Why I'm aiming to only have 10 items in my wardrobe (Part 2) - Deciding what's in and what's out....

Do you have a wardrobe stuffed full of clothes but still find you don't have anything to wear? Do you take ages to find the 'right outfit?' How about your shopping habits? Do you end up buying the same type of item of clothing but just in a different colour, or spend wildly on an item one season and find you dislike it the next? Or worse still buy load of on sale items because they're a bargain (you'd never buy them at full price) and end up wearing them only hand full times? How confident are you about how well the clothes in your wardrobe actually represent who you are today? Are you happy with them?

Well, I was like that until I discovered the idea of the capsule wardrobe or (the 10 Item Wardrobe). It's changed the way I dress, the way I shop and helped me identify my style and it's all because I was really inspired by Jennifer (author of the book Lesson from Madam Chic) to try and come up with my own version of a customised capsule wardrobe.

"The point of the (capsule wardrobe) is to free yourself from jam-packed closet full of ill-fitting, underused, or poor - quality clothing. Your ultimate goal is to create a wardrobe that you love, in which every item of clothing speaks to who you are, and to create space for your clothes to breathe- by eliminating clutter."

Latst week I wrote about how I came across the idea of the capsule wardrobe. If you'd like to read that please click here 
http://reliablerealist.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/why-im-aiming-to-only-have-10-items-in.html

So today I will discuss how I actually got started with my capsule wardrobe and how you can too. Specifically how do we start to choose which items we should be keeping and which ones we should be discarding.

But before we proceed let me say this again 10 Item Wardrobe should not be taken so literally. You don't have to follow exactly 10 items. Mine is not 10 at the moment I am happy to manage 20 and it looks amazing. I love everything in it and even though I actually have less items than before I never feel like I dont have anything to wear! So no need to panic about throwing or giving away your clothes it's about doing what works for you.

Your wardrobe should roughly consist of 10 items (or more) but do not include:

-outerwear (coats, jackets , blazers),

-accessories (scarves , gloves , hats and wraps),

-shoes and under shirts/vests, tank tops or chemises that you wear as under layers.

The point of the capsule wardrobe is to ultimately free yourself from a jam packed closet full of ill fitting, underused or poor quality clothing. Your ultimate goal is to create a wardrobe that you love and that at a moment notice you can pull out any item or mix and match full confidence knowing you will look great and that fully show off your style and personality. It also creates a space for your clothes to breathe where there is no clutter and save you time and money.

Also the capsule wardrobe is assessed each season and items are interchanged accordingly.But before we can start to work out what should be 'in' we have to work out what should be definitely 'out!' i.e. It's time to clear out the clutter...

Clear out the wardrobe clutter

Before you finalise your 10 (or more ) items, clear the clutter from your closet. It is very important to physically clean out your wardrobe and only have your 10 items (plus extras discussed above) hanging. It is very easy to think you’ll just wear your 10 items during the month but still keep your other 100+ clothes jammed in the wardrobe ‘just in case’ or out of sheer laziness or lack of anywhere else to put your clothes. But the physical act of taking all of your excess clothing and getting rid of it or storing it elsewhere is very powerful and prevents you from ‘cheating’.
During the process of clearing my closet clutter I took the plunge and got rid of 70% of my wardrobe. This, for me, was a tremendous accomplishment. 
I sold a number of items on eBay, gave some to family and friends and donated the rest. Giving my clothes away was so much easier this time and I attribute this to the physical act of taking it all out and assessing. When my excess clothing was all thrown on my bed and one by one I assessed each garment, I asked myself a few key questions that helped me to let go.

This is my pile of clothes that I decided not to include in my capsule wardrobe

Wardrobe Assessment Questions:
“Do I still like this?”- in so many instances I was holding on to something because I paid a lot of money for it- not because I actually still liked it.

“Do I ever wear this?”- I had so many clothes that I simply did not wear- some I hadn’t worn in over two years! - and inherently I knew I never would wear again, but for some reason I couldn’t let go.

“Does it still fit/ look good on me?”- People gain or lose weight, have babies, and get older - bodies change! It is important not to be in denial about your current body shape. Dress yourself for current body – not the body you used to have or wish you had.

“Does this article of clothing still speak of who I am?”- This is a very powerful question and in most instances the answer was a resounding NO. I was holding on to blouses and skirts that I purchased in my early 20s (I even found a few baby doll dresses- yikes!). A lot has changed since then. I am a wife, a young mother.My tastes are more refined and sophisticated. Those clothes were not right for the new me.

Getting rid of your excess clothing is definitely a process and you might not be ready to discard everything the first time around. That's all right. After you sorted the items you no longer want and still have a lot of excess you can store the rest in space bags or a container in the loft. You'll be surprised how you can go for an entire year without them and probably forget them totally.

