Storing rings - tips & tricks

Truth be known, I love wardrobe organising more than I love shopping. Figuring out how to place loot so it makes your life easy and looks pretty is just the most fun you can have. Apart from then just watching your results.

SIX BASIC RULES in LOOT ORGANISATION:

There are SIX rules in closet organisation that are immutable. Closet in this context includes clothes, shoes, accessories, jewellery.

We all know that you wear approximately 20% of your closet 80% of the time. Bad statistic. Really bad statistic. Bad for the planet, bad for your wallet. So the basis of these rules is that we want to increase the 20%. Alot. 

Rule #1:
The more visible the loot is, the more it will be used/worn. 

Rule #2:
The more accessible the loot is, the more it will be worn/used. 

Rule #3: 
If you need to wear/use it more frequently (eg: for work), than other loot, then it should be more visible & more accessible than the less frequently worn loot. 

Rule #4:
Items which are functionally similar (ie: worn/used for similar occasions/situations) should be placed together. 

This means that suits need to be broken up so the jacket is with the jackets & the skirt is with the skirts. A necklace with matching earrings needs to be separated. Certainly bags & shoes need to be separated because you don't want to age 10 years by wearing them together.

Rule #5:
By all means, cull if it's getting out of control but what Marie Kondo does not understand is that if you love fashion, you become a collector of loot you love to wear. Especially if you've hit say the right side of 30. Duplicates of your favourites is not a crime as long as it's not stressing you.

Rule #6: 
When arranging everything, keep the supporting stuff consistent. 

So keep the hangers the same in style & colour. Keep your storage tubs the same style & colour. This makes everything look less messy & more inviting hence more likely to be used/worn. 

So, why this post?

I have recently started a clean out of, well, everything called loot. That's what's prompted this post. 

As far as jewellery goes, I am just focusing on the ring overhaul here. My previous "system" (using the word very loosely) was a disaster in that more than half my rings were in plastic bags hidden by other stuff in loot tubs. The olive tray worked well, but it only displayed a fraction of what I own. 

Here it is/was:

I picked up the acrylic drawers from (where else?) TKMaxx for $40. 
I lined the drawers with felt in a pale colour so it wouldn't interfere with the colours of the loot. 

The felt also stops the rings from moving around, as they would if I had lined it with paper. 

                                                                                                Then I filled it. And there is a method here. A method to the ring madness. I placed related rings together. That's rule #4. 

Top left: The plain but chunky silver rings which I love because they are chunky & at least one, often two, are worn every day.

Top right: Designer names (their boxes have been stored) like Holly Ryan, Chanel, Bouvier, Gem Kingdom (eyeball), Jan Logan, Lawrence Oppermann, YSL, Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester & Bottega Veneta. I will pick one of these every day.  These are all brands I wear in clothing and frankly, it's not unusual to gravitate toward same brands in jewellery as with the clothes. 

Middle left: Every plain silver ring which isn't chunky. 
This one's crowded but it doesn't make my heart skip a beat. They are just fillers. Most of these are from op shops. 

Middle right: The rubber ones, modern arty styles, balls & circles. Love these too. 

Bottom left: A bunch of delicate gems which I stack & a whole lot of silver which are ornate but delicate. 

Bottom right: Colourful chunky silvers incl Dinosaur Designs. 

Most are sterling with a few gold, either plated on sterling or plated on base metal. 

                                                                                                  My favourite without a doubt is eyeball. Then I like everything Bottega Veneta (the woven ones). 

I should have done this ages ago. It's such a good idea to have everything accessible & in view.       

                                                

The only thing I didn't do was cater for growth! 

I am going to do another one like this for earrings. Watch this space. 

Have you been re organising your closet lately? 

Tents flatter no one.

Let's assume your goal is to look taller & slimmer. 
I am not suggesting that's a good goal or a bad goal.
It's just a goal. 

Secondly, this post outlines some general rules. There are exceptions. However if you think you are the exception, you may not be. Exceptions are rare. 

If your closet is full of these types of clothes & you want to lose weight, then get out there & change your shopping strategy. 

Assuming that taller & slimmer is your goal, all these pieces are not your friend. 

SIA calls it fattening fashion. 

It was randomly selected at a Sydney TK Maxx. All except the orange is made in Italy & either silk or linen. In theory lovely pieces but maybe not lovely on the body which wants to look slimmer.  

1. Stripes

The myth: Only thin women can wear horizontal stripes. 

The reality: When you are carrying extra weight, you may not need to avoid horizontal stripes in the area of extra weight. Just make sure they are narrow in width & not highly contrasting. 

If you are carrying extra weight all over, then don't highly contrast the horizontal stripe area with the rest of your body. 

