Claire Kennedy Design

I have nothing to wear!!! (aka Closet 12-step Program)

Knowing how to put together a garment is undoubtedly freeing and empowering, but it's real hard to make it work for you without knowing some organizational basics like keeping your closet from becoming a source of Young Frankenstein's nightmares.

This may be a "work in progress" - meaning there will be updates.  But I wanted to start with the basic method I use to organize my clients' wardrobes that has made their closets so functional for them.

Yikes!!!  Is this the closet of a green-lovin' redhead or what!!!! Oh wait I see a spec of red in there (albeit tomato)!!!!!

1. We all live by color - some colors are good on us and some are bad.  Find out what your color is and stick with it.  I've seen a white suit on a beautiful red head, and it clashes like crazy - a natural oatmeal looks terrible on a peaches-n-cream raven-haired beauty.  But put that white suit on that  raven hair, and natural oatmeal on that red-head, and they shine.  Colors do mater.
2. What is your life style - and this will change with your life.  You're that single, sassy lass who's never w/o a dress for a date,  then before you know it, suddenly you're running carpool and that LBD (little black dress) doesn't seem to fit your bod, much less your carpool extravaganzas.  Where are you now?.....are you single and like to be social?....are you single and like to be discriminating?....are you a mommie running carpool?.....are you getting the kids ready for college?.....are your kids' friends getting married and the wedding invites are running out the mailbox?.....are you empty nesters traveling?.....have you found that wonderful "retirement" home next to a beach?  See, even if you are the same person through all of these stages of life, each stage has a completely different wardrobe need.
3. What side of the casual/formal scale do you tilt?  Every one of us has a casual and formal mood, but do you tend to be more casual?....is your work more casual?....or formal?  These answer will help you figure out what's best for your wardrobe.
4. Something just as basic as how do you like to dress?....do you like to toy around with your clothes and create different ensembles with the same separates?....do you like to put on the suit and charge out the door?  This can also help you figure out what's going to work in your closet and what doesn't.

OK - not quite like the MMPI test, but almost!!!!  You should have a pretty good idea about what sort of life you lead, your colors, and what you need to work in your closet.

Cleaning out your closet

This isn't as hard as you think.  I know.  I can hear the collective groan right now.  This will take about 3 hours, and put on some peppy music, and you'll work right through it. 

1. Make up your mind what organization or thrift shop is going to get your goodies.  I use Goodwill, cause they don't call me endlessly, and because they really do use most of their money and donations to do good for others, but whoever - Jr. League Thrift Shop - the local reseller down the street - find out what they require (usually cleaning and on hangers) and get set up to make a donation which they will adore!!!
2. You're going to start with 4 categories:
   1. Absolutely no way this is going back into the closet - Goner
   2. This was my aunt's most favorite - Think About It (TIA)
   3. Out of season, but works in my wardrobe - Seasonal Storage
   4. In season, I love it, it works - Keeper
3. Now time to start.  Don't get too sidetracked, and make these stacks as you go along.  If you're not sure about whether you can give something up?.....will I use it again?.....it's one of my most favorites and I had the greatest time in it 20 years ago?.....then put it in the TAI (Think About It) stack....deal with that later.  The Goners go to the thrift shop or donations.  The Seasonal Storage goes out of your closet temporarily, and voilá - look at the space you have in your closet.
4. Next.  Go through and look for holes - no, not moth holes (although you can do that too), but do you need a white blouse?.....do you need a black pair of slacks?.....do you need a classic navy skirt (you better not be a red head looking for that navy skirt unless you have a neutral on top - remember colors)?  Check out what you might need to fill in, and this is your "want list".  Now you're prepared to really do some serious sewing and some serious wardrobe management.
5. TAI  - This can be a multi-purpose stack.  You can keep some of these things or you can do away with them.  The bottom line.  If you don't wear these in a year, you probably don't need them and they probably don't fit in your lifestyle.  I don't care how many pounds you loose and how many good times you had in that LBD from your college years, it isn't going to work for you now.  An updated and age-appropriate (which is an entirely other blog), will be much more functional for you.

