Dressing for Halloween

Nearly everyone I know enjoys dressing up for Halloween. It's the one time of year where it's completely acceptable to dress in a manner that would normally cause someone to believe that you were totally deranged.

I've seen some pretty amazing costumes in my life, too. I think my all time favorite was...well, I can't really make up my mind. Was it the walking head-on-a-platter? Or perhaps the very real-looking wolf-man? Too many costumes to decide.

In any case, I had to come up with a costume for this year that would make an impression. No simple ghost or witch for me, it had to be good. After all, there is some real stiff competition around these parts!

After hemming and hawing, I finally decided on what I was going to be:

A cat.

Yes, a cat. Just complicated enough for me to have an edge over those who were going to go the ghoul-y ghost-y route. And not a black cat, either...too blase. I was going to be a tabby...a sassy tabby. I spent a great deal of time gathering all the elements that I would need. I thought the fur would be an issue, but ended up finding just the thing. I did end up borrowing a tail from a friend though, as my first attempt didn't quite cut it.

Finally, everything was assembled and ready to go.

Here's me in my cat costume:

Pretty real looking don't you think? I'm going to win best costume this year, I just know it!

Have a Happy Halloween!

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free e-zine, please visit my wardrobe planning website.)

The Urge Towards Casual

As of late, I have been fighting the urge towards casual.

It's a sort of laziness that steals over me at this time of year when the nice, warm summer weather is replaced by the cold, dark and damp winter. I want to hibernate...and since that is not possible, I want comfort. Comfort clothes are my little refuge against the weather.

Does this sound familiar to you? Maybe it's because you're overtired, or maybe it's because you've been sick. Maybe you are like me, and the change of seasons brings out this urge.

Now, when I say casual, I'm not talking about sweats and a hoodie. I mean that my low-heeled boots appeal more than my dressy boots with the heel height. My knits appeal to me more than blouses. Trousers appeal more than skirts. I'll let my hair air-dry and I'll leave the house sans accessories or makeup. Or I may choose to wear a weekend outfit during the week. Little things.

Because of how I've designed my wardrobe, there is not a huge image disparity between the casual end of my wardrobe and my day-to-day clothing ...so these periodic casual leanings do not completely undo the careful work that I've put into my overall image. In other words, I can occasionally relax and give in to this urge to go casual.

For a little time, that is, until my sartorial self rallies. And it always does!

How about you...do you fight the urge to go casual?

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel...

(For more information on wardrobe planning, please visit my wardrobe planning website.)

Some Favorite Quotations

I love quotes. Whenever I'm looking to feel inspired, I turn to my collection of quotations that I've pulled together over time. Here are some of my favorites relating to simplicity and possessions....enjoy!

To have little is to possess.
To have plenty is to be perplexed.
Lao-tzu

Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it.
Francois de la Rochefoucauld

An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.
Pliny the Younger

It is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed.
Vida D. Scudder

The wise man carries his possessions within him.
Bias

Every increased possession loads us with new weariness.
John Ruskin

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.
Albert Einstein

Simplicity is the peak of civilization.
Jessie Sampter

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel...

(For more information on wardrobe planning, please visit my wardrobe planning website.)

Exceptions

After bringing up Sarah Palin's image upgrade yesterday, I thought that I'd delve a little deeper.

I do realize the irony in writing about $150,000 spent on clothes just after discussing cost-per-wear and an economical wardrobe. Yesterday's post was an example of the importance of image, not an endorsement of such large expenditures. I'll just come right out and say it...for those seeking a very small closet of their own, this type of purchasing would not be the path to that end!

But it does give me an opportunity to talk about exceptions...
Obviously, Sarah Palin is not on a quest for minimalism or economy in her campaign wardrobe. Nor are the Obamas, nor are the McCains. There are exceptions where the cost-per-wear philosophy cannot be applied with any success. The campaign trail just happens to be one of them.

A wedding could be another. A prom or formal might be another. Being Anna Wintour is definitely an exception...

I bet you all can think of a couple more.

