So here is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak, and this is why you have faithfully gone through Closet Clean Out Challenge Step One: Get Organized and Closet Clean Out Challenge Step Two: Refresh and Renew.  Now, you are truly ready to take advantage of your newly organized and cleaned out closet.  If you would like, you can join our VIP Facebook Group, Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas , and watch my videos explaining the process.  I will be airing Step 3 live tonight at 6 p.m

The goal for today’s time spent in your closet is to create a “Buying List” where you will record all the things you need to shop for in the future.  I recommend that you carry this list with you in your purse for those unplanned shopping days.  It will keep you on track to purchase the things you need, and, as a result, you will be a smarter shopper who avoids bringing items home that have to be eliminated in your next closet clean out!

Please grab a piece of paper and divide it into 3 Categories:

1. Basics I Need
2. Items that Need Matches
3. Trends I Want To Buy
4. My Best Colors

BASICS I NEED:

This section of your list should include all the core basics that are missing from your closet or need to be replaced.  Basics include solid neutrals such as grey, black, white, tan, navy, brown.  Take a moment to take stock of your sleeved and sleeveless tops, jackets, skirts and pants.  Are there any that you didn’t pull out but that are wearing out? If yes, write this down on your list.  Other items in this category might be classic prints and fabrics like Hounds-tooth,  tweed, some basic plaids, etc. Also consider your layering pieces.  Are there any jackets that need basic tops to complete them? Do you have any basic slacks that lack a coordinating blouse or top? Do you have a good white blouse? Do you have a basic black dress that can be dressed up or down? Do you have a nice pair of black work slacks? What about your shoes? Do any of these need to be replaced? This step should produce the biggest portion of your list because these are the core items in your closet that work back and forth with everything else.  These are the things that you should spend more money on and focus on getting quality that will last.

ITEMS THAT NEED MATCHES:

This section of your list is for all those printed items that need a match to make them work.  Is a there a jacket that you don’t wear enough because you don’t really like the top that goes with it? Write that down.  Is there a printed skirt that needs a top to match?  Maybe you eliminated a top that you always wore with that skirt in steps one or two of this 3 step process.  Now you need to replace that top.  Write it down on your list.  It is also helpful to take pictures of any printed items so when you get to the store you can remember what colors are in the print.  Better yet, however, is to set some time aside to go “match shopping” and bring all of your items with you so you can see not only how the colors work but also how fabric textures and styles work as well.  Try new items on with your old items and see how they work together before you buy them.

TRENDS I WANT TO BUY:

Make sure you leave some room in your closet for current trends that will keep your wardrobe updated.  Take some time to read trend reports (I’ll have one coming in the near future), and identify your favorite trends of the season.  Write these down so the next time you are shopping, you can pull out your list and remind yourself what you need to look for.  Trendy items can be less expensive because they are the most likely to come and go quickly and won’t need to stand the test of time.  Just keep in mind, the lighter the fabric, the more it will show your figure flaws.  Usually, the thicker (not stiffer) the fabric, the better the drape will be and the better job the item will do of disguising extra weight.

MY BEST COLORS:

If you have ever had the chance to have your colors done, you know how important it is to wear the right colors for your skin, but did you know that changing your hair color or going grey will change the colors you can wear? Your best colors do not stay static your entire life.  If you noticed that your closet is filled with a myriad of different warm and cool colors, that is an indication that you might not be sure what colors look best on you.  Honestly, this topic deserves a blog post all on its own, but let me summarize the steps to determining your best colors, according to the Color Me Beautiful method (Richmond, JoAnne.  Color Me Beautiful: 4 Seasons of Color, Makeup, and Style. Taylor Trade Publishing, 2008.)

