A memorable wardrobe item is one that makes a huge eye-catching statement because of it’s colour, pattern, scale or style, and sometimes all of the above. They can be anything at all, from clothing to footwear, right up to handbags, belts and jewelry. It’s the boldness of the item, or the uniqueness of it’s integrity that makes people remember it, thereby making it “memorable”.

I used to think that everyone wanted to wear at least a few memorable wardrobe items, if not as many as possible. But working as a fashion stylist and participating in the online style community has shown me that this is far from true. Some women prefer NOT to wear memorable items. The reason being that others become sick of seeing you in the same eye catching item over and over again, roll their eyes and go: “Oh, there’s Angie in her citron trench and red Kate Spade pumps again. Hasn’t she got anything else to wear?”

When given the choice of purchasing a plain and ordinary dress, or a more bold dress, some opt for the plain precisely because its less memorable, allowing them to wear it over and over again without any comments from the peanut gallery.

Don’t get me wrong, you can absolutely make a style statement in something plain. And your style quotient can sizzle sans the bold colours, patterns, and daring designs. But’s that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about deliberately not choosing a more memorable wardrobe item because you’re influenced by the potential negative judgements of others.

For better or for worse, I am not affected by this type of judgement. I wear what I consider memorable wardrobe pieces over and over again, year after year, until I am sick of them. I do not save these pieces for special occasions unless they are uber formal, and it has never mattered to me that others may be sick of them before I am. Should it?

So I vote yay, because I view wearing memorable wardrobe items as positive no matter how often they come out to play. One can also argue that they become part of your signature style. What’s your verdict? Note that there is no right and wrong answer here. I’m just interested in your point of view.

This is the fourth in a series of 4 posts brought to you by Nordstrom.com: Think Less Buttoned-Up—it’s a New 9 to 5.

You’ve got dinner plans, or are meeting friends for drinks straight after work and there is no time to go back home to change. Of course, there is nothing wrong with heading off to your after work engagement in the same work clothes. If you’re comfortable doing so, go for it. But with a few outfit tweaks you could also dress your business casual outfit either up or down.

Bring a couple of extra items along that day, swap them out in the rest room or in the car, and voila! You’re wearing a new outfit. Aside from being dressed more appropriately for the occasion, the change in ensemble might also help you to switch from work mode into a more relaxed state of mind for the evening.

Here I am going to illustrate two scenarios. Dressing your professional ensemble down for a casual evening supper, and dressing your ensemble up for a fancy engagement after work.

Dress It Down

The Professional Ensemble:

• The Donna Morgan Belted Sleeveless Chambray shirtdress is dressier than the Nic + Zoe Tribal Times Dress (which also comes in blue), but both are appropriate for business casual settings.
• If sleeveless dressing is not an option, cover up with Anne Taylor’s Shawl Collar Jacket or Banana Republic’s Ana Cardigan.
• Pendant necklaces are all the rage so spice up your work outfit with a Beaded Pom Pom Pendant Necklace. Playful but still professional.
• It’s Spring, which means swapping out your bag for something light and fresh. Tignanello’s Polished Pockets Shopper in cream is simple, semi structured, versatile, and the lining will make you smile. Click through all the colour options.
• Finish off the look with dressy heels. Isola Odema’s Peep Toe Stacked heel Pumps sent me into orbit because I adore cream and black footwear. They are a lot more interesting than plain black pumps with this particular outfit, and ever so slightly retro. Read the good reviews.

The Transition:

• Before you arrive at your casual destination, swap out the cardigan or jacket for a denim jacket, like the one above from the Loft. Pop it over the dress and scrunch up the sleeves for a more relaxed vibe.
• Swap out your heavy handbag for a fun and lightweight clutch or wristlet like Hobo International’s Zoe Clutch. Make sure the clutch is small enough to fit into your handbag. In the morning, pack essentials like some cash, a credit card, keys, phone and lipstick into the clutch. That way after work, just whip out the clutch and leave your handbag in the car (this won’t work if you commute to work on foot unless you can leave your other bag in a safe place).
• Swap out heels for more comfortable footwear. I’d wear something like Born’s Adele because I like to wear ballet flats with dresses. But you could also wear a low heel, sandal, or wedge.