2. Peasant tops

The myth: Peasant tops look good on women carrying extra weight.  

The reality: Yes it may be pretty, but all it does is hide what's underneath. Like a tent. Tent looks are never flattering. 

Notice the curved lines, the gathers around the waist/bust area & the general fullness? Tent. Tent. Tent. No. No. No. 

Your best bet is fabrics with body which skim not cling your form. 

3. Loose flowy dresses 

The myth: Not sure what the myth is here.
The reality: The best way for a loose flowy dress to be flattering is to fit at the bust & to flare out below it. Like an A line. 

Loose & straight up & down is never flattering if you are carrying extra weight. 

4. Big flowers on a loose flowy dress.

The myth: Big women should wear big prints.
The reality: Not if the overall look is a tent. 

This dress has raglan sleeves (which are easier to fit & cheaper to make, but make you look more rounded) & a high neckline (not great for a big bust). It also has an up & down cut. An A line which starts under the bust would be mush better. 

You can still engage your passion for florals with a more structured garment which skims not clings. No tents please.  

7 Ways to Winterfy your Summer Maxi

This post will allow you to make do with fewer clothes but to have more options with those clothes.

It will do this by getting you thinking about winterfying your summer maxis.

*********************************************************************

So how about considering the following:  

1. Adding a long sleeve fitted tee under a floaty maxi. 

2. Wear a cardi with the dress. The cardi can be a dainty pointelle knit or it can be a chunky textured knit (think a cable or an aran knit). If you have a waist, add a belt to the chunky cardi; the belt can be thick or skinny. 

3. Add boots to the dress. Booties, toeless, over the knee, knee high. The trend for now is lace ups. Think ghillies or gladiators.

4. Turn the dress into a skirt by adding a top. Think liquid sequins, a tulip style, an everything happening knit.

5. Add tights to the dress. Either keep the tights plain & simple or make them jazzy, goth, opulent or loving the upholstery trend.     

6. Go boho - fringing, a vest, a skinny tie or a tan belt.

7. Channel the 80s with low denier hose and disco your heart out. 

*******************************************************************

Now off you go; explore your closet. 

Find some ways to wear your maxis which you never thought of previously. 

Your full-proof shopping checklist - Part 1

SCENARIO #1

Can you relate to the following scenario more often than not? 

Nothing seems to fit. 
It's morning and you've tried so many things on and it's all on the bed (& the floor) not on your back. 
You can't even remember what's at the dry cleaners & you are about to scavenge through the laundry basket. 
Basically, what were you thinking when you bought all these clothes?
Even worse, why did you buy so much loot which doesn't fit, doen't make you look good nor feel good about yourself? 

SCENARIO #2

In contrast, how often can you relate to this scenario?

When you need to look extra smart at work, you reach for your favourite navy suit. On normal days you mix & match the pants, skirt and jacket with other items you have. On casual Friday, you wear the jacket with jeans (or the pants with a denim jacket). For that last minute invite to dinner with friends, you pop on the LBD of that suit and a denim jacket with a couple of nana's sparkly brooches and you're ready. You have ballet flats, low heel pumps & high heel pumps, all in black, which are at the ready for anything. 

These clothes are go-to clothes for you. You know they make you look good and when you wear them, your confidence goes up and you can enjoy yourself without feeling self conscious. 

Wouldn't it be great if you could be in scenario #2 all of the time (or most of the time)?

That doesn't mean we all need a LBD or a navy suit in our closet. Far from it. You can substitute pieces which are your go-to items based on your lifestyle, body shape, height etc.

Scenario #2 is definitely possible for most western women who have a job or are capable of getting one. 

However, & it's a big however, if you're not already there now, you need to make some changes. After all, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. 

In a series of posts, Style into Action will give you a full proof checklist which will allow you to get to scenario #2.  

The checklist is designed to be applied to every potential purchase so that you can weigh up whether the item needs to be in your closet. 

The checklist requires you to make some hard decisions about who you are and more importantly, who you want to be. 

Are you ready?







  

10 Ways YOU can wear NYFW SS 2014 streetwear

The ordinary person on the street has been heard to say that runways are too fashion forward for streetwear. Yes, they are. That's why its runway fashion. 

With the advent of bloggers, it seems that fashion week streetwear is also far more fashion forward than in the old days. 

So I collected some photos of New York Fashion Week SS 2014 which you may find to be quite "normal".

Its not to say that every part of the ensemble is "normal". In fact, you will see in nearly every photo there is some element of (mild) fashion shutzpah (aka edge) & its often in the accessories - a bright accent, a fab shoe or bag or an interesting piece of jewellery. Accessories are removable. Easily.