1. Are you warm (desert panorama) or cool (snowy mountain scene)? One clue you can use is your hair.  Warms usually have golden blonde, strawberry blonde, copper, red, or chestnut brown hair.  Cools usually have ash blonde, grey, silver, medium or dark brown, and jet black hair.
2. If you identified yourself as a warm, you are either a Spring or Autumn.  Likewise, if you identified yourself as cool, you are either a Summer or Winter.
3. Next, categorize yourself as a light or a dark based upon your hair color.  Lighter colors of hair like blonde, light brown, light red will be a considered a “light.” Conversely, darker colors of hair like brunette, dark red or black will be a “deep.”
4. Putting all of this together then:
   1. Cool and Deep = Winter
   2. Cool and Light = Summer
   3. Warm and Deep = Autumn
   4. Warm and Light = Spring

I found a website that I think does a good job of giving great examples of this breakdown. Gabrielle Aruda breaks down this coloring system from Color Me Beautiful into more categories, as shown below. You can find some example color palates on her website.

So that’s it.  You’ve made it!  Wow! Great job! I’d love to hear your feedback on your biggest “ah ah” moments from going through this process.  And now…happy shopping!

Next week, I’ll be adding a bonus step focused on getting your jewelry, scarves, handbags and shoes organized too!

I hope you have enjoyed your newly organized closet! If you missed my Closet Clean Out Challenge Step One: Get Organized video, you can read my blog post for instructions on how to complete that step. Tonight, I will be recording Step Two: Refresh and Renew.

I performed step 1 on my own closet yesterday, and it felt good to get things organized. I totally enjoyed walking into my closet this morning and putting my outfit together. Everything looks so organized, and I can hardly wait for Step 4 when I get to organize my accessories! I eliminated about 20 items that I knew I would never wear again.  They were cluttering my closet, and having the extra space feels good! Heck, now I have the room to buy more…smile!

For those of you who are ready for step 2 in creating a closet that makes sense, this week’s step is called refresh and renew because we are going to take a hard look at what you kept.  I am guessing there were some items that you didn’t pull out because you just can’t bring yourself to get rid of them or because you rationalized their value in your wardrobe and the potential that you will…someday…wear them again.  I know you did this because I did the same thing.  This week, I have challenged myself to wear some of those “sacred cows,” as I call them.  If I can create an outfit that I like with them, they get to stay, but if not, they have to go.

As I have analyzed the top 10 rationalizations I used to determine which items to keep, I think they are probably some of the same ones you use too.  For me, these are the main arguments for hanging on:

1. I might lose weight and be able to wear this again.
2. If I would just take this to a tailor and get it altered I would wear it again.
3. This is still fashionable, and I still love it, so how can I let it go?
4. I wore this item for my anniversary with my husband so I should keep it for sentimental value.
5. I might need this for a party, vacation, or special event some day.
6. I wouldn’t be caught dead in this any more, but I could wear it around the house or when I go camping.
7. I can’t have too many sweaters, vests and coats; I live in Wyoming!
8. This is a classic that never goes out of style.
9. I can’t fit in this anymore, but I will use it as “motivation” to lose weight.
10. I just bought this item last year, so it is a waste of money to get rid of it.

Do any of these excuses seem familiar? Building from this, I think we can create a list of corresponding questions that will help you evaluate what you kept to determine if those items really do need to stay in your closet another year.  So, here is what I want you to do: go through your closet and gather up all your “sacred cows” (the items that you have probably considered letting loose before now but always talk yourself out of) and every other item you did not wear in 2022.  Take them out of your closet into another room and then, one by one, answer the following questions for each item:

