closet

How To Create a Wardrobe Shopping List

September 13, 2014 by Bethany Siggins

There are at least two approaches to creating a smart wardrobe shopping list. One way is to assess your wardrobe for basics versus personality pieces.

Why do you need a shopping list? For starters, most purchases are impulse buys. And let’s face it, it is difficult to have a wardrobe that works for you if it is full of impulse buys. Any guilty parties out there? Tags still on oodles of items in your closet? Yep, that’s what I thought. Stop it. Make a list and stick to it.

First, assess your wardrobe for basics. These are the foundational building blocks of your wardrobe. You might also think of wardrobe basics as classic pieces, the items which are always available (in some version) year after year.

Basics/Classics include:
a white cotton shirt
a blazer (or cardigans)
quality, well-fitting t-shirts
a few skirts (in lengths & shapes that flatter)
dark wash, straight leg jeans
flat-front pants
a few blouses
a day dress
a cocktail dress
a leather handbag
a leather pump
flats
quality bras (in the correct size) and
good underwear

How did you do? Write the missing classic pieces on your shopping list. Next, list them in order of priority. You cannot build a home with no foundation. The same is true for your wardrobe. These foundational pieces help to create well-balanced outfits. However, you may not need every item on this list. If you never attend cocktail events, skip the cocktail dress. If you are a skirt girl, skip the pants or vice versa. Tailor this list to your taste and your needs/lifestyle.

Of the classics/basics you own, are they in good condition, do they fit and are they representative of your taste and style? If not, toss them and purchase new ones.

Second, assess your wardrobe for personality pieces. Do you have any? What are personality pieces? Perhaps they are pieces you gravitate towards in the store that you are not sure you can pull off. Of course you can! Go for it! Often a personality piece is a twist on a basic or a classic. It has a slightly different design, color, texture or pattern to it.

Personality pieces may include drop earrings, cocktail rings, printed scarves, patterned tights, colorful handbags, over-sized sunglasses and so on. These pieces show others who you are. Personality pieces are mixed with classics to make interesting, well-balanced outfits.

If personality pieces are sorely lacking in your closet, write “personality pieces” at the top of your shopping list. The next time you shop, if you gravitate towards a basic/classic, but you know your highest priority is to find personality pieces, step away from the classic.

Some of us are classic girls, and some of us are personality piece girls. And some of us are both (guilty)! Too many classics makes for a lackluster wardrobe, but too many personality pieces make it difficult to create well-balanced outfits.

Happy Weekend, everyone, and thanks for reading. Make a smart wardrobe shopping list and stick to it! Most of all, stay fabulous.

Amp Up Your Career Style

July 25, 2014 by Bethany Siggins

I was recently asked by Polished Dallas, an organization that connects young professional women to discuss career and faith, to write a blog post. Since my subscribers may not have seen it, I wanted to share the post with you here on my blog. Enjoy!

It has probably happened to you on countless mornings. You drag yourself to your closet, and you stare blankly into the abyss of clothes, uninspired and uncertain what to wear. Chances are when you started your career, you purchased the basic work wardrobe required for your job. The trouble is, that basic wardrobe does nothing to excite you, and it most certainly does not communicate your personal style.

My Best Tips

There is hope! Here are my top 5 tips for adding pizzazz to your hum-drum work look.

(1) Start with color. Admit it, your wardrobe is a sea of black, brown, navy and gray, isn’t it? Make a concerted effort to look for colorful tops to wear under jackets. A raspberry heel, a cobalt blue handbag or a turquoise necklace would also do the trick. Wearing something colorful to work brings a smile to your face and it makes those around you happy, as well.

(2 Look for pattern. This one goes hand-in-hand with color. An outfit that lacks pattern is a real snooze. Stop playing it safe by purchasing only solid colored pieces for your closet. Patterned tops and shells look outstanding under basic work jackets and cardigans.

