SB Casual

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is currently in full swing. My mom and I were looking forward to seeing Christopher Plummer being honored on Saturday night. Of course I was pondering what to wear and sought advice from a frequent film festival attendee and wonderful dresser, my friend Kristy. She said the dress code was "SB nice casual." Darn it! While I appreciated her advice, I was disappointed. What does it take for people in this town to dress up? SB citizens with far more money than I have regularly show up at the symphony, the theater, and art openings in jeans and Crocs.

What is wrong with dressing up, with showing some respect toward the performers by putting on good clothing? I realize it is unrealistic to expect people to don tuxedos and ball gowns for Santa Barbara events, but how about something between khakis and a full length dress? On Saturday night I wore a simple black knit dress, black tights, and suede boots with a pretty pink scarf. It took little effort to put that outfit together, and I felt like I was honoring the elegant Christopher Plummer. By the way, he wore black jeans. Sigh.

Beyond Tango Mango (thank goodness!)

I especially like the last part of this post from Style Bakery which says in terms of color in 2012, wear what you like as anything goes!

I can say the same--anything goes-- for skirt lengths and jeans styles this year. Isn't that a relief?

The photo is of Ethel Merman from the original 1936 film "Anything Goes." You could wear that outfit today!

How I Got Here

This week I am speaking in my daughter's 5th grade classroom about Wardrobe Wisdom. Other parents will be talking about their careers, and the teacher is hoping we will address certain concepts, such as working toward a goal and and personal strengths that we use in our jobs.

Today I am sharing my background with you, since many of you do not know how I started my business. My first job (at 15 1/2) was as a salesgirl at Robinson's Department Store in Newport Beach. I could not wait to work around clothes, and held many jobs in retail over the next decades. Working with women who were shopping for that perfect garment taught me a great deal about fit, fabric, and fashion. I learned what styles and colors work best for different women, and a great deal about the frustration many women face while shopping.

Since I was in high school I helped my friends and family to make wardrobe decisions. Even during the years I was teaching English to junior high students and later to SBCC students, I was called upon to shop with friends or weigh in on their fashion choices. Once I had my second daughter in 2001, I realized I could not stay on top of the paper-grading that was a huge part of my job. I wondered what I could do on my own schedule that would utilize some of my skills.

Wardrobe Wisdom was born when I realized I had the qualities necessary in a wardrobe consultant. I have the ability to be honest and at the same time diplomatic when talking to men and women about clothing. Through copious amounts of reading books and magazines on style and fashion, I am knowledgeable about the way clothing should fit and am able to help people discover their personal style. I am very organized and am great at helping others get their closets neat and organized. I also have a good sense of humor, which makes it easy for me lead clients away from feeling overwhelmed or depressed by the state of their closet.

I started out by letting the customers who came into the retail store where I worked (the former Patty Montana in Goleta) know that I could help them with their closets. By word of mouth, my business grew. Since my background was in English, I utilized my writing skills to write columns for local magazines. These columns helped spread the word about Wardrobe Wisdom. Today I have a monthly column in Carpinteria's Coastal View News.

My teaching skills continue to be enormously useful. I discovered I could use them when I talk to groups about building a good wardrobe, among other topics. In the past few years I have spoken to women's groups, UCSB students, faculty and staff, and at a women's business conference. My aptitude for answering questions on my feet and encouraging audience participation were acquired and honed during my years of teaching.

I imagine my daughter's peers will be curious about some unusual things I have seen in people's closets and will want to know what I say when a client shows me something truly awful or strange. I think it should be a fun 15 minutes!

Some Tough Love

The always brilliant and incredibly accomplished Sara Caputo wrote about DOING something about those projects we all have instead of simply THINKING about them.

Know that I am here to help you as well with any of your wardrobe needs, from shopping to organizing, to editing.

Give It Time

New trends pop up on an almost daily basis. Some seem extreme or absurd at first glance, but after seeing them for awhile in stores and on the streets, they don't appear so crazy. For me this has been the case regarding dark tights worn with light skirts or dresses. When this trend was shown on Hollywood starlets a couple of years ago, it looked tacky and bizarre to me. Today, I see this look, like it, and want to wear it.