1. I might lose weight and be able to wear this again. Is this item either my current size, ONE size bigger,  or ONE size smaller than I wear today? If the answer is “no,” it goes.
2. If I would just take this to a tailor and get it altered, I would wear it again. Can I take this item to a tailor in the next 10 days? If the answer is “yes,” put this date on your calendar and keep it.  If the answer is “no,” it goes.
3. This is still fashionable, and I still love it, so how can I let it go?  If the item is still in fashion and you still love it but haven’t worn it in a year, you need to evaluate why.  Take a minute now and try it on.  Maybe there is just a fit issue that you don’t like.  Perhaps it clings too much in the wrong places.  Maybe it is itchy.  Maybe it drains the color out of your face.  If you discover any issue with the item that has been keeping you from wearing it, it goes.
4. I wore this item for my anniversary with my husband so I should keep it for sentimental value. This one is tough.  We tend to attach sentimental value to items we wore for special events, and we hold on to them for that reason.  For me, the decision to keep these items is really about space.  Do you have the space to hold onto items that you will probably never wear again? If the answer is no, it goes.  Is there another place that you could store them, say perhaps a cedar chest? If the answer is yes, move it.
5. I might need this for a party, vacation, or special event some day. So I am particularly bad about number 5.  I had dresses I hadn’t worn in more than a year (and that I didn’t wear on my last beach vacation) that I was saving for my next beach vacation.  I had a hard talk with myself and they ended up in the “donate” pile.  After all, part of the fun of a vacation is buying something new for it.  Do you know for sure that you are taking a vacation or having a special event in 2020 that you would wear the item to? If the answer is “no,” it goes.
6. I wouldn’t be caught dead in this any more, but I could wear it around the house or when I go camping.  Do you already have enough “wear around the house” or “painting” or “cleaning” or “camping” items? (I’m guessing your answer will be “yes.”) Are any of those worn out? (probably yes again.) Consider adding these items to your comfy group after you have thrown some others out.
7. I can’t have too many sweaters, vests and coats; I live in Wyoming! Yes, hoarding coats and sweaters when you live in a state that has 6 months of winter seems to make sense, however, how many coats do you really need? Let me help you out: 1 long dress coat, 1 3/4 length dress coat, 1 casual coat, 1 sport coat (like a skiing jacket), and 1 spring coat.  Okay, okay…maybe you can add 1 trendy coat, but I’m giving you that one, coat hoarder….I’m speaking to myself here.  Coats are especially needed by the poor and disadvantaged, so that is even more incentive to get rid of them.  As far as sweaters go, if you didn’t wear it last year….guess what….it goes.
8. This is a classic that never goes out of style. Another particularly tempting rationalization for me is the “you should never get rid of a classic” argument.  Well, here’s what I know about clothing from having been in this business for over twenty years.  Even when manufacturers and designers bring back a classic like the blazer, they change it just enough to make the older ones seem out of date.  The changes are small things like length, number of buttons, collar style, sleeve length, etc., but they are just enough to cause your “classic” item to become “vintage.”  Here’s my rule for “classic pieces:” if you haven’t worn it in the last TWO years, it goes.  Oh, and just in case you need to know what items qualify as “classic,” here is a list: blazers; solid collared, button up blouses; layering pieces like tanks, turtle necks and light weight sweaters; suit skirts in neutral colors; slacks in neutral colors; basic black dresses.
9. I can’t fit in this anymore, but I will use it as “motivation” to lose weight. Okay ladies, I’m going to be in your business a little here.  Pardon me.  I have your best interests at heart, I promise.  Our bodies change as we age.  At 48, I am going through this very thing myself.  There are certain aspects of my body that will never look the same as they did five or ten years ago.  I am a BIG advocate for staying active and healthy, however, I am also realizing that I need to let some expectations about my body go.  Size 4 may be gone for me…I don’t know.  I’m working on it to see.  But, I definitely know size 2 is out, and I don’t want to work that hard to get back there any way.  If it is too tight or too small for me to get into, it goes.
10. I just bought this item last year, so it is a waste of money to get rid of it.  We ALL make buying mistakes.  Who knows why we do it? Maybe we were influenced by a shopping partner or we were in the mood for something new or out of the box that day.  Whatever it was that caused us to buy it, we have questioned that decision ever since.  As an example, I pulled a pair of floral wrap pants out of my closet during the first step of this process that I just bought last summer.  I wore them once and then passed them up the rest of the season.  Why? They really weren’t me.  If it’s new, but you keep passing it by for other things when you get dressed in the morning, it goes.

Okay, that’s it.  These are the top 10 rationalizations I have made (and I’m guessing you have made) and my answers for them.

