packing anxiety...

heading out for a week to scorching hot lovely arizona...aici (association of image consultants international) will be having our annual conference...while i have attended the san francisco chapter conference annually...this is my first international conference...and i'm excited...

what i'm not excited about is packing...last i checked weather was about 104...eek!  now if i was going on vacation...packing would be a bit easier...and i wouldn't be having much anxiety...but this is a business trip...and while the outside will be hot...and i'm sure there will be plenty of activities outside...the conference rooms in hotels tend to be cool...even freezing at times...

so yes...even i go through a bit of packing anxiety...so i figured i would do what i do for my clients...put the outfits together...planning each days events...and the key to this wide gap in temperatures?  layer layer layer...

truth be told though...i am a wardrobe consultant...and this conference will be 100's of image consultants...so i'd be lying if i said that i wasn't going to over pack just a wee bit...i want to keep my options open...

what i do know...is that my suitcase will be full of color...full of accessories to help in changing up outfits...and the shoes...well the shoes are always numerous...that is just me...

so...i will most likely not have time to blog while there...so i will update you on all the wonderful things i pick-up from various speakers when i'm back...until then...keep it stylish!

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fashion funnies: packing - men vs women...

how many mom's can relate?

enjoy your weekend!

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putting away the summer clothes...

while it is difficult to say good-bye to summer...the weather slowly changes...and the things that we wore all summer long...need to be put away...and room made for the cozy sweaters...boots and scarves...

but...before you stash away all that summer goodness...now is a great time to check the items...i mean...no reason to pack away things that won't be worn anymore...right?  so what are we looking for?

first and foremost - as with any season...the clothes that you hung on to...possibly from last summer...or the summer before that...and you still haven't worn...yeah...time to say good-bye...whether the item doesn't fit...doesn't suit your current lifestyle...why keep packing up these items...when you clearly are not wearing them?  time to break-up!

look over your current summer wears...are there stains from your summer activities?  now is the time to get them cleaned...don't save it for next season...stains left untouched...will only get worse...and harder to get rid of...besides...when summer rolls around next year...do you really want to be pulling out stained items?

look over all your t-shirts & tank-tops...any with yellow armpit stains need to go...have the colors faded?  be honest...these need to go...and replaced again...

now for the packing...keep in mind your summer hats...place them in hat boxes...if at all possible...or in a location where they will be protected...who wants to pull out a summer hat...all ready to go to the pool...only to find a hat that has lost its shape...or worse...wrecked from something sitting on top of it for 6 months?

when looking for storage bins...there really are so many to choose from...figure out where your storage space will be...and then choose accordingly...there are options for storage under the bed...on shelves...stacked...etc...what works for you?  and keep in mind...if you have a choice...between canvas and plastic coated ones...the plastic ones sometimes permeate that smell...and it doesn't go away easily...you don't want your clothes absorbing it for 6 months...

have a list ready for the items you need to replace for next summer...keep it in a place you will remember...there are a lot of items on sale right now...but keep in mind...don't buy just because it is on sale...if you need to replace certain items...and they are on sale...kudo's to you for finding them...also...make a note of the key pieces you enjoyed wearing this summer...make a note to shop for these must-haves in early spring...

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packing tips...

i just got off the phone with a client who is planning her vacation...a short one...the hubby has told her...one suitcase...no more...so she called me and asked if i could come over and help her figure out the wardrobe...and pack it all in one suitcase...

no problema!!

of course...i wish it was me going on the vacation...it seems like it has been forever and a day...les sigh...

packing light can be done...personally...i love having lots of choices...as i tend to change my mind on what to wear pretty much based on my mood, the alignment of the sun...what i ate for breakfast...you get my drift...right? i like having lots of options...which doesn't make for comfortable traveling...when you are left to lug around lots of luggage...

the first time i really had to think about packing light...was my trip to greece...it was going to be for several weeks...and since we were going to go from one island to another...mostly via little boats...i needed to be able to carry my suitcase with ease...many times...up and down narrow stairs...never in a million years did i think i would survive...but i did...although my girlfriend and i still laugh to this day...because by the end of that trip...we were so sick of looking at each other's same outfits...we swore we would get home and burn them...

so...here are some easy steps for hassle-free packing...

- jot down each day you'll be gone and the number of outfits you'll need...keep in mind the different activities you are planning on participating in...the image you want to project...and the climate of the area you will be visiting...

- once you have this list...use it as your guide...go through each day...assemble complete outfits on single hangers...include all accessories to each outfit...this includes belts, scarves, jewelry and shoes...

- at this point - assess all the outfits...are there too many different shoes, bags, etc? start to eliminate pieces that are not versatile...replace the outfits that need that pair of odd shoes that don't go with anything else with shoes you are already planning to bring...

