Rainy Season

The weather here in Florida FINALLY broke and our summer rains have begun (did the storms wake anyone else up last night?) With that in mind and being a planner by nature, here are a few handy tips to make sure your day doesn't get screwed up my the rain. 

- Buy a rain coat. I'm someone who usually has my hands full, so when it rains, I don't always have time to carry an umbrella (Also, my manfriend is about a foot taller than me - which makes it hard to share an umbrella) So I bring my rain coat. I prefer a classic trench coat, it instantly adds a certain chicness to any outfit. Stay try to your style. If you have a tougher style, get a moto cut jacket. If you live in colder climates, it would be wise to get a convertible rain coat with a warm insert. Whatever you do, make sure it repels rain.

- Bring your umbrella!! I keep one in my car and one on the door handle going out to my garage. That way, I know I've always got one easily accessible to me... and see when right before i leave. So I never forget it. If you live in a place without a garage, consider a chic umbrella holder (with an umbrella in it) or placing your umbrella near where you keep your bag. 

- I carry a foldable bag with me, for instances that I need a bag at the farmer's market or if I'm on a trip and end up coming home with more than I came with. This bag, I have learned is also waterproof.  I was coming home last night with some important stuff in my purse and was going to have to make a made dash through the rain. Thankfully I had my foldable tote, threw my purse in it, and nothing got wet. 

- Rain boots!!! Hunters are classic (ah hem, Hunter Green... where did you think it came from?). But keep in mind there are tons of colors and styles, so get what fits your style and personality.  I have a pair of black riding boot cut (knee high with an angled top) that go with everything and get worn all the time. 

- Keep a little microfiber towel in the glove box of your car. It's so helpful when you were rained on and you need to get the rain off of you fast. 

With these tips, you can quickly get yourself out of a bind and stay dry. Prepare yourself now, and you won't have to worry about it later.

The Perfect Wallet Accessory

I'm a girl who likes to be prepared. I generally have a change of shoes with me, along with a bottle of water, bobby pins, lip balm, a spare credit card, band aids, hand sanitizer... And that's just my purse. My car has tons of other useful necessities in it - because you never know when the need will arise. But the most useful of all these things: my Swiss card.

This amazing credit card sized doohickey contains everything a pocketknife does, all while fitting comfortably inside your wallet. Mine contains a knife, scissors, a pen, a tooth pick, and tweezers. Others, I've seen contain mini Philips and flat head screw drivers, a magnifying glass, a rules with inches and centimeters, and a bottle opener.

I love it! And I use it all the time. Trust me on this, there are few things better than the faces in a group when I pull out a pocket knife faster than anyone else in the room. It's pretty priceless!!

What to Wear: Thanksgiving Long Weekend Edition

As we know, the beginning of the holiday season is around the corner... you didn't? Then you should probably start reading my blog more often! Sorry, before I so rudely interrupted myself, the holiday season is coming up. And I, like so many other America's will be traveling this weekend. Being from town that is generally warm year round, this weekend's impending trip will take me to a place where it actually gets cold!

As we know, preparing for a trip, the first plan of action is to check the weather. My trip looks like we're going to have highs in the low to mid 70s during the day, and the low 50s at night. Yes, you northerners - this is cold weather. Or really perfect weather!

Here's what the trip looks like - as always, with outfit plans

Wednesday night traveling: Obviously I'll wear something really comfortable, because, let's be honest here, I'll probably sleep most of the way. Non jean denim cut pants, a boyfriend t-shirt, a cardigan, fancy flats, scarf (duh!) and my obligatory giant travel bag.

Thursday: Thanksgiving. This might be my hardest day, we'll be outside for most of the day and with mid 70 degree weather it could get warm. But it will be a bit chilly in the mornings. I'm thinking corduroys, chocolate brown riding boots, a button down (can roll sleeves up or down), and a cable knit sweater. Add in a dash of pearls and maybe a headband for a bit of that Norman Rockwell, All-American feel we all so desperately strive for that seems appropriate on Thanksgiving. I'll pack a t-shirt in my bag for the day - just in case a quick change is needed.

