Designer Donald Pliner

I love Donald Pliner shoes and boots and have several pairs.   They are really comfortable and with the exception of one pair that squeaks periodically, I love them.  I especially love the quote I recently read from Donald Pliner himself  which is, “When your feel are comfortable so is your body, mind and soul.”   The next time someone tries to tell you that your shoes can be “broken in”, walk away.  It’s not true.  Are the comfortable from the start?  If not, move along.

The Uniform Project

Have you heard of the Uniform Project? theuniformproject.com By wearing one dress for 365 days a year, a group of women are discussing style and sustainability while raising money for good causes.  Could you do it?

I’ve been busy…

It’s been a very busy spring and my commitment to blogging has gone by the wayside this last month.  Almost embarrassing but not quite.

When things are busy, I think that’s good.  Stores in general seem to be full of people and they seem to be shopping.  Say what you will about that, but it seems like good news given the past year.

I was at Nordstrom the other day and you just can’t get enough of the beautiful spring dresses.  Tons of color and texture.  Beautiful corals, aquas and greens.  It’s so great to see after the winter even though at least here in the Pacific Northwest it’s been quite beautiful.

While I work on blogging more and keeping my commitment to myself, I challenge you to take this weather and this season and start wearing some color.   Add a little pizazz to your usual black, gray or brown this time of year.  I could almost go as far as to guarantee that it will motivate you to do whatever it is you’ve been putting off.  Trying something new does that for me.

Looking within

I was working in a couple of different closets last week.  One was quite full, the other had just the bare bones, if that.  Both people longed for “something more” in their wardrobe.  Two women with completely different styles both wanting a look that they felt comfortable in.

One would think that the “full closet” would be  the one with the most choices.  Think again.  Often times there is so much in your closet that you really have to look within and figure out why you have been:  A.  spending with so much abandon or B.  what it is you were looking for when you bought all of that stuff.

It brought me to a thought, which was, “Just because you have a full closet doesn’t mean you have a great wardrobe.”  In fact, it CAN mean you have a useless wardrobe.  Useless in the sense that having a packed closet full of stuff that makes no sense is almost worse than having hardly any clothes.  The guilt that comes with having a full closet of stuff you don’t love is a total drag.

There is something you can do about that though, and that is to start today, from this point forward, only buying clothes you love.  And I mean LOVE.   Clothes that speak to you about who you are and how you want to present yourself.

It takes time and effort and it’s not always easy.  But in the end, I think you’ll find it’s worth it.

My week

Well, I had a busy weekend (yoga retreat)  and a busy week.

I’ve been in several closets this week and I am here to report that people are really ready for a change.

A new look, less black (or blue or brown) and some fun.  Let’s face it, with this weather… three storms in one week, it’s hard to think about dressing in color (at least it is for me).

If you do one thing this weekend, try to find some color in your wardrobe.  It doesn’t have to be a transformation, it could just be a scarf or some special jewelry.  Believe me, every little bit helps and some color (and change) could do you some good.

Don’t Panic, Get a Second Go-To Outfit

So, some of you know that I plan my outfits for the week on Sunday night.  I recommend everyone do it.  I mostly do it in my head at this point.  Anyway, I wore my favorite “go to” outfit yesterday and spilled something on it.  It’s a dry clean item so when I turned my calendar page to tomorrow, I realized that I need a second “go-to” outfit and I need it now.   Tomorrow is a day when I really need my   “go to”  look.  I”m going to a business meeting in the morning where I will be doing a lot of networking.  I AM my business so I try to follow my own rules and one of them is have a “go to” outfit.  After today I know I need two.  I spent some time in my closet this afternoon (15 minutes) and figured out a second look.  It’s a little different but it’s also “me” which is my goal (and should be yours) every time you get dressed.

The Glitter Gala Was Amazing

1943 Vintage Costume Jewelry/NYC

Thursday night was the Seattle Goodwill Glitter Gala and I have to say it was a blast!   This is the second year in what I hope will be many years of  a fun, entertaining and worthwhile cause.  There was a silent auction in advance with about 15 fun pieces “discovered” at various Goodwills in and around Seattle.  I purchased an amazing circa 1943 necklace that I loved so much I wore it on the spot!  What a great place to pick up a fun piece of “time” and also help a great cause.    There was also a raffle auction.  The highlight of the evening for me was a trip down memory lane with the theme of the night of “The Sound of Music”.  Each wardrobe change coming down the runway had a backdrop of a movie and the movie theme set the stage for what kind of look each model wore.  Picture the perfect clothes from “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” or “Austin Powers” and you have an idea of the kind of evening it was.  I can’t wait to go again next year!