a lovely living

Closets can be a sore subject to many because it’s easy to close a door on that hot mess and forget about it. But as I have spoken to many women about, a clean closet can set you up for success when it comes to getting dressed each and every morning. Locally, women actually have me in to their homes to tackle the mess of weeding out the old, organizing and giving them new ideas on what to mix and match within their current wardrobe. Sometimes it helps to have a fresh set of eyes on the things you look at daily to give you a thumbs up or down. That could even be a friend that you invite over, give a big glass of wine to and let her give you a yay or nay as you sort through your closet! Before we jump into the actual process of organizing your closet, we need to take the first step and declutter.

I get that this probably won’t be fun for you, but you’ll need to keep your eyes focused on the end result…a beautifully organized closet that holds only pieces that you look forward to wearing. Here’s my list of questions to ask yourself while you sort:

• Does it fit me?
• Does it flatter me (both in color and shape)?
• Have I worn it in the past year?
• Does it make me happy?
• Is it age appropriate?
• Does it suit my lifestyle? (I held on to my just out of college and entering the working world Express suits for 10 too many years!)

If you answer NO to any of these questions, it’s time to let it go. You can feel free to donate these things or pass them along to a consignment shop. I use ThreadUp regularly as I’ve found it to be the easiest process to get my unwanted pieces out of sight as quickly as possible. Trust me, I know that having a bed piled with unwanted clothing is not what you’re going for! If you haven’t used TheadUp, you can read about their process here. In short, they’ll send you a garbage sized bag that you fill and have your mail carrier pick up. They’ll sell your clothes and give you a cut of what they sell and donate any other items. Easy peasy.

Once you’ve tackled a major purge you’ll be able to upkeep your closet much more easily. Id say that I do a quick purge at least every other month. All it takes is 15-20 minutes of quickly browsing through and weeding out things you no longer find yourself drawn to. Don’t let yourself get emotionally attached…well, unless it’s your wedding gown or something of the sort ;)

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Once the hard part is over, you can start to organize the pieces that you actually enjoy wearing. Here are some steps I follow in organizing my own closet:

Hangers: If you’re using any wire hangers, toss them, now. They don’t do your clothing any favors ;) Stock up on plastic, wooden or non-slip hangers. I wish I could say mine all matched but I’m not there yet. Someday! When you hang your clothes, make sure they’re all hanging in the same direction.

Arranging: If you have a summer/winter closet or you store clothes and bring them out when seasons change, this won’t all apply to you, but you’ll get the gist. I have all of my clothes in our closet, outside of my jeans, sweaters, t-shirts and pj’s which are kept in dresser drawers. I first have everything separated by type. Dresses, skirts, pants, jackets, short sleeved tops and long sleeved tops. From those sections I take things a step further and group them by similarities, ie flannel/plaid shirts, chambray, solids. You can even go a step more, let your OCD fly and group by color! And then you’ll have to send me a pic so I can give you a cyber hug ;) The big upside to tackling this step (in addition to having an organized closet) is that it will be much more visually appealing and allow you to quickly see what you have on hand. And in turn you’ll be able to put outfits together much more easily than before. I frequently find a top I want to wear and run it past all my pants or skirts until I hit the right match, which doesn’t take long at all since I have them all in one place.

Organizing: Everyone’s closet is set up differently, so when it comes to organizing things like jewelry and scarves each set up will be unique. You could take a quick trip into Target or even better, The Container Store if you have one and I’m sure you’d find more than enough options to get your goods in order. I love these shelf dividers as well as these stackable jewelry boxes. Here are a few fun things I came across on Pinterest that I thought would be handy:

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If you have the extra wall space, which doesn’t need to be large, you could easily utilize it by hanging your jewelry or scarves. I’m not the only one with an overwhelming amount of scarves am I?!

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I love all of these uses for inexpensive S-hooks! These hooks could really be used on any type of bar, and in any area of your home for that matter!

Once you’ve purged and sorted and organized and have everything in place, you’ll be able to enjoy your own personal store, where everything just so happens to fit perfectly! You’ll also save yourself precious minutes getting ready in the morning and you’ll have a much better chance of working together an outfit that you actually enjoy wearing and feel confident stepping out of the house in! That’s the real point of all of this. Not to have an organized space that no one other than you (and maybe your spouse) see, but to create and keep in place a process that keeps you feeling your best. Now, hold on to that thought as you grab your garbage bags and get to it ;)

Ready to get this week started, ladies?! I need some coffee, but I’ll be good to go shortly ;) Thank you all for your feedback on last Friday’s Dressing Room Diaries post. Sometimes I have it in my head ‘don’t post the unprofessional, snap-shotty photos, Marisa‘, but as my husband reminded me, that’s real life! And as thankful as I am to have his talent behind the camera for the majority of my posts, it’s good to keep things real and raw too. I’m going to see how I can work more of those posts into my schedule around here. It would help if we had a few more stores to actually visit in person (ahem, central PA!), but I’ll work with what I can! But again, thanks for your feedback. I’m glad to hear it was a beneficial post for you!

This utility jacket was one that I brought home from LOFT and I’m so glad I did! (PS, they extended their sale through today, 40% off the store!) I layered it over this thermal peplum that you saw before here. It’s currently on sale in a few colors and it’s a top that I turn to on a regular basis. Oh and these super fun booties that I broke out for the first time since last fall are also on sale. I love the theme around here lately, sale, sale, sale!!

