Closetquest

My personal closetquest

  Welcome to closetquest and my personal mission to help others have a great looking wardrobe everyday of the week.  How did this journey begin?  Well for years I was a super shopper.  Every weekend was devoted to investigating new boutiques and scouring my old favorites for new and unusual items to add to my collection.  My closet was filled with designer labels and shoes galore.  What a life!  Then I got laid off from my job.  My savings dwindled down as I spent months looking for a job.  My carefree weekends at the mall had come to an end.  Still bitten by the fashion bug, I decided to take a hard look at my closet.  I noticed it was filled to the brim with stuff, but I still felt like I had nothing to wear.  It's then that I decided to do an inventory of my wardrobe.  I was shocked to find that 20% of the things in there had never been worn.  I had other things that were buried, things I thought I had lost or given away.  Several items were so outdated, they didn't deserve a space in my closet.  After sorting through all the items, donating some, and throwing others away, I only had a third of the items I started out with.  However, this time, my closet only contained things that I actually wore and loved.  From there I experimented with ways to make those clothes look new and different everyday.  I learned how to stretch my wardrobe and not my budget.  Are you ready for a closetquest?

Is Your Handbag Too Big?

If you are like me, you want to stuff everything and anything in your handbag.  Your bag is filled with plenty of "just in case" things like tissues, combs, snacks for the kids, etc....  But to carry all of these "necessaries" you need a really big handbag. 

Oversized handbags are bad for two reasons:

1. You end up carrying way too much stuff.  Too much in your bag makes it really heavy.  Heavy bags can cause you to have back problems and leave a really nasty indentation on your shoulder.

2. A big handbag can be overpowering.  There is nothing worse than seeing a beautiful, petite woman, smartly dressed but carrying a minature trunk on her arm.  Noone notices how well dressed she is because the humungous bag is dominating her look.

So next time you consider breaking out your gigantic bag, think again.  Either separate your "necessaries" into a small bag and a tote or leave that "stuff" home.

Closet Extenders

If you are like most women, you have more clothes than closet space.  With women like us in mind, some savvy inventor came up with one of the greatest inventions of all time...the closet rod extender.

The rod extender is a device that hooks onto your existing rod to double the hanging space in your closet.  It comes in adjustable  and collapsible models.  The rod extender allows you to hang clothes underneath your existing rods.  They are usually made of chrome-plated steel and are sturdy enough to hold several garments.

 It is ideal for things like blouses and jackets; items that aren't very long and don't need extra vertical room.  I've found them to be very useful since I started to share my already small closet with my significant other. 

Look for rod extenders at retailers like WalMart and Target, or online at www.containerstore.com.

Why Most Women Never Have Anything To Wear

It's 6:30 a.m., and as you open your closet door to reach for something to wear for work, a small storm forms in the pit of your stomach. You frantically, search through the numerous skirts, slacks and blouses but come to only one conclusion...you have nothing to wear!

But don't fear. You are not alone. Many women go through this ritual every morning. The truth is even with a closet overflowing with clothes, many women feel frustrated and unhappy with their wardrobes. Here are seven of the main reasons why:

1. Your closet is full of trendy clothes

Following trends is great as long as you remember trends come and then they go. While designers tend to recycle certain trends, they always bring them back in a slightly different way. Those faded straight -legged jeans from 15 years ago, just don't match up to today's dark wash variety. Try to fill your closet with mostly classic skirts, dresses, slacks and blouses. Then every season, sprinkle in a few trendy garments.

2. Your closet is full of bargain items

Getting a fine cashmere sweater for 75% off is a real bargain but, only if it is wearable. Too often women grab things off the sale rack because they are inexpensive or "a real deal", without taking into consideration whether the item can be worn. Buying designer shoes that are a half size too small isn't a bargain if they are too painful to wear. It is better to pay full price on something you will happily wear over and over, than to get a discount on something that will just take up space in your closet.

3. Your closet is full of sentimental items

Your grandmother bought you a holiday sweater with two kissing reindeer on it. You really hate the sweater but,keep it in your closet because, after all, grandma gave it to you. We all have clothing items that have sentimental value. However, if you don't wear them, they don't belong in your closet. Keep these items in storage boxes or bags so you can remember that special someone who gave them to you.

4. Your closet is full of clothes that don't fit your lifestyle

You were once a corporate executive wearing high priced business suits, but now you are a home-based freelance writer, spending most days working in your jeans or pajamas. If your closet is still full of suits, you will find very quickly, you have nothing to wear. The clothes in your closet should reflect the life you are living now. As your life changes, swap out fashions from yesteryear for what works for you now.

5. Your closet is disorganized

Devlop a system for organizing your clothes. The only way you know what is available to wear is if you can find it. A simple system is to organize you garments according to category, i.e., skirts, jackets, slacks. Another way is by outfit, for example, a skirt, jacket and blouse ensemble. Regardless which way you decide to organize your wardrobe, make sure it is a system that works for you.

Sharing your daughter's clothes

Should a woman over the age of 40 wear her daughter's clothes?  It's a very interesting question.  If your daughter is a teenager, I would say probably not.  There is nothing more disturbing than seeing a 50 year old wearing her 14year old daughter's pink Juicy Couture t shirt.  It doesn't make the woman look younger, it just makes her look like an older woman trying to look young. 

If you daughter is in her 20s it is a closer question.  My daughter has some business suits that are classic and do not have extremely short skirts.  True, she only wears them to interviews but, they are perfect for me to wear to the office.  I stay away from most of her sportswear.  She tends to wear jeans that are appropriate for a twentysomething but, would look silly on me.

Moral to this story is only wear those things that are close to what you would normally buy for yourself.  Not only will you look beautiful but, you will be age appropriate.

What do your clothes say about you?

We have all heard about dressing for success and the clothes make the man (woman).  But what do your clothes really say about you?

I know an attractive woman in her early 40s.  She wears long baggy dresses, oversized jackets, and low-heeled shoes similar to the ones my mother wears.  Do her clothes say she is eager to look older, or she just enjoys "being comfortable".  Another woman I met recently is in her late fifties, and is petite and lean.  She enjoys wearing her 20 year old daughters jeans and her miniskirts.  Do her clothes say she is proud of her body or that she wishes she was 20 again?

Despite what you might think about these two women, next time you look in your closet, think to yourself, how do I want the world to see me today?  Is the real me coming out?