Virtual What Not to Wear

I think I've mentioned before that my sister lives in NYC and works in fashion. It's a pretty big job and she's a pretty big deal. Needless to say, we live two very different lives.

While I'm at home in the suburbs playing blocks and making endless peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, she is spending her weekends in the Hamptons, texting celebrities about outfitting them, and prepping for Fashion Week.

To say that she's less than impressed with the percentage of my clothes that come from Target is an understatement.

But, the added benefit is that whenever she comes to visit she plays Clinton from What Not to Wear and I play the pathetic fashion-inept sister. Lots of sarcasm and brutal honesty included. It's fun.

Unfortunately, she doesn't have any plans to visit coming up and I needed help, so I decided to utilize technology and host a virtual WNTW with her via email. I took picture of the things in my closet I hadn't worn in a while/wasn't sure about/couldn't decide if they were cute or heinous (sometimes that's a thin line) and sent them her way. Her comments ranged from:





in response to my button down blue/white striped oxfords "keep them, they're basics and very versatile"

to "God No Throw This Away NOW" when I sent her a picture of a green/white printed cocktail dress. I was hanging on to it because I thought it would be really cute on a cruise or something. Because I go on a lot of those.



While I'm a freak of nature and love cleaning out my closet (almost) more than anything, I've still been hanging on to some things that I don't feel great in, or that aren't really part of my life anymore. Like "going-out shirts". We all have 'em. Back from the days when we used to "go out". Does anyone still go out? Sadly, I think the only going out I do is to Chili's. Fancy. Needless to say, there was no reason to hang on to these no matter how much I loved them.
I took a long sigh and added them to the consignment shop/holy crap my life has really changed pile. It was growing by the second.

I read once that women wear 20% of their closet 80% of the time. I think that is so true. We always go for the pieces we love, feel good in, and make sense for our life. The rest just sits. Yet we have to sift through it every time we go to get dressed. I just got sick of sifting and honestly, I don't have the time. I want to LOVE every item in my closet. I want to feel good in it. And I want to know that no matter what I pull out I'm going to look good.

I read this article in the New York Times about a movement called "sixing" where people choose 6 items of clothing in their wardrobe to wear for an entire month- accessories/jammies/workout clothes excluded. Some of the people are anti-consumerism, some just wanted to see if they could do it. The most interesting part of the experiment? Most people never even noticed they were doing this. I find this fascinating. They wore basic clothes, wardrobed them differently, added cool accessories, and looked professional enough every day that no one took notice to their limited wardrobe.

While I think this is a little extreme, I love the concept. Cute, basic clothes that you feel good in, but creatively mixed with statement accessories to make more outfits than you thought possible.

My plan is to finish my closet revolution by Sunday night and start fresh Monday morning. If nothing else, I'll definitely give my sister some weekend entertainment :)