In any case, these "CPW exceptions" will vary from person to person, as will the amount spent. The point would be that unless your job absolutely utterly requires it, don't make it a habit. In fact, avoid it if you can. But if you must indulge, don't feel guilt-ridden about it, either. I know it's heresy , but there are a few occasions where a very small closet won't meet your needs.

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, please visit my wardrobe planning website.)

Palin's Pricey Image Upgrade

The world is all a-flutter over the cost of Sarah Palin's new wardrobe acquisitions. According to Politico.com, the Republican vice-presidential candidate recently spent $150,000 on clothing from Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The issue appears to be not that Palin is going for an image upgrade, but that it is being done on the the Republican party's dollar.

Since jumping into the political limelight alongside John McCain, Sarah Palin's image has been scrutinized. Her hair, her glasses, her shoes -- well, everything, really -- have all been up for comment. A quick Google search shows just how many out there have something to say. Much of it is good; her "soccer mom" style has resonated with many women.

But Sarah Palin was facing accusations that she was not President material...something every VP ought to be...and her image had a great deal to do with this. "Soccer mom" just won't cut it when it comes to putting our trust in someone as a potential leader of the country. We associate image so strongly with authority, with ability, and even with intelligence. The hair, the glasses, the shoes all "mean" something to us...they send a message. And the message was the wrong one. Not for soccer moms across the world who adore her down-to-earth style. But for those looking to cast a vote for a competent vice-president. With this in mind, it is no surprise that a makeover was in order.

But what about the issue of the money? I agree with what Senior New Yorker editor Hendrik Hertberg had to say concerning the use of the party's funds: that all of her clothes cost less than showing a single 30-second spot a single time on a single network during prime time.

"Forking a little dough over to Nieman Marcus is no worse than forking a lot of dough over to NBC, or, for that matter, to some polling firm so it can focus-group the emotional valence of phrases like 'too risky' and 'not ready.'"

Whether or not you agree with the clothing expenditures, the whole affair is a fascinating study in the importance of image...and just how strongly we react to the smallest details of appearance.

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, please visit my wardrobe planning website.)

An Economical Wardrobe: Coming Full Circle

Now that you are armed with an understanding of cost-per-wear you can see how choosing to buy well-constructed, quality clothes that you will wear frequently is the cornerstone of an economical, small closet.

However, there is yet one more point to highlight in the economics of a small wardrobe: frequency and number of purchases. When your wardrobe is carefully edited down to only the clothes that you wear frequently, you will become much more attuned to knowing when it is time to replace a garment or an outfit. Not only will you have the perfect number of outfits in your closet, but you will only be purchasing clothing when you need to replace something. You'll never find yourself buying too many shirts or too many trousers. You'll never be purchasing those "great" pieces that end up being closet orphans because you have nothing to wear them with. You'll never have to guess whether or not an article of clothing will come in handy.

You will only be spending money when you need to, and only on items that you know will serve your wardrobe needs. How liberating!

But in order to get to this magical point, you need to edit down your closet. And so we have come full circle. Here we have why paring down and giving away that 80% of your wardrobe that is non-functional is actually going to save you a great deal of money in the long run.

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

Jennifer Skinner, Wardrobe Planning Expert

And I Thought I Had A Small Closet!

What's the smallest space that you could imagine living in year-round?

Well, a fella by the name of Jay Shafer lives in a 100 square foot home that he designed and built himself. And what's more...he's designed a whole line of homes that are teeny-tiny.

These Tumbleweed Houses are becoming increasingly popular. They're affordable, they're energy efficient, and they are really well-crafted.

Check out the size of his closet:





See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

Jennifer Skinner

Wardrobe Planning Q&A

Today I have some questions that have come my way via The Very Small Closet or my Wardrobe Planning Website.

From Mary: I just discovered your site and blog - it's great! I hope it's okay to ask a question. I read in one of your articles that navy is a great neutral color and it's one I like. I never know what color shoes to wear with navy pants though - what do you suggest?