Friday: Shopping? Probably/Hopefully not (Black Friday isn't my favorite - but that's another day and another blog entry) Should be spent running around town, visiting people. Followed by a bit of a reunion with my boyfriends' friends. For the day, my plan is a plaid flannel day dress and a pair of boots - possibly the ones from the day before, but more than likely a pair of bone colored knee highs (because it's terrible for your feet to wear the same shoes two days in a row). Then I'll change into either a dress with black tights and a pair of black booties or jeans and a fancy-ish winter top. Not entirely sure, just yet.

Saturday: Should be spent mostly at a game watching party, so anything supporting my school, Florida State University, will be appropriate. Garnet top & gold earrings maybe? This will be the warmest day of my trip up north, so maybe another dress will do the trick. That night will be the game, so I'll wear jeans and a garnet top and watch my team play their best.

Sunday: Looks like rain. All day. Which makes this the coldest day of my trip. We generally will do brunch and then head back home, so I'll need something decently nice, but also snuggly for a rainy day as well as a long car ride. I'm thinking jeans or corduroys, my fancy flats, a cute plaid shirt and a cardigan - maybe in a bright color, to counteract the gray sky. Do I need to mention a scarf and giant purse?

Okay, looks like I'm almost packed - in my mind at least. Time to hit the closet friends! Have a great Thanksgiving, good luck on your shopping, and Go Seminoles!

Reader Question/Closet Cleanse

Hey Natalie,

I travel tons and finally have a weekend home. Among other reasons, I'm staying home to purge closets and make trips to goodwill. Do have any tips on how do it effectively, yet quickly?

Thanks! 

Busy Traveler

Hey my traveling and very stylish reader! 

Closet cleaning and organizing is something I love and should be done often. Every six months or so, I get the cleaning bug. And it’s not for a deep cleansing of my house or for my garage – it’s for the great love of mine, my closet (which is high gloss “Flamingo Pink” – in case you didn’t know) It’s important for your closet to be organized and have everything in plain sight – otherwise you don’t see it, so you don’t wear it – and then it’s wasteful & sad. When I clean out my closet, sometimes reorganization happens as well, so here is how I handle it.

The Cleanse & Purge

First while looking at my closet, I pull out anything in which I can’t remember when I wore it last or anything I just don’t like anymore. If I don’t love it, I won’t wear it. So why keep it? Everything then gets placed into a pile in my guest room (or any place you don’t mind it being for a few days). Next, I pull out anything that looks overly worn, is wrinkled, or doesn’t smell super fresh. Those get divided into fix, iron, and (dry) clean piles. If I can’t fix it, it looks too worn, and it’s got some mysterious stain that I can’t remove – it goes into the pile.

Reorganization

The next step, since I’ve cleared out the extra stuff, the extra hangers all go into a corner

And the clothes get filed away. All of my dresses live together and go from work wear, party dresses, going out dresses, to casual day dresses. The rest of my closet is double hung, with sleeveless and short sleeved shirts on top, bottoms and suits the bottom shelves. Coats are now in my coat closet (they used to live in the closet as well, but a few of boyfriend’s things have found their way into my closet as well.) All of my clothes are hung in like groups, (sleeveless and short sleeved together; ¾ length shirts, long sleeved and cardigans; dress pants; on work pants – khakis, twills, and jeans; skirts (non work and then work appropriate). Next all the groups are color coded from White to Black (White, Ivory, Tan, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Purple, Pink, Red, Brown, Gray, Black) – WITYGBIPPRBGB for those of you who like acronyms. But it’s not exactly an easy one, so just think white to black.

Drawers

I generally forget to clean out my drawers, because I don’t see them as regularly as my closet. But as soon as I realize I am getting into a closet cleaning, I remind myself to give them love as well. Socks, undies, casual cotton shirts, tanks, tees, and long sleeved in descending order of drawers. (Since I live in Florida, the heaver stuff gets worn less, thus segregated to the bottom – so I have to bend over less). Everything from here that doesn’t fit my rules (1) haven’t worn 2) don’t like 3) over worn) goes into the pile. My drawers hold my basic cottons as well white and black tees in differing sleeve lengths as well – so when you’re in here, make sure the whites are still bright and the darks aren’t faded. If they are, you can replace – or my favorite: bleach the whites and get two containers of black Rite dye (found in the laundry isle of grocery & big box stores) and follow the directions. Yes two. Always two for dying dark colors. Trust me.

