When I prep a client for a closet review, I suggest that she wear great underwear and lounge clothes. She’s going to try on virtually everything in her closet during our session so wearing something that slips on and off easily is essential. And we all know how the right underwear can effect the fit of a garment.

I also suggest that she fix her hair and wear make-up (if she usually wears make-up). This might feel odd when one is merely wearing lounge clothes at home and trying on the contents of one’s closet. But it really helps to judge wardrobe items as if you were wearing them during the day, which usually means with your completely groomed self. Sometimes, our perception is skewed when we reevaluate our wardrobe items, especially the dressier ones, without “our faces” and fab hair dos.

Julie raised an interesting question in the forum earlier this week, asking whether people felt bigger in or out of their clothes. The responses were mixed, with some of us feeling bigger in clothes, and others feeling bigger when naked. Yes, we are all measurably larger when we wear clothes because of the extra layers, but clothing can also give the illusion of slimming us down.

This question is related to something that I started thinking about during the photo shoot for the bikini review. I realized that I felt slimmer in the bikini than I do in a one piece. Something about the extra exposure that reveals my true shape made me feel smaller. At this point I should mention that I’m not switching to Team Bikini. I still want the coverage of a one piece in most swimming situations. But it does seem that selecting the right, flattering one piece suit is not as easy as finding a good looking bikini.

Why is this the case? Why is it that some women feel slimmer naked than they do when they are clothed? After thinking for a while, the answer dawned on me. In a sense, our clothing is judging our bodies.

Regardless of your shape, size and body type, the naked body is a work of art with lines and curves that are beautiful and perfect all on their own.  But the clothing we wear expects us to conform to some body shape other than our own. Very few people have their clothing custom made, and relatively few people have exactly the body that the clothing designer had in mind. Clothing judges our body against the designer’s “ideal”, and highlights the places we are different, our so-called figure flaws.

Aside from fit, a good drape and an attractive silhouette are also essential in order for us to feel fab in clothing. If the fabric is sub-par, or the silhouette unflattering, then the clothes don’t project the natural beauty underneath.

Naked bodies, on the other hand, are not subject to clothing’s judgements. Of course, some people are fitter, younger, smoother, lighter, darker, slimmer, or more voluptuous than others, and we’re all programmed to prefer different things. Of course, everyone has imperfections, real and perceived. But somehow, having seen so many different women in different stages of undress during our sessions together, I truly feel that they are all beautiful in a way that certainly isn’t true when the clothes go on.

If you tend to wear an item shortly after you’ve bought it, you are on Team Wear. If you tend to leave an item with the tags attached for a while before wearing it, you are on Team Save.

You’re probably on team wear if you tend to wear all your wardrobe items frequently. If you tend to save some of your clothes either for certain occasions or because you worry that they’ll get messed up, you are probably on Team Save.

Oh goodness, I am so on Team Wear. I can leave a store wearing my new item! Or wear it out that evening, or the next day. I can’t wait to wear a new wardrobe item and have to break it in as soon as possible. I am usually a little frustrated when the weather doesn’t co-operate with my new purchases. For example, my new Nordstrom Anniversary Sale purchases that require colder weather. Or when I purchase a pretty Spring blouse and it takes forever to warm up here in Seattle.

Apart from formal attire, I also do not save my wardrobe items for special occasions. By Seattle standards I am often dressed up, and that’s the way I like it. My wardrobe items are there to be enjoyed as much as possible and by George I am wearing them.

Over to you. Are you on Team Save or on Team Wear?

The ability to dress down an outfit is an essential part of any flexible wardrobe because it will allow your dressy items to do double duty in casual outfits. It’s easy to dress down an ensemble by adding one or more of a few key items. And once you have these items, you’ll be able to use them over and over again to dress down all sorts of new dressy darlings that make it into your wardrobe.

Here are some of the things you can do:

• Add denim: Wearing jeans, denim clamdiggers, denim shorts or a denim skirt with a dressy top and jacket is a no-brainer. A denim jacket or waistcoat is the perfect way to relax a dressy frock or dressy separates. And the more faded the denim, the more you’ll dress down the look.
• Add casual footwear: Flat footwear tends to be less dressy but heels can also be casual. In warm weather, sandals with cork/wodden heels and wedges are great. Heeled espadrilles and ballet flats will also work. Casual and rugged boots, like Fryes or flat heeled biker boots, work very well. Slouchy boots are another good option. It’s usually the leather finish that makes footwear look more casual. For example, distressed finishes and contrast top stitching. Chunky soles also go a long way to relax the look of a shoe.
• Add casual jewelry: Think pendants on leather necklaces, wooden or plastic necklaces and bangles, leather cuffs and casual floral pins. Basically anything that isn’t that shiny and glitzy. However, dressy refined jewelry can dress down an outfit pretty well too.
• Add a casual handbag: Unstructured hobo-style leather or faux leather handbags scream casual, especially if the leather is distressed. Crochet and wicker bags too.
• Add a casual belt: Sometimes adding a casual belt to match the casual footwear is effective.
• Scrunch the sleeves: Scrunching long sleeves adds instant casual integrity to any outfit.

Here are a few examples that I’ve drawn from previous posts.

1. Denim is hands down my favourite way to dress down any look. Here I dressed down my semi formal black pussy bow blouse with jeans, Fryes and a casual belt.
2. I dressed down my professional and strict-looking pinstripe suit with the same casual footwear and belt. Yes the bag and accessories are still dressy, but scrunching the sleeves helped to further relax the vibe of the outfit.
3. My purple Ted Baker frock is dressy enough for a day wedding, but I dress it down with my faded denim jacket and a slouchy bag to create an outfit that I wear when shopping with clients. The distressed leather on the shoes helps too.
4. My red vintage dress has taken me to many evening weddings, but pairing it with a denim jacket is by far my favourite way of wearing it right now. That way, I can wear it much more frequently. The polka dot handbag is structured, but it’s made of cloth, which makes it less dressy.

Even with my dressed down outfits I either wear dressy jewelry, or no jewelry at all.

Finally, it is true that my relaxed looks err on the dressier side of casual. You may want to dress down your ensembles further, and you can combine more than one of my suggestions above to do so.