DON’T YOU DARE TRY IT ON!

We have just made it through our first weekend on the 30-day closet diet. For me, it did get difficult. My weekends consist of a part-time job as a sales associate at my favorite retail store. Knowing what’s been marked down, locating items of interests, and the worst, having a key to the fitting rooms where I can try on anything and everything at my disposal became my obstacles. This is a cocktail for disaster.

Prevention is key to the success of this diet. You have to know where your weaknesses are and how to outsmart them in order to feel progress. Here are some tips I find truly useful when I begin a cleansing process.

Preventative Measures

En route. If your daily trip to work includes s chance to site-see sales of your fav retailers, change how you get to work. Changing your route to work not only helps you to evade the clutches of sale signs but it also offers a chance for some unintended spontaneity.

Pocket Change. Having cash on you, instead of a card, helps to assuage the urge to buy. You can’t own if you do not have every last cent to pay for it.

Cold hard facts. Print out your bank statements from the last three months. Over a glass of wine or sedative, highlight all of your clothing and accessory purchases. Find the total amount purchased and write it in big bold numbers. Post near your closet door or put in purse. This is my shock therapy.

DO NOT TRY ON.  It is rare I will ever say those four words. But diet times call for diet measures. It is hard to avoid the calling of temptation at every corner. So if for some chance you find yourself in a store having a major sale, just browse. Do not start accumulating a try-on pile or a can-they-hold-this-for-me pile.

• Trying on may satisfy the craving, but it may just be your lucky day and pieces look great on you. Just save yourself the agony and don’t get trapped in the fitting room.

• Sale is only usually held until close of business that day. And the last thing you need is a deadline to purchase something.

I hope many of you are finding success in the initial phase of the diet. I hope that you are finding outfits in your closet that are beginning to inspire you and remind you of who you are. With that, just remember the only accessory you ever need is confidence (and trust me, it isn’t going to be on sale for 50% off)

Jey

The Art of Closet Shopping

Changing up the pieces in your closet is easier said then done. Especially if what you decided to keep, fortunately, are the pieces you already put together for your daily uniform.

Unfortunately, how can you find this experience successful if you are not allowing creativity to flourish?

The answer is all in the natural complements of colors. Manipulating color in a wardrobe is a quick way to infuse life in any look. Use this color wheel as your guide to putting colorful pieces together without looking like Jackson Pollock painting,

Take a pencil. Put the eraser end on one color and let the point match it to its complement. Each color is enhanced by its wheel opposite. Just think Complements = Compliments!

Be mindful of the nuances in colors. Keep saturated colors with saturated colors and pastels with pastels.

Pattern Play

To navigate complementing patterns, here is an easy rule of thumb:

• Pick one color out of the pattern and use the complement to dictate accessories or layering pieces.

The Bold, the beautiful… the NEUTRAL

For some strange reason, many of my clients get into a tizzy when I mention manipulating neutrals to mix up a wardrobe. Neutrals include:

• Black, white, shades of grey, shades of brown and my personal favorite navy

Directions. Take one blouse and pair it with every neutral pant, skirt, jacket, etc… that you own. From this I challenge you to find atleast 3 looks from simply changing up a neutral pairing piece. Neutrals de-stress the process of trying out new looks. NEUTRALS ARE OUR FRIENDS.

Caution. In every friend you will find an enemy. Do not get comfortable with neutrals. It is very easy to create a uniform this way. Blank pants, a basic color, a small piece of jewelery… yeaahhhh that is a quick way to end all efforts of creating a stylish wardrobe.

I know it is hard to resist, because I myself have fallen into that ditch. But just ask yourself if you are keeping it fresh and representative of your vibrant personality.

Tips:

• Challenge yourself to substitute a neutral. Instead of a black pant try a gray pant or skirt. Look for charcoal or slate gray to offer depth and light gray to lift a look and make it airy.

• Mix neutrals together. My favorite combos are: brown and grey, grey and navy, and yes the harmonious trio of black, brown, and navy.

The weekend is quickly approaching, what better time to test out some new look ideas. Have fun living in color!

As always, the only accessory you really need is confidence.

Jey

The Challenge: The 30 day closet diet

Now that you are a newborn, or born-again closet shopper, it is time that I give you your first CHALLENGE: the 30 day Closet Diet. This diet is meant to boost creativity, cleanse the closet of toxic clothes, regulate your organization, and ultimately increase your finances to later engage in healthy shopping habits.

Because I think no diet is successful without the support of a friend, I pledge to do the challenge along with you and report my successes and failures right here on this blog.

The Diet. For the next 30 days you will pledge to not spend one single dollar on any clothes or accessories. Only use what you have in your closet and dressers to dress yourself for whatever day-to-day plans and occasions make your month.

Allow yourself to only use your closet and confidence to carry off whatever expressive looks you find relevant to the occasion. This is the time when taking chances on color combos, unused accessories, and your innate ability to dress yourself is essential.

Trust Your Senses. Rely on your developing style and the help of your five senses to dictate what will come of this challenge.

Sight: Paying attention to people on the street, in your office, and at the grocery store will help you to get more ideas for what is current in trend or how to manipulate a classic piece. Heck, you may even see someone sporting the same cardigan as you but in a completely different way.

Sound: Now, I love a little music to set me in the mood for what I want to wear. My favs are Duffy, Julie Landon, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez… What kind of music motivates you to look good?

Taste: Using discretion is key when trying out new looks. Ease into pairing up pieces that may be a digression from your usual style. Take a pattern and mix it with a different neutral each time you wear it. This will change the look of it every time and save you from making an overly ambitious choice in style.

