Home for the Holidays

Is it November already??? Why does the end of the year always feel like it arrives with warp speed? I love the holidays, but not necessarily the tasks and duties that come with them (i.e. food making, gift buying, and crowd handling).

So, as a means of entering slowly into this holiday year, I like to do something that makes me feel ready to begin the madness, and that prepares me for a season of fun, frivolity, and PARTIES!! The weather is now officially cold, so it's time to revive the winter wardrobe. UGH!! I can hear you groaning and moaning. I know, I know, it doesn't seem like a fun exercise at all, but if you incorporate a little music and a lot of wine (hehe), you will get through it!!

If done well, you will have a workable winter closet that makes getting dressed quite enjoyable. The first step is to take all of your summer clothes out of the drawers and put them into piles: summer, seasonal, and c'est la vie. The summer pile goes up in the attic for another year. These are clothes that are too thin or skin-bearing for the cold, winter days.

The seasonal clothes are layering pieces that you will be able to wear under cardigans, jackets, or even over turtlenecks and long-sleeved shirts. This is where you can really get creative. If you're unsure if something will work, try it on and see!

The c'est la vie pile are the clothes that you didn't wear at all this summer. You probably didn't wear them the summer before either, but decided to hang on to them, just in case. Two years and no wear? Say goodbye. If you have a bag or box at the ready, it is much easier to just throw the clothes in the box as if you are simply organizing everything. Once the c'est la vie pile is in the box, you will most likely have forgotten what is in there and it will be easy to throw it in the car and head to your local Goodwill (or save the clothes in good condition for next summer's consignment delivery).

Once this part of the process is complete, you can get out your winter wardrobe and begin to organize your closet and drawers with those pieces. Think about a system that works best for you. Would you prefer everything to be color coordinated or organized by style? Do you wear pants more often than skirts? If that is the case, you might want to hang them where you can get to them most easily. These might seem like minute details, but they will really help to get you out the door in a pinch.

You can even organize your sweater drawer. Think about putting the ones you wear on a regular basis in one drawer near the top, and the heavy, blistering cold weather sweaters in a bottom drawer (or top if you live in, say, Colorado or Alaska). Pants and jeans can go in another drawer, or be hung in your closet.

Feel free to send me your organization tips for the winter season!!

There is a breed of fashion models who weigh no more than an abridged dictionary.--- Dave Barry

Dave has a good point. I think a lot of people denounce anything they may consider fashionable because they are not thin enough, or don’t have whatever characteristics they consider modelesque, because obviously only models can wear designer clothes.  But we are not talking designer clothes here, we are talking clothes that fit you. They don’t have to have designer labels or price tags, although there is nothing wrong with having a few of these pieces when you find something that works.

My rule of thumb is to only splurge on high quality items that are classic, timeless, key pieces in your wardrobe.  These are items that will last you many years and that you can mix and match with plenty of clothes in your existing wardrobe.  Think of black pants, white blouses, and any type of neutral (navy, browns, greys, etc.)  

There will be the rare occasion when you discover a fabulous item that doesn’t necessarily fall into one of these categories. As you become more comfortable in your style, you will begin to veer out of your norm and take a few risks. This is when fashion starts to get really fun!  But you still need to be sure that the fabulous piece you find is one that you will wear at least 5 times a year. Or make up your own number, but imagine where you will wear the item. If you can’t think of an appropriate circumstance, I would advise against the purchase.  On the other hand, if it is not necessarily the most practical of clothing, but you feel FANTASTIC when you have it on, take it home!