Tip Tuesday #4- Organize your Morning Clothing Routine at Night!

You’ve got a big presentation today and you overslept… “Junior” can’t find his book report, “Sally” is having a full blown melt down because her cheerios spilt, and “Daddy’s” out of town on a business trip… In your “super-Mom” ways you solve the book report and Cheerios crises. But now, you literally have 3 seconds to get ready. You throw on your go-to black suit, which has some sort of stain on it, and your slightly wrinkled blouse and head out the door. On your way to work you’re more focused on whether or not people will notice the “unknown stain” rather than thinking about your presentation.

This example may or may not have happened in your house, but it’s safe to say that mornings can be a hectic!!! So, what’s something you can do to make it less hectic? Start your morning the night before by organizing your clothes at night! It may sound weird but it works. I do this, almost, every weekday and it’s been a huge time saver. So much so that I have also started putting my daughter’s clothes out the night before...

Laying out your clothes the night before not only helps you save time but affords you the opportunity to mix and match your outfits so you’re not wearing the same thing over and over. You are also better able to plan your outfit for the day- whether you have a meeting, an average day at work, taking the kiddos on a play date, networking event, etc. Like in the above example, if you did have a huge presentation the next day you probably would have noticed the stain earlier and chosen a different outfit which would leave you more time to think more about your presentation, and no about the stain…

While this is a quick tip, it’s sure to save you lots of time!! Hope this helps!

Please note there will not be a Tip Tuesday post next week so we can all enjoy some family time before 2013 comes to an end... Thanks for reading and I wish you all a wonderful holiday season!

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Monisha Kapur and tagged organize morning routine night routine clothing organization.

Winter Boots for Your Style

Not quite officially winter yet, but it’s been snowing everywhere, well, except Florida… And yes Floridians, I’m jealous of you all!! Anyway… Since most of us are pretty much stomping around in our winter boots I figured I’d take this opportunity to say that even though it’s slushy, cold and sometimes not fun being in the snow, it doesn’t mean we have to compromise our footwear (GASP!) in order to stay warm and dry. There are lots of winter boot options out there that will match anyone’s personal style and / or what they feel comfortable wearing.

Here are some winter boot suggestions that are sure to please anyone. To make it a little easier to sift through, I broke them down by personal style (Classic, Modern, Trendy and Boho Chic). For those of you out there that have different styles, or you just want to peruse the boots, (after all, who doesn’t like looking at shoes?) go ahead and take a look take at them all!

Oh, one more important thing before you move on to gazing at beautiful boots... As with all my blog posts and wardrobe styling consultations I do not receive any compensation for my recommendations. I base my recommendations solely on my expertise and knowledge of brands, retailers and style so you all can get expert unbiased suggestions. OK, with that said, lets take a look at some fabulous boots!

Classic

These boots are simple, true to their cold weather heritage, and will last you through many a winter. 

 

Modern

Still classic and clean, but these winter boots take up a notch with details like faux fur, quilting and straps.

 

Trendy

On the cutting edge of fashion these winter boots are colorful and fun!

 

Boho Chic

These winter boots are feminine and tough with lug soles, buckles and stacked heels.

Did I miss any fabulous boots? I'd love to know what your go to fashionable winter boot is!

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Monisha Kapur.

Tip Tuesday #3- How to Accessorize Without "Accessorizing"

I love all kinds of accessories- scarves, hair accessories, necklaces, bracelets, rings, dangley earrings, belts, shoes, purses and so on. My husband always tells me that I’ll never be able to spy on my daughter (not that I do that..) because she'll hear my bracelets “jingle” a mile away.

But, not everyone wears accessories. For some it may be that they just don’t like them, for others it could be because they don’t want their toddler pulling on their necklace or earrings (been there, done that!), or accessories may not be appropriate for their workplace, and for others it may be that they just don’t know how to wear them. However, regardless of anyone’s love / hate relationship with accessories, the one question I get a lot is, “How can I accessorize without really accessorizing?” The answer to that takes me to Tip #3- add a watch! Done! Not only are watches functional, they are the perfect “non-accessory” accessory.

You can find a watch to match any personal style, in any color, design, and even price point. Here are some outfits easily updated with a watch.

Take the classic LBD (Little Black Dress), pretty boring on its own. Add a classic bracelet watch in trend right gold and your outfit pops!

Heading to a business meeting? Transform your grey power suit to an uber power suit by adding a watch with clean lines and a pop of red to let them know you mean business.

