Creating a Structured Style

By Bridgette Raes

For the past few years my family and I have been dealing with my grandmother’s short- term memory loss. Over the years it has continued to worsen and now we are at the point that we are realizing that in order to keep her safe, happy and well we need to enforce some more structure in her life. So the word “structure” has been present in my mind lately.

In any situation, the more structure you put into place, the better you will be able to handle it or stick with it. Think about a time that you decided that finally you were going to lose weight and get healthy. What helped you achieve that goal? Structure, of course. By putting into place the weight-loss strategies, plans, supports and goals that you kept while going after your goal, the less your plan could slip out of existence. Humans just do better with structure.

Your wardrobe is no exception. I have asked many women if they have some sort of a structured plan when they go shopping or with their wardrobe. In many cases, I find that most women do not. The truth is, in order to maintain a great style, you must have structures put into place that will help you develop, maintain and keep a positive personal style. Here are some structures to think about using:

Organizing the closet

Before you can become an effective shopper, you need to identify what is currently in your closet. The New Year is a perfect time to get a handle on closet organization and where you can get a sense of what your shopping needs are. Last week, we spoke about purging your closet to rid yourself of anything that you no longer need. Once you have done that, you can get a better sense of what’s in that closet that you actually wear.

The problem is that many of the remaining pieces now need additional help. For example, you may have some pieces that are great singular items – what I have referred to in the past as orphans. These orphan pieces are great items, like a funky top, that you never wear because you simply have nothing in there to wear it with.

Take these orphans from your closet and ask yourself this: This favorite piece would be great if it only had ______. You fill in the blank. It could be some a great accessory, a cool skirt, a pair of boots, whatever. The point of the exercise is to focus on those things that you identify as missing.

Your first reaction may be that if you knew what the missing pieces were, you would have bought them already. But this may not be the case. Many shoppers don’t think this way and often just buy something without thinking it through. As a result, the closet becomes full of those dreaded orphans.

Remember that these orphans may already have their mates in your wardrobe and you just hadn’t noticed.

Once you start identifying the missing links, start making a list of needs. The most important shopping tool is to always know what you own currently. By making a list, you will be better acquainted with what you have.

Magazines and catalogs

Magazines and catalogs are great tools to start developing structure. By using these tools, you can window shop while lounging on your couch. The practice of reading magazines however, also requires a certain amount of structure. I know that I often get overwhelmed by all the magazines and catalogs I receive. It seems like I have barely gotten through one month’s issue and the new issue is already waiting for me in my mailbox. Magazine reading can become an overwhelming experience if you don’t put structures into place. Here are some great tips I have put into place to keep my magazines from piling up. Organizer Lisa Zaslow, resident columnist featured below, would be so proud.

• Keep all your magazines in one easy-to-access place. I keep my magazines in my living room right next to the couch. Every month when a new issue comes in, I immediately throw out the expired issue, even if I didn’t get around to reading it. If I finding that there is a particular publication that I frequently toss without ever reading, I consider not renewing the subscription.
• For those of you who read Lucky Magazine, the smartest thing they did was put these peel-and-stick tabs in the front of each issue. You can peel-and-stick these handy stickers on stick anything that you want to remember. This is such a smart idea that you don’t have to be a Lucky Magazine reader in order to benefit from it. Simply purchase small Post-It notes and keep with your magazines and catalogs. If you see something you like, tab it with a Post-It note. You can even write down why you like the particular item.
• You may have noticed that after the month is over and your new issue of a magazine has arrived, you still want to remember your tabbed items. Instead of letting these old magazines pile up, simply create a file folder where you can store the tabbed pages. Tear out the tabbed pages and toss the rest of the magazine. This way you can still keep your magazines organized.

Before you go shopping, take some time to look through your tabbed pages or the magazine pages in your folder. Before your shopping trips, you can start making a list of things you want to look for.

Shopping

If you have done any of the exercises above, you’re now in a better shopping mode. You have taken some time to identify your needs and you know exactly what’s in your closet. In addition, last week we spoke about creating a new style for the New Year. So watch out – you’re armed and ready.

Another thing I encourage is taking a chunk of time for shopping. I know that this is virtually impossible for any busy woman. The idea of giving ourselves a chunk of time to get to some stores seems ridiculous. But if you can fit three hours for a shopping trip in your schedule, it will keep you focused on the task at hand vs. being haphazard. If you squeeze a shopping trip in between other tasks or on the way home from work, you may find that you are not focused on shopping and that you mind is elsewhere.

