How Many?

Hmm. I wonder if she has enough shoes?

When I am going through a closet during a Wardrobe Wisdom consultation, I get asked about numbers a lot. How many shoes do I really need? How many suits should I have? How many black pants do I need to have? Without exception, every woman has had more in her closet than she needs, and a lot more than she actually wears.

It is difficult for me to give numbers when so much depends on a person's lifestyle and budget. The experts who wrote Harper's Bazaar's book, Great Style, did come up with a list that I think is pretty good. Here it is:

4 sweaters (2 work-worthy and 2 for weekends)

7 tees (short and long sleeves, tanks, and turtlenecks)

4 coats and jackets (1 elegant coat, 1 sporty outerwear jacket, 1 classic trench, and 1 day-to-night jacket)

2 tops for every skirt and pant (1 dressed-up and 1 casual style)

4 pants, 4 skirts (2 office and evening appropriate and 2 informal)

1 suit (for every season, that you can wear together or separately)

5 dresses (2 for day, 1 short for cocktails, 1 long for formal, and 1 special knock-'em-dead frock)

4 jeans (1 slim cut for a cleaner look, 1 relaxed fit for laid-back days, 1 ankle length for flats, and 1 longer pair for higher heels)

What do you think of this list? So much depends on what your regular activities and work requirements are. I don't think everyone needs 5 dresses. What if you don't like dresses? Still, I think this list is okay as a starting point to think about what you really need.

Thank You

I am thankful for my wonderful husband and two smart, beautiful, loving girls. I am thankful for my parents who live nearby. I am thankful (except during these past 3 months!) for my health and for being able to live in Santa Barbara.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for following Wardrobe Wisdom.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday Parties

Necklace from Talbots ($49!)

Boden's ideas for what to wear to holiday festivities are, of course, wonderful. But before you spend a small fortune at Boden or elsewhere, please do one if not both of these things:

1. Survey what you already have that can be worn to holiday gatherings and parties. Would just one accessory or a new top help create some new looks?

2. Survey your friends' closets! What do they have that you can borrow this season? Be sure to open your closets to them as well, and when you return what you borrowed, make sure it is in pristine condition, dry-cleaned if necessary.

3. Shop consignment stores. You can find beautiful clothing, jewelry, scarves and sparkly purses at these places for a fraction of their original cost. Alpha Thrift Stores in Santa Barbara are also places to hunt for original, sparkly jewelry.

I just purchased a pretty sparkly brooch that I plan to wear to my holiday events. I am also going to wear some fun stockings with my velvet skirts to update them, and I will wear some sequined headbands I got on sale at J. Crew at the end of the season last December.

Santa Barbara Shopping--4

Yesterday I met a good friend for lunch at Scarlet Begonia in Santa Barbara. YUM! Then we strolled around Victoria Court, stopping in wonderful consignment store Lola, and a terrific store called Punch. If you are in search of something new and reasonably priced to add spice to your holiday wardrobe, head to Punch.

When my cousin was here from Germany over the summer, I could not wait to take her to Punch. I knew that its funky vibe, mix of vintage and new, and cool decor would be right up her alley. Was I ever right! We must have spent over an hour in that store. Punch is filled with cool little trinkets, that would make splendid, original gifts. Gina purchased some funny vintage-inspired magnets and a big, white cocktail ring. I tried on a lovely Nanette Lepore blouse and some great hats.

This week the store was decked out for Christmas, with glittery ornaments from the 1950s onward, and a pink feather Christmas tree. What I was focused on, though, were the number of sparkly, beautiful brooches, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets that would add some festivity to a holiday outfit. I also noticed all the chic sequined tops, skirts, blouses, and little purses. There were some darling little velvet caplets and a bolero as well. None of these items were expensive, and each would add the perfect, unique touch to an outfit.

So head into Punch and prepare to be dazzled! (And grab a bite at Scarlet Begonia, too.) And, in case you were wondering, neither place has paid me for my endorsement.

Parties and Gifts

With the holidays approaching, the party invitations begin to arrive. I was watching The Chew the other day and liked the Clinton Kelly segment on what to and not to bring as hostess gifts. This is a departure from my usual Wardrobe Wisdom musings, but I think you will find his guidelines timely and helpful.

1. Do not bring a bouquet of flowers. When a hostess is handed a bouquet, she must leave her party in search of a vase, cut the stems, fill up the vase. . . Kelly suggests instead to send a pretty bouquet that day, already in its own vessel. Or better yet, send flowers the next day, along with a thank you note for the party.

2. Do bring a dish of something to eat if the hostess has asked you to. Otherwise, your dish may clash with her carefully thought out menu. A lovely hostess gift is a nice box of chocolates. Give the box to the hostess, telling her to enjoy the chocolates later.

