Closet Cleaning: One Step at a Time

It is downright discouraging to view my overstuffed closet! Yes, I delightedly rediscover fabulous items when I begin to sort through it. I firmly believe that I want to keep most of it, so I'm challenged trying to imagine how to organize it. Yesterday, I decided to devote some time and I managed to organize one drawer. In the process, I discarded several things (yay!), and added a new container for items that don't belong in the drawer. I filled a tiny plastic four drawer Sterilite-type chest with sewing, jewelry-making and other craft items, spare shoe laces, and rarely used clothing accoutrements (sashes and bows, neck ties, self belts) that I had dropped into the drawer for lack of a designated space.Then I cleaned and newly arranged the drawer to be able to see my jewelry (I know what's in the closed boxes). In the resulting array, I featured a name tag from my mom (and her pair of colorful wooden cherubs) that make me think of her and smile each time I open the drawer.

Before: This became a junk drawer for personal items I use occasionally, or want to save. Originally, it contained some jewelry and mementos (still at the bottom of the drawer in nearly original position). Click photos for larger versions.

After: mostly brooches, belt buckles and watches, plus angels -- "Mom" and "Aunt Eleanor" -- that were souvenirs from their 1982 visit to me in Germany. In the before photo, the angels were individually wrapped inside the Crown Royal bag.

Today, I also made an easy decision to delete two working pieces from my wardrobe.

Our friend Margery sent a photo taken at our group holiday in Mexico in June, in which I wore a white sleeveless blouse. Immediately, I thought I looked old and unattractive, even though I have liked the blouse. It fits properly, with darts that match my figure, no gaps between the buttons, and rows of tiny pleats sewn vertically down the front. It is classic, in a quality cotton poplin. But it didn't look stylish or flattering -- just ordinary at best. I know that my Renaissance Man (hubby) will agree that this blouse isn't great on me, because he told me so recently, and I ignored him (with no time to change, and happy that it fits well).

Two evenings ago, I wore my charcoal grey t-shirt knit cotton skirt to hang out with friends. Although I paired it with an interesting and attractive Splendid top, and multi-strand African beaded necklace, I felt somewhat dowdy. I knew the skirt wasn't working, but I wore it anyway, intending to ask C and M if I should delete it from my wardrobe. I forgot to ask, but upon examination after I returned home -- and recalling that I was not complimented on my outfit -- I happily decided that I could part with the skirt. Just to be sure, though, I am wearing it today around the house, styled completely differently than the other night. This time, instead of loose top with oversized bottom, I am following the fashion rule that allows for only one of those pieces to be oversized, and wearing it with a cranberry v-neck sleeveless shapewear top. I've disguised the drawstring waist by using a long scarf as a belt. It looks much better, but still doesn't flatter. The skirt, by Cut Loose, is meant to be comfortable, which is great for my laid back local Hawaiian lifestyle. I remember when I bought it on sale at Macy's in Kona, and thought it was a great basic piece for my wardrobe. It is a terrific basic -- just not for me! I want to look great while feeling comfortable, so I need to learn a lesson from these two fundamental separates. Quality notwithstanding, all clothing must fit well and must flatter me. Doh! Shouldn't I be able to apply that knowledge by now?

During the many years that I was skinny and petite, oversized just looked too big on me. I still looked good. Now that I work to stay trim, oversized clothing adds weight, especially on a petite frame. Also, conventional classics sometimes look ordinary. Lessons learned. Out you go, skirt and blouse!

Closet Cleaning: As Easy as ABC

Alphabet image from Nir Tober's Flickr photostream.
© All rights reserved by Nir Tober

Not quite.

For some, minimalism comes naturally. My husband happily discards almost anything; I seek an alternate use, or a new user, before I'm willing to part with items. I make jokes about being a hoarder -- without doubt I am a collector -- but bristle with denial when accused of hoarding. A bit too touchy about that, eh? A few years ago, my niece Becky said to me, "I don't know why you keep all this stuff. It's just going to be thrown away when you die." Gulp! She may be correct, and this has prompted me to begin to catalog my possessions, so that details and values are identified for my estate. The first thing I did was to catalog my books on LibraryThing. Then I searched for, and "test drove" a few, similar sites to catalog other possessions, but haven't found anything nearly as good as LibraryThing. I need to organize and catalog my art, jewelry, mid-century modern furniture, antique furniture, valuable housewares, and collections of natural objects. If you know of a web-based tool for this, please leave me a comment. For the time being, I've begun to use blogs (private and public) to record the information, and for the past year I've used polyvore to catalog wardrobe additions. It's imperfect, but captures images and original price/vendor info.

