When thinking about how to store your wardrobe items at home, you’re faced with one big decision right away. Should you store items seasonally, or keep everything together in the same closet year round? There is no right or wrong answer, but both approaches have their advantages and one of them is likely to be better for you. 

Seasonal Assortment 

Organizing your closet seasonally means that you swap out your wardrobe with the change of the seasons while transitional items keep their permanent place. In other words, your closet reflects warm and hot weather clothing in the Spring and Summer, while you pack away cold weather clothing until it’s time to dress for cold weather. This method is practical in homes with limited closet space, and when your climate is extreme. It makes dressing in the hotter months easier because you don’t have to bypass all sorts of arctic Winter woollies to get to that breezy silk blouse and pair of linen pants. You shortcut your outfit creation process by focussing your seasonal wardrobe assortment. 

Keeping it ALL Together

This is when you don’t swap out seasonal wardrobe items by keeping just about everything together in one place. That way you can see exactly what you have with one quick glance. Swapping out your wardrobe seasonally can lead to forgetting what you have (out of sight, out of mind), which leads to unnecessary duplication. Having every wardrobe item available at any time can strengthen the outfit creation process, encourage creativity, and save you in unseasonal weather. It works well for larger closet spaces, and in more temperate climates, because you can wear a larger percentage of your wardrobe year round. 

I prefer to keep EVERYTHING together because I have the closet space and live in a milder climate than those on the East Coast of the US. I just love looking into my closet and seeing all of it right away, which might pander to my control freak tendencies. That said, I do keep wardrobe basics in a separate chest of drawers, and coats in a coat closet by the door. 

Over to you. Do you swap out your wardrobe seasonally, or keep it all together?

The NAS ends on August 8, and hopefully you’ve already found some fab items. Here’s the last batch of picks to consider if you are still shopping the sale. These items have been winners on my clients and on YLF forum members since I posted my detailed lists of top picks at the start of the sale. 

• Wit & Wisdom 'Ab-solution' Itty Bitty Bootcut Jeans (Dark Indigo): A very streamlined pair of bootcuts that works well on a curvy body type. Good length for long legs. Size down.
• NYDJ 'Ami' Stretch Skinny Jeans (Marseilles) (Plus Size): A fab pair of skinnies to wear under tunics and dresses or with tall boots. Comfortably girdling on the midsection. Slimming.
• Aquatalia 'Olita' Weatherproof Riding Boot (Women) (Nordstrom Exclusive): An excellent pair of classic riding boots for narrow calves. Beautifully made, very comfortable and weatherproof. Good on low and regular volume feet. Well worth the price and rave reviews.
• Caslon Two-Pocket Plaid Shirtdress (Plus Size): Plaid Tunic Fabness. Great over flared crops with booties. Fun layered under a maxi cardigan or chunky wrap too.
• Eileen Fisher Print Sheer Silk Bateau Neck Long Shell (Regular & Petite): Delicate, arty and chic. It's a little finicky to pull on and off with the matching camisole but well worth the effort. Dress it up or down, and layer over a cardi or jacket for warmth. Runs big so size down.
• Vince Camuto Crepe A-Line Dress (Regular & Petite): A brilliant silhouette and fit on petite pear shaped body types. Fun colours and pockets.
• Nordstrom Fringe Collar Necklace: Looks a whole lot better on the body. Arty, interesting and dramatic. Fab over a scoop neck, V-neck, or boat neck. Modern Disco.
• Nadri 'Starry Night' Crystal Ear Crawlers: Dressy Crawler Fabness. Read the rave reviews.
• Madewell Plaid Wool Scarf: A casually rich Autumn scarf that works well with navy, cognac and olive.
• Kate Spade New York saffiano leather laptop bag (13 Inch): Ladylike Laptop Fabness. Beautifully made. Professional and fashionable. It's not that roomy so don't expect to fit lots of things into it.
• Kate Spade New York mini small square stud earrings: Comfortable, adorable and different. A controlled party on your ear lobe, and well worth the rave reviews. Many colour options.
• Helene Berman Contrast Collar Blazer: An impeccable form-fitting equestrian jacket with an interesting collar. The inside piping detailing will make you smile. It's quite long, but can work on petites with heels. Good on all lengths of neck. Sleeves are easy to shorten. High longevity factor.
• Gabby Skye Medallion Print Scuba Sheath Dress (Plus Size): A gorgeously soft and streamlined fit. Might run a little short on taller gals, but looks good over black leggings. Runs TTS.
• Sejour Mini Ottoman Tube Skirt (Plus Size): A great skirt for apple shaped body types. Versatile. Comfortable, streamlined and forgiving.
• Halogen Windowpane Check A-Line Skirt: A Mod skirt that works well on a wider waisted and high hipped petite. Graphic and crisp.
• Laundry By Shelli Segal Side Panel Detail Hooded Down Coat: An extremely flattering puffer coat because the chevron pattern accentuates the waist. Mid-weight. All colours are fab.

