Did you know that you can use a salad spinner as a sweater dryer? That using lip balm will help keep your shoelaces secure, or that spraying starch on white sneakers will keep dirt and grime at bay? Real Simple lists 75 clothing care tips and tricks that might come in very handy one day.

If you are looking for greener alternatives to dry cleaning, then check out these nine ways to wash your delicates from EcoSalon.

Do stretched-out cuffs on your favourite sweaters drive you batty? This easy three-step video shows us how to reshape pullovers and get them back in shipshape condition.

Fab Links from Our Members

Nadya in so many ways admires this enterprising bride and the dress she knitted for her special day.

Even though Annagybe is not on Team Polka Dot, she would happily carry one of these Yayoi Kusama for Louis Vuitton bags.

Laurinda likes these fashion accessories made from skateboard decks and recycled skateboard materials. She hopes that the eyeglass frames will be available for purchase soon.

New York Magazine did a round-up of the 50 most scandalous dresses in history (warning: some are quite graphic and probably not suitable for work). Angie thought the mix very interesting.

Joy reports that Interactive Product Group recently released “Fashion Hazard”, a new videogame set in the fashion world. It is described as a sort of Indiana Jones meets the runway, and the developers believe it fills a gap in their industry: action games with feminine appeal.

As a former plus-size MaryK is always happy to see lots of options in all size ranges. She points us to this Los Angeles Times article about how clothing lines are finally waking up to the plus-size market, and also enjoyed this feature about JilRo, a new Los Angeles plus-sized line.

This is an easy Fall and Winter smart casual outfit formula that is super practical in wet weather. The strength of the outfit comes from wearing three items in the same colour. In this case the trousers, jacket and shoes are all black. The black components, both on the top and bottom, instantly pull the look together by bookending the outfit. Furthermore, although the colour is the same, the textures of the black items are different: leather, wool and nubuck. This adds further outfit interest. 

I bet some of you already have the wardrobe components and could put this look together in two ticks. They are:

Black tapered trousers + sweater + black moto jacket + black booties

Tapered trouser hems showcase cold weather footwear in the best way, AND prevent your hems from getting soggy when it rains. These trousers are pleated, but you could wear flat fronts, cigarette pants or straight leg jeans. 

The sweater can be basic, although this one shows a bit of stitching interest. Choose any colour. You could also opt for a blouse, button down shirt or tee instead of the sweater.

The moto jacket is quite cropped, which lengthens the leg line. This outfit shows the sweater shorter than the jacket, but you have options. You could tuck in the top and add a belt. Or leave it untucked, thereby allowing the hem of the top to fall below the hem of the jacket. 

The booties are the third black item in the outfit, and they further strengthen the leg line by keeping the colour of the footwear the same as the trousers. 

Add a scarf and bag to finish off the ensemble, and wear jewelry as desired.

As with all the formulas, I sow the seed of an idea. The next step is to substitute the components so that they are more suited to your style preferences. For example, wear brown trousers, moto jacket and booties instead of black. Or keep the colour contrast between the three items low instead of the same. Wear brown trousers and booties, but throw in a burgundy leather jacket. Leave off the scarf.

Will you be basing outfits on this formula in Autumn and Winter?

There is fabulous merchandise to be bought throughout the year, but as a general guideline, the best merchandise is available in the first three months of a new retail season. 

There is good reason for this. Fashion buyers have budgets called “OTB”, which is short for “open to buy”. When buyers have OTB, it means that they have money to spend. Buyers will spend more of their OTB at the beginning of the season because they would like to give items as long as possible to sell at full price. If items are unsold at the end of the season, they go into sales at a heavy discount, which means lower margins and lower profits. Since buyers are front-loading their spending, the beginning of the season is where you will find the biggest variety in stores.

Buyers are also likely to spend their budget first on the items they think are the best. So if the buyer has a good eye (and is targeting your style preferences) then you will also find the best merchandise in store at the beginning of the season.

Although it is a decade since I worked as a fashion buyer, my interaction with people currently in the trade suggests that in most buying departments this is still true today. And I find that I have a much better experience in stores, for myself and for my clients, in the first few months of the season. Note that some companies work on a completely different model that is much less dominated by seasons. Zara, for example, makes decisions about things like fabric at the start of a season, but during the season they rapidly respond to what they think is working best in stores and change the collection as they go. Unlike most retailers, their almost completely vertical operation allows them to react to customer purchasing trends in close to real time.

For new Spring and Summer collections in the Northern Hemisphere, the best merchandise is available in February, March and April. For new Autumn and Winter collections in the Northern hemisphere, the best merchandise is available in August, September and October. 

If you are a die-hard bargain hunter, you’ll prefer to wait for end of season sales no matter what. If you shop eBay and discounted sites that sell season-old merchandise like BlueFly, Yoox, the Rack and Gilt, this shopping timetable does not apply. You have to scour those sites daily and snap up your size when it’s available.