Most importantly, I need to condense and organize, before I begin to catalog my entire wardrobe. Between 2001 and 2004, we spent nearly equal time in the Bay Area and on the Big Island. Since we owned two homes, I had built a decent wardrobe in Hawaii, and had a huge one in California. For a couple years, I thought that I couldn't give up San Francisco's rich culture and the excitement of Silicon Valley, but I found myself not wanting to leave Hawaii very often. So we sold the California house. I got rid of many of my life's possessions, and disposed of 70% of my clothing. I lament the loss of some things, but I'm surviving. Of course, I have acquired too many things since 2004, and my closet has become overstuffed and unmanageable. It's to the point that I don't even know what I have to wear!

I know the rules for downsizing a wardrobe, and had some successs culling mine again prior to my September vacation. One of my destinations was South Africa, and I envisioned taking a suitcase full of highly desirable, like-new pieces of clothing from my wardrobe. This made it much easier for me to part with perfectly good items that I just wasn't using -- I was able to imagine what a great score it would be for a poor person in Africa, and that made me happy to part with it.

As it turned out, I didn't take the clothes with me. The friends I was visiting did not want any more clothes to donate. They had distributed too many things too many times. So, I moved the clothes into a large plastic garbage bag, and now think I'll try to consign them, or perhaps sell them on ebay. If I don't do either within thirty days, I'll donate them.

My quest to organize and itemize my closet is tedious, and involves tasks that I find unappealing. I don't want to part with most things. So, I procrastinate. I read blogs, forums and articles about how to clean my closets. Virtually nothing applies to me. I require many categories of clothing. Exercises, such as this one by the Closet Coach, don't apply to me, except within one of my subcategories.

My first category has three overlapping subcategories:

Resident of Hawaii wardrobe:
Every Day Wear  (82°F daily around the house and resort -- mostly rayon, linen, cotton sleeveless)
• Jams World, Glima, Cinnamon Girl style clothes. 
• lightweight shorts, capris, pants
• lightweight tank tops, camisoles
• lightweight  Ts and overshirts
• casual skirts and dresses
• yoga and workout clothes
• Bathing suits, hats, and cover-ups
• open sandals and wedge slides
Aloha Wear - Resort Wear (separate, but some overlap with every day wear)
• Tory Richard, Tommy Bahama, Ralph Lauren style clothes
• tropical print silk dresses, sheer shawl
• Silk tanks, tees, camp shirts in tropical prints and colors
• Silk bermuda shorts, skirts and capris in solid colors and neutrals
• Holiday - special occasion wear
• Golf and tennis separates
• Dressy and sparkly sandals
Upcountry Wear and Outdoor Gear (our nearby town is at 2500 feet, and has a 5° - 30° cooler climate than the coast)
• Anne Klein, Jones New York, INC style clothes
• jeans and khakis, all lengths
• dresses, skirts, tops -- coordinated separates
• 3/4 sleeve and long sleeve tees, sweaters, sweatshirts, tops
• jackets, rain gear, gloves
• Special occasion wear for cool to cold evenings
• flats and pumps, socks and stockings, boots, hiking shoes

My second category addresses my desire to maintain a tightly-edited Classic Business wardrobe with a small sub-category for my Hawaii-specific wardrobe needs as a State Political Delegate 
Range: cool to tropical climates
• skirt suits
• professional dresses
• blazers, jackets, cardigans
• dress pants and skirts
• silk button down shirts and tees
• classic pumps, flats, loafers
• hosiery

Third and fourth categories are for an International All-season Travel wardrobe that covers urban-chic clothing for spring and fall in London or Amsterdam, summer in Manhattan or San Francisco, winter in Saint Petersburg, or any season in the High Sierra or South African wild animal parks. The fourth category covers Special Occasions such as weddings, funerals, fund-raisers -- sometimes in other climates and sometimes in other cultures. These two categories overlap somewhat with my "Resident of Hawaii" and/or "Business Wardrobe" subcategories.

