I’m enjoying the look of wide trousers so I recently added two pairs to my wardrobe. As a result I had too many pairs of wide hemmed pants. I can’t wear wide legs too often in Seattle because the hems get wet in the rain. Tapered legs are a lot more practical, so I decided to taper the hems of two pairs of old bootcut jeans to restore the balance of hem widths in my wardrobe. 

After pinning both pairs of bootcut jeans to the newly desired tapered silhouette, I took them over to Chung, the lady who does all my alterations and who owns Madison Cleaners down the road from our house in Seattle. I adore feisty and exuberant Chung. She barely speaks English, but we totally understand each other. Her broad smile lights up the room and you can’t help but be completely captivated when she beams those pearly white teeth.

Chung and I almost always have a spirited “discussion” about the measurements of a planned alteration, because we both have strong opinions. In this case, I wanted my hems to taper to a half circumference of six inches, while Chung wanted them to taper to seven inches. We debated this for a while, our voices getting louder and louder, with both of us doing a lot of gesticulation. As always, we reached a compromise. Chung suggested we taper at six and half inches and I agreed. 

The results were great. Chung, who was a seamstress for 25 years in Korea, does a killer job. In six years of alterations there was only one time when I wasn’t completely happy with the results. And I find her prices very reasonable. This time she charged me $24 to taper two pairs of jeans.

Finding someone like Chung makes alterations so much easier. After all, they help you to achieve that all important perfect fit. If you don’t already have a go-to person, then ask around. By now, most of my clients and many of my friends have Chung do their alterations. As Phoebe says: “She’s the best!”

It was clear from the responses to last week’s post on closet editing  that the process can be overwhelming, confusing and time consuming. Although I’m an advocate for getting the edit done in one go, that’s not always possible. Time is limited, plus you lose interest and stamina along the way. 

Chin up! Here are three ways to speed things up and maintain motivation throughout the process: 

1. Elicit the help of a buddy: Set aside a good amount of time and ask a friend or family member to help out with the heavy lifting. Provide snacks, pull up your sleeves, turn up the music and get down to business. Two pairs of hands lighten the load and a second set of eyes is always helpful. In return, offer the same assistance when it’s time to edit their closet. 
2. Post questions on a fashion forum: If you’re unsure whether an item should stay or go, post it on a forum for fast feedback. Soliciting this sort of feedback can save you the time that would have been spent agonizing over small decisions. People do this on the YLF forum all the time.
3. Hire a professional: Fashion stylists, wardrobe consultants and image consultants clean out and review closets for a living. This way costs a lot more money, but you are assured of an efficient process, completion in a short amount of time, and a flexible action plan for the style that you aspire to.

If the only way to edit your closet is on your own, try and get as much as you can done in one session. If that’s not an option, break it up over several sessions over no more than a week. The momentum is important because you must think about how your wardrobe functions as a whole. How the tops relate to the bottoms, how accessories and footwear complement your outfits, and how the colours work with each other. Editing your entire closet over a long period of time is not as effective because it’s harder to think about it as a whole and in capsules. Your thought processes are interrupted and it’s trickier to pick up from where you left off. 

When I edit closets with clients, the joint effort usually takes about five hours. Sometimes it takes less time, and sometimes it takes up to nine hours. It’s hard work and we are tired at the end of it. But we have fun and the end result is rewarding. 

You are on Team Solo Shop if you prefer to shop alone. You are on Team Group Shop if you prefer to shop with someone else or in a group of people. 

I am sitting this one out because I can’t pick a team. I love to shop alone because I’m extra focused and fast. I soak up more detail about the items and stores and usually have a productive session. But I also love to shop with my clients, with friends, with YLF’ers at a gathering, with my sister-in-law Keri and with Greg. I used to love shopping with my late Mum. I love the laughter and chit chat that unfolds when you shop with someone else. I love sharing my finds with others along the way. I love helping others find fab stuff. I love to shop, period. 

Over to you. Are you Team Solo Shop or Team Group Shop? Tell us why and no batting for both teams, but you are welcome to join me on the bench.

After many top designers showed space-agey looks in their recent runway collections, I chose “sci-fi metallics” as one of my 12 trends for Fall. Well ladies, the sci-fi trend is here. It’s fringe, but I have a hunch that it will be stronger next year. 

The sci-fi trend isn’t about gold and silver catsuits with protruding angular design details, lightening bolt hair, glittery make-up and moon boots. But it might still look and feel space-agey, futuristic, over the top, and unwearable at first glance. At the end of the day, though, the vibe is really just MODERN. 

The streamlined lines, simplicity, severity, crispness, and rigid integrity of the designs are what make them look modern. Pop them into an icy shade like metallic and the modern attributes are heightened. This trend is polar opposite to the warmth of an earthy bohemian style, and the softness of a romantic style. 

Sci-fi metallic clothing, footwear and accessories become wearable when they are mixed with soft items and regular mainstream clothing. As seen here, silver trousers are worn with a basic crew neck sweater and timeless cream blazer. Silver boots are worn with jeans, a blouse and parka. The gold top is paired with skinnies and a patterned clutch. The silver mini skirt is matched with a t-shirt and basic cardigan. See! This stuff is wearable, and you won’t look like you’re climbing into a spaceship on your way to a rendezvous with aliens. That’s why I believe that the trend will grow in popularity overtime.

It isn’t shown in these examples, but some designers have already taken the liberty of mixing sci-fi metallic detailing with softness in the same item. Think flowing chiffon dresses and cozy knitwear with metallic trims and panels. Or suede booties with broad silver ankle straps and big buckles. The juxtaposition makes sense. 

I love this trend. It isn’t only that the crisp modern wardrobe items with simple straight lines appeal to me. It is also the sci-fi association. 

Until a few years ago I was not a fan of science fiction at all. Greg just had to mention the genre and my eyes clouded over. And then one evening I was sitting with him while he was watching the last episode in the 3rd season of the 2004 remake of Battlestar Galactica (BSG). I was intrigued. The show was clever, captivating and women played very powerful roles. We ended up watching all five seasons together and BSG still rates as my favourite TV series of all time. It completely changed my perception of all things sci-fi and now I’m a huge fan.

As yet, I haven’t acted on my interest. I have metallic items in my wardrobe, but they aren’t representative of this trend because they don’t look futuristic. I don’t exactly know how I’m going to incorporate sci-fi into my style, but as a nod to my recent conversion to science fiction shows I’m determined to do so. My toenails have been bright silver all Summer and that feels like a start. I would love a pair of silver booties because they would complement my capsules and lifestyle really well. I also fancy the idea of space-agey silver pants and a gold top. Decisions, decisions.

Over to you. Do you like the sci-fi metallics trend? Would you wear these items? Or are they too over the top, or just plain silly. 

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