| Dressing Well Tip of the Month |
Our "Tip of the Month" provides cost-effective strategies for managing your wardrobe and mastering professional and overall personal style and image.
February Greetings
A Message from Mary Lou Andre
For me, winter here in New England is more enjoyable when I keep busy with work, make time for outdoor winter sports with family and friends and have plenty of spring magazines in my midst to remind me that warm weather is right around the corner. Spring always does arrive no matter how far off it might seem in February!
Winter Clearance Sales & Spring Catalog Tips
Since we also consider shopping a winter sport, I thought we’d share our best advice about what to look for on the winter clearance racks. Our February Q&A offers advice about getting all the catalogs that are undoubtedly piling up at your door this time of year to work better for you. We’ve also included information about how to get off catalog mailing lists that you’d rather not be on so that you can be part of the movement focused on cutting back on the volume of catalogs being produced.
Special Thanks from the Heart
Finally, my February message would not be complete without a special thanks to all of you who helped us support Dress for Success Boston last month. Close to 200 women turned out for our "New Year/New You" lecture for the Needham Women's Club on January 20th. In appreciation for the talk, the Club made a donation in our name to DFS Boston. Many of you also donated to this great cause via the online auction in conjunction with the organization’s annual luncheon held last week at the Fairmont Copley Place in Boston. Pictured here with me at the luncheon are Jacqui Budd and Nancy Schneider. Nancy is a co-founder of DFS Boston and Jacqui is our current Board President. These two women fill their days with enormous love and compassion. It seemed fitting to feature them alongside our February message. After all, February is a month to highlight all things from the heart! Please visit DressForSuccess.org/Boston to learn how you can get involved in furthering this great cause.
We welcome the opportunity to work with you this month. Call me personally at 781-444-0140 if I can answer any questions about our private coaching or corporate services.
Here’s to Dressing Well —
Mary Lou Andre
Editor, dressingwell.com
President & Founder
Organization By Design, Inc.
Winter Clearance Wonderland:
5 Items to Stock Up on Now
An easy way to give yourself an end-of-winter wardrobe lift while cost-effectively building your wardrobe for seasons to come is to take advantage of end-of-winter clearance sales. Here are 5 winter wardrobe staples to look for now:
Cashmere Sweaters & Scarves. Called the Cadillac of all wools, cashmere is more expensive than lambs wool and merino wool with good reason — it lasts longer when cared for properly, can be worn in more than one season and is less itchy than other wools. A few classic cashmere sweaters and scarves can last a lifetime. We always find a few cashmere steals on the clearance racks for our clients this time of year and they thank us repeatedly.
Winter Coats. Merchants are motivated to sell off their coat collections right now to make room for spring collections that are arriving daily. Make their store real estate problem work for you by visiting your coat closet and getting focused on what you’d like to replace or update in your coat collection. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to get what you need when you arrive at the store with a fresh focus. Best part — you won’t feel guilty buying the coat that felt like a splurge at the beginning of the season when it’s up to 70% off!
Classic Leather Basics. When properly coordinated, leather coats, skirts, pants and dresses can add a significant amount of style to a wardrobe. While it is tempting to stock up on leather goods that are on sale, we advise clients against investing in pieces that might go out of style quickly. For example, if you see an A-lined leather skirts with a length that lands at or just below the knee, go for it. The shorter and longer cuts go in and out of style more quickly.
Bright Colored Leather Gloves. Gloves in fun colors like red, fuchsia, turquoise and yellow can add great fun to a wardrobe and become true fashion finds when purchased on sale. When you are buying gloves, particularly late in the season when pickings are slim, err on the side of a bit tight rather than a bit large, as these items always stretch with wear.