The fifth wardrobe category is for my Vintage Clothing, specifically outfits by Janice Wainwright. I haven't decided if I want to create a category for my high end, designer ready to wear and runway pieces, but may do that as well, although each piece will work within other categories. I don't have many, but I do treasure them, and wear them with care whenever there's an appropriate opportunity. I also need a category for Accessories, primarily to identify my scarf collection, but also to itemize pareos (sarongs), belts, hats, and other accessories. One category may suffice for both Shoes and Handbags, but I the final decision will be made when I begin to enter them.

You never can own too many necklaces!

I view Jewelry as separate from my wardrobe categories, since insurance requirements are specific.

Am I missing any wardrobe categories? Is there a better way to categorize and inventory my stuff?:

Scarves

On my way to Amsterdam, I had some time to kill in O'Hare Airport. I was wearing my favorite travel outfit, a scoop-neck, 3/4 sleeve knit tunic in an oatmeal color, black leggings, my unbeatably comfortable NAOT Matai Maryjanes (in which I can walk on cobblestones for ten hours without any discomfort), soft black socks, and the Alexander McQueen scarf that -- surprisingly -- I've received the most compliments on of any I own. It's made of 90% modal and 10% cashmere, with fringed edges, and is a very generous 52 inches square.

When it's rolled up and draped around my neck, there's no indication whatsoever of those engaging skeletons, unless I unroll and unfold to reveal them. Between flights, while sitting in the Red Carpet Club, I worked out a new (for me) way to tie it. Nearly immediately I began to receive compliments, and they never stopped.

Tonight I played with other scarves, and was able to replicate the same wrap and tie method that I devised, this time using my Folklore scarf:

I'm not sure about the pearls; they're really only for the photograph. Feeling quite capable, I grabbed another, my cream colored Armoured Skeleton and Rope scarf, and fiddled around a bit more, for these two looks:

and this version, which I prefer, and which shows off a bit of the McQueen Tartan that's in the shields on the scarf:

Now I've just got to improve my skills as a photographer! Being able to focus would be a good start!

Losing Weight

Since the first of August, I've been limiting my calories to basic nutrition, with a few treats, and exercising a bit more. Tracking it all, using the fantastic and free iPhone app LoseIt, has helped me to remain disciplined about not snacking or grazing when bored. Since August 2, I've lost 5.4 pounds. I can tell that it's not water loss, and I am thrilled!

To reward myself, I learned how to tie this knot in my fabulous Folklore scarf from Alexander McQueen:

I'm preparing for another long journey next month that includes a semi-formal wedding weekend in Maine, followed by a week in Amsterdam, a week in South Africa, and a long weekend in London. I have been playing with Polyvore to plan my outfits. Such fun! I haven't finalized my travel wardrobe yet, as I am learning the limitations and possibilities of Polyvore. Where unable to find the exact item of clothing I own, I search for an equivalent one in style and appearance -- and often these equivalent items cost much more than my original items. I think that I am a careful and savvy shopper who gets a lot of value for money well spent ... but perhaps I'm just another addicted consumer.

I think I have the wedding outfit decided (minus jewelry, and that will determine choice of wrap), and a good idea of what I want to wear while I'm living the city life in Amsterdam and London, but challenging style choices remain. Today I will try to decide on the jewelry I'm going to take. At the moment, I'm wearing two pretty 18-inch cultured pearl necklaces (7 to 7.5 mm) that I tried on earlier; they probably are too sedate, although I have decided to begin wearing them again. The wedding guests have been encouraged to display their finest bling. Since I'm traveling on to Europe and Africa, I don't want to carry valuable pieces. I have a rhinestone rope, vintage 1920s, that I may take ... although it is virtually irreplaceable, and thus just as valuable as my "real" gems.

Also, when I peruse my closet for travel items, I come across more options for Africa, including an attractive sturdy khaki skirt with large pockets, and several other safari-style garments. We will camp in an elephant park for two nights, but I can't justify having the skirt for that. The marketing for the Cape Town hotel features Eastern European looking babes in sexy, chic clothing ... so would my skirt just be dowdy, even with a crisp white blouse? And will my Teva hiking sandals do the trick with socks on -- or do I need sturdier shoes? It will be spring when I'm there.

