"I've Nothing to Wear"

The following article is taken from Style by Caroline’s July 2010 enewsletter. To subscribe to our monthly enewsletters, simply complete the subscription form on our website, www.stylebycaroline.ie.

In light of the findings in our recent style survey, this month I’m revealing the top three reasons why people “have nothing to wear”, and, more importantly, how to overcome these wardrobe deficiencies.

PROBLEM 1

Ill-fitting clothes: More often than not, ‘problem wardrobes’ are bulging with clothes that simply don’t flatter the wearer’s figure. Perhaps their shape has changed, and they’re not sure how to dress for their new physique, or maybe they’ve bought into popular fashion trends which don’t flatter their figure. If your clothes don’t fit you properly, you will never feel comfortable or happy wearing them.

Solution: Take the time to analyse your body shape. Identify your best features and choose clothing styles that highlight these (do this with beautifully-cut designs plus attractive colours, patterns, detailing, textures and accessories). By the same token, avoid drawing attention to areas that you are conscious of (achieve this with mute colours, simple patterns, minimal detailing and discreet support).

PROBLEM 2

Clothes don’t match lifestyle: In an ideal world, you should be getting repeated quality wear out of every garment in your wardrobe; however, as our survey shows, the majority of wardrobes in Ireland are barely half-used.

Solution: Sit down with a pen and paper and analyse your lifestyle. Apportion a percentage of time to your daily activities. For example: 50% = work time, 30% = time with the kids, 10% = exercise, 10% = social activities etc. If this person’s wardrobe was in balance with their lifestyle, 50% of clothes would be work-wear, 10% social-wear etc. If the percentages don’t add up, then make a list of shortfalls and keep it in your purse. When you go shopping, ONLY buy what is on this list!

PROBLEM 3

Disorganisation: Often, people can’t find anything to wear because, put simply, their wardrobe is a mess!

Solution: Categorise your clothes by occasion e.g. work-wear, social clothes, casual clothes etc. Ensure that everything in your wardrobe is clean, ironed and on a hanger. Likewise, organise your accessories so that they are clean, visible and accessible. When you can see everything, it makes it a lot easier to find an outfit!

Yours in style,
Caroline

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Spring Clean Your Closet

Woohoo, Spring is here! It's a beautiful morning in Co. Tipperary today; the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I am about to embark on my first wardrobe Spring Clean of the year. If you're thinking along the same lines, here are a few tips to set you on your merry way;

Note: You will need at least 3 uninterrupted hours to complete a full wardrobe clear-out. Solitary confinement is required and that means no distractions whatsoever! Close the door, switch off your phone, bring a bottle of water and a snack in case you get hungry.

STEP 1 – Empty: Clear out your wardrobe and drawers and arrange the contents out, by category (e.g. clothes, underwear, shoes, jewellery etc.), on a large, open space.

STEP 2 - Try On: In front of a full-length mirror, try on all your clothes and see how/if they fit.

STEP 3 - Divide: Divide your clothes into four categories; (a) KEEP (b) ALTER/REPAIR (c) CHARITY SHOP (d) DUMP. Label a bin-bag for each category and bag accordingly. Elsewhere, if you are interested in earning a bit of cash for your troubles, you can always create a “sell on Ebay” category!

STEP 4 - Maximise Space: It's amazing how much extra space you can create in your wardrobe with a few simple solutions. Argos and Dunnes Stores both offer a great range of storage boxes, canvas shelves etc.

STEP 5 - Re-stock: Group your clothes by category i.e. keep your trousers together and the same for jeans, skirts, shirts, tops etc. Alternatively, you could group your clothes by lifestyle use e.g. work, leisure, social, formal etc. This way your clothes will be very easy to find.

STEP 6 - Hang with care: Banish all wire and plastic hangers as they destroy the shape of clothes; use wooden hangers instead. Store one item per hanger only.

STEP 7 – Shoe-care: Store footwear in an appropriate storage unit (see http://www.tszuji.co.uk/ for some great examples). Before storing your shoes, make sure they are clean, polished, dry and ready to wear. If any shoes need to be re-soled / re-heeled, take them to a cobbler. Discard any old, worn, broken or unfashionable pairs.

STEP 9 – Jewellery: If you have a lot of costume jewellery, I recommend that you display it on a cork notice board. The best feature of this storage system is that everything is clearly visible and easily accessible.

Step 10 - Ta-dah, you're finished: Relax, put your feet up and unwind with a cup of tea and a Kit-Kat. You deserve it after all your hard work!

I've made it sound very easy haven't I! Something tells me that I mightn't sound as chirpy in 3 hours time...


Yours in style,
Caroline

Reese's Pieces

As the saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure".

In a recent interview with In Style UK, Reese Witherspoon revealed that she regularly hosts clothes-swapping parties with her galpals: "There are three of us who wear pretty much the same size, so we'll get together on a Friday night and I'll bring clothes I want to trade and they'll bring theirs."

I'm always saying to my clients that there's no point in stuffing unloved, ill-fitting or unworn clothes in the back of your wardrobe. I love Reese's idea of swapping clothes with friends. Not only do you get to have a really fun time with your pals, you also give old clothes a new lease of life. Better again, it's free!

Yours in style,
Caroline

Does Your Closet Need Clothesbusting?

I caught a very interesting discussion on Ryan Tubridy's RTE Radio 1 show this morning on the subject of clutter and clutterers...two subjects issues that lie very close to my heart!

As a personal stylist, clutter and clutterers are concepts that I am extremely familiar with. So many women have little time to organise their wardrobes; with work, family pressures and other time constraints bearing down on us, often our wardrobes can easily become neglected.

A a huge part of my job is helping people to overhaul their underperforming wardrobes; after all, there's no point having unused clothes gathering dust in a disorganised vault. I help women to clear out and re-stock their weary wardrobes so that they are transformed into neat, organised and fully-functional spaces. In the process, the wardrobe owner discovers what clothing styles and colours suits them, and what they should be buying to meet their wardrobe needs.

For more information on wardrobe de-cluttering and other personal styling services, see http://www.stylebycaroline.ie/.

Yours in style,
Caroline