My Closet in Sketches

Closet Game Digs

1. When in doubt, add a belt. The spot just below your ribs is the skinniest, emphasize it. 

2. Tuck a dress into a skirt, see what happens. Similarly, wear a dress over a skirt. Who knows!

3. Look like a lady in control: wear heels. It’s not that hard to find comfortable high heels these days. Know how to walk in them.

4. Sometimes (but not always), you can update an outdated cut of pants by pegging them for a straighter, more modern fit.

5. In the same vein, a boxy or too-big jacket may be cured with a few turns of the cuff. I almost always push up my sleeves for a modern feel.

6. Try it on backwards.

7. If you’re short waisted, try on petite sizes. The waist is cut higher for a more flattering fit. 

8. Another word in fit: the single most flattering change you can make with a jacket is to raise the armpit. (A job for the tailor or those really skilled on the sewing machine.) It always works.

9. Three finishes that will never go out of style: Stripes. Animal Prints. Sequins.

10. It’s incredibly elegant (and easy!) to dress monochromatically, be it with solids or patterns. However, the best way to make a color look good is to add another color; so add a flash of somethin’ somethin’.

11. It sounds counter intuitive, but the best way to wear varying patterns is to clash. Throw a flower jacket on with a flower print scarf and large flower earrings, or a silver metallic mini with a gold tank top. Just be sure to temper it with something solid.

12. Don’t use the matching belt. If a jacket (trenches don’t count here, btw), dress, or skirt comes with a matching belt, it’s usually no good - for that piece! Reuse the thing for something entirely different, and bring in your own fantastic belt from the bench.

13. Make game plans before shopping. If you feel like your closet is pretty well stocked, only buy pieces that play nicely with your preexisting stuff. Buy clothing that makes you wear the entire depths of your wardrobe well and more often.

14. Spend time trying on! Take a few minutes or hours on a Sunday afternoon; try on all your skirts, make a mess, take risks, record everything. On Monday morning, you’ll come to your closet with a better idea of what to reach for.

15. Cut the manufacturer’s removable stitches around open seams and pockets the second you get home. This sometimes feels like my biggest pet peeve when I see women walking around with a big sloppy X of thread on their coat. Cut!

16. Fake a bow blouse with a similarly toned blouse and scarf.

17. I have exactly ten different blue collared (striped, patterned, solid, checked, starred) shirts. More than half of the time in my regular, non-sketched life, I’m reaching for one of these as the base of an outfit. Figure out what elements always work and let yourself play around within those parameters.

18. I make simple sewing repairs easy by keeping a pre-threaded needle nearby at all times. I start with a really long piece of string, and use just enough for a little button or tear. I cut back on time doing annoying chores such as needle threading.

·