If you want to watch my video explaining this process, watch my live video tonight. You can find that in our Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas Facebook Group

Snow softly falling outside in the diffused light of a overcast sky always makes me want to get cozy. And there is nothing like putting on a warm sweater to get me in the mood for colder days and hot cups of cider. Our cold snap last week made me crawl up to the top most shelf of my closet where I have my sweaters folded and pull the first one down for the season. It truly is one of the best parts of living in a colder climate. Maybe you also found yourself surveying your sweater collection. It might be time to retire some older styles and replace them with some of the fresh new trends in sweaters. This week, my “Picks of the Week” are some of the new sweaters for the season and a brief discussion of the most important sweater trends.

1. Chenille: Top left
There is nothing softer than Chenille and the fabric makes the coziest of sweaters. The only downside is that it can sometimes be bulky, so I loved this Chenille mock neck sweater that can be layered under a blazer or jean jacket. I also loved the color, as soft pink is still a significant color trend.

2. Cowl Necks: Top Middle
You’ll be seeing lots of wide necks on sweaters this season, as the “cowl” neck is making a huge comeback. This drapy style softens the face with folds of fabric that help draw attention upward. It is also very good for women who are busty, as it works well to visually minimize.

3. Abstract Prints: Top Right
I am loving all the beautiful abstract prints this season. It is a season for dip dyes, variegated yarns, and lovely colors that flow one into the other. I’ve also noticed that while there are some chunky knit trends happening right now, many of the sweaters are very light weight, almost meeting in the middle between a sweater and knit top. These types of fabrics are great if you run hot or are a little chunkier because they don’t add bulk.

4. Long Sweater Cardigans: Middle Left
Sweaters worn as jackets or as a substitute for more tailored blazers are a great addition to your wardrobe. The length makes them classy enough to wear to the office when you pair them with a blouse and slack. You can also style them casually with colored jeans and a turtle neck.

5. Nordic Sweaters: Middle Middle
Sweaters with prints that remind you of a ski challet are everywhere this season. These classic Nordic patterns almost feel retro, but designers have freshened them up with new colors and yarns.

6. Sweater Dresses: Middle Right
The classic sweater dress is always a great choice, and I love the versatility of wearing them with leggings and shoe boots or tights and tall boots. This style is a great look for the office, as it is easy to dress up, but you can easily pair a sweater dress with skinny jeans for a more casual style.

7. Sweater Tunics: Bottom Left and Middle
The season’s printed skinny jeans are perfect paired with a solid sweater tunic, and its fun to make the color combination a little surprising like pairing wine with grey. Light weight tunic sweaters also work great with your yoga wear and an added layer that can keep you warm in-between the car and studio.

8. The Classic Crew Neck: Bottom Right
Another blast from the past is the Pointelle crew neck sweater, which is making a huge comeback this season. Crew neck sweaters are perfect with collared blouses, providing a layered look that is classy and versatile matched up with printed slacks or skirts for a great office style.

9. Cropped: Bottom
The high rise “mom jeans” of the season work perfectly with a cropped sweater that is designed to just graze the top of the waist band of the jeans. This shorter style is also good with paper bag waist bands or tie front palazzo pants as well.

Maybe knowing the latest sweater trends has inspired you to unbox or, like me, bring down your own favorite sweaters. When you do, be sure to enjoy the feeling of wearing your first sweater of the season!

All of these sweaters can be found in Fashion Crossroads or on our online store in the Kyleen’s Picks Of The Week Collection.

It’s mid July and serious summer sale season starts next weekend at our annual Crazy Days event.  As we mark down summer and transition the store to sales racks, I always start looking forward to the new fall merchandise that will begin arriving in August and, in earnest, in September.  While most of you are just embracing summer, we in the fashion industry are already shifting gears to fall.

Most of my early fall deliveries will be from vendors that require pre-booking; in other words, I ordered this merchandise last February while I was at market.  That seems like an age ago with the last several months being so dominated with Covid-19.  I wanted to re-mind myself of the significant fall fashion trends, so I looked up several trend reviews and wanted to take a minute to give you an over-view of which ones I think we will see here on the streets of Casper, Wyoming.