A wardrobe essential is an indispensable staple without which your wardrobe would not function. They are versatile, current and often simple in design. They can be neutral or non-neutral. They can be dressed up or down. They are not necessarily the items that create the interesting part of the outfit, but are part of the solid foundation. They work season after season after season. 

Revisiting and evaluating your wardrobe essentials is an important part of the closet review process because they frequently transform items into outfits. Think of them as the building blocks of your wardrobe and you’ll keep wardrobe orphans to a minimum as well as have something to wear with those avant-garde pieces that also find a home in your closet.

The all important word here is personal. Wardrobe essentials have to reflect your lifestyle, climate, body type, work environments and style preferences. That’s why I don’t believe in one universal wardrobe essentials list for everyone.

I posted my personal list of wardrobe essentials in 2009, saying then that it had been the same for years, and that I didn’t see it changing unless I had a fundamental shift in my lifestyle or preferences. It turns out that I have had two fundamental shifts in my style preferences:

• One, I am embracing the ongoing trouser season, favouring them over skirts.
• Two, a style epiphany in 2011 was the driving force to an almost jewelry-free style. 

So here’s my updated list of wardrobe essentials:

1. Camisoles: They keep me warm, make transparent tops wearable, and add a brightness to my cream and white shirts. I have several black, white and cream camisoles and wear one every day. 
2. Button down shirts: My basic white and black button down shirts from Brooks Brothers work with all my bottoms, and are great layering pieces. They are my “t-shirt”. Shirts work for my style because I LOVE to scrunch sleeves and pop my collar, and I bat for Team Dressy. I feel pulled together, crisp and professional when my outfit incorporates a button down shirt, even if it’s for a casual outfit.
3. Fitted Turtlenecks: They are my cold weather button down shirt! They work with all my cold weather bottoms and always streamline my outfit. Their simple elegance is timeless, and their high neckline is ideal for my long neck.  
4. Jeans: I have an assortment of skinny and straight leg jeans in blue, black and white denim because tapered hems are the most versatile and practical silhouette for my lifestyle. I can wear the blue and black washes all year round in Seattle. 
5. Black Cigarette Trousers: Over the last two years, I’ve been wearing jeans less frequently and trousers more regularly. I have two pairs of black cigarette trousers that work with most of my tops and I enjoy the non-denim option. 
6. Black Pencil Skirt: I wear my black pencil skirt less frequently because black trousers feel more current. But every so often my black pencil feels perfectly feminine, and it’s there for those occasions. 
7. Biker Jacket: I’ve had a biker jacket in my wardrobe since the ’80s, updating the item as the silhouettes changed over time. It’s become a timeless and iconic classic that can be worn over jeans and a cocktail dress. 
8. Pinstripe Blazer: This blazer is part of a suit. I wear the blazer more frequently than the trousers because I like to wear the blazer over dresses, skirts and fashion forward trousers. The gangster stripe appeals to my androgynous style persona. 
9. Denim Jacket: The perfect casual cover-up for dress and skirt ensembles
10. Little Black Dress: I have a sleeveless black sheath dress that is still going strong, but prefer my grey metallic sleeved sheath as an update on the look. 
11. Trench Coat: I have three that are ideal for 6 months of the year in wet Seattle. They are also great for travel to Europe. 
12. Ballet Flats: I’m a Chanel girl who wears two toned ballet flats with frocks, skirts, tapered trousers, skinnies and clamdiggers every warm weather season. My ten hour Summer walking shoes. 
13. Converse Sneakers: Ideal for very casual settings and dog walking. Another iconic classic that stands the test of time. 
14. Tall Flat Boots: Equestrian in vibe and my favourite way to traipse around in ghastly wet weather and still feel chic and pulled together. 
15. Tall Dressy Boots: They make my lightweight skirts and dresses wearable in the cooler months. 
16. Oversized Watch: I adore my pearl necklaces, but wear them less frequently because I’m into sporting a minimal jewelry-free style. Instead, I wear a large watch daily and rotate a couple of metals throughout the week.  

To save you the effort of comparing this list to the previous one, here are the changes: I’ve taken out the denim pencil skirt and replaced it with black cigarette trousers. I’ve added in tall flat boots and tall dressy boots. I replaced the chunky pearl necklaces with an oversized watch.

If you haven’t developed your own list of wardrobe essentials, feel free to use this list as a starting point. Substitute the items so that they are in line with YOUR style needs. For example, my turtlenecks might be your scoop neck long sleeved t-shirts. My jeans might be your denim or cotton skirts. My button down shirts might be your knitted mock wrap tops. My moto jacket might be your tweed blazer. My cigarette pants might be your midi skirts. My ballet flats might be your wedge sandals. And my trench coat might be your safari jacket. 

It will take a few seasons to put together an accurate and comprehensive list of wardrobe essentials because, ideally, you need to road test the outfit combinations through an entire season to make sure that they work for you. But you have to start somewhere, and now is as good a time as any. Once you have an understanding of your wardrobe essentials, it becomes easier to create outfits because they are the building blocks of your wardrobe. The items that you turn to over and over again because they never let you down.