Running around after the kids? Running errands? Shoveling snow? (or maybe that's just me). Re-invent your "go to" jeans and sweater outfit with a trend right rose gold watch!

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Monisha Kapur.

Tip Tuesday #2- The Secret to Converting Summer Outfits to Winter Outfits

On this snowy, sleety, slushy day my thoughts turn to warm, sunny days. I imagine myself lying on the beach, sipping a cool drink and letting the warmth of the sun embrace me… Mid thought, I'm shaken back to reality by the loud shrill of my daughter screaming "I can't find my snow pants"!!! And so, winter has (unofficially) begun...

If you’re “lucky” enough to live in a place where you experience seasons, you know what a pain it is to have to keep rotating your seasonal clothes, not to mention the added expense of maintaining seasonal wardrobes.  So, what’s the secret to extending the “shelf life” of your summer clothes? (Drum roll please…)- Layer your summer tops with a TURTLENECK! Turtlenecks are versatile and can easily be layered under most summer tops from tees to tunics, to tanks to halter dresses to so much more!!

OK, so some of you may be saying – Turtlenecks? They don’t work with my style, or they’re uncomfortable. I know, I know... I was with you, but I've been using this “trick” for a while now and it’s saved me time and money, therefore, I’m a believer! There are many different types of turtlenecks out there- If you don’t want to wear a plain black one? Wear any color, print, or design that matches you outfits. If you don’t like how the turtleneck fits around your neck? Try a mock turtleneck instead.

Click through the outfits below for some suggestions on how to layer your summer tops with turtlenecks to create winter outfits. 

 

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Monisha Kapur.

Tip Tuesday #1- How to Use a Color Wheel

Today is the first installment of my Tip Tuesday Series!!

On Tuesdays I'll share tips, ideas and strategies on on how to get you dressing easily, quickly, with some pizzazz and drama free!! Well, actually drama-less, not drama free since I can't do anything about the little ones running a muck as you try and get ready for your day... Or maybe that's just my house... But, I can help you with your styling needs and have you looking good, feeling good, and out of the house "relatively" quickly.

The Color Wheel

Today's tip will teach you how to use a color wheel to help you quickly coordinate outfits. A color wheel is basically a device that shows the relationships of  colors, whether they are primary, secondary, complementary etc. It can help you choose which colors will go together to form various clothing combinations and which colors to avoid. So, how exactly will a color wheel help you? Well, instead of staring at your closet and just reaching for your black pants and white shirt because you have no time to figure out what colors go with each other- grab a color wheel (or use the one below), look at your closet and pull clothes that have colors that work together. Viola!

The Basics- Below is an example of a basic, easy to use, color wheel. There are others that show the hues of colors, warm vs cool colors, etc. No matter which color wheel you use, you can create fabulous color coordinated outfits. The key is to match certain colors together, sometimes with neutrals (i.e.- greys, browns, blacks and navys), to create the outfits. Here are some ways on how you can use this color wheel to help you achieve different types of looks. 

Color Wheel
  • The Analogous Look- This look features 3 colors that blend well together. Match 3 different colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. For example, pair a Yellow Top and Green Pants with a Yellow Green Necklace.
  • The Complementary Look- This look features 2 colors that are not the same, but complement each other. Match colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel. However, be careful when using complementary colors, you could end up overloading yourself with color, therefore, use a neutral color to ground the outfit. For example a Yellow Top, Gray Pants (neutral color) and a Violet handbag.
  • The Split Complementary Look- With the split complementary look, you still want to be cautious of overloading on color, like the complementary look. However, the addition of a 3rd color, helps to even it out a bit, therefore the outfit will not be as high contrast. For example a red top with black (neutral) pants, yellow green shoes and a blue green necklace.
  • The Triad Look- Pulling off the triad color look is probably the trickiest of all, at least I think so. Because the colors are so different, depending on how you put them together you can end up looking fabulous or you could look like a not so nice "color medley". Triad colors are evenly spaced from each other on the color wheel. For example, Blue denim jeans, a Yellow top and a Red handbag.
  • The Monochromatic Look- This look features different shades of the same color. Match similar colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. For example, pair a Blue Violet Top with Blue Denim Jeans.

Hopefully this tip will help you coordinate your outfits a bit more and get you out of the "black pants / white shirt" rut... 

Have a style dilemma that you wish you had an easy tip for?  Let me know, I'd be glad to help!

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Monisha Kapur and filed under Tip Tuesday and tagged Color Wheel Mix and Match matching colors.