Jennifer answers: Hi Mary! Thank you so much for joining in the fun here at The Very Small Closet. Navy is indeed a great neutral color, and one that I am beginning to add more of in my own wardrobe. A number of years ago, the only acceptable shoe color to wear with navy pants would have been navy itself. However, since that time, jeans have become the default "trouser" option for men and women alike. Because of this our eyes have become accustomed to seeing navy paired with just about every color imaginable. Also, the long held taboo against mixing navy and black has been lifted. Navy pants can be paired with just about any color! I do have several suggestions, though. If you are going to wear a shoe color other than navy itself, use that color as an accent/accessory color and repeat it somewhere else in your outfit, like in a scarf or a handbag. (Red and yellow are amazing when used this way). This works best when your entire outfit is predominantly navy. Another option is to wear a shoe that is the color of your hair. That way the color of the shoe is repeated in your natural coloring. This looks especially nice with the lighter brown shades. And lastly: if you are looking for a more conservative, business, or classic look, you may want to stick with tried and true navy.


Constance asks: HELP!!! I have all the books on clothes organization but I still don't get how best to hang, by outfit, color, WHAT!?

Jennifer answers: Hi there Constance! Never fear...help is at hand. First know that there are several schools of thought on how best to hang your clothes...so if you are confused, it's no wonder! I'll give you what I consider to be the easiest method that I use myself. I hang clothes by type, in this order: all blazers/jackets together, all shirts together, all skirts together, all pants together, all dresses together. Within each category, I group by color, but simply: Like colors together. My wardrobe is very small so hanging clothes in this way allows me to see everything. Now you might ask why I don't hang by outfit, and again, my answer is simple: Many pieces in my wardrobe belong to more than one outfit. And some elements of an outfit may not be suitable for hanging, such as knits. Those are folded on shelves. Hopefully this will help you in your own quest for closet organization!

Jill asks: Hi, Jennifer. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas on your site. I am a 59 year old school teacher (smart casual lifestyle). Black and dark brown look terrible on me now I'm getting older. My colouring is very similar to yours - medium to fair skin, brown eyes and reddish-brown/strawberry blond (depending on the dye) hair. I can't start to build a wardrobe, because I can't decide on colours. I am slim and average height. Any suggestions re colour combinations? I think two definite wardrobes - summer and winter with some transitional will be the way to go in Australia. Our summers are quite hot and winters can be cold. Thanks, Jill

Jennifer answers: Hi Jill! I'm so pleased that you've stopped on by my site...welcome. Oh, I can sympathize with your quest! I think our coloring is the hardest to match to colors. Black is often too overpowering, and even brown can look too heavy. Personally, I built up my wardrobe around brown as a base neutral, but I've recently decided to transition somewhat to navy. It's a softer color that looks good on me. So for now I am wearing both. For accent colors, I find that red looks great, as does turquoise and warm pink. Now for you: Don't let the fear of making these decisions paralyze you! Start with the wardrobe you have, and think of building it up slowly, a step at a time. And don't feel that once you've made your color choices you will never be able to alter them...you can alter them in the same way you built your wardrobe...a step at a time. Now for suggestions: Since dark brown looks too heavy on you, I would consider beige or taupe in its stead. Both of these colors can be exceptionally elegant (think Katherine Hepburn). The beige family also includes ivory, which is wonderful for summer. For accent colors, think first of the colors that you get the most compliments wearing, and go for those. Hopefully this small amount of advice has been helpful. Keep me posted on how you're doing!

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

Quality and Care in Wardrobe Planning

We've been discussing the idea of cost-per-wear, and how this little equation can be used when making your wardrobe choices. However, you shouldn't think of cost-per-wear as the sole determiner of what to buy. There are other factors involved in building your wardrobe wisely.


The way cost-per-wear works is that the more you wear an item, the less you spend for each wearing. We've seen how this can make a more expensive item the better bargain in the long run. But two other things factor in to the economics of a small wardrobe: quality and care.

If you are interested in having a fully functional wardrobe, you need to start thinking about maximizing the number of times you can wear something. We're not talking about over-exposing the clothing in your closet. Rather, the idea is to have each article of clothing in some form of a rotation so that it gets worn regularly. Keeping an eye on quality and care will help you do this.

Quality will directly affect the longevity of the garment. The better the quality of the garment, the longer it will last. The longer it will last, the more wearings you can get out of it. This is how cashmere, at twice or three times the price of polyester (maybe more) will be a better bargain in the long run.