Posing and Taking Photos of Myself

Today I found this post by Imogen with a few tips about posing for photos.

I wish that I looked like this model (below), so that I wouldn't need to worry about photos. I find that I mostly dislike how I look in photos; this wasn't true ten years ago. It seems that I may also need to reconcile my feelings about cosmetic surgery...

My favorite outfit from Alexander McQueen's Resort 2012 collection is here. I'll try to acquire it at end of season sales. Wish me luck!

I love the look of the entire collection, actually!

What I Wore in England and Cornwall

Here's what I took to England and Cornwall:

And a few outfit shots. First, my Chanel jacket with lots of pearls, worn to Afternoon Tea at the Lanesborough Conservatory. Such a disappointing tea, extraordinarily overpriced.

Quite unexpectedly, we were invited to the Mehndi Lunch of a Pakistani Muslim groom and Indian Hindu Bride. This was held at the Royal Aeronautical Society in Hamilton Place near Park Lane. We were told that friends of the groom wore red, and our connection was to the groom, so I wore this outfit (being unprepared) but with my red jersey shirt, instead of the white one shown in my “tryout photo.” We walked the half mile from our hotel, and my feet were killing me! Never again will I walk in heeled shoes that haven’t been tested.

Here, I'm dressed quite casually for breakfast at our hotel in Bath ...

For our special day at Avebury and Stonehenge, I was able to wear my Alexander McQueen skull scarf with my red tunic and black leggings, both by Eileen Fisher, along with my favorite Naot ‘Matai’ shoes.

Creating Outfits for my Chanel Jacket

Putting outfits together when traveling for two weeks with a minimum number of pieces of clothing is an enjoyable puzzle. I discovered that Caroline intends to check a bag, so I don't need to limit myself to carry-on luggage.

Of course, I don't like how I look; I need to lose five pounds to look better in anything. Also, it is much too hot in Hawaii to try on these layers, and I'm sweating in all of the photos as I try on the outfits!

At any rate, here are four looks with my Chanel jacket. Instead of the black dress, I may just use one of the black tops and the black skirt that I am taking already. 

One accessory that I may take, but am not wearing in these photos, is my black cuff. I'll wear it when my wrists are exposed.

I gathered all of my faux pearls and layered them with a black dress. I think it needs a belt, but I don't want to break up the all black line. Not sure what to do to polish this look. Or is it silly? I've never worn all the pearls together before; even though Coco Chanel was an advocate, it seems risky. I learned that Chanel style was tamer ... more dignified. But I do like to wear my Chanel jacket with jeans.

For many years, I wore a perfectly tailored man's black flecked wool jacket as my primary coat about town in San Francisco. I dressed it up or down as needed, and it always worked. It's still in my closet, even though I've moved on. But what about the somewhat campy look of layering with pearls? Does it make me look top heavy? Can it be improved?

Not sure about the belt, seems like it needs another element ... but what?

Another option is the same outfit with my Circus scarf. I prefer this look.

I could drape the scarf in the center, and add a large brooch to the jacket. Any other suggestions?

I have a gorgeous embroidered satiny silk shirt from Shanghai Tang that's probably wasted in this outfit:

Does anybody think this looks good?
Jacket: Chanel (autumn 2009 runway)
Shirt: Shanghai Tang
Pearl necklace: Deltah
Skirt: Ann Klein
Boots: Cole Haan

Even though I love the look of an untucked shirt hanging longer under a jacket, I'm not comfortable with it on myself. I was trained to view that as sloppy. So, I'll probably leave this shirt at home, and stick with the safer white button down shown earlier:

Travel Jackets

To be practical, I travel with a large black hooded windbreaker that is water repellant, and that fits over several layers of clothing without a problem. It has velcro openings in the arms, armpits, sides, and other spots for ventilation, in case it's raining but too warm. It's not pretty, but it's proven to be a valuable, lightweight travel jacket.

But I want to "honor my closet" by wearing some of my special pieces during my upcoming trip to the U.K. Normally, I take a more generic, safe travel wardrobe.

