Henri Bendel Accessories
Out in the malls this week, I discovered the most fabulous accessory line. It’s located at “Henri Bendel” and a lot of the malls in the United States actually have a store called Henri Bendel. It’s kind of like the one in New York, but just with accessories. Fabulous things! They now have what is called the “It Girls Collection”. You can get the most incredible cell-phone cover, you can get a mirror, you can get notepads, you can get all kinds of accessories, with beautiful girls on it. One is a girl shopping with lots of bags. One is a row of fabulous fashion girls. But what amazing gifts that you would be able to give over the holiday season. A cell phone cover sells for $39 and it’s for the iPhone 4. I bought one myself, and now wherever I go everyone in the last few days has commented on how fabulous it is!
If you do not have a Henri Bendel store in your city, go online to www.henribendel.com and then go to the search bar and put in “It Girls”, and you’ll be able to take a look at everything they have.
One of the other pieces in that store and online that I really encourage you to try are the Henri Bendel candles. I remember a few years ago Oprah featured this candle and this line of candles on her “must have” list. She selected the “Fig Candle.” I have bought that every single year and it lasts forever AND it has the most amazing scent. My second favorite Henri Bendel scent candle for this time of the year is “Cinnamon Bark.” So again you can buy all of these online.
So have fun checking out this collection, and I think you’ll find some wonderful gifts for the fashionistas, and Expressionistas in your life.
Closet Harmony
What I’d like to talk to you about today is how to arrange your closet and bring it into harmony with your life before you head out to the stores to charge charge charge!
The first thing you need to do is to make a date with the most important person in your life and that is YOU!
You’re going to put some music on that you love, get some bottled water and open the doors to that room of emotions, your closet.
First thing you want to do is take all your things that you were wearing in Spring and Summer and put them in the back of your closet or in another closet, because it is truly the Fall time of the year. Now note, if you live in a seasonless area of the country like the South, where it’s still pretty warm, you could leave some of those things in there. You may want to darken your colors. So instead of wearing all those light colors, you may want to wear the same fabrics, like your cottons, but go to the darker browns or rusts. The fabric won’t make you hotter, but the color will make you look more like Fall.
Then you are going to classify your closet putting all your jackets together, then the tops, and you’re going to have your tops divided into blouses, shirts, sweaters and your nice tees. Hang your bottoms together, then your pants and your skirts. Your dresses will also hang together.
The important thing now is to quickly try on everything in front of a full-length mirror and ask yourself these all-important questions:
- Do I still love it?
- Is it tired and should I retire it?
- Is it something I will wear in my lifestyle now?
- Does it fit?
- Is it laundered?
- Do I love it enough to keep it?
Make four piles of the things you want to release.
- Laundry
- Alterations
- Consignment shop for gently used items or mistakes with tickets hanging on them.
- And the last would be charity. These are things that are really tired and you want to donate them.
Close the doors to your closet, go to all four places and the next day when you open your closet, you will be wearing everything.
The last step is to make a list. What things in your closet did you wear the most for the Fall and Winter season? Do you need an additional pair of jeans? An additional crisp white blouse? Make that list. and before you do the list, start mixing and matching some new outfits in your closet that are based on the trends today.
Then when we talk about going and shopping in the stores and in the malls, you’ll be buying effective things that you will use over and over in your current lifestyle. Your dollar will go so much further!
Next time we will talk about shopping on sale. Until then, have fun cleaning your closet!
Fall Fashion 2012
After being out in the stores, I’d like to talk about what I see are the major trends for Fall 2012.
One of the most important trends is the Pencil Skirt. A lot of pencil skirts, at all prices, are in all the retailers
out there for the taking. One of my favorites is the “Kate Spade” Pencil Skirt. It does run short, but it is great with black tights and flats. And it has polka dots all over it, but they are black on black, so they are very subtle. It is a great skirt.
The second trend I want to talk about is Leather. Out there in the stores I see leather at all prices. Zara has a lot of great leather pieces from $59.90 and up. I even saw some plether, which is your faux leather. I saw pants at Target yesterday for a great price. They also had a faux leather skirt. So if you just want a little touch of a leather look, that would be fun to get something at Target and just wear it for the season.
The third trend I want to talk about is Animal Print. Now of course, animal prints are always in style. But this season, because women wear so much black, an animal print shoe would be perfect. Just the shoe with all black, or even black and a touch of red as a cammi or an underpinning. Or a great animal print handbag to accent, or also an animal print shell or blouse. I did see a lot of that out in the stores, so don’t worry if you do buy it and it’s animal print that it will always be in style.
The last thing I want to talk about is the color Purple. Purple is so big, because again women wear traditionally black a lot. And if you just add a nice purple tank under a black suit, a black sweater, pair it with jeans, pair it with a pencil skirt. If you don’t like a lot of color, just add a purple shell and it will complete your outfit.
So those are four great trends for Fall 2012. I’ll think of some more wonderful things to share with you next time.
On A Shoestring Shopping
Happy New Year! Day after day we have been inundated with news of the economy. Now we are being told that luxury is out and frugal is in. We brag to our friends the “Buys” we got on sale racks and proudly flaunt shopping bags from Target and Wal-Mart.
For years I have been teaching men and women to shop in their own closets. To navigate the racks in stores armed with a list. Now it is fashionable not to impulse and spend beyond our means.
As we start 2009 take my Closetology approach and take some time to analyze who you are today. What are your current lifestyle needs? Take the quiz on my website and discover your true persona and how to easily find the options that reflect that persona. Then enter that room of emotion …your closet. Take that time to bring it into harmony with your life and then make your list.
Watch my blog for updates on what I see “Out There” that will stretch what you have and you can shop “On a Shoestring.” It’s all about you…not a label or big price tag…stay in touch and if you have any questions contact me here!
Welcome to Jackie’s Blog
Hi there!
This is the very first installment of my Blog. I plan to write my thoughts on many topics that will entice and excite you about the world regarding the psychology of clothing. I will deal with trends I see live and in person around the country as well as the reasoning behind what’s happening and how this will personally relate to you and your lifestyle. I hope that you will visit and share your feelings with me. We all wake up everyday and face off against that closet to outfit us for our journey through the day and evening. My hope is that I can give you unique ideas that will bring you inner confidence and external success. So here we go together!
Warmest regards,