Dress It Up

The Professional Ensemble:

• Classiques Entier Belted Silk Blouse is fantastic for many reasons. It’s dressy sans the addition of an indoor jacket and covers the top arm. You can also swap out the belt or tuck the blouse into a skirt or trousers. Find your sweet spot with the belt (you might need to wear it higher than the position of the belt loops). And hallelujah! It does not need a camisole.
• Tahari’s Theora Pants are flat front, high in the rise and without pockets. A great fit. You could wear a pencil skirt instead of trousers with the Tahari blouse.
• If you need to cover up in the morning or at night Kenneth Cole’s New York Sateen Studded Trench Coat is fancy because it’s sateen, which makes it perfect for your dressy engagement after work, but also just fine for a professional work environment.
• Ink blue bags are a nice alternative to black, and they are extra fab in my book with a bit of texture like Dooney & Bourke’s Croco Medium East/West Grommet Shopper.
• Isola’s Della Peep Toe Patent Sandal looks divine under trousers and adds just the right amount of extra interest to black trousers. They are adequately dressy and there is no need to swap them out for other footwear.
• Simple fresh water Pearl Stud Earrings are an easy finishing touch.

The Transition:

• As with the dress formula, carry a small clutch like Hobo’s International Syler metallic leather foldover clutch in your handbag. Click through all the colours. Pack a few essentials into it, and carry that to the dinner engagement instead of your larger and heavier work bag.
• Glitzing up a professional outfit with jewelry is effective, so swap out the stud earrings for a more dramatic pair and add a cocktail ring. Dannijo’s Sullivan Pearl Earrings and Coco Ring do the trick.

Changing out of your professional outfit is not essential when going directly to a casual or fancy engagement after work. However, the simple outfit tweaks shown here demonstrate the power of footwear and accessories, AND how small outfit details can change the dress code of an ensemble. You don’t need to do all of the tweaks at once. Sometimes a single change can make all the difference.

Finally, these tips can also help you to save money by stretching the outfit possibilities in your wardrobe.

Please share your own tips on how you dress up and dress down your professional ensembles. I’d love to hear them.

I recently wrote an article for GalTime on how to store footwear. It went live today, so take a peak.

Right now I’m on a ferry to the San Juan Islands, where I’ll be staying for a few days while I work with one of my clients. I’ve never been to the San Juan’s so I’m excited about visiting a new place as well as meeting my client and getting stuck into her wardrobe. Should be fun, festive and productive!

There won’t be an afternoon blog post on Tuesday or Wednesday but it’s back to our normal blogging schedule on Thursday.

Closet editing should be a straight forward exercise and I’ve written several posts on how to attack the process. If you’re not in the habit of editing regularly, set aside about 5 hours to create six piles. Here is a summary of the pile sorting strategy, which involves lots of re-trying of clothes, footwear and accessories:

• Pile 1 for items that stay in your wardrobe.
• Pile 2 for items that require alteration.
• Pile 3 is the holding zone.
• Pile 4 for items of sentimental value (stuff that you don’t wear, but cannot part with either).
• Pile 5 for items that aren’t great, but serve their purpose for activities like gardening, home improvements and camping.
• Pile 6 for items to pass on.

Unless the item is for Pile 5, get rid of stuff that’s soiled, ill-fitting, unflattering against your complexion, uncomfortable, doesn’t make you feel fab, or just not part of the current leg of your style journey. Seems simple, right?

For some people this process is dead easy, because they have a clear sense of their style preferences and what looks best. They also understand how items should fit, and don’t have trouble letting go of things that have seen better days, or never worked in the first place.

For others, closet editing is an overwhelming, time consuming and lonely process filled with doubt, guilt and the battle to pass on items that don’t work. It can even lead to negative body image, spinning people into a downward spiral because clothing doesn’t fit the way it used to.

There are many potential sources of frustration. Perhaps you’re not sure how items should fit or you can’t tell when they are dated. What if you can’t tell when a colour looks fab or drab? What if, heaven forbid, you get rid of things that have stylish potential? What if everything just ends up in the holding zone and you are back to square one? How are you going to get through the editing process without feeling like giving up all together? How are you going to find the time to do it?

These frustrating feelings are completely understandable and it’s one of the reasons I have a job. But hiring a fashion stylist or wardrobe professional is not essential. You can edit your own closet even if it’s sometimes hard to make the right decisions. Here are some ideas to ease the process:

1. Round up a savvy closet mate: It could be a friend, sibling, child, parent, or partner. Two pairs of hands and a sounding board are effective and efficient tools for this process. Discuss editing dilemmas and fit concerns along the way and keep up the positive body image talk. Boost and energize each other along the way.
2. Post questions on a style forum: If pairing with a savvy closet mate is not an option, post your questions and concerns on a style forum, like the one we have here on YLF. The help of a supportive community can make the closet editing process pain free and fun.
3. Tackle one closet section at a time: Setting aside the better half of a day to closet edit might not be an option. Divide the editing process into a few shorter sessions until you’ve finally worked through the lot.

Practice makes perfect. The more you closet edit, the easier and simpler this process becomes. I promise!

Spring often motivates us to clean-up and get organized. Have you recently edited your closet? What types of closet editing challenges do you face, if any, and how have you overcome them? Do you enjoy closet editing?