Practicing What I Preach!

I talk to so many people about their closets and what they have in them.  I am embarrassed to say that mine was such a mess before I got down to it and dove in to take control over my own closet!

Here is a look at what I started out with....

From the pictures above you can see what a mess I had on my hands.  Clothes hung up with no rhyme or reason, just thrown in the racks.  Shoes and handbags everywhere on the floor and on random racks.  Hats, scarves, a mysterious cardboard box, that I finally realized had Christmas decorations in it.  I was wasting so much space and could not even see half the clothes that I had, much less the ones that I definitely needed to part with.  I dug in with my first task being to get rid of every hanger that came from a dry cleaner!!  I could not believe the amount of hangers I had in my closet.  The space that opened up from just removing those was amazing.  I then started throwing things out of my closet.  Things that I hadn't worn in years, things that I looked at and said, "what the hell was I thinking?!", things that didn't fit anymore (sad face!) and things that would just never fit again (double sad face!).  I went at it trying to be realistic as possible.  All of the free "gift with purchases" that you think are going to come in handy one day, they gotta go.  Here is a few picture of what I got rid of...

The cardboard box with those Christmas decoration, gone and filled with hangers, the pile of clothes, going to Goodwill along with those red Stuart Weitzman suede heels, that I truly loved, but bought a half size too big and when they stretched out, I just couldn't walk in them anymore.  I hope they find a very happy home, they were like brand new!  

When I dug into organizing my closet, I went with the way I have learned to merchandise.  I started with my underpinnings, I started with the sleeveless tops and tanks, started with white, moved to colors and then to black.  I then went into the short sleeved underpinnings and moved on form there.  This is an easy way to work with the items in your closet because when you need something to go under a jacket or cardigan, you have all of your sleeveless underpinnings in one place.  You need a t-shirt, they come next and so forth.  I kept to mostly solids and then added novelty tops toward the end.  

I have a ton of black jackets!  Black jackets and other blazers and cardigans.  I knew I wanted them in an order where I could see them all, but I didn't use them on a daily basis so I chose to put them on a lower rack.  I kept my underpinnings and tee's up top and hung these below.

I also put some other printed jackets and cardigans on that rack, along with hanging my shorts and skirts all together at the end of the rack as well.  I like having things in groups so that I know where everything is when I want to reach for it!

These are the two racks I worked on first and I feel like when they were completed, I could see everything which would lead to coming up with outfits a breeze.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a complete dress girl.  I love dresses!  Long dresses, short dresses, medium length dresses, I have room for you all in my closet!  When I started to organize them, I thought back again to the way I organized my tops and went with short to long and started with sleeve length.  I started out with my sleeveless dresses and went on from there.  This way, I could feel out what my mood was and go from there.  If I am feeling beachy and casual I go for a long cotton maxi dress, if I want to turn it on with a pair of heels and a mini, I go for my DVF vintage print minis, they're all together in the same place.

The last thing I did was organize my shoes and handbags on my shelves.  I also organized my boots on the floor.  Really it was just straightening them from the pile that they were in.  I also used little bins to organize my Hanky Panky's, tights and socks, sleep tanks and shorts and other items of lingerie.  This makes it easy after laundry and I even put my tights in zip lock bags, a trick I learned from Brooke's modeling box.  I labeled them so I wouldn't have to dig through four pairs of black tights to find the ones that I was looking for.

One other thing I think is important is to keep sweaters folded.  Hanging sweaters can get those annoying hanger marks on the shoulders and they can also get stretched and misshapen.  I fold all of my good sweaters and pop them on the shelves.  It will make them last longer and they are easy to see.  I also folded my leggings and they are easy to see by color so when I want to wear them I just pull them out and they don't take up as much room.

Finally as a personal touch, I found this little sign years ago when I was visiting my brother in college at Auburn in Alabama.  I popped into a cute little boutique and I saw this hanging there.  It has followed me to many of the places I have lived throughout the years.  It basically sums it all up!!

Xoxo!!

Fall 2012 Trend Alert!

I love keeping up with Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. With Facebook and Twitter, the updates are endless and pictures from the shows come out so quickly. I have seen several updates come out, all about one thing, maxi!! Maxi dresses have always been a favorite of mine in the spring and summer. So easy, so comfy and a beautiful long and lean look. I am excited to see that this trend is showing up for fall! Long dresses shown with structured jackets, long skirts shown with chunky knits. Even St. John showed a long flannel skirt... I am sure the usual suspects of trends will find their way, leather, knits, masculine dressing, but it is refreshing to see a new trend pop in there. I am already creating outfits in my head!! Happy Weekend All! Xoxo!

Sunglasses!

I loved the sunglasses that Jennifer Lopez wore on the beginning of American Idol tonight....They kind of looked liked these Chanel Sunglasses....

And, I absolutely love love love the scarf, that was actually a belt!!  I think Brooke's husband thought we were crazy but it was so chic and I think little Lawton loved it too!  You never know when you will find little jewels in your closet...or your Momma's closet...or your Grandmother's....or a good friend.  I love giving my things to my wonderful sister-in-law.  She is raising my two amazing nephews and never has enough time for herself.  She shares her wonderful sons with me and I share all my goodies with her!!  Not nearly enough of an equal trade, but fun!  Xoxo!!

Let's talk about Coral!