(3) Add eye-catching “third” pieces. A third piece is my word for blazers, jackets and cardigans. No work look is complete without one. You may not wear it all day, but at least you have it on hand for meetings, luncheons and events where you wish to look smart and credible. When buying a blazer, steer clear of the banker look. Look for shapely cuts, an intriguing texture or creative details.

(4) Seek out interesting shapes and details. In other words, look for classic pieces that go beyond the classic formula: pick a leopard pump over a basic black pump, try a printed sheath dress if all of your work dresses are solid colors, or experiment with a-line skirts if you principally own pencil shapes.

(5) Let your accessories do the talking. Accessories are the “soul” of your outfit, and they tell your story. This is where your creativity and personal style is best expressed at work. Even if your closet is full of wardrobe basics, your image takes on new life with fabulous shoes, handbags and jewelry. So even if you would rather play it safe with your clothing selections, you can still look like a woman with a strong sense of her own style with the right accessories.

I can help!

So, get out there and start sprucing up your wardrobe with these tips in mind. If you need help, call me. I would love to assist you!

Be A Red Tulip

March 14, 2013 by Bethany Siggins

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My family and I enjoyed a lovely outing to The Dallas Arboretum last Saturday to view the annual Dallas Blooms. The flowers were out in full colorful force, and everywhere you looked the view was breathtaking.

One Tulip Stood Out

On the way out of the Arboretum, I was stopped in my tracks by a red tulip blossoming in a sea of yellow daffodils and tulips. It made me smile. The tulip was not concerned about its color being different from the others. It simply bloomed. The red tulip struck me as proud of not looking like the others.

You Are a Red Tulip

Each of us is a red tulip in a field of yellow flowers, beautifully created as a unique individual unlike any other person in the history of the universe. Despite our fine, special design, we often cover up the things that make us unique to look like the yellow flowers around us. Why do we do this?

Celebrate You

Downplaying the things that make us different is counter to the greater plan for our lives. When we celebrate ourselves just as we are, we are opening ourselves up to the opportunities we were made for and the people we were meant to know. When we relax in our skin, we feel better, we are happier and the result is evident to everyone around us. To make ourselves into the yellow flowers is a wasteful exertion of energy and, quite frankly, a sad way to live one’s life.

Embrace your differences. You look like you do on purpose. Embrace being a red tulip!

You Can Learn A Lot About Yourself By Cleaning Out Your Closet!

July 15, 2010 by Bethany Siggins

Readers, please give a warm welcome to Ellen McKinney, Ph.D., guest writer to my blog this week. Ellen, take it away!

A few years back, I conducted a research study on the reasons women keep clothes in their closet that they cannot wear because the clothes don’t fit! Reasons were related to weight worries, garment worth, sentimental value, or aesthetic value of the garment. One conclusion of the study was that women should be allowed to keep these clothes. Just box them up, label them, and keep them somewhere besides your everyday closet.

Inspired by a talk Bethany gave to my fashion styling students, I recently cleaned out my closet. Anything that was not my color was out! Anything wrong for my body type was out! Anything that didn’t fit my current body was out!

I learned something in the process. The kicked-out clothes all had something in common. Each had a special detail on it—embroidery, appliqué, beading, pleating, interesting seams, or a ruffle. I bought each of these items because I LOVED something about that garment, while ignoring my education on what colors and styles are best for my body. The light dawned! These garments were bought because they express “me”. My fashion design education draws me to these types of details in garments.

Now, I buy only things that are my color, my style, AND have those special details that make my heart flutter. The great result has been that I have a much easier time mixing and matching the clothes in my closet—no more “wrong color”, “wrong style”, “don’t fit” wardrobe land mines.

I encourage you to be brave and clean out those clothes that are not productive members of your wardrobe. Here’s my helpful hint . . . you don’t have to get rid of them immediately or at all . . . just get them out of your current closet. Getting dressed will be so much easier and you’ll feel so much happier. You just might learn something about yourself!

Ellen McKinney, Ph.D.

Fashion Design Instructor, The Art Institute of Dallas