by Dena Kouremetis
Lady Boomer Examiner at examiner.com
Originally published July 8th, 2009: Editing the Cosby sweater
Courtesy vintage web site ShopNastyGal.com
All manner of written word deserves a good editing job. So how about getting a wardrobe edit? If you haven’t combed through the various, sizes, styles and color combinations contained in your in closet for a few decades because the thought of it gives you a migraine, then perhaps it is time to hire a wardrobe editor and consultant.
Indeed, there are those individuals among us who have that special sense – like Stacy and Clinton on TLC/Discovery channel’s What Not to Wear – about form, fit, color and style for every body type. These creative types offer personal shopping services while giving their clientele the opportunity to re-invent themselves, even if for some minor tweaking.
El Dorado Hills, CA -based wardrobe consultant Wendy Harris not only finds ways to enhance a wardrobe to reflect her client’s personality; she also is a master at optimizing their precious time and money.
“I teach people how to properly and elegantly dress the body they have right now, while leaving opportunities for that same wardrobe to apply to the body they may morph into,” she explains. “My services include going through their wardrobe to decide what stays, what goes, and making on-the-spot wardrobe organization suggestions.”
With Harris, as with other wardrobe consultants, convenience is the key. Any and all consignable and donation items taken care of for their clients. Based on the data she gathers from a completed fashion/style questionnaire, her clients receive a detailed fashion guide and report to include recommendations for casual, formal, workplace, exercise and active wear.
“It’s not just about a new wardrobe; I educate my clients as to what cuts, colors, and clothing styles make the most of their best attributes and are appropriate for their body type and lifestyle,” adds Harris. She even provides a shopping list.
Harris, who is also a lifestyle and fitness guru, targets busy professionals with no time to shop, those who need some presentation prep for job interviews, people in career or relationship transitions, those who simply hate to shop, and the color challenged among us.
Consultants like Harris act as color analysts, harmonizing hues with skin tone, hair and eyes, while color-coordinating entire wardrobes within an agreed-upon budget and timeframe.
So instead of pulling out that pair of baggy, pegged parachute pants from 1985, the shoulder-padded blazer you thought made your hips look slimmer in 1989, or the pilled-up brown and orange velour warm-ups you bought in 1993, consider a do-over. Did you know those items are now being sold online as vintage clothing for the 20-something set? Just the thought of it can make Boomers feel ancient.
You can hire experts like Harris for an hour of advice, a day of wardrobe editing, or a trip to Nordstrom and come back feeling as if you had just been chosen for a reality show. Even better, your friends and family might notice that your taste in clothes has finally caught up to the 21st century.
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Visit the Lady Boomer’s web site at communic8or.com and stay tuned for her upcoming book, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Romance in Midlife.