Fringe: this trend continues to be strong, but the most edgy version of fringe has morphed into long, car wash style fringe.  While I doubt we will see much of this dramatic fringe, we will see fringe on purses, tops, accessories, vests and jackets.  This cute top from Vocal, as an example, added interest and detail with a layer of blinged up fringe at the shoulder.

Equestrian: look for lady like and tailored suits  as well as the return of the tall riding boot as a footwear trend.  Here in Wyoming, we love tall boots because they are so practical for our snowy days, and they work with everything from skinny jeans to skirts and culottes.  We are a little too casual for suits, so I don’t expect to see much of this trend make it here, but we definitely see the boots.

Grunge: this ultimate casual trend is the iconic plaid shirt tied around the waist and paired up with a graphic tee and beat up jeans.  It also includes camo prints and thick soled, lace up boots.  The teens can really take this trend to the edgy side, but for us older women, we need to just play around with some of the elements.  Take, for example, the picture above.  This cute camo printed top is nodding toward the trend, but we’ve toned the look down with a solid and not beat up olive jean and loafer instead of heavy boot.  Still, this is the trend driving the beat up (ripped, holes) jean trend so we will continue to see these jean styles take center stage.

Shag: shearling jackets will play a key role this season, and you’ll be seeing some serious shag in long coat cardigans, sweaters, and vests.  A little shearling goes a long way, and this look can add bulk so be careful to do this one in moderation.  A toned down version of this trend might be a shearling collar or detail as opposed to an all over look.

Cut Outs: this trend has been with us for awhile now.  It began with the cold shoulder styles and has now morphed into cut outs as a design element usually located around the neckline and shoulder area.  Notice the cut out triangles on the neckline of this top, as an example.  As with any trend, there is an edgy side and a conservative side.  With cut outs, it correlates to the size of the section that has been cut out.  The larger the cut outs, the edgier the item regarding trendiness.  To keep it classy and more conservative, choose cut outs that don’t show you bra strap and are small and tasteful.

Capes: this trend is one of my favorites because capes always make me feel very fashionable.  This is the perfect look to wear in the fall and is therefore something to shop for early in the season, as once the snow flies around here, it gets too cold to wear a cape. Another benefit of capes, is they really never go out of style.  Like camo or animal print, they just come in and out of being on the top trend list.

Chains: look for chain details on belts, handbags, boots, and the like this season.  The heavier gauge the chain, the edgier the trend.  This trend can move towards grunge and rocker, so be careful to keep the chains small and tasteful.

1940’s: it’s the season of lady like looks that hearken back to the 1940’s including shirt waist dresses and sweet polka dots.  Look for lady like suits, dresses and pant and top combos that highlight the design styles that were prominent in the 40’s.

Sweater vests: the classic men’s wear v-neck sweater vest will be a key trend this season, and they look amazing paired over a collard blouse.  Complete the look with with slacks or skirts for a classic office style.

Victorian jackets: this trend has been inspired by the movie Little Women.  These jackets often have puffed sleeves with a high collar and very tailored fit.  Another common quality are large metal buttons either running down the middle of the jacket or on both sides.

In the next weeks, I’ll be covering more fall trends including the key colors of the season.  Stay tuned for more blog posts or, to watch a video covering these trends, please join our VIP Facebook Group, Fashion Crossroads Fashionistas.  I’ll be doing a Fashionable Friday live video today at 6 p.m. MST and one lucky live viewer will win a free gift.  Join now.

We love practical and easy, don’t we?  I don’t know about you, but I am drawn to 3 steps to do this or 5 steps to do that books.  Somehow, knowing there is a fairly short list of things I need to do in order to have the desired result, feels encouraging.  So, in the spirit of getting right down to it, here are my 10 simple steps to becoming a smart shopper.