There is a sweet spot here, though, if you are interested in the economics of a small wardrobe. When the price of something reflects not only its quality but its label, you may be paying more for the brand name than you are for the quality. Just because something is designer does not always mean that it is quality. There are some appallingly "cheap" designer clothes out there that are outrageously pricey. Keep this in mind when you are planning out your wardrobe, and learn to spot quality independent of name or price.

Of course, properly caring for your garments will also help extend their life, improving that ol' cost-per-wear ratio. Proper cleaning and storage is definitely in order! However, the economic aspect of caring for your clothes doesn't stop there. Think also about how the type of care the garment requires will affect its overall cost to you. If something needs frequent dry cleaning, it will be more expensive to maintain than cotton that can be washed at home. Learn which items truly need dry cleaning (those that say Dry Clean ONLY), and those that can be washed by you with special attention (and many items can...you just need to know how!)

Tomorrow will be Q&A day, so come on back!

See you then...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free e-zine, please visit my wardrobe planning website)

Home Again

I am finally home after a wonderful time spent in Las Vegas. Aside from forgetting the Tide-to-Go, the trip went without a hitch.

Here are a couple of pics from Kevin Hogan's event:

Me with energy expert Matt Shields...

...and Twitter Guru Deb Micek...
...and Fred Gleeck, Information Product Expert.

More pictures will be going up soon at my wardrobe planning website, so be sure to stop by and take a peek.

Now that I am back, I'll be continuing my series of posts on the economics of a small wardrobe. I will do another Q&A since I've had a number of great questions come my way via this blog and my website.

So stay tuned!

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

Jennifer Skinner

In My Suitcase

I'm writing to you all from the Cleveland airport, where I have a short layover before getting back on the plane to head to Las Vegas. It's been a looooong day! But I'm excited to arrive in Vegas and check into the hotel. I've got a great group of friends and colleagues that I am meeting there for what I'm sure will be a fabulous few days with the amazing Kevin Hogan. I'm planning to post pics, so be sure to stay tuned.

Last night I packed for the trip. I've become a much better traveller since the year I went to Sweden, that's for sure! All the work I personally put into designing my own wardrobe has paid off. I can now pack successfully for a trip in very little time, taking very little with me.

For kicks and giggles, I'm going to share with you what I packed. I started with a skeleton of two tops and two bottoms that I can mix. Then I added in a third outfit, just for fun. A dressy top in case I go out. A great jacket. Enough lingerie to last the trip. Two pairs of shoes. Voila! It didn't even fill half my carry-on. I could certainly get away with just the skeleton of outfits and a few extra accessories, but since I have the room, I decided to take a little bit more. The one thing missing is a swimsuit...but I doubt I'll have time for the pool, so that's one thing I will leave home that I might otherwise take.

The only challenge in packing was realizing I had to pull out some of my warmer-weather outfits to take. We in New Hampshire have already done the great switcheroo to our fall clothes, but Vegas is supposed to be in the 80's while I'm there. Not that I'm complaining, not by any stretch!

Oh...they are calling my flight, so I'd better go!

This is Jennifer Skinner, Wardrobe Planning Expert, signing off.

Cost-per-Wear and Wardrobe Planning

The concept of cost-per-wear is a handy tool for moving beyond the idea that the price of a garment is the sole determiner of its value. Obviously, the more times you wear a garment, the less it "costs".

Take just a second, and see if you can't bring to mind the number of shirts you have in your closet. Can you do this? For illustration's sake, let's just say your number is 25. This would mean that on average, each shirt gets worn around 14 times in a year (once every two weeks or so). So the CPW of each shirt would be cost/14. Now imagine you have 1oo shirts in your closet. You're going to be wearing each shirt somewhere between 3 and 4 times in a year. The hypothetical CPW is now cost/3.56 .

Can you see where this is going? The more garments you have in your closet, the fewer times you will wear each one. The fewer garments in your closet, the more you will wear each one.

Of course, this is not taking into account that according to the common understanding of the Pareto Principle, we're only really wearing 20% of what is in our closet. That other 80% is neglected because it doesn't fit, is out of style, or is forgotton.

