Everyone has found themselves standing in front of a stuffed closet thinking that we have nothing to wear. In that moment, we wonder, what is the real secret to dressing well and what happened in our closet.

Take heart and be courageous. Your closet only seems to be filled with a miss matched wardrobe that no force of nature could ever squeeze a decent outfit out of for any event you might need to attend.

With just a few simple math principles of harmony, beauty and proportion you soon could find yourself in front of that same closet with the wardrobe of your dreams.

Now do not get excited. You will not have to calculate any kind of math problems to have this result at your fingertips. We each have our own unique personal mathematical fashion formula. When we heard each of us was unique that really was the whole truth of the statement.

The result of knowing just how unique you truly are is rewarded by looking more stylish in every way. Some look thinner, some look younger, some look taller. Whatever the end result for you, you will find yourself with more confidence and a better understanding of the type of clothing styles that will enhance your body the most. It is just a matter of applying your personal fashion formula.

Since the world around us and everything we consider to be beautiful is made up of proportion, it makes sense that the clothing that makes us look our best would use these proportion principles as well. Knowing your personal fashion formula allows you to use this formula as your secret weapon to discovering the most flattering way to wear every article of clothing in your closet.

Who knew that our own personal math formula would be so important to know and use. Whether giving new life to those clothing items in your closet that have been hanging in there taking up valuable space that you did not know what to do with to finding just the right new outfit that has every detail in line with your formula, knowing your personal fashion formula is exciting and makes your dressing life so much easier. It also makes dressing more fun when you know you look your best every time.

 

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After you have taken a really close look at your wardrobe you can be prepared to craft a list of what you need to complete your wardrobe organization. There are a few basics that you must make sure your wardrobe contains.

A great coat is essential to any wardrobe. Be sure that you have chosen one in a neutral shade that can go with any outfit that you might be wearing.

You will also want to have some luxurious knits. Choosing top quality sweaters to be part of your wardrobe will help you to stay warm and stylish during the winter months. Additionally, you need to have other styles of tops, shirts and blouses.

Dresses and skirts are also essential to the perfect wardrobe. In your wardrobe organization you will need to make sure that you have a cocktail dress in your closet. For this you want to steer away from neutrals so perhaps a rich red or a bright jewel tone might be a great addition to your wardrobe. You will also want to take the time to ensure that you have a classic skirts.

Pants are vital to any wardrobe. You should have a great set of trousers in your closet that fit you perfectly. If need be, do not hesitate to get them altered. Additionally, you will want to ensure that you have a fantastic pair of jeans. Typically choosing a darker wash will give you the opportunity to dress them up or down as need be.

Lastly, in your quest for the perfect wardrobe organization you need to think about accessories. You must have a great quality handbag that is in a neutral shade so that it can go with any outfit. Additionally, you need to be sure that you have a variety of shoes to dress up or down any of your classic pieces.

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It has happened to everyone at least once. You walk into your closet and you cannot find anything that you want to wear. You shuffle through hangers unable to find what you are looking for and the few key pieces that you actually wear are being smothered by everything else in your closet. It is an incredible frustration and you are not alone if you are not sure how to get it under control.

In fact, getting started from scratch with wardrobe organization can seem daunting, but the truth is that it is not an impossibility. In fact, with only a little effort you can get control of your out of control closet.

To get started you need to realize exactly what your goal is with your wardrobe organization. First of all you want to be sure that you have a variety of clothing that can be mixed and matched to work together. This way you only need a few pieces to actually put together quite a few outfits. On average you want to have just over half of your wardrobe to be comprised on classic and timeless pieces of clothing.

The rest of your wardrobe should be split evenly between staple pieces like basic t shirts, blouses, and camisoles, and more fun and trendy pieces. This formula will help to ensure that your wardrobe has variety to it while also being functional.

Now the first thing that you need to do after discovering this formula is to truly evaluate your current wardrobe. Take a look at what pieces you already own. Really look at them with a critical eye to be sure that they are in good condition, and do not need to be replaced. You should not keep anything that does not fit, is ripped, torn, or stained.

Additionally, if you have not worn it in over a year, chances are that you are not going to within the next year. Do not be afraid to get rid of it. Out of style clothing should also be taken out of your wardrobe. If it was the height of fashion ten years ago chances are that you should not be hanging onto it.
 

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Whether you are a spender or a saving during an economic downturn, you still want to be fashionable. If you want to look fashionable, then a few trendy items in your wardrobe are a must. However, buy inexpensive items and buy only a few. Incorporating trendy accessories into your wardrobe is an inexpensive way to look fashionable without spending a lot.