Smell: Spraying on a little perfume or body splash can definitely help to set of the pace for where your outfit should go. A touch of a vanilla perfume might push you to wear something a little sexier, while a floral spray may help you embrace your playful femininity.

Touch: This is a big one. Fabric will truly be the driving force for what you decide to put on your body. Be sure to feel comfortable in what you are wearing and not about what you are wearing. The difference is the fussiness versus the look. A starched white shirt under a bulky sweater will prove frumpy and sloppy because the fabrics do not lay correctly. While a slinky silk blouse under a more conservative blazer will work perfectly, even though it is not your style. I say you will not know unless you try it on and wear it outside of your house… WITH CONFIDENCE!

Make no mistake. This will be hard especially if you work in any close proximity to your favorite store or you see an accessory that is a must have. DISCIPLINE, my friends, is key. Again, throughout the next 30 days, I will be with you in this journey as we say “no!” to our impulse to buy and “hello!” to our impulse to try!

Remember the only accessory you ever need is confidence,

Jey

The first closet clean out was not enough?

Here are a few more tips to take your closet clean-out to the next level!

1.     The Hanger Trick. If you feel as though you kept more than you cut, try turning all of your hangers “backwards” (where the tips of the hooks face your closet door)! After you wear your outfits, re-hang them in the “forward” position (facing the back of your closet). At the end of 30 days of fabulous outfits, review the items left on the hangers in the “backward” position: these pieces are no longer necessary in your day-to-day wardrobe. Consider starting a new give-away bag or invite the gals over and set up a thrift store shopping spree in your closet!

2.     Modern You. Your closet should reflect your style! Have a strict eye to the fit and styles of the pieces that you decide to keep in your closet. Clothes that are overly trendy appear dated. Also, do not keep clothes that are from your heavier days: you will only fear that you will need them again! Throw these out! If your style is no longer representative of your image, ciao bella!

3.     This for That. For staples which are less-than-all there, consider supplementing another piece or accessory that will allow you to keep the staple! Do not be afraid to mix things up! For example, I have a wonderful plum trench coat, but I have lost the belt to cinch the waist. A black patent leather belt still gave me the trench coat feel with a fabulous new update!

Gut it, cut it and take inventory

Before we begin the first lesson, I want to say that this closet shop girl is back in business. I apologize for not keeping the momentum after writing the intro and making all of these wonderful promises for the new you to come. But with the new year comes promises and resolutions I plan to keep. So with that, we move to the closet.

The focus for this entry is motivating you to GUT out your closet. A clean closet allows you to slough off the excess junk and get to the point where your eyes can recognize actual pieces and eventually full-on looks without much thought. I realize that the task of cleaning out the closet can be daunting and unrealistic when there is so much more to do with a free afternoon or evening. But much like exercising, once you get into the groove you are unstoppable. Follow my tips for tackling the closet in one stride; and trust me that when you have finished you will feel like you can breathe again.

                                                                                                                                                                                         

Things you will need:

-a closet in need of attention

-2 trash bags

- top and pant hangers

-1-2 bins able to fit underneath the bed

  **remember we are trying to de-clutter and simplify, and too many bins can be counter-productive. Use for articles that are keepers but out of season (i.e. heavy cable sweaters)

-music (optional, but highly recommended. NO TV! You will get distracted, stop and watch)

-a friend (optional)

Directions:

1. Set up three places for keepers, give-aways, throw-aways. Begin by pulling out pieces one by one. Without analyzing toss items into one of the three piles. Be honest with yourself: if you don’t wear it, or don’t feel absolutely undeniably amazing wearing it put it in the give-/throw-away piles. Do not worry about folding or organizing just yet; right now we are creating space.

2. Place all of the throw-aways in one of the large trash bags. These are clothes with holes, peeling, worn down elastic, and designs that evoke a visceral reaction. Once filled, close and sit outside of your room for further processing in the trashcan.

3. From the 2 remaining piles this is where the fun begins. The keepers are a no brainer. They will find their way back home to the closet. Give-aways will get the most attention today. Go through and decide if there are staples that can be re-worked into your wardrobe. Next, take a look at any second glance items and decide if they are salvageable to fit any trends current in fashion.

      Example: I have a cashmere blend sweater that is uber-comfy and uber-big from the time of a fluffier Jey. The sweater is still highly worthy of use but it swallows me. I resolve it by pushing up the sleeves, belting it at my waist and wearing skinny jeans with big hoop earrings. This is my way of saving a loved sweater and making it relevant. Everything will not work out for the better, so know when to let go.

4. For what is left of the give-aways I usually do 2 things I separate what I know I can immediately give away to a friend of relative that has asked about the item before and put the rest in trash bag 2 and put it outside the door. This can be dropped off at a nearby shelter or Salvation Army site.

5. Now start hanging and folding the keepers. As you begin to organize, intentionally look at the keepers and get excited about the new possibilities. Also, look at all of the clothes you are blessed to have cover your back. It is okay to try on as thoughts of potential outfits enter your mind. It is necessary.

6. Once finished, step back and marvel at your hard work. By cleaning your closet you are being proactive about the way you will present yourself to the world from now on.

The steps I have offered here are exactly what I use for clients and myself when I find that the wardrobe is not longer inspiring. It is not about going out and buying a brand new wardrobe every time you think you have nothing to wear. The time will come for that. It is about rearranging and reinvigorating your wardrobe simply by changing things up and knowing what you own.

I hope that you enjoy this cleansing process and from here creativity will be taking over. If you have any questions or suggestions for how to approach closet clean out please share your comments or shoot me an email at closet.shop.girl@gmail.com

Until next time!

Jey