I'm trying to decide between taking my vintage wool batwing jacket by Janice Wainwright:

batwing jacket by Janice Wainwright from the 1970s
olive green wool, with cinnamon and black trim

or my Chanel jacket:

Chanel jacket (09A)

black and navy boucle with fringe and black trim

I think either one works well with my black basics, and each would give the basics a completely different look. The cape can go to the theatre (War Horse), and the Chanel jacket can be worn to high tea at the Ritz. The jacket presents a space issue, as it's kind of bulky and I don't fancy traveling in it. The batwing jacket is a definite go -- it packs very nicely.

More to ponder.

Scored on eBay

I bought this Hermès Circus carré (scarf) on ebay for just about $100. It has a couple tiny spots, so that means I'll wear it with far less concern about damaging it. Plus the colorway works with my travel wardrobe, so this will be the Hermès scarf that accompanies me to England and Cornwall. :-)

p.s. I want to amend this post today, 20 July 2011, to reflect that I carefully hand washed this scarf before I traveled. The colors brightened most beautifully, and the spots disappeared. It smelled better and felt softer. The original size and shape remained perfectly (It's not square as photographed, but is in real life).

Seven Basic Pieces

These items of clothing, plus a few accessories shown here, form the core of my travel wardrobe:

1. black ponte pants (by Not Your Daughter's Jeans)
2. black straight leg jeans (also NYDJ)
3. white v-neck top, 3/4 sleeves (by Carole Little)
4. black long sleeved turtleneck (by Carole Little)
5. short, straight black knit skirt (by Ann Klein)
6. black and white graphical print dress (by En Focus Petite)
7. dressy black vest with lace overlay back (by Charles Gray - London)

In the photo are my seven basic pieces of travel clothing, a couple of scarves and a bag.

So far, I've added my lipstick red silk chiffon scarf (by Laura Ashley), and my Alexander McQueen silk chiffon skull scarf, along with a vintage quilted leather Bally bag with a woven leather and chain strap.

Better photos will follow!

Choosing Accessories

I am in the process of narrowing down the myriad scarves, shawls, capes and jewelry that I own to select key pieces to complement and accent my travel wardrobe.

I own quite a few beautiful scarves, but only one by Hermès. I want to take it out of retirement and put it to use on my upcoming trip. The problem is that its flame red has more orange than the lipstick red (tops and cardigan) that will accent my basic blacks. Sigh ... wearing it only with black and white does not meet my versatility goal. However, it only weighs 2.5 ounces (plus the weight of a protective ziploc bag). Okay ... to use or not to use?

It will work well with black basic separates, and with black pants or skirt, white shirt, black vest, but I hope to figure out one more use. Maybe a lightweight gold camisole and all else black, plus the scarf?

First things first. I can't present accessories until I've specified the basic pieces of clothing I plan to take. A photo session is required. Stay tuned.

On my Wish List, In my Dreams

If I had an unlimited budget, I would buy Jan Hilmer's Lily Hooded Jacket without hesitation. Beautifully cut, it is a glamorous and useful outer garment for traveling to England and Cornwall! A hip jacket to wear in London, it works as a practical coat in the country as well.

Also, since last year, I've been lusting after Alexander McQueen's celtic lace leggings, but I never submitted the final purchase button. After all, I'm only one year shy of age sixty! Since I'm age nineteen in my brain, usually I go with that. But my fear of being viewed as a foolish older woman desperately trying to look younger prevented me from completing the purchase.

Perhaps if I lose ten pounds I'll become more courageous. :-) I think those leggings are fantastic! I most definitely would have worn them in my twenties and am attracted to them in the same way today.

As of this week, however, I never may be able to own them. They've been sold out since February at Alexander McQueen boutiques; the last retailer I could find that sold them was Nieman Marcus. This outfit (includes the leggings) has been on my wishlist at NM, and now the leggings are unavailable.

It's probably obvious that I'm experimenting with polls within blog posts. Please humor me, answer my poll below as well, and feel free to leave a comment if you have more details. I'll report on the answers in a future post.



What Shoes to Wear with the Leather Jacket and Lace Leggings?

Once I reached age 36 or so (23 years ago), I began to wear lower heels and actively seek comfortable, chic, supportive shoes. At home I wear orthotic but attractive sandals with good arch support and cushioned footbeds. This limits my footwear choices, but makes a huge difference in preventing a tired and aching back and legs after a long day on my feet. Typical "slippahs" (flip flops) are worn by most folks in Hawaii, but don't work for me.