It works on every budget and on every size. You have to dress with the body that you have and with the budget you have now. Everybody can look good. You can look beautiful. You don't have to be a size 0 super model or buy all designer clothes to achieve the capsule wardrobe. It works absolutely for every body.

Do not be intimidated by the number 10. Ten is just a guideline. You can have 15, 20 or more core items if that works better for you. It's not about the number but the new way of thinking about your wardrobe. 
So go ahead, when you feel ready start de-cluttering process and say goodbye to all those clothes you no longer really need or want. 

I know it can be a bit daunting and you don't know where to start so feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Then next week , I' ll share and show you my own Spring 2014 capsule wardrobe to work for me and how you can too....

I would love to know what you think. Please leave me a comment below or if you wish you can also email me at annadizon.rr@gmail.com. I try to respond to every comment or question.

See you next week! xx

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All quotes in italics are excerpts from the book Lesson from Madam Chic.

DIOR Addict Lip Glow

Ladies you know how important it is to keep your lips protected and moisturised so for me I love DIOR Addict Lip Glow because not only does it do that but it also amazingly reacts directly with the unique chemistry of your lips so the colour adapts to your skin tone and enhances your natural colour giving a healthy 'pop'.

So you can be confident it's sure to be always the right shade. It's perfect for me to give an immediate appearance of fresh, shiny and plumped looking lips day after day. The SPF 10 formula continuously protects and hydrates. This product enables me to achieve an effortlessly beautiful, refreshed appearance.

In my opinion lip balm is a must so I recommend DIOR Addict Lip Glow as it not only moisturises your lips leaving them soft but at the same time acts as your own customised lip stick.

Perfect for a lovely "no makeup" look and natural, healthy, rosy looking lips.

I would love to know what you think. Please leave me a comment below or if you wish you can also email me at annadizon.rr@gmail.com. I try to respond to every comment or question.

Have a lovely weekend! :) See you next week! xx

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Why I'm aiming to only have 10 items in my wardrobe...

I used to look at my wardrobe on any given day and think "I've got nothing to wear" even though it was rammed full of clothes. Other times it would take ages to find the 'right outfit' or I'd spend ages digging out hidden items of clothing all in the search for something fresh to wear.

In spite all of this every time I'd go shopping I'd end up buying the same item of clothing (how many black cardigans can you wear?) or similar styles (just different colours). When I did try to vary from the norm and buy that expensive item I'd find the next year I no longer liked it or it didn't go with anything else - all to the detriment of my wallet!

Worse still, in spite of this ever growing mountain of clothes, the bulging wardrobe and numerous articles of clothing, I'd invariably always end up wearing the same thing which would lead to a vicious cycle of crying "I need more clothes!"

This was me - can you relate? Are you also tired of the same thing? Well I started to do something last year and it's revolutionised the way I dress.

My wardrobe is now lighter, neat and compact and yet I know everything compliments each other. Best still I know on every given day I can pick up an outfit to wear in minutes knowing it will look good and I'll feel great in it.

My shopping habits have changed and I now spend less but yet have better quality outfits that don't go in one season and then out the next. If you're interested I'd love to share the how, why and when all of it with you.

It all started last year when I read the book Lessons from Madam Chic by Jennifer L. Scott. Amongst all the witty stories, anecdotes and glimpses into elegant lifestyle of a Parisian family with whom she lived. The author shared something she learned called the capsule wardrobe.

The capsule wardrobe, in essence focuses on refining your wardrobe - down to 10 core items, After reading it, I was so inspired to try it I found myself nodding in agreement, and sometimes saying "YES!" out loud!

The author notes how French people repeat items multiple times per week. I agreed with her “people should have more to worry about than how many times you wore a particular item clothing...While in Paris, I observed the beauty of the ten-item wardrobe. I noticed that the French people whom I saw on a regular basis…wore the same clothes in heavy rotation- un apologetically and with great panache.”

Here's the deal with the French wardrobe. They have a few pieces, a core wardrobe of clothes they love, and they wear these clothes out. Shopping is not a sport for them.

They are not the only ones to be seen wearing with the same clothes and even my favourite royal the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton does not mind to be seen in public wearing the same dress twice so why should I?

Image via Ramey Pix/ Getty Images

Image courtesy of Miki Photography

                     

“We have so many clothes! Is this a good thing? Are we happy? Do we absolutely love everything in our closets? What is the quality of the clothes we are buying? And most important, why were standing in front of our jam-packed closets every morning complaining that we have nothing to wear?"

Just like Jennifer, I decided to try out creating my own capsule (10 item) wardrobe.I know that it can be drastic thing going from a large wardrobe to only 10 core items - but I have found it liberating! 

