White items of clothing are a basic in everybody’s wardrobe. Unfortunately they don’t stay optically white for as long as we’d  like. While Tilex, bleach and oxy-clean can certainly stretch their useful life, it’s imperative that you check the state of your whites each season. Below is a loose guideline of how long you can expect white items to last before you demote them to the camping, home-crafts or gardening pile:

• White denim items – up to 5 years because quality denim wears well.
• White slacks, skirts, dresses and jackets – up to 3 years if you dry-clean them accordingly. These items loose their optical luster quicker than white denim.
• Men’s undergarment-T’s and ladies’ camisoles – up to 2 years. Under-arm discoloration, pillage and grey tinges start appearing after about a year, but you can stretch their longevity because they’re undergarments.
• Socks, bras and undies – up to 2 years.
• White collared shirts – 1 to 2 years depending on how often you wear them. Collared shirts need to stay pristine.
• Outerwear T’s – up to 18 months. They loose their appeal as soon as they go grey and yellow.

This isn’t an exact science. White items that are laundered and worn less frequently stay looking magically white for longer. Remember to replace your whites when they start to look dodgy – white whites look best.

We’re heading into the final weekend of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. The ladieswear area can get confusing. By popular demand, here is a rundown of the various departments:

• Women’s Active stocks sports gear like Nike, Adidas and the North face.
• Encore carries everything from sportswear to occasion attire from sizes 14W to 24W.
• Petite Focus specializes in clothing for women 5′ 4″ and below from sizes 0P to 14P.
• B.P. stands for “Brass Plum” and caters to teenagers and youngsters. Styles are small, hip and cheap. You can absolutely shop here if you’re in your 30’s, 40’s and 50’s if you have the body type, spunk and skill to select the right pieces. 
• Point of View stocks affordable, mainstream and fashionable casual and careerwear in regular sizes under labels like Karen Kane, Caslon, Esprit, Semantics and Michael Kors.
• Individualist is a step up from Point of View in both fashion and price point. Here you’ll find ultra sophistication in better-end fabrications and labels like Trina Turk, Theory, Hugo Boss and Laundry.
• Savvy is for the fashion savvy and small framed. This is where you’ll find the hottest trends under labels like Marc Jacobs, L.A.M.B, Diane von Furstenberg, Nanette Lepore and True Religion. Stocks here are limited to keep the look exclusive.
• Narrative is a mish mash department. It stocks fashionable dresses and coats and traditional separates with roomier fits. Price points are good and it’s always worth looking here for that unexpected bargain.
• T.B.D. is an urban and denim focused area. You’ll find all the of the moment expensive denim brands like Free People, Citizens of Humanity, Paige and 7 for all Mankind.
• Studio 121 is where you’ll find eclectic and luxe brands at high price points like Eileen Fisher, Misook, Faconable and Lafayette. The area is aimed at a mature shopper.
• St. John houses the beautiful brand itself for the ultra classic women.
• Special Occasion stocks dazzling evening attire.
• Via C is the where you’ll find extremely expensive designer wear like Dolce & Gabbana , Jill Sander, Cavalli, Chanel and Gucci. Expect to part with lots of pretty pennies when you purchase from these collections.

Nordstrom covers a range of fashion personas and price points. Unlike Saks, Barneys and Neiman Marcus, there are affordable departments for ladies on a tight budget. Let us know about your favorite departments, and have fun shopping the sale!

I overlooked this versatile and affordable ballet flat at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and I’m adding it to my hot picks list. It’s by “Me Too” and currently available for $52.90 (soon to be priced back to $78.95 on August 4). It’s ultra soft, supportive, flexible, pointy-toed and not completely flat (you actually feel like you’re wearing a shoe and not a slipper).

The fit is super for both fairly narrow and wider feet because the inside cushioning seems to mould around the silhouette of your foot beautifully. It’s available in a pearlized patent burgundy or black, and an embossed dark bronze or pewter from sizes 5 to 13. Perfect for now, perfect for Autumn and a fab little basic to throw on with just about anything. They’re really comfortable and make the 8-hour mark.

When the distance between your shoulders and your natural waist is shorter than average, you are short-waisted. You’re long-waisted when the opposite holds true. Being short-waisted is not to be confused with being short in the rise. When the measurement from your natural waist to crotch point is short, your rise measurement is usually referred to as “petite” or short (even if you’re regular height which is 5′ 4″ and above). To complicate matters even more, you are not necessarily short-waisted if your rise measurement is petite. It’s a miracle that that we find pants and skirts to fit us at all (which is why it’s essential to get your mind around having clothing altered if it doesn’t fit). 

When you’re short-waisted, you’ll want to wear clothing that elongates your torso. Here are a few guidelines:

• Wear a supportive bra. This empathizes your waistline and pulls everything into proportion.
• Wear pants with lower rises if you intend tucking your top into your bottoms.
• Choose paneled skirts with low slung waistlines and strong vertical seaming.
• Longer length tops and knee length A-line dresses are ideal. 
• Keep tops and tunics fitted on the shoulders and  torso to accentuate your shape. Refrain from wearing broad waist cinching belts over tunics and opt for loosely slung narrower belts instead.

My point is clearly demonstrated in the pictures below. The model on the left has effectively shortened her torso with the wide, cinched waist belt. The model on the right wearing the loosely slung narrower belt looks like she has a long torso because of the shape of the belt and the way that it’s slung.