So don't brush off trends when they first appear; give them time to become more common and see if your eye adjusts or still finds them silly. Some trends will never make sense to me, but some just take a little time to get used to.

Image from Nordstrom.com

Best Dressed

My husband and I spent last weekend in LA, taking long walks and eating terrific food. Of course one of my favorite pastimes is people-watching, and I saw some jaw-dropping outfits. My favorite is the one above, taken at Union Station. This woman clearly cares about her appearance, likes clothing and accessorizing, and proves that dressing up is an ageless occupation. Her cowboy boots made me smile.

A World of Tights!

I am not sure how many of you who read my blog also subscribe to Shopafrolic. It's a pretty fun blog. The sisters' post on tights caught my eye. I love tights and all the designs, colors, and ways they are worn nowadays. A monochromatic gray outfit can be enlivened by a pair of bright purple tights. Patterned ones can spice up a little black dress. The combinations are endless.

Words of Wisdom

From Lloyd Boston, style expert, on dressing for an important occasion:

Reach for the one item that always makes you feel totally confident before reaching for anything else. Take control of the day before it takes control of you by instinctively relying on the one, surefire garment that will surely add a more confident fire to your step and spirit, from the hanger to your hamper.

Boston's book, Before You Put that On, is full of sage advice.

Inspiration

Image from Bodenusa.com

When I want to live up to my Wardrobe Wisdom motto to "dress my best, everyday," I think of what I will be doing and put on clothing that will be appropriate. I want to look put together, fashionable, comfortable, and professional. My friends have told me that they put more thought into what they are wearing when they know they are going to see me, which I think is a compliment.

A friend and I were at a restaurant recently when she spied a former boyfriend. She immediately checked her hair and put on a spot of lipstick before letting me pat him on the shoulder to say hi. Later she told me how glad she was to have "dressed her best" that day. She said maybe it's helpful to imagine running into an old flame before getting dressed, knowing you will want to look pretty darn great if an encounter occurs. If you are having a hard time summoning up the energy or motivation to dress well, think about seeing me, or someone from your past, before putting on your outfit. You will feel confident once you arm yourself in good-looking, great-fitting clothing.

A Reliable Shopping Friend

What a treat to have day with Stacy, my closest friend. We spent a good deal of it shopping, and Stacy found some cute things. I served as her wardrobe consultant, giving her feedback on what she brought into the dressing room. As we were leaving the final store, I spotted a terrific-looking black dress. Upon closer inspection, I determined the dress was quite perfect: it was knit (comfortable), ruched at the sides (flattering and forgiving), had elbow-length sleeves (which would hide one of my least favorite body parts, my upper arms), and had a lovely scoop neck (again, flattering). But it was black! I have a number of black dresses already.

Stacy, however, told me I had to try it on. That way I would learn if it truly were perfect and could consider whether or not to purchase it; or I would see that it did not suit me at all. The former was true and Stacy insisted I buy it. Her reasons were straight from Wardrobe Wisdom: the fit was fantastic; the style was timeless; it could be dressed up or down; it could be worn day or night; and it was versatile, appropriate with with sandals in the summer and in winter with boots.

So I bought it and have no regrets. If I had been with a less compatible shopping partner, she may have steered me away from the dress or told me it didn't seem that special. Thanks, Stacy.

The house pictured is in Newport Beach. Stacy's parents sold it to my parents and I lived there from age 5-18. I am so glad the new owners left it as is!

Resolution 2012

What a great resolution suggestion from Philip Galanes of the New York Times:

"Join me in a single resolution for 2012: Every day, we will compliment someone who crosses our paths.

'Loved the way you helped your brother just then.' Or: 'Nice toupee!' It will be much easier to maintain than those abstemious ones and will create loads of good will."

Sea Life

A quick glance at my closet reveals a lot of blue. It is definitely my favorite color which explains my love of denim and the sea. Bill Cunningham, from the New York Times, took some luscious photos of a staggeringly beautiful sea life window display and the clothing it inspired. Breathtaking!