wardrobe-prep

Shopping Brake — The Book Is Now Available As A Paperback

August 18, 2017

Shopping Brake Book

Now available as a paperback!

Today I’m excited to announce that the book Shopping Brake: Proven tips to stop shopping wrong, and start shopping right for a wardrobe you love is now available as a paperback!

If you have ever done any of the following:

  • Stood in front of your closet and said “I have nothing to wear”
  • Bought something and then tried to hide it because you felt guilty
  • Found clothes in your closet with the tags still on
  • Looked for tips on editing and organizing your closet
  • Struggled to figure out what your personal style is
  • Become bored with your current wardrobe

This book is for you!

Filled with shopping tips, closet organization advice, and insights into the mindset of a shopaholic, Shopping Brake: Proven tips to stop shopping wrong, and start shopping right for a wardrobe you love will provide you with the tools that you need to own a wardrobe that you love.

Check out the Kindle version to read the entire introduction, as well as preview a few additional random pages.  Or grab a print version from any of the following retailers: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Createspace

Thank you for supporting the Shopping Brake Family!

Transitioning Summer To Fall

August 17, 2017

Navy Sweater and boyfriend jeans

Outfit #1 // Navy sweater and boyfriend jeans from summer to fall.

With a few simple styling tips I can easily transition some of my favorite summer pieces into fall.  Mixing my summer and fall clothes allows me use 2 capsules at the same time, a win win!  It also stretches my creative juices so that I don’t grow bored as the seasons change.  When it’s time to start using my fall capsule I don’t have to pack up my summer capsule right away, I can use transitional dressing to get a little more use out of my summer clothes before they are put aside until summer rolls around again.

Here are 3 summer outfits that I plan to transition for fall:

Keep on reading

5 Hot Trends For Fall 2017 — For Men

August 14, 2017

Hot-Trends-for-Fall-For-Men

In the past men’s and women’s fashion were quite different.  Men’s fashion operated within a much tighter framework than women’s fashion and rarely featured anything with big silhouettes (ie avant garde) or dramatic statements.  Instead the garments kept the focus on the details of classic pieces with a keen eye to tailoring, and a flair towards military and sportswear styles.

Today the lines between men’s and women’s fashion have become blurred.  Fashion sneakers such as the Adidas Superstar are worn by both men and women alike.  The same can be said for loafers, oxfords, boyfriend style jeans, and tweed blazers.  Plus, men’s clothing is sometimes cheaper than women’s (and better quality), which further encourages crossing over the lines of which sex is wearing what.  In today’s day and age, everyone can wear everything!  That’s why I keep an eye on both men’s and women’s fashion trends.

These are my picks of the 5 hottest trends I’m seeing in the stores for fall — for men:

Keep on reading

5 Hot Trends For Fall 2017 — For Women

August 10, 2017

hot-trends-fall-2017-women

The fall season is approaching fast which means that it’s time to start putting together your fall capsule wardrobe.  If your wardrobe from last year looks a little dated sometimes all it takes is adding 1 or 2 on trend items and suddenly that old wardrobe will feel new again.  These are my picks of the 5 hottest trends I’m seeing in the stores for fall:

Keep on reading

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Prep (Part 5) — Review And Final Decisions

August 7, 2017

2017 fall capsule wardrobe closet

I’ve made it to the final step to prepare my fall capsule wardrobe.  In my last post I reviewed everything I bought from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  I picked up lots of goodies during the sale, but alas, one store was not enough to complete my fall capsule wardrobe.  Today I’m going to:

  • Review the additional pieces that I bought for my fall capsule wardrobe
  • Explain what I do with hold items (as well as how many I keep on hold and for how long)
  • Crunch the numbers to see how many items I’m going to start with when I begin using this capsule

Now onto the fun!

Keep on reading

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Prep (Part 4) — Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Keepers

August 3, 2017

nas-sale-picks

I ordered every single item here, but how many will I keep?

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is winding down (August 6 is the last day before prices go back up to full price) and I’ve finally received almost all of the stuff that I ordered online.  Today I’m reviewing what I kept, what didn’t work for me, and why.  If you’ve been eyeing a few things from the sale, hopefully my product reviews will help you as you decide what to buy before the sale is gone.

Keep on reading

Now Available For Your Kindle — Shopping Brake — The Book

July 28, 2017

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Shopping Brake — The Book now available on Kindle!

I’m excited to announce a new addition to the Shopping Brake Family today!

The book Shopping Brake: Proven tips to stop shopping wrong, and start shopping right for a wardrobe you love is now available for your Kindle.  This is a self-help book for 2 types of people: those trying to overcome a shopping addiction and those who wish to improve their wardrobe.  In this comprehensive how-to guide I provide real-world advice about everything related to overshopping and managing a wardrobe, including:

Keep on reading

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Prep (Part 3) — Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks

July 27, 2017

nas-sale-picks

I ordered every single item here, but how many will I keep?

Today I’m going over every single item that I ordered online from this year’s Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and more importantly—why.  But a conundrum has popped up.  How can I buy anything from the Anniversary Sale when my fall capsule wardrobe already looked complete after I finished Fall Capsule Wardrobe Prep (Part 2)?

Keep on reading

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Prep (Part 2) — The 5 Steps To Update A Capsule Wardrobe

July 24, 2017

steps-to-update-a-capsule-w

It’s one of my favorite times of the year—the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale—and in my last post I began my Fall Capsule Wardrobe Prep (Part 1).  Last time I put together an action plan for shopping the sale.  This plan focused on becoming familiar with the merchandise that is currently on sale, plugging up any wardrobe holes, and ensuring that the pieces that I buy will help me to create outfits.

So what did I order and more importantly—why?

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Fall Capsule Wardrobe Prep (Part 1) — Action Plan

July 20, 2017

7.20.2017

It’s almost time for me to shop my favorite sale of the year!

It’s the middle of July which means that it’s time for my favorite sale of the year—the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!  And I’m not alone.  Fashion bloggers and social media are a buzz with everyone’s top picks on what to buy at this year’s sale.  Here are some of my favorite’s:

But I can quickly become overwhelmed with all of this chatter about “what’s a must buy” and “what should be passed on” for this once a year sale.  All of these suggestions are great, but need to shop with an action plan for this sale.  I’m not good at on-site decision making and I’m an ex-shopaholic.  If I enter a store without a plan is going to be absolute chaos because I’ll be swept up in the excitement of the moment, succumb to the thrill of a great buy, and I most certainly will have on sales goggles and start buying things because I think it’s “a good deal.”  I shop best when I’ve outlined ahead of time what I’m going to buy.  Advance planning helps me to stay focused when I shop so that I buy things that fit my personal style, my lifestyle, and my budget.  It also helps to keep my shopaholic tendencies under lock and key, right where they belong.

If you’re a fellow shopaholic hopefully this plan will help you shop this sale with a focused eye.  And if you’ve already bought your stuff but can’t figure out what to keep and what to return, well this plan might help you too.

Keep on reading