But, let me warn you right off the bat.  If you are looking for quick and easy, step 1 might seem a bit daunting.  If I’m being honest, it’s a bit OCD, but I am totally convinced it will make your life so much simpler, I want you to spend the time doing it.  The “it” I am talking about is organizing your closet.  First, go through your clothing and separate everything you haven’t worn in a year.  Take it out and put it some other place for a short time.  Next, seperate your tops, pants, skirts and dresses into different areas of your closet.  Then, seperate your winter tops from your summer tops and then do this with your pants, skirts and dresses.  At the end of this step, you should have all your tops together, all your pants together, all your skirts together and all your dresses together.  Within each of those sections, you should have your summer items seperated from your winter items.  Last, organize each section by color using the ROYGBIV acronym for the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.  Complete the rainbow by putting your greys and blacks after your purples and your whites and creams after that.  No, go back to the items you removed in the beginning.  Put all your classic items like black blazers, white blouses and black pants back into your closet.  Donate the rest.  Whew….sit down and rest a bit.

Why, you ask, did I have you go through that process?  Because now you can clearly see what you have.  If you have 20 short sleeved shirts and only 2 long sleeved ones, you know you need to balance out your wardrobe a bit in this area.  If you have 8 hot pink tops and no neutrals, you may want to shop for some great basics that will work with more things in your closet.  Make sense?

This leads us to step 2: make a shopping list.  Once you know what you need to shop for, write it down on a list that you keep with you all the time.  Shopping trips happen at unexpected times like while you are waiting for an appointment or when you have a few extra minutes.  Keep that list with you so that no matter when you shop, you can check it and stay focused on what you need rather than wandering aimlessly through the store waiting for something to catch you eye.

Step 3 also requires some work, but not to worry, I have a handy video that will give you a great start.  Shopping with a color palate will focus your shopping in amazing ways.  It will help you say “no” to items that you love but are in a color that is not flattering on your skin.  It will also help you have the confidence that when you get that item home, it will go with something else in your closet.

Step 4 is to know when the best sales happen at your favorite boutique or store.  For most of the industry, January and February are sales months for winter and July and August are sales months for summer.  Early markdowns happen in December and June as well.  Start checking back frequently in late December and late June to get the first chance at the best items.  If you wait to the end of the sale season, most of the great buys will be very picked over.

Step 5 is to use the store perks.  If your favorite stores have a layaway program with no fees, this is a great way to shop early in the sale season and put the items on layaway so you can pay for them a little at a time.  Does your store of choice have a rewards or loyalty program?  Make sure you are utilizing it and maximizing your shopping budget.

Step 6 is to shop for quality and not quantity.  Nothing is a great deal if you never wear it!  Don’t buy just because it is on sale.  In fact, when you consider the cost per wear of an item, in many cases you are better off to spend more on something that is higher quality and will last longer than less on something that is poor quality and will fall apart.  Check out my blog about cost per wear to learn more on this topic.  To determine quality, look at the button holes; they should be bound and not raw with clean edges and no hanging strings.  Next, examine the seams; they should lay flat with no ripples or bumps.  Then, look at the stitching; good quality items have 8-12 stitches per inch.  If the item is patterned, look at where the pattern comes together at the seam.  Does is match or is it askew?  The higher quality items will match the pattern all the way around the garment.  Last, look at the hems; a quality hem will be double stitched and will not be visible from the outside of the garment.

Step 7 is to shop alone.  I know, I know….you’re thinking that you need that teenage daughter or friend to tell you the truth about how something looks.  Who can trust a sales associate, right?  Well, speaking from personal experience, you can trust a good sales associate, especially one you have built a relationship with and who knows you and what styles and brands you like.  The problem with your teenage daughter or friend is that oftentimes their advice to you is based upon what they feel is a good style for them.  It is difficult for them to disassociate what they feel is stylish for what actually looks good on you.  At the end of the day, you are the one who has to wear what you take home.  Shouldn’t you be the one to decide if its right or wrong?

Step 8 is to buy or the body you have and not the body you want.  We get ourselves into trouble when we do one of two things: buy a size smaller than we need because we are going to loose weight or avoid buying anything until we loose weight.  The problem with both of these lies in the same basic principle: when you feel good about how you look, you feel more motivated to do better in other areas of your life.