Accessories

I believe for shoes, bags, and necklaces, the same standards apply. I need to see all of my accessories so that they get worn as well. My boots live on the tops of my shelves, so I can see them (they are also in color order, lighter to darker – with flats coming before heels). My shoes and bags are in the same area, where shoes are on bottom shelves and bags are on the upper shelves. My clutches, wallets, and credit card wallets live in clear plastic drawer for sight. On all of those are my bagged bags (ones with dust covers. There are two schools of though for bags with dust covers 1) use your covers, keep for nice bags free of dust and scuffs from other bags or 2) leave them without bags for the leather to breathe except for travel or exotic skins – which need protection.) The next shelf holds my normal purses which get every day wear and tear. On top of that are large bags and totes. Across from there are my necklaces and special bags. I have an accordion hanger with tons of hooks for all of my necklaces and I also hang little bags that are pretty or are underused so they are in plain sight when I’m getting ready.

Pile Time

At this point you are going to have a few piles. Deal with the cleaning pile immediately. Next you’ve got the fix pile – obviously those can be easy tasks, buttons and such. If there is some sort of reconstruction that needs to be done that you aren’t comfortable enough to deal with (I have a sewing machine and pretend I can fix anything) by all means, take it to a tailor. You’ll be so happy you did, and it’s relatively inexpensive. Last and most important is your pile of clothes that you haven’t worn and/or don’t like, etc. I divide things up into two more piles. The first, things that I really don’t need and won’t wear. The other is stuff that I really love, has some sort of value (sentimental, or otherwise), or something that I may have forgotten about that might get worn again. Pile one, I bag up and get rid of immediately. Whether the items get consigned or donated, they go as soon as possible. Pile number two on the other hand, stays around for about a week or so. Why you ask? Periodically, I find myself thinking about something that was in the pile. So I rescue it. I have only three things I ever regretted getting rid of – so I make absolute certain that it doesn’t happen.

Okay, lot's of details - but I promise, you'll be so happy with your closet and get so much more wear out of your clothes. Happy closet cleaning!

Quick Packing: Island Getaway Addition

I'm leaving for a long weekend getaway in the morning, and I haven't even began to pack. It's very unlike me. Usually I have my entire wardrobe mapped out with corresponding activities, according to weather, season, and company. 

It's intense. I realize this. But this whole week has been so busy with work and house guests (ahem) that I have barely had time to start to let my mind wander. But I've had a little practice with long weekend trips (because I love them so much!) Here is my basic formula for packing for trips:

Days of trip (4) X Outfit Changes - day & night (2) = 8 outfits. 

As we know, 8 outfits would be excessive for a weekend trip. Then I figure out what the major activities are going to be.


Day 1) Morning travel, afternoon beach/boating, Casual Dinner
Day 2) Day activity: beach/boating, Casual Dinner
Day 3) Morning relaxing, Day trip shopping and eating - probably extending into the night
Day 4) Morning breakfast, Boat trip, afternoon/evening travel. 


Travel days I wear my jean alternative (as mentioned in my 9/15 blog post: Basic Closet Needs), a comfy cotton top - will be a tank since this is an island vacation, a cozy cardigan, a giant purse (filled with books, snacks, and always a scarf - you never know when you're going to need a makeshift blankie).


It looks like I'll have 3 beach/boating days, so that calls for 4 bathing suits (2 fuller coverage and two with less coverage - and always an extra just in case.) As well as cover ups for each day. I'll grab two day dresses and a pair a shorts.


Next will be clothes for dinner (3 nights)... it's super casual, so I'll bring a pair of ankle jeans (in case it's cold at night) and two different tanks to wear for different nights (and generally layer with my scarf I bring in my giant purse). Also a nicer dress, not really fancy, but can be dressed up or down. 

Then comes the afternoon/evening trip for shopping, exploring, and dinner. I'll wear another day dress and bring a cardigan in my bag.

That leaves me with: 
1 pair of non jeans
1 pair of ankle jeans
3 day dresses
1 nice-ish dress
4 tank tops
1 pair of shorts
4 bathing suits
1 scarf
1 cardigan


I always bring an extra t-shirt or two, depending on space. And with this trip, I'll only need to bring flip flops. And I always have a bathroom bag that is packed. 


Easy as that. No need to stress out about weekend packing. Now I know what to bring... So, I'm off to pack.