Feb 17, 2016
“What I’m Really Wearing” is a monthly feature at GYPO where I show you some of the easy outfits I’m putting together in real life. In the fashion blog world, I’ve found that a lot of the outfits are more aspirational than inspirational. I’ve even fallen into the trap of featuring overly styled and accessorized outfits that I wouldn’t wear in real life. Truth is, I do wear a version of these outfits, just pared down significantly.
That’s what this series is all about – the simplified outfits I’m REALLY wearing to do real life in and you can too.
This month, I’m showing you a real casual date night outfit that I wore out recently while in San Antonio for our daughter’s cheerleading competition.
This bright pinkish coral blouse is one of my new favorite items in my closet. It’s so easy to dress up or down and the color makes me smile.
Outfit Formula: Blouse + Skinny Jeans + Long Necklace + Metallic Flats + Pop of Leopard
[Blouse: Same/Jeans: Same/Necklace: Similar/Shoes: Similar/Watch: Same/Purse: Similar]
It’s Your Turn: What’s your favorite casual date night look? Tell us in the comments.
Feb 15, 2016
By Sara Pedersen
Having a fabulous wardrobe can really boost a gal’s confidence and outlook on life! But if those gorgeous new outfits don’t have the proper places to “live,” it can lead to frustration as she tries to make order of the piles of t-shirts, scarves, and skinny jeans. Sound familiar? Not to worry…As a professional organizer for 15 years, I’ve organized my share of closets, dressers, and off-season clothing storage areas. (No, the treadmill in the corner of your bedroom is not an option!) So I’m going to share my favorite process for getting YOUR closet in order, as well as some tried and true tips to keep it “always organized.”When preparing for the perfect closet, the goal is to come up with a system that will allow you to maintain it with minimal effort, while maximizing your space, time, and wardrobe. And remember that the closet works in conjunction with other storage spaces as well — you’ll want to also cull through clothing in your dresser(s) during this process, as well as any other clothing stored under the bed or elsewhere in your home.
Seven Steps to a Perfect Closet
1. Do the laundry. This might sound like a strange place to start, but make sure that any dirty clothing is laundered before you begin the process so you can see everything you have.
2. Once all your clothing is rounded up, start sorting. Pull out everything from the closet and dressers, finding logical categories. Put casual clothing in one area on the bed or floor by category (t-shirts, tanks, yoga wear, shorts, pajamas, etc.) and work or dressier clothing in another (skirts, dresses, dressy pants, button-downs, sweaters, jackets). Also group together shoes, belts, scarves, and other accessories. Even socks, bras, camis, and underwear need to be sorted.
3. Once everything is sorted into categories, now is the time to pare down. Once you have everything sorted, you may discover that you own multiples of the same item. How many black t-shirts do you really need? This is your chance to get rid of those items that don’t fit, are out of style, or are not practical. Remember, it’s important to let your clothing have a little breathing room to keep it wrinkle-free, as well as to allow you to easily view your closet’s contents. Toss out anything stained, ripped, or out of shape. Did you know that most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time? Donate or consign items that don’t flatter your figure or coloring. If you haven’t worn it in the past 12 months, let someone else enjoy it!
4. Now, figure out where everything is going to “live” and assign a “home.” Consider the storage spaces in your bedroom… both your closet and dresser(s) will come into play. Designate a shelf, section of rod, or drawer for each category of clothing. There is no single “right” way to do this, but it will be helpful to separate your closet by item type, then group similar items by color. Button-down shirts, dress pants, blazers, dresses, skirts, etc. should all be batched together so you can quickly see and assess your options when you look in your closet. Dressers are a good option for your folded casual clothing, such as t-shirts and yoga wear, as are shelves in your closet. And where will off-season clothing go? Only keep your “A” team or current clothes in your main closet and dresser. Shift seasonal clothes, maternity, and “other size” items to another storage space, such as under your bed. Many people can reduce the amount of clothing in their closet by half if they follow this guideline.
5. Reconfigure your closet if necessary. If the closet only has one rod across the top, you may want to consider redesigning your closet for maximum space efficiency. Consider simple, inexpensive modifications such as adding a double hang closet rod to double your hanging space. You may also be able to adjust your shelves and rods to better accommodate your space needs. Be sure to use the entire closet space, including the vertical space under hanging clothes. For instance, underneath short-hanging garments, place a low trunk full of sweaters. A set of plastic drawers or a simple wooden dresser could hold lingerie, swimsuits, and socks. Really want to make over your closet? Give it a clean, fresh coat of light-colored paint. This reflects the light and gives you a solid neutral background to view your clothing against. Give the closet a good vacuuming and dusting, too.