Simple, Neutral Tops. We tend to stock up on tops for our clients at the beginning of a season in the “in” colors that are being shown that year. They often sell out quickly and you want to get the most mileage out of them in their best season. If you can find simple knit tops in basic colors (i.e., black, cream, beige or red) during end-of-winter clearance sales, grab them, especially in lightweight wools and season-less silks. Picking up colors such as lilac, apple green and sky blue this time of year can help you get ready to lighten up all of your dark suits for spring.
Last Word
The items you won’t have much luck finding during clearance sales include winter boots, hats and ski jackets. By mid to late February these pieces are well picked-over so you’re probably better off holding these purchases until the following year.
February Q&A
Q: Everyday when I get the mail I feel like I am killing trees! How can I use catalogs effectively while also cutting back on the volume arriving at my door daily?
A: Spring is in the air, which brings an influx of catalogs to most homes as merchants try to get your attention (and your business!) with these beautifully designed sales tools that often resemble magazines. Here are some tips to help you become a more savvy catalog consumer:
- Get Organized. Make a commitment to recycle or save catalogs the minute they enter your domain. Devote shelf space, a portable file box or magazine rack for the catalogs you want to keep so you can access them when you need them. As new catalogs from the same company arrive, switch them out. I remember when my kids were young I brought my catalog discards to their pre-school and was amazed with the creative ways they were put to use!
- Go Green. In today’s environmentally focused society, you may be looking to stop or reduce the amount of catalogs arriving at your home. To remove yourself from an individual retailer, call the 800 number on the catalog and request to be removed. Other alternatives are to register for a DO NOT MAIL list at the Direct Marketing Association, which affects all direct mail, or, if you want to limit specific catalogs, register at Catalog Choice, which allows you to choose the catalogs you do not want to receive. Both are free to you.
- Be Inspired. If you find yourself in a fashion rut, browse through catalogs for inspiration. The photographs have been professionally styled and can give you some great ideas about what to add to your own wardrobe. Tear out pages that resonate with you and bring them along when you shop to help you focus and get what you need.
- Know Your Cataloger. Check sizing guides, read product descriptions carefully and talk with the operators who take your order. Many operators are well-trained on their catalog’s sizing particulars and can also tell you if a product will soon be sold out or discontinued — two helpful pieces of information if, for example, you plan to order a jacket later if the pants fit well on arrival.
- Track It. Develop a system for ordering, tracking and returning catalog purchases. Start by developing a folder containing the pages of the catalogs from which you order with each order number clearly written. Refer to this folder when packages and credit card statements arrive. In our office, we paper clip the packing receipt and all relevant information to the corresponding sheets in our folder and refer to it accordingly.
Final Thought
Handle returns promptly to avoid carrying the charges on your credit card for longer than you need. Be aware that return postage fees can add up!
What’s New Now
Scott Brown’s Barn Coat in the Boston Globe. We never thought one coat (or truck!) could get so much national attention. Follow this link to read Mary Lou Andre’s insights into what Scott’s coat came to represent to the voter’s in Massachusetts the final days of the campaign. You’ll never look at outerwear quite the same again!
Addressing the Dress Code. The Massachusetts Banker’s Association will be sponsoring our popular seminar “Addressing the Dress Code” on Tuesday, March 9th from 9 am-12 noon at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham, MA. The program is being delivered both in person and via a webcast. Follow this link to receive a downloadable program description (including pricing for in-person participation and web participation) and registration forms. You do not need to be a member of the MBA to participate. Please contact Tanya Duncan (tduncan@massbankers.org) at the MBA. Hope to see you there!
January Online Contest Winner. Hats off to Sandy Scialdone of Milford, MA — the first winner of our 2010 monthly contest. Sandy will be sent a $25 gift card courtesy of The Container Store. For your chance to be our February winner, please register to win by midnight on February 28th. Good luck!
Quick Tip
National Wear Red Day
Stand up and speak out against heart disease in women by wearing red on Friday, February 5th. For more information, visit GoRedForWomen.org.
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© 2010 Organization By Design, Inc. / Wardrobe Management & Fashion Consulting
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