3. Do not bring a decorative item unless it is an elegant holiday one that the hostess can use another time. On The Chew, the guest brought a great soup tureen in the shape of a pumpkin.

4. Do bring a bottle of wine but don't expect it to be drunk that evening. She has already chosen wine for her party so let her know the bottle is to enjoy at a later time.

I blush at the memories of bringing my host a big bouquet of flowers and hope to attend a lot of parties this season to make up for my many faut pas.

Scarf Storage

This one is for you, Laura!

It can be so hard to see our scarves sometimes that we forget what we have. Therefore, storing them front and center, in an organized way, is key. Even before you store them, do some weeding out, only keeping the ones you love and want to wear.

The photos here illustrate a couple of ideas for storage. I store mine in neat stacks (up to 5 in each one) on my closet shelves and on a hanger like the one shown here on the right. Some women use pretty hooks or belt holders to store their scarves. If your scarves are made of wool or cashmere, make sure you have some cedar around them to keep away the moths and other critters.

Pantyhose

Thank you for reading this post instead letting the title scare you off. More than one client has asked me lately if pantyhose are now back in style. What they really want to know is if they are required to wear the dreaded things!

Kate Middleton, of all people, a young, beautiful, hip woman, is the one I hold responsible for this resurgence in leg wear. When she puts on a lovely dress or skirt ensemble, she usually wears pantyhose. I must say that she always looks polished and appropriate, like a princess should be! And that is what pantyhose do: They finish an outfit, giving it an air of professionalism and polish.

For those of you who automatically put on hose when you went to work, wearing hose now may not seem like a big deal. Many women feel better, more together and attractive in pantyhose. Still others swore they would never wear hose again once bare legs became the norm.

So I say that once again you have freedom to skip or participate in this trend. If you feel good in pantyhose, by all means, wear them. If you are like me and only remember the urge to pull them up all the time and the aggravation at how easily they ran, opt for other leg wear. Beautiful, interesting tights and hose are available now (like the ones above from Nordstrom) in all sorts of patterns and colors. They are an instant way to update an outfit and are more durable than traditional pantyhose.

Fashion Tips

InStyle magazine's Makeover 2011 issue had the usual plugs for certain beauty products and clothing must haves. It also included a feature titled "The 50 Best Fashion Tips of All Time." I was eager to cast my critical eye on this feature and was happy to see that the tips were quite practical and practicable.

Here are a few of the best:

1. White cotton button downs "elevate jeans and keep ball skirts from drifting into fantasyland. Buy three and refresh regularly."

2. Accessorize in brights when "you've got a closet full of neutrals."

3. "Hem your pants to a specific shoe height. Hem to either heels or flats--no going back." I have jeans hemmed to flip flop and ballet length and others hemmed to platform or pumps length.

4. "Always check out the rear view. And don't leave the house until you like what you see. Every angle matters."

5. "Consider the wear and care. Don't shell out for clothes you can't, or won't take care of. If you know you'll never hand wash that embellished sweater or fancy bra, walk away."

I would add that you should only hand wash your bras and delicates, using a gentle detergent, such as Forever New, which I purchase at Purrmission Lingerie in Santa Barbara.

Style as Art

What goes through my mind when I see women on the street in outfits that do nothing for their figure? I impulsively begin to make them over from top to bottom: She can wear a knit v-neck top instead of the tube top; she can switch the micro-mini for a flowy maxi skirt; instead of those cheap-looking flats, she can wear a nice pair of beaded platform sandals. . . Sometimes I merely marvel at the sheer confidence required to wear certain garments when the finished result shows rolls of fat and less-than toned legs and arms. Bravo!

The women I am in most awe of are the ones who have clearly taken some time to choose their outfits, and though their finished product may not reflect my taste, I cannot help but applaud their self-possessed sense of style. As stated in Harper's Bazaar, "Our personal style is the most important work of art that most of us will ever create."

How true! I am not likely to produce a brilliant novel or a extraordinary painting, but I can be artful in how I dress every day. We all can, by choosing to add beauty and wit to our look with interesting accessories and fantastic clothing. Last night I was thinking about style and art as I got dressed for a play I was attending with my mom. My outfit needed something as it was rather monochromatic. So I added a sparkly blue rhinestone brooch to my scarf and voila! I had created a little work of art.

At its best, art elevates our everyday experiences, makes us stop and appreciate something beautiful and/or striking, and makes us feel alive. Think of this the next time you are getting dressed.

Scarf Time

I love wearing scarves but have tired of the 5 ways I tend to wear them. Thanks to Sophie, I learned 25 ways of tying scarves via this brilliant YouTube video.

Wendy, the scarf genius, will go far. She makes excellent videos and has a great sense of style.

Scarves shown from Garnet Hill