When you walk into a store, try to get an over all feel for it. If you want, you can do a quick “once over” before grabbing things. When you get to a rack of clothing, take your time. I remember once looking over at another woman who was shopping. This woman casually thumbed through a rack of clothing as if she was thumbing through a magazine in the waiting room of her doctor’s office. I remember noticing several things she casually flipped by that would have been perfect for her. Don’t let yourself zone out while going through the racks.
When you find something you like, take a moment and ask yourself the following questions.

• What is it about this piece that I like?
• What do I have at home to wear with it? You should identify two pieces at home that you already own.
• If you don’t know of something you own, ask yourself what could you could buy to go with it. Don’t forget your orphan rule.
• How would I accessorize this piece? Accessorizing is key to a great outfit, don’t leave home without it!
• Do I have the proper shoes, belt or bag to wear with this? I notice that because many of us are so “black-heavy” in our wardrobe, if we want to buy a brown pair of pants, we don’t have the shoes to match. If you don’t think you are going to invest in some shoes, belts and handbags to support your new color, be realistic with yourself. The last thing you want to bring home are pieces that require shoes that you don’t own.

Perhaps when clients are with me they are willing to be more experimental, but I always find that when I take a client into the dressing room, we have armfuls of clothing to try on. I quickly notice that everyone else on the dressing room line has a fraction of what we do. I encourage all of you to be experimental with what you take in with you. In most cases, a client will say to me that they never would have tried something on if I wasn’t with them. So if you walk by something that catches your eye, try it, nobody charges you to try something on. There is no harm in experimenting. An exercise you can try is to take something into the dressing room that you wouldn’t normally bring in. You never know.

If you are familiar with the store and their customer service, you will know whether they will be helpful with you in the dressing room. Most times, stores are not. So I always encourage taking more than one size into the dressing room, just in case. There is nothing more frustrating than having to get re-dressed to go and grab another size. Never expect that there will be anyone around to help. This is an unfortunate fact.

Bringing it home

Now that you have made some purchases and brought them home, take some time with your wardrobe. Go through your new purchases and introduce them to your existing wardrobe. You can even take it a step further by creating outfits and recording them for future reference. One tip is to take Polaroid or digital pictures of your outfits and tack them to the inside of your closet door to display the different outfit choices you have created.

Caring for your clothing

A final way to create structure for your wardrobe is in the care of your clothing. I recommend a sectional hamper. Use one section for the clothing you launder at home and another section for the dry-clean-only garments. When it is time to take your clothing to the dry cleaners, it’s all in one place and not creating clutter. I keep this hamper right next to my closet, so when I get undressed, I can simply toss the clothing into the right place.

When you bring your dry cleaning home, take it out of the bags immediately. Storing dry cleaned clothing in the bags is a detriment to your clothing. Keeping clothing sealed in dry cleaning bags keep air from getting to your clothing which will eventually break down the fibers and ruin your garments. In addition there is nothing more frustrating than trying to find anything when it is sealed away in plastic bags.

If you have something that is precious that you choose to protect, choose a fabric garment bag for storage or puncture air holes into the dry cleaning bag. Another tip I recommend is to cut off the top half of a dry cleaning bag and place it over your garments so that the shoulders are protected from dust that can settle.

Many of my clients get frustrated when I tell them to fold their sweaters. In New York especially, space is usually tight. If you must hang a sweater, instead of hanging it the traditional way, which can stretch out the sweater, fold the sweater over a hanger. You can use the hangers you get from the dry cleaner for this, as long as the hangers have that thin cardboard roll along the bottom half of the hanger. This cardboard usually has a slight adhesive quality, which will keep your sweaters in place. In addition, the cardboard keeps the hangers from bending out of shape.

Structure makes perfect

Your wardrobe doesn’t magically manage itself, it takes a certain level of discipline, especially in the beginning, to really master your wardrobe. Like anything else that is introduced into your life, like dieting or exercise, you will naturally resist it. But like any other structure, the payoff is so great. In time you will find yourself naturally enforcing the orphan rule, and see the value in creating outfits in your closet. Over time, managing your wardrobe will become second nature.
Remember, we are here for you and if you hit a stumbling block, let us know. We always welcome any questions, and can assist you with overcoming your clothing struggles.

(c) 2005 Bridgette Raes Style Group