from the October 2013 issue of Sassy Magazine

When you get ready for your work day, are you mindful about the image your clothing will project? That outward image not only will enchant some and disenchant others; it can determine your mood for the day.  This is something we all need to think about, not just professional career driven women; but even stay-at-home moms, work from home gals, part time job ladies.  Are you getting the responses in your job, career, community, kids, family that you want? Maybe it’s time for an image check.  Maybe it’s time to polish your image.

A study was done by a UK organization that polled 2,491 women.  Apparently, we spend an average of 16 minutes every weekday morning, 14 minutes on the weekend, and up to 20 minutes before a night out pondering what to wear. That's a lot of time! Annually, that’s about 6.396 minutes a year, or 106.6 hours. Who has that kind of time?

Waiting until the morning to figure out what you are going to wear is too late.  The morning can be the most hectic time of our day, especially if we have kids.  The additional stress of pulling something to wear out of our closets only to find that it is wrinkled, stained or doesn’t fit isn’t a great start to the day.

A better way is to consider your outfit based on the image you want to project.  Do this ahead of time in the same way you would approach any organizing project. 

FIRST – make sure the things in your closet are organized. The way it is organized it up to you. I suggest organizing alike items together by color.  In other words, all white shirts together – all black pants together. 

NEXT – get inspiration. I love Pinterest for this. I browse my favorite stores and pin outfits that I love.  Then on those occasions I’m at a loss for what to wear, I head to my Pinterst board and look for an idea.  

FINALLY – choose your clothing ahead of time.  If your schedule and space permits, you might want to do this on Sunday night for the week.  If you have kids, this is a great exercise to do together as a family (trust me, it will save a lot of morning arguments about what to wear!).  Use a door hook for your outfit combinations. When thinking about your clothes look at your calendar and consider:

• What you will be doing?
• Where you will be going?
• What is the weather forecast to be?
• Who you will be seeing?
• What is your goal for the day/week
• What impression do you want to make?

OTHER TIPS:

• Capsule Wardrobe is a Must!: this is a wardrobe that includes groups of items that work with each other in color, cut and pattern. For example:

PANTS      
Black trousers
Skinny jean
TOPS 
White blouse
Stripe top
Print sweater
tunic
JACKETS 
Black jacket
Red jacket
 (jean) jacket
​SKIRTS
Black pencil skirt
Animal print skirt
​

• INVEST IN STATEMENT ACCESSORIES: The same trousers and blouse can look very different based on the jewelry and shoes you wear with them. Investing on some great statement pieces and sassy shoes will allow you many more options in your wardrobe. And don’t get too hung up on being matchy-matchy…things that don’t exactly “go together” can make for a great style statement!
• TAKE PICTURES: Ya know those days when you pull together a really cute outfit? Take a selfie! Yes, I am giving you permission to take a picture of yourself in your bathroom mirror. Remember this look the next time you have no idea what to wear, or have one of those days when you aren’t feeling your best.  Also, if you are wearing something you seem to be getting a lot of compliments on – document it!

This time of year, all we see is the cold, grey of winter. It’s easy to fall into a grey mood as we patiently (or not so patiently) wait for spring.  Here are 2 easy ideas to help you avoid the doldrums:
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Brighten up your outfits.  When the temperatures outside fall below freezing, it seems we tend to think that means we should be dressing in dark dull colors. Liven up your dark ensembles with pops of bright colors. Things to look for at your local Goodwill Store include scarves, tank tops, belts or other layering pieces.

Spring clean – a little early. After the holidays, my office is a disaster. Well, if I am being honest, everything in my house feels cluttered and unorganized.  We all have that room in our home that seems to accumulate all the “stuff” over the holidays. Take an afternoon and re-organize that space. Focusing on just one room isn’t as overwhelming as thinking about your entire home. Take all the extra things and duplicate items that you find and donate them to Goodwill. Keep the other rooms of your home free from clutter by not re-storing things you don’t use over the holidays.