However... what if you've designed your wardrobe so that everything in your closet gets worn regularly? That is the goal of The Very Small Closet: To design a pared-down, functional and stylish wardrobe in which you love everything you wear and everything gets worn regularly.
A pared-down closet will lend itself to a much smaller CPW...and a much more economical wardrobe.

Next time I'll discuss how quality fits into the equation.

See you then...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free e-zine, please visit my Wardrobe Planning Website.)

Interview with Tim Gunn of Project Runway

I just had to take an unscheduled break from the series of posts that I've been writing when I found this video.

I happen to think that Tim Gunn is one of the most interesting voices in the world of style. He's the Chair of the Department of Fashion Designs at Parsons, and is best known for his work on the hit show Project Runway. His book Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style is just that and then some, and is currently one of my favorite books on the subject.

This interview is with SuChin Pak. It was done a while back, but that does not diminish in any way the fun of getting a more personal glimpse into this style guru's life and philosophy. The interview runs about twenty minutes, however the bright spot occurs within the first five minutes. When asked about his personal philosophy of style, Tim Gunn replies:

We need to understand who we are and how we want to be perceived, and dress for that particular person...for that role...I mean, in our own way we play a role in life.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Here's the video. Enjoy!



And here's his book:



See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information about wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free e-zine, please visit my Wardrobe Planning Website.)

A Little Bit of Math: Cost-per-Wear

The price tag on a piece of clothing tells you one thing about the garment it is affixed to: how much the garment costs. What it doesn't tell you is whether or not the item is quality, how often you will wear it, or how many weeks, months, years you will continue to wear it. And yet so often we will make our clothing choices based on price tag alone.

The same price tag may elicit many different responses: What? That's too expensive! Eeew...too cheap for me. Cool! It's on sale! No thank you...marked down merhandise is passe. Is this price for real?

Let me introduce you to the concept of cost-per-wear. Cost-per-wear is a way of assessing a garment's true cost to you. I'm going to take a stab here and guess that most of you aren't in the habit of buying an item of clothing to wear only once. (If you are, then The Very Small Closet is probably not your cup of tea.) But let's pretend for just a moment. You buy a dress for $200 that you will wear just once. That is $200 x 1 wearing = a cost-per-wear of $200. But if you should wear that dress twice, the cost-per-wear drops to $100. If, over the course of the dress's lifetime it gets worn 50 times, the cost per wear is now $4. Another example: Let's say you buy a cheap and trendy t-shirt for $18. After two washings it's already falling apart. You wear it one more time before it gets lost somewhere in the back of your closet. Cost-per-wear? $6. Comparing the two examples, you can see that the dress (almost 11x's more expensive than the shirt) was actually the better deal.

Of course these are just examples, but you can see how the price tag of an item may not be the sole predictor of a garment's true value to you.

Next time I'll show how cost-per-wear is maximized by a pared down wardrobe.

See you later...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free e-zine, please visit my Wardrobe Planning Website.)

Fool's Gold

As promised, the next few posts will be about the economics of having a very small closet.
I'll begin with tackling head on the idea that having a large surplus of items to wear somehow protects you from certain doom in the future should your financial world hit the skids.

The typical thinking goes something like this: If I run out of money, I won't be able to buy any new clothes. If I can't buy any new clothes, I'll have to rely entirely on what I already own. And if I don't own enough clothing then I'll run out of clothes to wear. I might eventually end up in rags. So I'd best keep all the clothes I currently own just in case.

But here's the rub: if it doesn't suit you now, it won't suit you later. There is a reason most of your wardrobe goes unworn through the year...the clothes are either too big or too small, don't fit your lifestyle, don't flatter you, or aren't comfortable. Perhaps they are orphans, without anything to be worn with. Perhaps they are terribly out of style. Whatever the reason, chances are extremely good that that reason won't change, no matter what happens in the future. I'll repeat: if it doesn't suit you now, it won't suit you later.

The goal of having a very small closet is ultimately looking your best daily. If all these clothes you are wanting to hang onto won't help improve your image...even in the future...there is no reason to hang on to them. That awful polyester suit hanging in the far back of your closet is not suddenly going to become your go-to outfit merely because your old suit is looking a bit worn. That's faulty thinking!