Now I know what you're thinking. 10 items?! That's impossible!?
However as Jennifer says and as I have found that this is not about necessarily taking it too literally it's about finding '...what works for you.'

"The point of the ten item wardrobe is to free yourself from jam-packed closet full of ill-fitting, underused, or poor - quality clothing. Your ultimate goal is to create a wardrobe that you love, in which every item of clothing speaks to who you are, and to create space for your clothes to breathe- by eliminating clutter."

Although the author creates a core of outfits that include silk dresses and cashmere sweaters, I could create a core from Zara if I had to. It's not so much about money or labels as it is about simplicity and ease of dressing. If you have a few pieces that fit you well and flatter your shape, then you never have to spend time trying on twenty outfits whenever you go out. This saves you a lot of time and also money.

Next week, I will discuss how I got started with my own capsule wardrobe and how you can too:) x

I would love to know what you think.Please leave me a comment below or if you wish you can also email me at annadizon.rr@gmail.com. I try to respond to every comment and question.

See you soon! xx

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How to make your scent last all day

There's a little secret I have in making sure my scent lasts all day....

Travalo is a tiny little atomizer which refills directly from bottle of your favourite perfume. It may be aimed primarily as a travel aid but now I cannot envisage being without it.

So no more carrying large perfume bottles (or was just me?). You get about fifty sprays of perfume. It’s a really nice little product, good quality and easy to use - a classic, smooth design , about the size and weight of a lipstick.

I have the pink one (nice matt shade of pink). It has an integrated fill level indicator window, so you never run out unexpectedly, and you never over fill it.

How to use it?

All you need to do is remove the spray head from your perfume bottle (only designed to work with pump-action spray).

Place your Travalo upright on top of the nozzle peg.

Simply pump it up and down to fill.

Keep pumping until the fragrance level reaches the top of the window.

It is handy, practical and small enough to be carried easily in the smallest of handbags.

Travalo can be purchased at 

www.travalo.com , www.debenhams.com/beauty/travalo 

I would love to know what you think. Please leave me a comment below or if you wish you can also email me at annadizon.rr@gmail.com. I try to respond to every comment or question.

See you next week! xx

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Always use the best you have

"Always use the best you have", one of the lessons from the book Lesson from Madam Chic.

The luxury towels you have received for your birthday. Your best pair of jeans. Your great dining ware. Do you use your best things on a daily basis?

If not... why?

Our subconscious tries to talk us out of using our best on a daily basis. So many of us have that idea that if we use our best, we'll use it up and we won't have anything nice in the ‘future’ .

I used to think that way too and I remember I used to wear mix and match sleepwear and told myself it was ok as no one will see me anyway. And I had these luxury towels and bed linen I tended to save for when I would have people coming and sleeping over. 

Same thing with my great dining ware, crystal glasses, I used to save them and only use them for special occasions, and that was maybe 3 or 4 times a year? The rest of the 361 days of the year our meals were served on mismatched plates and glasses. 

My good clothes they were for going out and for when I deemed an occasion worthy but going out food shopping? Just chuck on that old bobbly jumper and faded sweat pants. 

Why did I do this? What was I saving my best for?

I used to think and have this thing about ‘saving my best for special occasions.’  So, I started to question myself:

Why would I want to sleep in mismatched pyjamas, wear my old jumper full of bobbles for food shopping, use our old crockery for our meals and save that nice bottle of wine for later when I and my family could be enjoying all of this right now? What was I saving my best for?

Perhaps the 'greatest moments' could be the ones happening now, and the 'special people' in our lives are the ones we see everyday. Every moment, every interaction is precious and has the potential to 'be the best' but only if we start embracing it and them that way, so why deny them or myself from our best? 

I've come to realise that the people we interact with every day are our family,  friends and those who are dear to us. They deserve the best we have and they deserve to see us in our best. 

So I've made a decision that every day is a special event to be celebrated, every meal is a special occasion, every person who comes into my home is a special guest and every moment is to be enjoyed. So why not use that China everyday? Those luxury towels and that expensive soap (that you received on Christmas) don't we deserve to enjoy it - every day? going out for some errands? Why not wear my favourite dress instead? It’s not doing anyone any benefits in the cupboard so why not use them now - you are worth it! 

Using your best always is not about being high maintenance or showing off it's about appreciating yourself and those around you and always putting your best foot forward so to speak.  As a consequence I've found what ever you put out you get back so when I treat people, moments and myself with appreciation and respect I've found it comes right back to me. 

What do you think? Don't you and those in your life deserve your best?

I would love to know what you think. Please leave me a comment below or if you wish you can also email me at annadizon.rr@gmail.com. I try to respond to every comment or question.

See you next week! xx

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Twitter  @itsmeannadizon    https://twitter.com/itsmeAnnaDizon

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