- once you have all the outfits complete...pack it all up...the key here is that you have identified and laid out the clothing you would like to bring with you when traveling...you can then use your luggage space most efficiently...rather then stuffing things in as you go...

whether you will be heading out of town in the next few weeks to savor the long...hot days of summer or are looking to master the art of packing for social and business trips year-round...this system offers some excellent strategies...

if you don't think your closet contains the necessary pieces to give you the style and confidence you want on the road (or at home for that matter)...follow the above system...jotting down the key missing pieces...schedule a shopping trip to pick up these missing items before you leave so you can relax and enjoy your trip without being disappointed with your wardrobe...

or...you can do like my client did...and call me (if you are local) or a wardrobe stylist in your area =)

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instant travel...

your suitcase is your closet when you travel...and at times...i must admit...i have packed like i truly did bring my whole closet...only to bring it all back home unworn...add to that an achy back...when i started traveling for business in my corporate america days...i literally was on the road three weeks out of the month...and being that i had my suitcase to contend with...and all my "work" stuff...ie: laptop, brochures etc...i learned to be creative with my packing...

so here are a few things to think about when choosing clothes to pack...
- how much room does it take up?

- does it match with other pieces you're bringing?

- will it go day and evening?

- can you wear it more than once?

- does it wrinkle easily?

for example...my corporate america days...i pretty much lived in suits...i usually looked for suit fabric that was seasonless...like a lightweight wool...that made it possible for the suit to work both warm and cool climates...a dark suit with matching pants and skirt could be deconstructed to create a variety of looks with few accessories...i would pack a top that could stand on its own without the suit jacket...i would also pack a dressier pant and fun chic shoes to pair with my suit jacket out for a nite on the town... business dinner with clients...

all in all this works with casual wear as well...pair a few tops with that flouncy skirt...etc...

ideal travel fabrics bounce back after being crushed...who wants to spend time ironing clothes when you get to your destination? or worse yet...looking like a crumpled mess...if you so choose not to iron =)

do you have some great travel tips to share? please do...

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fashion funnies: packing for vacation...

has this ever happened to you?

enjoy the weekend!

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three days, two nights, and one carry-on...

have you ever been frustrated when packing for an upcoming trip, because there are lots of great activities planned, but you're on the way to packing your whole closet and it's only a three-day trip? jana's collection is all about creating wardrobe "capsules", where the pieces work so beautifully together it takes all the stress out of organizing yourself for a trip...

let's take one example so you can see how it works...(Now bear in mind that if the outfits we feature are not your particular color group, don't worry...the concept works throughout the color groups in each collection.)

our example..."paula professional" (portrayed by adena, as a stand-in model), is making a three-day trip to the napa valley for a business conference...the trip starts with the conference, then she's planning to meet a girlfriend for a couple of days of shopping and wine-tasting...

day one
the conference...paula looks put together in her stretch faille pantsuit with jungle print silk blouse...

stretch faille cactus jacket & pant, silk-blend jungle print blouse

evening ends with a business casual hospitality hour and dinner...paula removes her jacket and adds the perforated belt with studded brass buckle for an accent...

stretch faille cactus pant, silk-blend jungle print blouse, perforated belt with studded brass buckle

day two
one-half day of conference left...paula makes good use of the stretch faille pants from the day before, only today she wears the pleats cactus top with the studded belt...

stretch faille cactus pant, pleats cactus top, perforated belt with studded brass buckle

now for an afternoon of shopping with girlfriends...paula switches out the pants for the skin print pants, and adds the jungle print silk blouse from the day before...

cotton blend skin print pant, silk blend jungle print blouse (a great example of mixing prints!)

take a closer look at these pants (what fun!)...



tonight, dinner at one of napa valley's great restaurants...paula can quickly get ready for dinner by switching the skin print pant for the jungle print silk-blend skirt...

jungle print silk-blend blouse & skirt

day three
winery day...paula and her friend visit several of the wineries in the area...she's cool and comfortable in the jungle print silk-blend skirt, with her white t-shirt and flip flops...

jungle print silk-blend skirt, cotton t-shirt

oops! plans have changed...
they decide to stay for one more dinner...paula changes into the skin print pant, pleats top and studded belt, looking once again, put together as on day one...

cotton-blend skin print pant and pleats top, studded belt

while sometimes it is difficult for some of us to wear items more then once in a trip...when you need to pack light - this is an ideal space saver...

let me show you how this can work for you...

Jana Kos Summer 2010 Collection
SUMMER TRUNK SHOW
may 5-16

now accepting appointments.
415.577.6133 (cell)
650.345.4511 (office)

click here to see additional color groups & trunk show information...