top drawer scents...

once your drawers are clean...take that one extra step...

an inexpensive and simple treat to indulge in...

you can always go the route of lining your drawers with lining made specifically for that purpose...or...you can get creative...

what to use??

how about placing scent strips from magazines in your underwear drawer?

or fancy soaps?

or fresh-cut rosemary from the garden?

or...even fresh herbal tea bags?

anything to give yourself a nice pleasant whiff when you pull open the drawer...

it is just a little private pleasure, not one anyone else will ever be aware of...
open the drawer while getting dressed in the morning...a fairly humdrum moment in your everyday life...but close your eyes, breathe deeply, and stay there a moment before going on with the rest of your ordinary day...

a lovely scent on which to begin...

organize your closet...organize your life...

so yesterday i posted about organizing your "gorgeous" shoes...today...i thought i would take it a step further...as a wardrobe consultant...one of the services that i offer is a "closet audit"...i have many people ask me what that is and/or what it entails...

so...i thought i would let you know...

imagine...

a closet brimming with possibilities...

the allure is hard to resist for the modern man & woman...
but most of our closets are full of almost - not quite right - basics...

with so many choices, getting dressed actually can be stressful, a time waster and an energy zapper...for most of us, we wear only a small percentage of what is in our closet...

if you can relate to and answer yes to any of these questions, you owe yourself some relief...now!

do you agonize over what to wear?
do you feel you have nothing to wear to special events?
do you change outfits two or three times?
do you find it difficult to accessorize your outfits?
basically, do your clothes say what you want them to say about you?
do you feel great in every outfit you wear?

the closet audit will pare down in every category; only pieces that fit right now, that are in the best quality fabrics and in the best condition...the result will be a closet of wardrobe pieces that work today, look fabulous and suit your lifestyle...

you should be able to be dressed for any occasion in 5 minutes...

less stress, more time, more energy!

as your professional fashion and wardrobe consultant, i offer this service to my clients...in approximately 3 hours, together we can clean out and organize your closet to allow you a delightful experience in the process of getting dressed every day!

please contact me to schedule your closet audit today! and if you are not in the california bay area...look up a consultant that could help you...at times this "project" can seem overwhelming...but a good keen set of eyes can make all the difference...

"Creating a stylish unique image is often the key to positive self-esteem and success in both business and social spheres."

organizing your "gorgeous" shoes...

i was having coffee with a friend...when we got on the subject of shoes (i know...big surprise...) she was telling me that although she loves shoes...and has many...she had reached a wardrobe organizational low point...

how you ask?

her wardrobe organizational low point occurred one day last week at work when she looked down at her feet at an important business meeting and noticed she was wearing two different shoes! i know...mortification (is that a word? i think so!)

so after coffee...i headed over to her place...in opening up her closet door, i found dozens of shoes thrown all over the floor...she didn't know what she owned...let alone what matched or was in fashion...

awww....i love projects like this!

so i thought...maybe there are others with this dilemma...maybe i should blog about the most popular tips for organizing shoes, boots, and sneakers so you start your day off on the right foot... =)

so...as i switched over to twitter...mid blog post...my girl linda is posting a pic of her shoe closet...she so graciously let me post her pic...see below? talk about a well organized shoe closet...btw...please visit her blog as she has great fashion tips as well...AND she posts the most glorious shoes...at princess dominique

tip 1 - take a polaroid or digital snapshot of your shoes and attach the picture to the outside of the shoebox...i have to admit that when i first saw this done by a client, i thought she was a little compulsive...over the years...i have come to respect this practice, especially for those who have lifestyles that justify extensive shoe collections...

tip 2 - invest in clear shoeboxes...not only does your closet look well put together when you stack two or three of these together...but it becomes so easy to access shoes through the pull-front compartment

tip 3 - if you like to store shoes in the bottom of your closet...place a three- or four-level shoe shelf under the short hanging items in your closet so you can better see (and organize) them...getting them off the floor and hanging them in over-the-door shoe pouches is also a good idea if you have limited space and want to see your shoe options more clearly in the morning...

tip 4 - a client confided in me that she places clothes dryer sheets in the toe of each shoe in her closet to keep them all smelling fresh and clean, especially in the summer months...

tip 5 - if it's in the middle of winter and you keep tripping over your beach sandals...purchase a large, clear tub with a cover and throw all your strictly summer shoes inside...store it somewhere where it is easy to access should a winter vacation to a warm climate present itself...use the same strategy for sneakers, boots, and other seasonal footwear you use for various sports at different times of the year...most people only need one or two pairs of "everyday" sneakers in their main closet...

tip 6 - keep your knee-high boots in upstanding condition by purchasing plastic boot shapers specifically designed to support boots...you can also use rolled-up magazines to get the job done...

oftentimes...freshening your shoe collection is the "first step" to a more well-dressed you...taking the time to retire shoes that are uncomfortable, worn out, or out of style and then organizing the ones you want to keep will do wonders for the organizational state of your closet as well as your self-confidence...

photo by: princess dominique

buying smart...

today my facebook fan page status reads:

the most expensive item in your closet is the one with the tags on that you've never worn...

i cannot tell you how many times clients have had a hard time letting go of an item...whether it had tags on it or not...but simply based on the fact of how much they spent on it...truth be told...i have even found myself thinking the same things at times...

what causes items to sit in our closet without use?

was it a sale item with a price to good to be true?

was it an impulse buy?

or perhaps buying an item just for the designer label?

buying an item that just sits in your closet...does not make a good investment piece...that rule applies to an item that is expensive or one that isn't...bottom line...it is money that could have been spent on an item that becomes one of the ones...you love...

so...lets say all your clothes were lost by airline personnel tomorrow...what would you replace first? in the end...the assessment is simple...

what do you have?

what do you need?

it's not about buying more...it's about buying smart...your wardrobe is valuable for the pieces that make it personal...

the vintage dress you found at a summer tag sale...

your mothers silk scarves...

your boyfriends leather jacket...

maximize these items with a few well chosen new basics...you probably have more than you think...you just need to look at things in a different light...

the key is to dejunk...your closet should be full of items you wear...not items that hang in your closet...your closet should be full of items you love...

if you shop with the mindset of buying only things you love...choosing pieces that you feel great in...most likely...you will wear every single one of them over and over again...year after year...

"personal style is being able to say no...no one who we think of as a woman of great personal style was a fashion victim...they are women who are very aware of their bodies, their features, and what works."

michael kors