Wardrobe Wednesday: Clean out 2

Well, it turns out that school is counter-productive to wardrobe reform. 

But.  Fall is not.

As the seasons change, I have a great desire for cohesion, friends.  And a touch of paring down.  Nancy’s Week 1 has been my guideline, and I really do want to work on it, it’s honestly about the time to do so right now. 

I want to organize, and get control of things while it’s still warm enough to clean out, and run back and forth to my car, throw open the windows, and pare down Summer before I have to add Fall and Winter clothes into the mix… because here in Georgia, it may be fall according to the calendar, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it.  And the cleaning? Well, we won’t get into that.  This is, after all, Wardrobe Wednesday, not one of  Sarah’s crazy nesting/cleaning/home-making post.  Go here for that. 

I’m on an organizing kick, and I’m going to link to some things I think will help me, and maybe they’ll help you too!  There are some links that are general, but all are on my current wavelength. 

• Apartment Therapy has collected closet things. 20 beautiful ideas that gave me a serious case of closet envy.
• When you see these, you’ll need something attainable to aim for, go look here for a very comprehensive, picture-heavy post.  Organizing Made Fun is great AND attainable for all of us. 
•  Discardian’s hanger trick: flip em around, and when you’ve worn something, it gets to be flipped back.
• Lest these things seem expensive, go check out The OrganizedHome’s post on frugal organizing- not everything needs an expensive system.
• Peter over at Male Pattern Boldness is always great, and his Daily Ditch is an inspiration.  
• And on removing general clutter in our lives, Discardia is great.

Be inspired, friends! Clean out those closets before winter sets in!

Wardrobe Wednesdays: cleaning up and clean out

It's back to school time, and I confessed to you already, I've done my shopping.

Now Labor Day has come and gone, and with it a massive amount of cleaning, and it's time to talk about what came out after all of the going-in that happened.

There are many schools of thought as to how much clothing a woman need own, and I'm thinking it through here in front of my wardrobe, too... And I've decided to start with a good solid culling of excesses before any other step.

So, I took a "before" tally of my wardrobe, pre-clothing switch, and as I was going through things, I had some questions written in dry-erase marker on the mirror.

Nancy Nix-Rice asks a great list of questions in the first week of her series on style:

Is it in good condition?

Is it a good color for me?

Does it fit? Really?

Is it comfortable?

Have I worn it recently?

Friends, the resulting pile of clothes and shoes wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but Nancy has some great thoughts on putting things where you can see them that I hope to implement, although I don't have as much hanging up space as she does... Or the space for my closet to be just for clothes.

Traditionally, one changes seasonal clothing on Labor Day weekend, but I'm anticipating more warm weather, and many summer pieces are transitional.  But, I'm glad I went through and got rid of some things.  And the re-organizing? Crucial.
I need to do more one day when I'm in an unforgiving mood... I'll only keep the really good stuff then!

Getting to it

Home Dec sewing really isn’t as bad as I thought it would be… lots of getting things ready and measurements before I sew a bunch of straight lines.  The hardest part?  Getting to it.  I washed dishes to avoid it this afternoon.  Seriously.  And if you know me in real life, you know how much I ABHOR dishes. 

But you know what?  I bit the bullet.  Sitting cut out and pinned are the covers for both nightstands.  The old pillow covers have been dismantled, leaving me with 2 forms and piping, plus more of an idea as to how the construction is supposed to work.  Fabrics are chosen.  The last bit of piping is tracked down, measurements are taken… Crazy how simple it becomes when you stop griping and just do it.  Knock it out!  It’s been SO simple, friends.  I didn't have to go out and buy anything new, and I can't wait to see what my bed looks like.   I now wish I’d done it sooner, like a lot of things we put off and put off.

I should probably get back to it… This could be the return of Finish-it Friday!

Wardrobe Wednesday: A day late. Sorry friends!

Well, there really is a good reason to be late sometimes.  Being home and hugging my mama?
Qualifies.  She gives the BEST hugs.
Right.  Wardrobe planning.
There are soooo many websites that will try to tell you about how to plan a complete wardrobe, and they have merit, but who is to say what is right?
Real Simple gives their guidelines here, with a list of basics by season.
For me, this won't quite work.... I think it's geared toward professionals more than students. And the number of pieces of outerwear and designated pairs of jeans? Not quite me, but this list has good things to it too. It covers a range of footwear nicely. It is built around classics. And it's seasonal. And I think it's going at it from an angle of someone getting in on the ground floor of the wardrobe train.
A blog post entitled the Academic Wardobe caught my eye for reasons I'd think woukd become apparent when juxtaposed with my student status...
I liked this article much more, because it takes an analytical approach, inviting you to look at your life, and make up . I think this is a better starting point for me than square one and the basics... So go see it. This is where we will begin next Wardrobe Wednesday!