Not Falling for a Brand

Image credit: modernoptical.com


I find perusing eBay and some cool second hand clothing sites such as thredUp to be a fun activity. In the search box, I enter my favorite brands and sometimes I strike gold. However, I have learned the hard (and pricey) way that not every label I love makes clothes that I end up loving and wearing.

For example, Joie is a label with feminine silk tops and pretty dresses which appeal to me. Whenever I am in a consignment store, I am thrilled to discover a Joie item. So naturally, Joie is a label I frequently look for on eBay. One time I was over the moon to find a beautiful red blouse there for only $30 since such blouses regularly retail for at least $180. Even though the $30 price was great, the fit is not and this is a top I rarely wear. Yes, I did not throw away $180, but I could have used the $30 on something that was perfect.

The moral of this post is to not let your brand crushes get in the way of making smart purchases. Learn what styles and cuts of certain labels suit and do not suit you to become a wiser, more discriminating shopper.

Feeling Comfortable

Image credit: parisabasir@wordpress.com

When I get home from work, I put my hair up, wash my face, and put on either cozy sweatpants and a t-shirt, or skip the middle stage and go straight to putting on my pajamas. Unfortunately, wearing my pj's to work is not an option for me. I do, however, always wear comfortable clothes. Why wouldn't I?

My Wardrobe Wisdom clients often ask me how they can look professional and still be comfortable. Yes, it takes some effort to find clothes and shoes that feel good and look good, but this is not an impossible or insurmountable task.

Think about what you feel good in (besides sweats and pj's). Maybe you feel best in jeans and tops; or maybe you like wearing skirts and sweaters; or do you feel best in a classic suit and pumps? My favorite way to dress is in jeans and a white or gray knit top and fun accessories, or a dress and wedges, sandals or boots. I'm lucky that this attire is appropriate for my job. I do not dread getting dressed because my clothes or not too tight or sloppy looking. After years of searching for shoes I can wear all day, I know what to purchase and which shoes to avoid.

So give some thought to what clothes you feel good in. If you don't feel good in any of your "house" clothes, it's time to do some thoughtful shopping.

Jewelry Storage Tips

Photo credit: Callagold.com

Talented and unique personal jeweler Calla Gold is full of brilliant ideas, not only when it comes to designing, repairing, and re-purposing jewelry. In this blog post, she offers some excellent solutions for jewelry storage.

There have been times when I am organizing a client's closet, and learn that she has some beloved jewelry she can no longer where becasue she cannot find it. An organized closet means you know what you have and what goes with what; the same is true for jewelry so use some of Calla's tips to start getting your jewelry in order today!

Hemming Pants

Image Credit: Bergen.com

When I was growing up, I would have to regularly stand on a chair while my mom pinned up my pants, preparing to hem them. Over the years as a petite woman, I have had countless pairs of pants hemmed, although it's been nice to just roll up my jeans sometimes. My co-worker and I talk about how we like our pants hemmed, depending on the style and weight of the pants. Wardrobe Oxygen did an excellent job breaking down the "proper" length for various pants. Read it!

Playing Dress-up

Photo Credit: Damon Winter, New York Times

I had a good time reading this article from the New York Times, as it reminded me about the fun, playful side of fashion. The writer, esteemed fashion critic Guy Trebay, experimented with wearing "fresh from the runway," clothing by designers who really push the envelope. He makes several good points in this article, reflecting on how clothes can transform the way we feel.  I especially enjoyed what he says toward the end of his piece:

You would hardly guess it from all the conformist stuff that fills the fashion magazines, runways and Instagram feeds, but playfulness, experimentation and instruction are also the job of fashion. What interests me most about Oscar Wilde’s famous line — “Fashion is a form of ugliness so absolutely unbearable that we have to alter it every six months!” — is its reference to temporality.

Walking around Manhattan in what constitutes the style of this precise moment, I felt so squarely rooted in the present that I momentarily let go of my habitual anxieties about the future. Within six months, something just as interesting as the stuff I wore will roll around. Designers will see to that.

Shopocalypse

Photo credit: Allenedmonds.com

Being a curious people-watcher sure beats looking at my iPhone when I am idle. The other day my eyes settled on a dapper man whose shoes provoked me to comment, "Those are beautiful!" This led to a lovely little chat about footwear, and how happy he was to find shoes that were both great-looking,  well-made and comfortable. He said while the shoes were pricey, he thinks of himself as an "apocalyptic shopper," explaining he makes thoughtful wardrobe purchases, as if each one is his last. Therefore, he insists on quality items. I made up the word "shopocalypse" on the spot, and he endorsed this term.  Hooray for people-watching! And hooray for insisting on quality.