My midnight read:

                                                

This is the perfect read to doze off to as I go to bed. I get to dream about looking good! Plus honestly some of the best advice. knowledge, and wisdom from Nina Garcia's land of style.

"IT'S FREE!!"

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon today in DC. Got up. Had coffee with my roommate and her boyfriend. And pondered how best to take advantage of the day and my disposition. 

As I was discussing with my roommate the leave-the-house-spend-money routine I had come to develop on days like this, I got a call. A friend invited me to meet her for an afternoon of shopping. Sounds like a perfect Saturday activity, right? I asked if I could let her know within the hour. I talked out the pros and cons of the proposed activity with my roommate. She countered with what I thought was a novel offer: "come play soccer with me in the park. IT'S FREE!"

No sooner had she spoken gold, I had declined the shopping offer and had the idea for this blog post. 

Exercise is a great way to make closet shopping worth your while in all aspects. Doing this free and accessible activity contributes to financial safety (not shopping), promotes health, and can provide a new interests in the clothes you have hanging in your closet. 

There is nothing more exciting for a woman than going into her closet after a good workout and shower, and trying on clothes  anew. So many options spring up that compliment the positive transformation of your body. 

So if you ever find your self in a similar Saturday conundrum, don't take the default route of spending. Rather take time and realllly enjoy what your Saturday is offering up-- a round of soccer, a healthy food summer cook out, or sitting on your porch reading a book. In the end it all comes back to investing in you and appreciating the whole of life. 

Well however you choose to spend your Saturday, do whats best for you and go CONFIDENTLY in that direction.

New York Fashion Stylist, Mary Alice Stephenson discussing "Closet Shopping" on the Nate Berkus Show!!!!!
 http://www.thenateshow.com/videos/detail/2495/shop-your-closet/

The Closet Confessional

Forgive me, Closet Shoppers, for I have sinned...

In an effort to regain your trust and earn your followship I have come to you bearing my soul. 

The weekend after I posted my first blog about the 30 day closet diet, I relapsed. I went and spent money I didn't have on clothes that meant nothing to me. I was ashamed and embarrassed about my financial situation (broke and unemployed with bills I needed to pay but couldn't) and thought I had something to prove by impulse buying. Well it backfired.

I spent about a week sleeping on the sofa because I could not face the evidence of my desperation: sitting in my closet, tags still attached, folded in an orange Banana Republic "SALE" bag. I could not face faking a blog post about success or divulging a secret that in the end made me feel worthless.



Looking back on it, I didn't give myself or you, CS, a chance to see this is part of the process. Closet shopping isn't just appreciation for what you have but also recognition of who you are. The closet is an introspective lens into who you are, how you showcase that individuality to the rest of the world. 

Nowadays, I have a good job and my finances are moving out of the ICU ward. I decided to revisit the 30 day Closet Diet and I have 3 more days to go. I finally decided to give my closet the respect it deserves. And you know what? I have gotten compliments on 90% of the outfits I have put together.

In the end it doesn't matter what is in your closet or what you have in your wallet to fill it. All a girl ever needs is her CONFIDENCE.

Jey


Articles worth reading!!!

Buyer's Remorse

http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/clothing/buyers-remorse-00000000055957/index.html

Buying Diet?
http://www.oprah.com/money/How-to-Shop-Smarter-and-Buy-Only-What-You-Need-Martha-Beck

Real-Life Shopaholic
http://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity-lifestyle/articles/living/shopping-addiction?click=main_sr

                                                             

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