OK, we all have those moments when we're in the fabric district of NYC when we instantly have this puppy-love infatuation with a piece of fabric....a dress....a style....whatever!!!  Actually, I'm pretty much OK with this.  But here's the bottom line.....if you walk away and are still thinking about it or do you see something better in the next shop?  Is it still on your mind weeks later?  Guess what - that ain't infatuation...that's true love!!!!  What I usually do is write down the info and number - merchants can do phone/internet orders as well as in person.

I know this is a lot of info in a short space - I'll probably do lots of editing here,  but these are effective methods I've used to cull out the most packed and useless closets I've done.  They really work, and it takes usually 3 hours. If you keep up with this and go through your closet seasonally, it takes about an hour - 2 hours a year and what do you get?

• You know in a flash what you need in your closet and what you don't - no more buying that 4th pair of black pants.
• Every item you have in your closet works for you
• Your closet is "hiding" anything any more, you can find stuff - finally!
• You actually do save time and a lot of stress.  You know what you need, you get it - you know what you have and don't need.  No more over-crowding.

Basically your life is a lot simpler, you'll loose weight, and you grow richer - OK, the weight and richer thing are probably exaggerated, but the simpler part is NOT!!!!

Good luck, and post your stories here - would love to hear some great horror episodes  - - "OHMIGOSH - I didn't know that thing was in here!!!."  It's also fun to hear the kids comments "Mother - you didn't actually where THAT  (while pointing to your beloved LBD) did you?"

Ooo-wa, ooo-wa, ooo-wa Kitty....

OK - That shows my age, but it's how I feel about New York City.

I love New York City - it's like a candy store for me...plus - like the song says (paraphrased a little), if you can find your way around in New York, you can anywhere!  I don't seem to have any problem when I get to the fashion district. Actually NYC is just a huge conglomerate of little neighborhoods, and most people are very familiar with their own neighborhood.  Doesn't this picture just scream "Mary Tyler Moore?"!!!

This is the beginning....40th & 7th....this is how I find my way around.  If I make it here, I know exactly where I am and know where I want to go.  Of course there's a moment of silence for the halls of fashion design, and then quickly start .

How could one place hold so many ribbons.  This was just one wall out of an entire room - actually this is just 1/3 of one wall of an entire room, with more ribbons in the middle of the room.  But somehow I manage to overcome the visual barrage and make my way through the yards of beautiful things. 

M&J not only has ribbons, but trims, cords, piping, buttons and other sorts of magical things.  The old store is mostly the buttons, while the new part is the trims and ribbons.  It's really an awful lot to absorb quickly.  So I had to come back - what's a poor girl to do - ho hum!!!

Next is fabric.  This gets a little more complicated.  There are a number of good fabric stores with nice selections, but there are an endless number of fabric stores - up and down the streets on both sides.  Fortunately I've been in most of them and know how to negotiate my way around.  But again, I have to make a quick visit then trek back on my own to do the real meat of the work.  Work!!!  This isn't work - this is fun.

During the day it's fun, but night it's always concerts.  I'm a musicoholic, so I have to get my fix of that too while in New York.  See here for more about the music part.

This is a quaint little button shop on E 62nd...can you possibly imagine spending less than 5 hours in this place?....and what's worse New Yorkers don't know what they have cause it's there for them every day!  The have the most exotic and fabulous buttons.

Because of the theater and fashion industries, New York and Los Angeles (because of the movie business) are the two great sources of fine fabric.  In Canada, most major cities have their own fabric areas that are flush with a fine selection of fabrics.  American women are born and raised on ready-to-wear, but European and Canadian women prefer custom made dresses for their special events.  This makes it increasingly difficult for women to find fine fabrics in the US.  It is changing, but ever so slowly. 

For me, going to New York, is like hitting the mother lode, and I can not wait to visit, and am always working to get as much done while I'm there.  By the time I'm home, if I'm pooped, I know I've done a good job.  This time it's taken me two days to recover!!!

And my fabric hasn't arrived yet from NY - it will be like unwrapping Christmas presents when the package comes!