6. Find storage containers that are sturdy and sized appropriately. Use containers you already own or shop for new ones at stores like Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, or The Container Store. Sweaters, t-shirts, and sweatshirts line up nicely on shelves with the help of vertical shelf dividers or when placed in clear plastic boxes or hanging canvas shelves. Accessories such as purses, scarves, and belts can be placed in clear boxes or attractive wicker baskets on open shelves. Place hooks on the back of the closet door to hang bathrobes or belts or to lay out your next day’s wardrobe. For shoes, consider clear plastic shoe boxes, which keep shoes dust-free and easily viewed. Or use over-the-door shoe bags or a neat shoe rack on the floor.
7. Return clothing to the closet. Organize your clothing to work with your lifestyle. Section garments by type, then by color, so you can always easily see what you have. Hang pants, jackets, button-front shirts, dresses, and skirts. T-shirts, pajamas, sweaters, yoga wear and underthings should be folded and put in dresser drawers, on shelves, or in bins. Don’t put matching tops and bottoms together, since this stops you from seeing other ways to combine them. Arrange clothes so those you wear most often are nearest the front of the closet.
A few additional quick tips will help you keep your closet in tip-top shape all year round:
• Allow only pressed, clean, ready-to-wear clothes in your closet. If an item needs to be mended, cleaned, or ironed, it should not be in your closet. Keep your ironing or mending pile in a convenient spot so that you can tackle it while catching up on your favorite shows or chatting on the phone.
• It’s helpful to standardize your hangers. It doesn’t matter what type you prefer, just make them consistent and always hang clothes in the same direction. This will help reduce visual clutter and allow you to review your clothes at a glance. Wooden, padded, plastic tube, or velvet “huggable” hangers, rather than cheap wire ones, will keep your clothing in top-notch shape and avoid tangles. Get rid of extra hangers, which just take up space. See if your dry cleaner can recycle your unneeded wire hangers.
• From here on out, keep a give-away box in your closet to make donating easier.
Building closet maintenance into your weekly routine will reduce time and stress in your daily quest for determining what to wear. It will also allow you to make the most of your wardrobe and feel great about getting maximum use out of clothes you already own. This project may seem daunting, but its rewards are many! If you’re stuck, consider enlisting a trusted friend or professional organizer to help you with the process, especially the clutter-clearing steps. If you just need a little motivation and guidance as you DIY, considering joining the JOY (Just Organize Yourself) Challenge.
ABOUT SARA
Since 2000, Sara Pedersen has offered hands-on organizing assistance for countless Twin Cities residents. She helps them organize, simplify, and discover time to do the things they love. She is the author of Born to Organize and Learn to Organize, both available on Amazon.She lives in Shoreview, Minnesota, with her husband, two children, and tabby cat, Mulligan. When she’s not working with clients, she enjoys finding new and creative ways to organize and decorate her home! She also loves to dig in the garden, take evening walks, eat chocolate, and explore the North Shore of Minnesota.
Visit her website for helpful organizing tips, donation resources, and access to her free set of Organized Acts of Kindness Cards.
Feb 8, 2016
by Beth Roy
The term “age appropriate” has become a standard line when talking about how to dress, how to wear our hair, and even the polish we pick for our toes. In fact, I bet if I asked you to list the dressing “don’ts” of women over say 40-ish, you’d have a pretty easy time:
- Too much cleavage
- Jeans with too low a rise, exposing even more cleavage (ouch)
- Wearing legging as pants (and not to work out)…..with a top that doesn’t cover the crotchal region
- Wearing stilettos with jeans and a plunging neckline…too much vavoom is never a good thing and looks like you’re trying too hard.
- Donning a crop top, any kind of crop top
- Showing VPL’s (visible panty lines)
- Wearing a ponytail, every day, all day (guilty here)
Through my business, B.Styled Personal Shopping & Wardrobe Consulting, the issue I encounter more often is the opposite one. I find the mistake women tend to make is dressing too old rather than too young, and it is so gratifying to help women find a personal style that is just right for them.
The reasons many women spiral into the rut of dressing beyond their years vary. The short list includes:
- weight changes
- what they define as“comfortable”
- foot issues
- a lack of time and/or interest in keeping up with what is current
- letting themselves fall to the bottom of their priority list.
Many women tell me they are at a loss as to where to shop and what to shop for, citing feelings of overwhelm and lack of self-confidence. Dressing room depression is real and a very common issue. My goal is to help my client find that sweet spot – a look that is comfortable and easy, while helping her look and feel her absolute best, no matter her age.
Here is my list of the top 5 fashion mistakes that can make us look older and how to easily fix them:
- Wearing black, black, and more black: Raise your hand if you have a closet full of black clothing and accessories and have the irresistible urge to always “buy it in black”. There’s no doubt that black has always been the wonder drug when it comes to looking slim and sophisticated. But let’s face it ladies, as we age, our skin tone tends to go paler, so we need to brighten ourselves up a bit. Go ahead and wear black, but not so close to the face. Add scarves, jewelry, colorful tops and jackets to accent your black foundation and provide a needed palette pick-me-up. Not only will this allow you to show your personality, it will take years off your looks and improve the image you are projecting.
