After a month of non-stop spending on gifts, food, wine and other goodies, if I never have to spend another cent, I'd be quite happy. 3 more months of winter to deal with and I'd like to use what I have if I can, and be ready for spending on spring clothes , where I'll need a fair bit.

Over the past year or more, I fell into a rather relaxed and definitely more casual style of dressing for work. I'm not happy about that and after pondering all things style and wardrobe related for some months now, have decided to ramp up my game again and dress for work in the manner that makes me feel the best: polished, current (if not a bit fashion forward ) and dressed in tailored, quality clothes. I work best and feel more motivated and energized when I'm pleased with my clothes, and when I know I look sharp and well put-together. No more jeans and casual sweaters. Bring back thoughtful accessorizing with jewellery and a great bag. Snap out of it, Lisa!

Not working in an office and seeing other professional women means I don't get a sense of what other women are wearing to work these days. The only women I see are those working in retail, and that's not really an accurate representation of the professional population at large. I get all of my clothing ideas and opinions on style from magazines, and I'm always disappointed that most women with average incomes don't dress like that. I want to, because I absolutely don't want to dress like a "stuck" middle aged woman, but don't have access to the brands, stores and large assortments that are in the larger cities. I've been scouring the internet looking for blogs with ideas for what someone like me can wear to work - and not really finding much. So I went back to the archives on YLF - and went through the past few years of ensembles and trends.

Wow! What a great visual treat to look at them all together like that . You can quickly skip past the categories and looks that aren't relevant, and begin to put together a picture of what a working wardrobe can look like. Even ensembles styled and posted a couple of years back still look good - and the ideas are easily translated to newer pieces. My favourites are the capsule posts - which are too few and far between for my liking Love them! It was also a valuable exercise in being reminded that many, many silhouettes and styles stay very current for more than a couple of seasons.

So I encourage anyone stumped by what to do with their closet at hand, mystified by what works well with what , and needs a proverbial kick in the pants to bring up their professional dressing game to go back through the archives. Sit down with a glass of wine, get comfy and have a great time. I know I did- and even pinned some new ideas onto my boards. Angie has produced a wealth of valuable information and ideas, and it's all there for our use.

p.s. can you tell I've been binge watching The Good Wife? I swear that show makes me want to sit up taller and dress better. I want to dress like Alicia Florrick.