Shopping on a budget is no problem when you follow these five great tips:

1. Enhance your assets: Find out what styles you should avoid and which styles accentuate.
2. Purchase carefully: Knowing items that will complement and co-ordinate with what you already have will stop impulse buying.
3. Shop with a Plan: Before you buy, consider if the item will go with three other items you own now, how long it will remain in style.
4. Systematic shopping: Instead of buying all of your clothes at once it’s better to have a shopping schedule. Add one or two items a month.
5. Remove and replace: Once you have built a workable wardrobe it is a good idea to continually remove and replace items you no longer wear.

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What’s the button-rule?

There is a rule to buttoning a man’s coat in order to project sophistication and elegance. But it is amazing to me to see sportscasters, TV reporters, and celebrities who don’t follow this rule because not doing so can sabotage their image immediately.

Here is a quick history of how the button rule came into existence:

Back years ago King Edward VII became so heavy that he was unable to button the bottom button of his vest. His followers did not want to embarrass him by buttoning their last button, so they began to take his lead and imitate his style – and that started a new fashion trend to leave the last button open. Today suits are designed to leave the bottom button open, and so are vests and sport coats. Here is a quick reference guide to when to button which button of your jacket:

* On a single-breasted 2-button jacket – button the top button only.
* On a single-breasted 3-button jacket – button the top two buttons only, unless the suit lapels tend to roll to the middle button. In that case you would not button the top button because of how the lapel would lay against your torso.
* A trendy, single-breasted 4-button jacket is often designed so that you wear all buttons closed or only the bottom button open. I always encourage my clients to button the last button unless they see a pull in the fabric around the 4th button. In that case you would leave it unbuttoned.

Here’s the button bottom line: Most jackets are designed to leave the bottom button undone. So if you button it then the fabric pulls and shows if you have a few extra pounds, which can undermine your great presence. We realize that when men gain weight, you tend to put the pounds in your lower midsection. So coats are made so that you have some ease for the coat to lay straight with no pulling or tugging – as long as you don’t use that bottom or last button.

I hope that regardless of your physique or title, you will find the right suit that fits you correctly and can emphasize your positive features. When you know the rules of buttoning the coat, it appears that you are a sharp, well-dressed man who understands how to get the most from his wardrobe.

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Necessities for your wardrobe depend on so many things: the activities you are going to be doing, the type of clothing that is designed for that activity, and your personal preference. Now is a good time to go through your wardrobe and find the clothing that you no longer need because you are not including that activity in your schedule or life right now and find those garments new homes.

There are many things that influence our choices in clothing and accessories.

    Start with your body shape
    Continue with your skin undertone coloring (the pink or peach you see when you look at your fingertips when you turn your hands over)
    Then look at your hair color (is it your natural color or are you having it colored)
    Then look at the color of your eyes

Out of these items which people commonly check when purchasing clothing, the only ones that are needed are your skin undertone and body shape.  Dressing to match your hair or eye color are secondary to these things.

Select a true turquoise and hold that color up to your face then duplicate the way your face looks when you try on other items of clothing.  This is what it means to support your skin tone and when you look your very best. This is the only color that everyone can wear.  Your shade might be lighter or darker and you can play with that so the color gives your skin tone the best overall look with no shadows or dark lines.  Then use that as your guideline for every color you try on to be sure you continue to look your very best.

Then the style of clothing for your body shape is the next thing to consider. Closet refreshing, so you have the appropriate clothing for the activities you choose to have in your life, is an ongoing process and one that needs to be put on the schedule several times a year.
 

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Do you leave others with the impression you intended?
Are you remembered for all the right reasons?
What do people say about you when you are not present?

Your attitude, confidence, people skills, etiquette and body language are all just as important as your visual image in getting you to the top and sustaining your position once there.

If you want to be seen, heard and remembered you are in charge of the impact your image is making on your viewer. You have 8-12 seconds to make an impression.  A positive impression will allow you to be heard with your content you want to share with others and their opinion is important  if they will recommend you or not or if they will return to hear more of what you are sharing.

If you are consistent at presenting yourself they will see you as more credible and be more willing to listen to what you have to say. You may not get to share with them if you are inconsistent so it is important for you to be sure you present yourself in a similar way each time you get dressed.

If you look fantastic one day and ho hum the next day people will wonder who you are the fantastic person or the ho hum person.  Those decisions will make a difference in the way they respond to us and even in their decisions to do business with us if we are in business or provide services to others.

Planning ahead for the types of garments we are wearing and how we are putting our looks together are important decisions.  Having the clothing in good repair is also important.  While activities and events will influence what we wear the primary goal is to remain consistent to the style we have developed for ourselves.

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In every area of our life, we do business with people, companies and industries that have a consistent image. That is why so much effort is placed on communicating consistency.  It is called Brand marketing and works as well for a product as it does for a person.

Evaluate your own personal image to see if you are consistent in every area of your dressing.  Make adjustments as necessary, so that from casual out to formal you present a good impression each time.  Once you establish your look, it is easy to add new items to your wardrobe.  Your key when shopping is consistency with your established image.