One of my favorite trends of the spring season is the color, Coral.  It is a great shade of Orange (my favorite color) and one that is easy to wear because there are so many places to make it pop!!  The easiest way to add coral to your wardrobe is in jewelry.  When I was putting looks together for Brooke, I found a great coral necklace in her closet.

I paired it with this Banana Republic top that still had the tags on it.  It was a cute floral (another trend) printed silk top with a self belt.  I usually do not like self belts but this one came with the same print on a ribbon style belt and when I tied it in a sweet bow, it really made the top flattering to Brooke's tiny waist.  We also found this bag in the closet under a few others and Brooke remembered it came with a longer strap.  I added the longer strap and slung it across her cross body style.  This added a new trend to the look and updated the top and basic pair of black Seven jeans.

We also found a cute pair of coral colored flat Liz Claiborne sandals.  Besides jewelry, shoes are another easy way to add a pop of color.  Especially if the color does not work with your skin tone directly, shoes and jewelry keep it away from your face, therefore anyone can wear it!

Here is another close up of the coral necklace with a simple striped button down.  The coral really pops with against the top.  Paired back to the white Seven (yes, again, stick with the brand that works for you) this really looked great.

Coral is just one of the fabulous spring trends!!  The warm weather is right around the corner (fingers crossed) so it is never too soon to think about adding things to your closet in this beautiful color.  It can also be brought into your look through makeup... Chanel has a wonderful Rouge Allure color in their spring collection!  All of the great makeup lines (Bobbi, Laura Mercier, Armani) are all showing a clean simple face for spring and shades of coral can be found to add touches to the lips, eyes and cheeks.  There are so many wonderful makeup artists around to help you achieve that wonderful Spring face... I happen to know a few of them if you're interested!!  Until next time, Xoxo!!

Pink Cowboy Boots, Barefeet and Uggs!!!

I was taking a walk through my parents beautiful neighborhood today.  I was wearing my old standby, Puma yoga pants, Auburn Tee, and my Reebok Easy tones (we'll see if they work come bathing suit season)....  I was super comfy on my walk... I saw the school bus coming my way and it stopped a few yards ahead of me.  Out came three cute little elementary aged schoolgirls.  The two blonde haired cuties had on cowboy boots, one the traditional brown color and the other a hot pink pair, the third girl had on a pair of Ugg boots that almost passed her knees.  I couldn't help but smile at the individual styles of these little girls...They had on book bags of different colors and different patterns (hello, pink zebra print)...They ran in front of me and when they got close to mom, she was holding another toe head blonde, this one with ruffled crop pants and barefeet.  I had to smile at each one, though fashion trends may come and go, style is something that is within us from the time that we are little tiny beings....I mean seriously, there is no way any momma thought that those Ugg boots fit that little girl, but can you imagine the argument at the breakfast table where the little one eventually won and wore them to school!  Xoxo girls!!  Bring on the style, I can't wait to see what you grow up to be!

Sunday with Brooke!

Sunday afternoon was so much fun!  This is what Brooke and I started with.  She had already pulled her jeans and cords from the closet and laid them on the bed.  This made it super easy to dive right in.  Brooke was such a sport and just started trying things on!  We started with the jeans.  It is so important to have a great fitting pair of jeans and to find the right pair for your body type.  I had been in a fitting room with Brooke a few times and knew that she was not a fan of the skinny jeans.  Even though skinny jeans have been a trend for the past few years, and yes, they are probably more of a staple than a trend, it doesn't work for everyone!  Brooke did have a couple of great pairs of skinny jeans that really did look great on her!  This black pair from Old Navy for example we used in a couple of outfits....

These black skinnies looked great with this racer back tank for a night on the town.  We added some black booties, a couple long necklaces and more than a few bangles and the look was a go!  The look is simple and a little funky.

When we first pulled this little black top out of the closet, I wasn't sure what we were going to do with it!  It snapped at the collar and had to long black ties hanging down, I know I looked at Brooke puzzled and she said that she loved the top and had worn it recently and gotten lots of compliments.  I paired it with the black skinnies and this black and brown striped cardi.  We added the fabulous tall brown Frye boots and the look really came together.  This is a look I thought was super cool.  I love mixing black with other colors, black and navy is one of my favorites, but this black and brown look really came together and is so easy to wear.  The big side bow on the collar is just unexpected enough to be fashion forward.  In addition to the black skinnies, Brooke also had a pair of grey skinnies that we put a few looks together with!

Both of these looks are casual and easy.  The top photo utilized Brooke's favorite scarf and a cardi she said that she had never worn before.  Mixing prints is an easy and fun way to update a look.  In the second look we just took a striped sweater and through a black blazer over it.  I have found that adding that third piece really makes a look complete.

These are just a few of the looks we came up with during our time together.  I will post more soon!  Thanks so much to Brooke for being my willing participant and letting me invade her space!

Second Post!!!

I promise my next few titles will be more interesting than first and second posts!  I am new to this whole blogging thing but am super excited!  Fashion is my most favorite hobby and a love of mine!!  I will talk  ad nauseum about what I think about clothes and fashion.  I had so much fun yesterday playing with my friend Brooke!  We came up with some great fall looks and I am excited to post them here tomorrow for y'all to see!!  We came up with all of the looks from her closet and didn't spend a dime.  Although I will talk about fashion and clothes mostly, you should also get ready to learn all about my wonderful family and friends!  My biggest critic and closest confidant is my four year old nephew, Hunter, who at two years old looked at me and said, "Toto, put on a dress", when I sat lazily in my sweats!!  Xoxo!