Post #56: Something to Note - A Don't

            Yesterday I had plans to meet with a friend for 1:00 brunch. I don't know whether I just got ready really quickly or overestimated the amount of time it would take to get gas, but I ended up being close to 20 minutes early for my lunch date...so I decided to walk around. 

            As I was walking, there was one woman whose attire caught my eye. She was wearing a straw fedora, sunglasses, a black top, wedges...and pajama pants. Tight at the bottom, loose at the top, and made in some horrendous material, these pants made me wonder what the heck she was doing out in public. 

            Today, during my daily perusal of various fashion blogs, I saw something. I sat at my laptop, staring at it in disbelief. This pajama business is a Spring 2011 trend. 

            Now, I'm all for trends. They can be really fun. I report on them. However, trends that look hideous should be banned. And even if yours are designer...keep them inside. Or better yet, if you haven't bought a pair to wear out and about yet, DON'T. 

Picture From: http://fashion.elle.com/

Post #55: Fashion on Film - April Showers

Yes, yes, I too have a calendar and know that it is no longer April. However, in honor of all the rain we've been getting in the tri-state area recently, I decided to post one of Burberry's cutest marketing strategies to date. Models Sebastian Brice and Cara Delevingne show off the April Showers collection to the sounds of Madness' "The Sun and the Rain." And if anyone can tell me where to find what looks like the blue version of the Brightly Coloured Perspex Trench Coat that is seen in their photo ad campaign (see photo below)...please do. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy Creative Director Christopher Bailey's genius in an attempt to be the rainy day blues. 

http://us.burberry.com/store/content/experience/spring-summer2011/april-showers.jsp#/april-showers/womenswear/5

Post #54: The Closet Challenge - A Bit Of Research

            While ideally my closet will end up looking like Carrie Bradshaw's in the first Sex and the City movie (see video clip below)...that may be (structurally) out of the realm of possibility. 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3D5Lm7FNtAAHLGny4SakqvBf6Bk57hiJqmkSZJY62DLk1PqyzUvkZaFWk_qtu_OpoPrNzxGZ3L1um4e0v4Z5G8Bxr3dHG2UlFEmbZn3OxRJWxSoIsjOgtzu6zLBYQ7AQolIyFA05gkM/s1600/sex+in+the+city+closet+2.png

(Go here for a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO-kM8am5zc&feature=related)

            However, in my quest to make my closet pleasant to be in and completely organized, I did look up some of the "best" closet organizing tips. So here they are:

• Good Housekeeping came up with a cute idea: the "once-a-year fashion show." "Empty the closet, then try on each garment in front of a full-length mirror. Does it fit? With what outfits and on what occasions will you wear it? Does it need mending? Will you ever be able to get out that ink stain? Separate pieces into four piles: keep, mend, donate, throw away. Follow the same steps for shoes." I don't know if I'll try on everything in my closet, but I definitely will be cutthroat when it comes to weeding through my wardrobe for donations.
• Good Housekeeping also suggests using see-through boxes or easily organizable bins to store accessories and shoes. 
• A tip I found on HGTV.com suggested really thinking about how much you use certain things. If something in your closet is only seasonal, put it in storage elsewhere. If certain things come out once a year and have no other place in the house, put them on the highest shelves. This tip may sound like a no-brainer, but it may be something that is too often overlooked. 
• I don't know if I'll be able to pull of this other HGTV tip, but one closet organizer suggested leaving some empty shelving to make things feel clean and spacious. 
• I also hear (and have read from many sources) that the best way to store your shoes is in their original boxes with a polaroid on the front. 

Let the organizing begin. 

Post #53: The Closet Challenge

The Before

             Do you ever feel like your closet is an unorganized mess no matter what you do? Like it always gets cluttered no matter how many times you pull everything out and "reorganize" it? 

            I do. 

            

            To be fair, most closets need reorganizing (however minor) at least once a month. When I interned at a fashion design company last summer, there were many days where I was asked to clean and organize "the closet." After all, it makes sense. If you love clothing, you're gonna go shopping and get more clothing...which then needs to fit in your space. If you don't walk around naked every day, then you're constantly pulling things out of your closet and putting them back in. By nature, closets get dirty. 

            Yet the trouble with this is that dirty closets aren't nice to open...and they tend to absorb random things that have been "missing" for months. 

            So, here's the challenge: I am going to completely reorganize my messy walk-in closet (and I will cut myself some slack: I did just return from college for the summer...so a lot of stuff just got thrown in there). And I am going to do this by Friday. To prove it to you, I am posting before and after pictures of my walk-in. Wish me lots of fashionable luck!

My Fashionable Apologies

Due to Finals Week and vacation without proper computer access, posting on The Mannequin's posting has been suspended. It will resume today.