So if you want to de-shutzpah or normalise the outfit, simply change to a more low key accessory. With small tweaks (rather than major overhauls), the STYLES in these photos can translate to ordinary people clothes in real life. 

Obviously not every tweaked style will be wearable for every body shape and size. Further, there are lifestyle factors to take into account.  

But the basics of these ensembles will give you a good idea about styling something in your wardrobe plus or minus the fashion shutzpah! 

1. The bright coloured shift

This is a really bad fit on the shoulders - but its Fashion Week - so who cares!

Too much for you? Raise the hem - its an instant normaliser!

2. The print dress 

This is Carolina Herrera with a Hermes Kelly.
But the velvet shoes are also what gives ut fashion shutzpah!

Simple lines with a print that nails print mixing.

Black & navy look terrific together.
Technically, the bag is too large for this lady -
you can normalise the outfit with a smaller bag
& add even more normality with a neutral bag.

3. The neutral shift

You can normalise this with a more classic shoe - a pump!

A fitted and structured LBD will never date.
Normalise this with a higher neckline.

4. The trench coat

As a dress. Normalise this as a coat.

A short sleeve trench in white acts as a top. 

5. Dark pants

Cropped & leather.
 Normalise this with a full length in a wool or cotton. 

Camo & white stilettos. Normalise this by swapping
for black pumps or flats.

6. Other pants including trendy (bit not too trendy) pants

7. Jeans

Double denim & animal pumps

8. Skirts

Normalise this by swapping the bootie for a pump.

The bootie is the really edgy part of this ensemble - so normalise with a pump or a sandal.

9. A jumpsuit

The key here for "normal" people is a tailored style
that's cut like a classic top/pants.

10. A maxi

The trendy aspect is the bright print.
Normalise this by toning down the colour or wearing it in a solid,

10 Ways of fashion week street looks for ordinary girls

All these photos are from fashion weeks in Europe recently.

I consider them to be smart looks which are combinations of largely ordinary styles of clothing in which you (& I) can bum around - jeans, pants, sweater, shirt, jacket, coat etc.

But alot of the combinations are FORMULAS which have been around for ages - a trench over a dress, an animal coat, a grey flannel coat, a white jacket over back.

& before you start saying you dont wear heels & you dont roll up your pants & you dont wear your coats that long & you dont wear white pumps etc etc, FINE - TWEAK the look - wear it with flats, dont roll up your pants, wear the coat short & change the pump colour. 

Use it as inspiration rather than as a carbon copy of "style".

Dont forget to "shop your closet" - since these are largely ordinary pieces of clothing - you may already have them lurking around at home. 

 1. Shirt pop under neutrals

Anyone who wears pants can do this look.
Just vary your lengths and width (coat, jacket, pants)
so it works for your shape.
Don't like shirts? Add a tee or a top.
The shirt's pop of colour under black & camel is an easy look.
Just make sure your pop colour flatters your face.

2. Pastel leather - so 2013

Coloured leather & chunky (or not so chunky) sweater

3. Animal never dates

Animal coat, no bells & whistles. The print is enough.

4. More coats 

- slim & neutral

A long slim coat works wonders & looks good.
Be very careful with this if you are petite.

-The trench

Trench over a dress? Formula

 - Uber directional print coat

Jzooshy jacket & shoes. Pop of colour is cute.
I adore the mix of heavy coat with summer weight shoes. Very confident. Very 2013.
Our grannies would be horrified.

- Bold & graphic coat

A graphic large scale print with neutrals.
Wallflowers need not apply.

5. Head to toe pastels

 

Pastels x 3
Lavender, peach & pink.

6. Sweater & sweat city

Oversize sweater with faux fishing boots.
Substitute any boot or shoe.
If you are petite, take with care.

This scale of sweater is mroe your scale if you are petite.
The grey jeans with an animal sweater are a bonus part of the look.
Oh & the jacket is really directional (hello! shoulders!)
- you can tone that down.

A structured sweat top with denim. Repeat the top colour in the shoes.
Make the denim the style that flatters you - doesnt have to be flared.

7. Country pumpkin, not

A bit of a country slant but the rolled pants & lace ups put it firmly into 2013.

8. Groovy shift, toned down with black

Bright shift, black tights,  jacket & boots. Again, formula.
Or you can tone it up with colour - another formula.

 9. Short bright print jacket

Another formula look - dark skirt, tights, boots, white top, printed jacket & a
bag that picks up one of the colours in the jacket.
Oh & the hat. Optional, but very cool.

 10. White jacket over black base

Long or short, it doesnt matter - wear what flatters you.
As for the black, again what flatters you?
Try flat shoes? A slouchy bag? Wide leg pants? A vee neck top?