Christian Louboutin's footwear earns consistent rave reviews for sheer beauty and perfection in design, but also for comfort while walking and wearing his breathtaking designs. Of course, I never could wear heels as high as the model wearing the celtic lace leggings and Victorian bustle dress above. However, I'm pretty sure that I could handle these Sexy 85 open toe pumps from the master himself, and I'm very sure I can handle his 70s. Perhaps it's a dream, but I've set my intention to find a bargain price for the perfect pair of Loubies!

Perhaps the real question should be this: With the gothic influences in these two pieces, am I trying to channel my niece Shannon? Hmmm .....
;-)

Alexander McQueen

Starting to Plan for England and Cornwall

My good friend Caroline and I have scheduled a long weekend in London, followed by a few days in Salisbury, Bath and surrounding areas. Then we'll move on to Newquay in Cornwall for five days before returning home after fourteen days in total.

In London, we'll stay in a nice hotel near Bond Street. Each of us wants to be able to create several "city chic" outfits out of as few basic pieces as possible. We also want to wear boots, something that is silly to do at home in Hawaii. Because boots are heavy and large, we'll need to wear them while in transit, which is a bit of a hassle at airport screenings. But it's the only way we'll be able to achieve our goal to travel with just two small bags.

Two pieces of carry-on luggage -- that's the idea, anyway! I'll take my trusty 22-inch Tarmac bag from Eagle Creek (fits in overhead compartments, except on tiny commuter jets), and my Eagle Creek Tarmac large duffel for under the seat. The duffel has an external "sleeve" that slips over the retractible handle of the 22-inch rolling bag for easy wheeling through airports, on trains, and in cities. The duffel functions as an oversized purse, and will contain my actual purse (including wallet and other contents), camera, iPad, iPod, iPhone, chargers and adapters, in-flight essentials (a topic for another post), jewelry, medicines, and a very important addition, my Eagle Creek Getaway Tote, in matching Palm Green, that folds to nearly nothing, but can carry my purse, electronic devices, camera, jewelry and travel toiletries on the return trip as a third bag if needed. I don't plan to acquire anything, but who knows? I can always check my 22-inch duffel, and slip the getaway tote over the handle of the 22" Tarmac.

This is different from the way I traveled last October, when I carried an additional 25" Tarmac that I checked on 14 flights (8 domestic, 6 in Europe) and carried on 3 trains. It was much more work, but that holiday spanned six weeks in total, including three weeks in Europe that included climates ranging from bitter cold to very warm, from dry to wet. In this photo, taken with my sister on our first day in London, I'm wearing black travel basics, including boot cut black Not Your Daughter's Jeans, a lightweight black crew neck sweater from Jones New York, truly comfortable Keen MaryJanes in black nubuck, and a burnt orange v-neck sweater from Kenneth Cole. In my city backpack, there's a black water resistant oversized hooded windbreaker, pashmina/scarf, and gloves.

Last year's travel look (with Jill in London, October 2010)

During the first week of my trip (while in Michigan for my 40th high school reunion), my daughter spotted two dresses on sale at Macy's and encouraged me to to take a dress on my trip. After a week in Michigan, and a few days in Denver, I lightened my suitcases by leaving reunion clothing, and one dress at my sister's house near Lake Tahoe. The dress I took to Europe, an abstract print sheath with cap sleeves by AGB (a Macy's house brand?), turned out to be appropriate on several occasions. Below, it's paired with an August Silk cardigan, blackish brown patent leather belt, black hose, my B. Makowsky lambskin zipper hobo, and well worn Keen MaryJanes. Another time, it was topped with a brown cotton shirt by Glima that matched the brown in the dress, and Patra sandals by Crocs in solid chocolate brown (my favorite Crocs by far; alas they are out of production). Separately, I teamed the Glima top with a matching Glima skirt.

It strikes me when I look at the two photos of me that the outfits above would be greatly enhanced by complementary scarves. The style focus of our next trip will be fewer basic pieces with more scarves and other accessories that vary the looks.

It's too bad I don't have an import export business from the UK to Hawaii, because I'm able to check up to three 70 pound bags without charge thanks to my frequent flyer status. I wish I'd have remembered that last October when I shipped wine and olive oil from Italy to the USA. I would have saved a significant amount if I'd shipped it to my London hotel, and bought a couple of suitcases there to bring it home with me on the airplane.