Simplicity: Lesser, Neater Wardrobe

Tuesday, August 18, 2009, by Leigh Anne & Sherra

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We will be interviewing women who inspire us, encourage us and renew our spirits. Women from diverse backgrounds…women just like you…women very different from you…women who share and teach so we can all learn something new. Their words may be just what you need to read today…

Leigh Anne says…

When Leigh Anne discovered Reachel’s blog Cardigan Empire she immediately fell in love with Reachel’s sense of style and fashion and her darling personality. When Leigh Anne found herself traveling to Arizona she emailed Reachel to set up a personal style consultation/shopping trip with her. Leigh Anne has also done a virtual shopping consultation with her.

Reachel’s darling personality shines through on her blog but she is even cuter in person. She has a way of making you feel beautiful and helps you look beautiful too! We are excited for you to meet Reachel and learn from her as she shares some great tips on how to simplify your closet! Welcome Reachel!

First, a few personal fun facts and questions…

With experience in consulting hundreds of companies and individuals on their dress, appearance, and etiquette, I believe fashion is much more than what we wear. Fashion is an opportunity to introduce ourselves succinctly without ever opening our mouths, an opportunity to show respect for ourselves and those we encounter, fashion is an opportunity to inspire and contribute to the beauty of the world around us.

I adore any combination of travel, vegetarian cooking, modern art, French cinema, Italian opera, poetry, gardening, and my husband.

Favorite color:
Crimson

Favorite food:
Greek Yogurt with Honey & Plums

Pet Peeve?
Scuffed heels

What is something that no one knows about you? (that you want to tell the whole internet world):
I find few things more enchanting than the scent of honeysuckle

One word that describes you:
fancy

What’s your motto or mantra:
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” –Coco Chanel

What are the top three things that are most important to you — the things you love to do and you are passionate about?

A. T. Bagley
Feminine Glorification
Environmental & Personal Beautification

Word of the Month ~ Simplicity

A simple life can be surmised in two comparative adjectives: lesser, neater.

Your wardrobe is no exception.

A simple closet is minimal and methodical. Like a fine corporation, every hireling in your closet should earn its keep. Each garment represents a personal employee that proffers services (nudity protection, style identification, beauty enhancement) and claims benefits (closet space, washing/mending, visual consideration). It is your responsibility to determine the needs or your individual organization and hire a competent team to deliver on those requirements. Each item should fit, flatter, and exemplify your personal brand. If an article of clothing isn’t delivering satisfactory work, it is your duty to reorganize or terminate the relationship.
Closet-Simplification_phixr

Below are tips on how to achieve a lesser, neater wardrobe:

Lesser Tips

Hang all your garments backwards (with the hook facing open towards you.) As you wear a garment replace it in the closet in the reverse direction. If you have transposed hangers at the end of twelve months, item extermination should be executed.
If you struggle to part with a well-loved, but useless item of attire, take a picture of it. Write a story to accompany the image, draw therapeutic hearts and stars around it if it helps, but abandon the actual item.
Find a home for items, which are in good repair, but do not match your current size, style, or fashion goals. Gift what is mismatched to a fashion deprived family member, friend, or charity.
Only seasonably appropriate items should be presented for your daily fashion evaluation. Wool sweaters should not clutter July diurnal dressings nor should gladiator sandals muddle January’s daily dandification. Switch your clothes, shoes, and other accessories out every season. If your abode does not accommodate a separate closet, section off your available space so only the most relevant items are directly in front of you, dominating your attention.

Neater Tips

Store your seasonal items in clean plastic bins where they will remain cool and dry. Keep infrequently used items up high or in less accessible sections of your wardrobe. And do not let me catch you with maternity garb in your daily mix when your baby is more than three months old.
Immediately place items that are soiled, torn, de-buttoned, or otherwise injured in a fashion ambulance. If they have not been hemmed, cleaned, or repaired within a week, consider how much these items mean to you.
Fold knits to avoid stretching them out, but keep the entire pile visible. If they roost in a drawer, roll them so you can see each player, not just the top fold. If they nest on a shelf, make sure there are no more than a handful of items per pile and put the heaviest items at the bottom of the pile.
Shun wire hangers like Tineid moths. These clothing predators will create shoulder nipples in the favorite wears. Even plastic, tubular hangers are an inferior choice as they lack the power to hold a wide neck top or heavy denim. Instead opt for a crystal dress hanger, wooden hanger, or my favorite the quilted hanger (made by loving grannies everywhere). All should offer slip, crease, and snag-free protection.
Class you closet out by life roles initially: casual pants and casual tops, professional trousers and professional blouses, social dresses and social layers. After your roles are zoned, you can pretty it up by category and color: group like items together; color sort from dark to light, solid to pattern. When a specific occasion arises you’ll know exactly where to reach.

Confident dress is effortless when you’re willing to wear each component in your closet and they are pre-qualified for collaboration. Regular pruning and systematizing will ensure you will never again wail, “I have nothing to wear.”

Visit Reachel at Cardigan Empire for more fashion and style tips.