Ageless secrets of style by Kim Johnson Gross
I found this section of the book to be quite helpful with my life and I wanted to share this with my Lip Ink® followers. - Rose Nichols President/CEO Lip Ink® International
Assess, Dejunk, and Renew, a seasonal practice to keep your closet in sync with the changes in your body, your life and your style.
Step 1: Assess
Examine your life and think about what you need to wear for it. The career wardrobe cultivated for twenty-plus years doesn’t fit my body or my life now. Since I’ve started writing from home, my daily uniform has shifted from suits, of which I had many, to sport and casual clothes which were once negligible.
CHECK YOUR CALENDAR.
Do you have any special upcoming events that require special attention to what you want to wear? When you match your clothes with your life, it will give your closet focus.
Step 2: Dejunk
This step is reality check. It requires time, patience, honesty, a full-length mirror, and good lighting. Try on your clothes each season to check for fit (it’s likely our weight has shifted in the last year), then decide what you want to continue enjoy wearing, what needs to be tailored and what still suits your life. If you don’t have the time this requires, start with one category of clothing at a time.
RECYCLE those things that no longer work, otherwise they’ll crowd your closet and your mind. It takes courage to let go of those clothes from a life and body that were. I enjoy not wearing a suit for work everyday anymore, but I’m annoyed when my jeans no longer fit. Rather than keeping a closet filled with clothes that make me feel bad about myself, I sell or give the offenders away, which makes the sting less painful.
Despite how disciplined I am, there inevitably are items I continue to hang on to. A favorite black cocktail dress sits quietly waiting to come out of retirement (it’s those five-plus pound I promise to lose). I have kept a favorite micro-mini skirt for decades in hope that one of my daughters might eventually enjoy wearing it as much as I did. Let’s get real and convert it into a pillow. But mostly I hang on to these items and a few others because they have been woven with memories.
Step 3: Renew
What’s left? Do you have what you need? Do you like what you have? If not start a shop smart list to keep track of those things you need before you shop. Shopping with focus will help keep you within your budget and make your closet a happy one.
Assess, Dejunk, and Renew is a practice I apply when evaluating other aspects of my life – career, friends, where to live. As my goals and life change, I am constantly assessing what matters to me, and jettisoning what doesn’t.
http://www.kimjohnsongross.com/ Kim’s web site
