to-date. 

Have fun!

Starting Over

Someone asked me a great question this week. "If you were buying a whole new wardrobe, what would you start with?"

When starting a capsule wardrobe, the points you need to consider include lifestyle, personal style, and colors that work for you. If you never attend a formal event or work exclusively from home, you might not need many dressy pieces in your wardrobe capsule.

The black, white, and red combination works well for me, but black is too harsh for many people. Brown, cream, and rust, or perhaps navy, ivory, and plum, might be better groups of colors for you.

A nice pair of slacks in a dark color would be one of the first things to buy. Next would be a good quality fitted jacket that you can wear with everything (remember not too boxy). A great jacket can make even a nice pair of jeans look appropriate for many events. Jeans are considered neutral but not too faded out works best for most of us.

Scoop neck long sleeve tees and tanks in your color grouping allow you to change your look. I chose scoop neck over V neck or turtleneck because they are more flattering to most face shapes. If you wear a jacket with a V neck top, it sometimes gives you two of the same V shapes. Contrasting shapes are more pleasing to the eye. If you add a necklace, remember this tip. Three necklines of the same form can look cluttered.

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I did indeed have to buy a whole new wardrobe in 2011. Not even my shoes fit after I lost 45 pounds. I wish I had known how to use this formula then. It would have saved me a lot of buying mistakes.

A straight black pencil skirt to wear with opaque tights and boots might also be a good look for you. The long cardigan would look great with jeans too. The purpose of choosing a capsule of three colors and essential pieces is that almost all the pieces can be mixed and matched to create many different looks without having to spend a lot of money.