Another way to think of this, is if you have a bowl of apples (your image preference) and you place an orange on top of the bowl you are immediately aware something is different. Use this same idea as you are shopping for new items of clothing to add to your wardrobe. Is the new item a match, in our example above an apple, or a mismatch, as in our example above, an orange.  With a small amount of practice adding items to your wardrobe will become very easy and fun.

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When you meet someone, there is about an 8-12 second period of time while decisions are being made about who you are and whether you are who you say you are. The saying “You never have a second chance to make a good first impression” is true.

That impression formed on your first meeting with another person, continues to influence your relationship with the person.You can overcome decisions that are not favorable to you but it does take a great deal of time and energy. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not something you can change and their opinion remains as the first one they had of you.

Proportion and fit influence the overall effect of the image of the clothing the most. Color changes with fashion and what is popular at the time so when finding the colors that appeal in clothing there might be several seasons between choices if the color you like is not in fashion at the time you are shopping for new items. Being comfortable with the color and style choices, regardless of what is popular in fashion, allows you to build a wardrobe that is functional and what I call a working wardrobe rather than a hanging wardrobe.

The weight of the fabric the clothing is made out of influences how warm the garments will be and different fibers also influence the warmth. Think about what your body temperature is and what fabrics feel the most comfortable to you. Some people have difficulty with wool and it itching when touching the skin. Interestingly enough, it can be the way the the fibers are woven or spun that cause the itching.

Of all of the things that contribute to the appearance of a garment on a person, the placement of the clothing is by far what makes the most impact in creating the finished impression that the garment makes as you are wearing it. The eye moves in a specific pattern as it scans and if the garments and accessories are placed on the body so the face is the place the eye rests, people will remember you and not what you are wearing. It is what should have the highest importance when selecting clothing.

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The importance of getting your wardrobe ready in advance is priceless!

Getting your wardrobe ready for all of the parties and events that are often a part of special events celebrations, allows us to share the joy of the event and spend time more comfortably with others in a less formal setting. Be sure you and your wardrobe are ready for all of the different events and activities you are going to or might be invited to. That way if an unexpected invitation comes along you can have an outfit that you can choose to wear already on hand. Plan several wardrobe additions just in case some of those unexpected events pop up at the last minute.

Your special occasion events calendar is an important item to set up in advance so you are prepared for the season. Think about all of the parties, plays, shows and other celebrations you might be invited to or asked to go to and see what is in your wardrobe that can be worn another way or have something put with it to give it a new look.

How To Add Items To Your Wardrobe

Prepared with your list of what you have, go looking to see how you could add to what you have in your wardrobe already or purchase new items to wear for your event schedule. It is fun to see how many unique ways you can wear the same items from your regular wardrobe and have them look entirely different. This mind-set will allow you to expand on the clothing in your closet and it will also keep you from adding things that are not a fit with the wardrobe and image you want to maintain.

Looking great every day in your wardrobe choices gives you consistency and that gives you visual credibility with those you know and meet. The importance of this needs to be in the front of your mind when shopping, before buying or adding any new wardrobe pieces with an item you might find. Does the new prospective wardrobe item look like what you know you like or want to look like with the way you dress regularly?

Now, you are going to look different than the model you saw the garment displayed on when you entered the shop where the items were being sold, in the windows of the store or in the visual departments displays around the store. Observe them, but stay true to your own wardrobe style. Occasionally they are meant to be pretty but are impractical to add to your wardrobe or to actually wear. Be on the alert for wardrobe items that could only be worn for limited occasions and decide if that wardrobe purchase would be a good investment or not.

If you can be an smart shopper by knowing what you would look good in for your body type and size, it will save you hours of looking and being disappointed after trying something on and  then finding it did not work for you. You have a good idea of what you liked from the past clothing purchases, the items in your wardrobe you wear regularly and what you passed on. Bring that memory to the front of your thinking as you are evaluating new additions to your wardrobe. Occasionally, try on things you have not tried in the past, you might be pleasantly surprised at what might be added to your favorite look list and can laugh at what you find not working for you.

Being consistent with your wardrobe choices will also allow others who might choose to buy you gifts of clothing to select things that will actually work for you. Nothing more frustrating than to open a gift you do not like and then have to take time to take back. Be real with your gift givers about your size. Oh my! Did I just say that? Yes, I did.

Save them the embarrassment of getting you something that does not fit. If you really like the item they gave you but it does not fit, when you go to return it or exchange it you are now going to be annoyed if your real size is no longer available.

How To Have Fun Adding Items To Your Wardrobe

Make special celebrations dressing this year an exciting event in itself. Then when you go to the activities you have on your calendar you will be doubly blessed. You had a ball choosing the outfit from your wardrobe to wear, then had fun going to the event because you knew you looked fabulous in every garment you selected from your wardrobe and then the extra bonus: getting compliments!!!

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