- Over draping: Weight gain and weight “redistribution” is probably the #1 issue I hear from clients as a reason for getting into dressing ruts. They want to cover up and hide the added pounds, but adding more volume with clothing is not the way to go. If you are draping to hide a fuller-on-the top or fuller-in-the-middle proportion you are only creating a more obvious imbalance, making you appear even larger on the top and smaller on the bottom. Instead, opt for something that follows your curves, not hides them. This is where a great fitting, tailored, (not stuffy) jacket is your secret weapon. Don’t believe me? Let me help you find one and you’ll see for yourself;)
- Shoes that weigh more than you do: I am the (former) owner of clunky clogs. Yes, they are comfortable. Yes, they are great for nurses and new moms and working in the garden. No, they don’t look good. If you insist on wearing them, please stick to long wide leg jeans or long boot cut yoga pants. Anything else is just wrong. Find a cute flat or pair of comfortable, low heeled booties instead. I will get hate mail for this one I know, but I’m standing firm. Sorry, I speak the truth.
- Outdated eye glasses: Glasses are an accessory – and an area to have fun and show your personality. Great glasses are the most functional and important accessory you will own…and if you don’t need them yet, trust me the day will come. They are also a focal point, so you want to make sure that you pick a pair that doesn’t age you. You want to avoid boring and outdated frames and frames that droop downward.
Go to a reputable optometrist with professionals who can help you find the best pair for you.. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing eye wear:
- Try to add warmth and softness to your face. Translucent colors are often better than hard metals.
- Add color: one of the easiest ways to add a bit of hipness to your style.
- After 40 you want things to go up not down, so choose frames that are horizontal and have a slight tilt at the outer edges. You will want the eye to be drawn upward!
- Get glasses that suit your face shape.
- The sisters need a new bra: Eight out of ten women are wearing the wrong size bra. Seriously, would you walk around in the wrong size shoes? This is an an easy fix to make you look ten pounds lighter and ten years younger. A well-fitted bra will also help you have better posture, a perkier looking chest – and you will just look better in all your clothes. Clients who have had their first professional bra fitting swear by it as a real game changer.
So, there you have it…conquer these 5 issues and take 10 years off your look;) Seriously, growing older is a blessing and I know I wouldn’t want to go back in time (well maybe to college…but just for a weekend or two). You deserve to look and feel your absolute best at every stage of life, so make yourself a priority, and rock your best personal style. I’m here to help!
ABOUT BETH ROY, B.STYLED
Beth’s background includes several years in corporate sales and marketing for Tiffany & Co and co-founding FlirtyFinds, a fashion accessory business. Her real passion though is working with women and helping them “find their inner flirt” – the tagline for FlirtyFinds – which essentially means discovering your personal style that makes you look and feel your best. You can visit Beth and B.Styled at her blog.
Feb 5, 2016
My sweet friend Shay Shull is the MASTER of easy meals and desserts. She does for mealtime what the GYPO Style Challenge does for getting dressed in the morning – provides “done for you” solutions that don’t require a ton of time or effort. She knows that we busy mamas don’t want to run around town looking for fancy ingredients or spend hours on elaborate meals. But we all want to provide a hot delicious meal (and a little treat) for our sweet families at the end of a long day.
That’s what Mix and Match Meal Planner and Mix and Match Cakes are all about. In all fairness, I’ve been a fan of Shay’s easy recipes long before her cookbooks came out. They are always a hit with every member of our family, which I can’t say about a many other recipes. Her meals are entirely kid-friendly and also ideal for having the kids pitch in and help out.
The Mix and Match Meal Planner gives you two weeks’ worth of meals for each season of the year. You get weekly menus with and shopping lists of ingredients to make meal planning a snap. I especially love that she uses the slow cooker in her recipes year round. It’s honestly one of my favorite ways to get a hot meal on the table every night.
The thing I loved the most about Mix and Match Cakes and that Shay and her oldest daughter made all 101 cakes together. My daughters and I have vowed to do the same and will be starting to make some of these fun cake recipes for our family. I can’t guarantee that we’ll make it through all 101 but we will pick some of our favorites and see how it goes!
Valentine’s Dinner for Two
Shay has a special gift just in time for Valentine’s Day – an easy, scrumptious romantic dinner for two, complete with a yummy sweet treat to make it complete.
(Tip: Pin the image below so you have it for quick reference!)
Check out more of Shay’s easy and delicious recipes at her blog Mix and Match Mama. Her cookbooks Mix and Match Meal Planner and Mix and Match Cakes are available now on Amazon.
Disclaimer: I received free copies of these cookbooks however all opinions are my own.
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