Ok, but what about a real disaster? What if I pare down my wardrobe and we have another Great Depression? Well, if we do, then a great many people will be in the same boat, experiencing the same hardships. If things really are that dire, there won't be many shops to shop in . Fashion will take a back seat. But you will know that no matter how many times you've worn the clothes you have on, they still flatter you. If they grow slightly threadbare, you will still look pulled together. Looking neat and pulled together will always trump wearing new clothes that don't flatter. And if you are truly fixated on a disaster scenario, just remind yourself that people in centuries past survived with only two or three outfits a year. Heck, people in THIS century make do with that or less. Even with a pared down wardrobe, your closet will still have far more than that. You'll survive!

Holding onto clothes "just in case" is like fool's gold. You think you're rich, but you're not. Learning how to build a small but functional wardrobe is where the real gold is at.

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free e-zine, please visit my Wardrobe Planning Website.)

Economics of a Small Closet

If you've not yet heard news of a troubled economy, you must be living under a rock. Somewhere in Timbuktu. In an alternate reality.

It seems impossible to escape the bombardment of ever more dire predictions about how life as we know it is going to change...and not for the better. If we believe the worst of what we hear, we are headed for the Great Depression Redux.

Hardly the time to think about paring down your wardrobe....Or so you might think.

I've written in the past about the myriad number of reasons we hold on to possessions that no longer serve us, and one of the real biggies is the fear of an uncertain future. This is an achilles heel in the best of times, and becomes even more challenging to deal with when the chips are down. When things are going well, future difficulties seem possible but perhaps not all that probable. The liklihood of disaster is small. But when things are not going well, the possible becomes more probable, and the fear seems justified. Prudent, even.

Give away clothes? I might NEED them! No...I probably WILL need them.

Over the next several posts I am going to talk about the economics of a pared-down closet, and how clearing out and re-thinking your wardrobe can help you look your best during times of financial hardship.

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

Jennifer Skinner

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free ezine, please visit my Wardrobe Planning Website.)

Style, Self-Expression and Sonnets

One of my favorite discussions of free will and determinism is found in a passage in Madeleine L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle in Time. Here, one of the characters compares our lives to a sonnet. She makes the point that a sonnet is a very strict form of poetry, with exactly fourteen lines, a strict meter, and each line ending in a rigid rhyme pattern. And yet within this strict structure the poet has complete freedom. And so it is with life. "You're given the form," the character says. "But you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you."

My friend and musical collaborator David McMillen once asked me where self-expression fit into my Style Development philosophy, since I tend to work a little backwards when it comes to discovering and developing your style persona. I believe that many of the questionnaires that we endlessly fill out to determine "who we are" in order to know what to wear are a waste of time. I think in most cases it is more valuable to figure out how you want the world to perceive you FIRST. This provides you with a structure.

So my answer to David was that self-expression is then how you personalize the structure...how you "color inside the lines"...

...how you write your sonnet.



(For more information on style and wardrobe planning, please visit my Wardrobe Planning Website.)

Ruminations About Style

When you hear the word "style", what comes to mind?

I ask only because I think that many have misguided ideas about what style truly is. I know that for years, I certainly did.

Style does not necessarily mean "stylish". It is not synonymous with fashion, although fashion and being fashionable can certainly be a part of someone's style. It is not about radical individualism, either. One does not need to have a wildly creative persona to "have style".

Style is not to be found in all the latest trends or in all the "right" labels. It's not something you purchase. It's not only for the "in" crowd or the "young" crowd, the "vain" crowd.

Style requires a confidence in yourself that transcends the clothes you wear and yet informs your clothing choices. It is beyond money, beyond fads and trends, beyond labels. It is the consciousness and intentionality behind how you dress. It is the respect you have for yourself and others that is carried out in your appearance. It is knowing and defining yourself...not letting others define you.

And anyone, with thought and effort, can develop style.

'Til later,
Jennifer Skinner

Resuscitated

Hello everyone....

This is just a brief post to say that after rather lengthy period of being away, I'm back! The Very Small Closet is officially open for business once again. A brand new post will be here on the morrow. Until then, cheers!

Jennifer Skinner