It’s that time of year when your winter clothes just don’t make you as happy as they did in November.  The Holidays are over and Valentine’s Day has come and gone.  The hope of spring is on the horizon, but it’s too cold to even think about putting on anything lightweight (for gosh sake it’s still the middle of winter and it’s below zero!).  What do you pull out of the closet during this time of transition??

Now is the perfect time to get real with your closet.  I’ll bet there are some gems in there to get you through April.  The strategy is to find a transitional look while “waiting out” the winter.  Maybe you have a lighter color silk blouse hiding waiting for April.  Let’s get it out and pop it under that wool cardigan you love to wear.

Another way to get started is to pull a few of your staples you have been wearing since November and take them to the cleaners.  Then you can re-focus your attention on items in your wardrobe that you have neglected.  They can become your new best friends while the “uniforms” you’ve been wearing are getting freshened up again.  The funny thing is, you may never go back to those old favorites once you pick them up from the cleaners.  If you find you have moved on to new choices, congratulations! …save those fresh cleaned items for next October.

The next step in making sure you feel fabulous and confident every day is to really get in your closet and purge.  I know that sounds scary!!!  And no, I’m not going to explain in detail how to sort & organize.  I really mean purge!

The idea is that everything that does not “spark joy”, goes.  I recently read the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing), By Marie Kondo.  Even though I have been helping clients declutter and shop with purpose for a long time, this book really hit home on what makes you truly happy.

People often feel that acquiring things and hanging on to them (way past their prime!) makes them happy.  Think again about that. Wouldn’t it be great if you could walk into your closet every morning and it wasn’t overflowing with “would haves and could haves”, and “maybe someday I will wear this again”, but instead only things that made you feel fabulous??

Live life for now!  Wear what is current, and if you bump into that old boyfriend or boss, face them head on with confidence!!

Winter is over in the fashion world, and Twin Cities retail stores are already getting their resort wear in.  Yes, spring is on the way soon to a store near you.  In the meantime, grab those bargains on winter boots and coats.

Now is the best time to invest in warm cozy boots for walking, or the hot “over the knee” boot look that is so fabulous with any skirt or dress.  Let’s face it; we have plenty of winter left.  The best spots to find boots are Schuler Shoes, Nordstrom Rack, and Marmi shoes, in the Galleria.  Marmi also specializes in hard to find sizes.  

The best buys on winter Coats are at Macy’s and Piperlime.  While you are scrolling through the coats on the Pimperlime site, also notice that there are plenty of cute moto jackets and fur vests too! Don’t wait too long, as the popular sizes go quickly.

On a beauty note, January is when the best new drugstore beauty products hit the shelves.  I can’t wait to try the new Jergens BB Hand Cream, which should be available in mid-January.  The BB creams are short for beauty balms or blemish balms.  They were first developed in Germany by a dermatologist who wanted a single cream that would protect skin and provide coverage after laser treatments.

Happy bargain shopping!  And remember, it’s only a good bargain if you would have purchased the item at full price and loved it!