Details: LOFT jacket / Free People thermal top (here and here) / JBrand jeans (similar) / Booties / Madewell Tote

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Happy Friday, all!! Today’s post is a little different, but I had a good time with this one, so I’m hoping you like it! I realize that each of you lead different lifestyles, so an easy way for me to be able to show you a variety of looks is to snap them from the dressing room! That or I buy everything and return it, but that just doesn’t seem right ;) Yesterday I spent a little time in LOFT because they are having one of their 40% off sales (including Lou & Grey!) and they have a TON of spring pieces out. The saleswoman must have known I meant business because she stuck me in the big dressing room which allowed me all the room I needed to capture these looks. Granted, they are iphone shots, but I think they turned out fairly decent. So let’s jump in and I’ll share with you everything I tried on!

This dress is just adorable! The stripes, the off the shoulder and the ruffles to boot! Perfect for spring/summer showers or brunches with friends. If I could fill my closet with dresses, this would be a part of it!

I love the shape of this wrap dress. Black is not my color, but for those of you that rock black, you should give this one a try. I’d love it paired with some fun earrings and a bright (pink?) heel.

Another adorable dress that I loved paired with…

…this jacket. It would also look cute with a statement necklace or a scarf as well as some fun wedges for spring.

This navy dress was the last one that I tried on. The sleeves totally had me all heart eyed and the shape is very relaxed and comfortable. I love it paired with boots, but again cute wedges or even some white converse would be adorable!

On to one of two cold shoulder looks. This sweater is SO pretty in person. It also comes in a light pink, but the dark green was just stunning. I paired it with these frayed skinny pants which have a zipper detail you can see in another shot below.

Here’s a closer look at the detail. Super fun for a date night or girls night!

Here’s another cold shoulder top that’s a little better for everyday. Lightweight and pretty, it could be dressed up with a bright pair of trousers or thrown on this summer with some cut-off’s!

A closer look at the details of the top which is again paired with these bottoms.

Moving on to a relaxed look, this Lou & Grey top is extremely soft and comfortable as is just about every piece in their collection. Here you can see the zipper detail on the pants I was wearing above.

The top has a bit of a high-low hem which I love.

If you’re looking for a bell sleeve, you need to hit up LOFT because they have a ton! I grabbed this striped blue henley to try and threw it on with this cute denim skirt. For me personally, the skirt felt a bit too long for my liking. However, if you’re in a professional environment, the length is probably perfect ;)

Pairing the top with a pair of denim and a scarf felt much more up my alley!

This casual outfit was totally me and my everyday. I love the frayed bottom on the jeans, the super soft t-shirt and the utility jacket which was one that I had listed for you on Wednesday’s post. And despite the fact that I have this anorak that I rave about, I took this one home with me as well because the fit was very different (even if my husband begs to differ!). This one from LOFT fits more like an extra shirt, much more fitted, as opposed to the anorak which is roomy enough to allow me to layer sweaters etc. underneath. You get it, right? ;)

Not to leave you hanging without a loungy look, these Lou & Grey sweats are what naps were made for! You seriously need to try them. Had I not already had two other pairs of grey Lou & Grey sweats I certainly would have bought these! Paired with a bright, fun and comfy tank and the utility jacket, all that was missing were my sneakers ;)

So, which look is your favorite? What styles are you most drawn to? I hope this was helpful for all of you. As much enjoyment as I get out of blogging, it’s really here as a resource for you, so if there’s anything you’re ever interested in, shoot me a message and let me know. I love hearing from you all!

LOFT’s sale is going on now both online and in store so make sure you check it out and let me know what you find!

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Today I have narrowed down my favorites (thus far) in the spring jacket department for you. As the post began to shape for me, I ended up grouping them into categories because there were more than one or two of each type that I wanted to share. This way, it gives all of your different personalities more options to chose from! Here’s the breakdown:

Cargo: Utility/military/anorak all sort of fall into this same category, so feel free to call it what you choose! You saw me wearing this one last week and heard me rave about how wonderful it (or anything of the sort) is. The green works with just about everything and the weight of these jackets are perfect for the spring weather but also leave room for layering. One of these in addition to a denim jacket would be on must have list for sure!

Moto: Moto jackets are very popular right now. I love that they can go from a laid-back camo style (perfect to pair with denim in any shade) to a draped faux suede (to take your outfit up a notch or for a night out layered over a dress) or a comfy knit (that could be paired with some cute joggers), they really run the gamut!

Denim: In case you don’t already have a go-to denim jacket, you might want to make this your season to grab one! And if you do own one, you may want to add another one in a different wash or color. Just do me a favor and don’t settle until you find one that fits like a glove. You’ll love it (and wear it) that much more!

Bomber: These are very on trend right now. I don’t have one, but I just saw this one as I was working on this post and I love its shape and adore that it comes in ‘rose’. I also found this one in an adorable polka-dot print at a great price point! A white tee, high waisted denim topped with a bomber feels so Grease-like doesn’t it? Although, they all wore skirts, didn’t they? Well, an updated Grease then ;) I love it!

Windbreaker: I love how these would tie in perfectly with the athleisure trend right now, or when you’re running to the gym, obviously. They’d also fair well as rain jackets which we know we’ll be needing shortly! I’m quite smitten over the color of this one!

Check out my selection below and let me know what you have, what you love and what you may give a try!!