You can see the items alongside my descriptions on the collection page.

Nordstrom

Wit & Wisdom 'Ab-solution' Itty Bitty Bootcut Jeans (Dark Indigo)

$68.00

View Info

Top Pick

7

Nordstrom

NYDJ 'Ami' Stretch Skinny Jeans (Marseilles) (Plus Size)

$144.00 $86.40

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

5

Nordstrom

Aquatalia 'Olita' Weatherproof Riding Boot (Women) (Nordstrom Exclusive)

$495.00 $247.49

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

8

Nordstrom

Caslon Two-Pocket Plaid Shirtdress (Plus Size)

$78.00 $46.80

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

5

Nordstrom

Eileen Fisher Print Sheer Silk Bateau Neck Long Shell (Regular & Petite)

$258.00 $99.97

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

9

Nordstrom

Vince Camuto Crepe A-Line Dress (Regular & Petite)

$148.00 $88.80

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

7

Nordstrom

Fringe Collar Necklace

$58.00 $29.00

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

17

Nordstrom

Nadri 'Starry Night' Crystal Ear Crawlers

$75.00

View Info

Top Pick

8

Nordstrom

Madewell Plaid Wool Scarf

$59.50

View Info

Top Pick

4

Nordstrom

Kate Spade New York saffiano leather laptop bag (13 Inch)

$298.00

View Info

Top Pick

6

Nordstrom

Kate Spade New York mini small square stud earrings

$32.00

View Info

Top Pick

10

Nordstrom

Helene Berman Contrast Collar Blazer

$298.00 $119.98

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

8

Nordstrom

Gabby Skye Medallion Print Scuba Sheath Dress (Plus Size)

$108.00 $64.80

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

3

Nordstrom

Sejour Mini Ottoman Tube Skirt (Plus Size)

$69.00 $41.40

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

5

Nordstrom

Halogen Windowpane Check A-Line Skirt

$68.00 $33.97

Sale

View Info

Top Pick

5

Nordstrom

Laundry By Shelli Segal Side Panel Detail Hooded Down Coat

$190.00

View Info

Top Pick

8

In the ten years that I’ve had my wardrobe consulting business, my clients have represented a wide variety of body shapes. Their heights have ranged from less than 5 feet to more than 6 feet, and their sizes from a US00 to US24 across petite, regular and tall. It gives me great job satisfaction to have the opportunity to dress so many different and beautiful examples of the female form. 

This post is a tribute to an extremely confident group of my clients who wear a US size 10 and up. They are trendy, enthusiastic and enjoy fashion. They have never shamed their bodies during our sessions together. Not once! They feel they can participate in any trend that tickles their fancy, because it’s a question of finding the right version of a look, and adding their personal stamp to what they wear. When clothing looks off in the dressing room, they blame the clothes and not their bodies. They quickly move on and say NEXT! It’s just a matter of minutes before they find something that makes them look and feel great. 

These clients are gloriously unaffected by an industry that lacks diversity of size and body type in its presentation of fashion trends. They make their own rules and derive enormous joy from expressing themselves and looking their best. From a style point of view, it doesn’t get more empowering than that. 

I hope that my clientele know how inspiring they are to those around them. They are an absolute pleasure to work with, and I can’t thank them enough for their incredible and contagious attitudes. ROCK ON.

Toenail polish is making a more fashionable statement than ever. Like fingernail polish, these days it’s an important part of the picture and viewed as an accessory to an outfit. We paint our toenails regularly, especially during sandal season, because it adds interest to our look. It makes us smile when we stare down at our toes, and makes us feel more pulled together when our feet are exposed. 

There’s an almost infinite number of polish colours, and an enormous variety of intricate designs that you can create on your nails. How you choose to groom your toenails is a completely personal thing, and there is no right or wrong choice. Like most things in fashion, it’s all about preferences and going with what makes you feel fab. 

I wear toenail polish almost year round because I like how it adds sparkly polish to my feet. It makes me feel well-groomed and luxurious, especially when I’m without shoes and socks. I used to wear high-contrast blue or green toenail polish because I enjoyed the unusual colour. But about five years ago, I dramatically changed my preferences to a shimmery pearly white, and since then that’s ALL that I wear. I enjoy the low contrast of the colour against my skin tone, the visual softness of the white, the delicate shimmer of the pearl, and I find the subtle colour soothing.

I only recently started wearing sandals again, so my toenail polish style had little to do with how well it worked with open-toed footwear. That said, I like the way my white sandals match my white toes. It’s calming and modern to my eye.

Over to you. What’s your toenail polish style, and what’s the reason behind the colours that you choose? Do you prefer a high or low-contrast colour on your toes?

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