outsidevoice

Once again the fall issues of fashion magazines and all the stores are showing leopard as a key part of any well-shopped fall wardrobe. Leopard can be tricky, but don’t fear it. It’s really just another version of a neutral – and neutrals go with anything, remember? Leopard’s natural best friends are red and black. [...]

We’ve talked before about how I love to make inspiration boards. They’re visual lists – and who doesn’t love a list? In keeping with my approach of buying solid, quality items and being selective about what gets added to my closet, I’ve made my inspiration shopping list for Fall 2011. Not all items are within [...]

Did you know 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size? I didn’t. And I certainly didn’t expect to be one of them. But I was. I WAS. It was becoming more and more clear to me that it was time to go bra shopping. It had been awhile, years even, since new bras [...]

‘ve been thinking a lot about my wardrobe lately. You see, it is almost time for another closet clean out and that is when I start to think about what I REALLY need to keep or REALLY need to buy. (Husband loves this.) I realized that I own a ridiculous amount of jeans. Ten pairs [...]

I have a confession to make: I don’t get men’s clothing. I can mix and match and play with women’s clothing and my closet all day long and twice on Sundays, but let my husband ask me what to wear when it involves a shirt, jacket or tie? No idea. I think it’s the prints. [...]

Photo credit: Bob Hiemstra via Real Simple There is a feng shui concept that says clutter of any sort blocks positive energy from swirling about the space.  My father has always said, “As goes your home, so goes your life.”  Our lives and space get away from us from time to time – that’s okay.  [...]

One of the things the 15:30 Challenge taught me was to have a clear focus – both on what was currently part of my wardrobe and also what needed to be added. On any given month I have a stack of 6-8 style magazines, 8-10 catalogs and hundreds of shopping site emails waiting for me [...]

T-shirt: Gap Shorts: Old Navy Sandals: Gwenyth (through ideeli) Happy Friday! Man, I’m glad to see Friday. I wasn’t happy to see 5am on my clock, but, oh well. Another comfortable day of errands in cloying humidity and ridiculous heat before a long holiday weekend. And, that, my friends, means shorts and a t-shirt. And [...]

photo by elzabelz Top: Black boatneck – location unknown Pants: Banana Republic Shoes: Anne Klein Handbag: Target (not kidding) Necklace: Francesca’s Collections Today I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the always delightful Ellie for lunch and a quick trip through the University of Texas Co-op so that we could get some decidedly burnt orange [...]

I’m a big believer in investment pieces for a wardrobe. Collections in a closet are not about quantity – because quantity can be a bunch of crappy pieces. Collections are about quality – and because of that I’ve always operated under the mantra of “buy the best you can afford, even if it means less [...]