minimalcloset

BioI am a middle aged woman, with a full-time job and a family. I am too old, too short, and too round to be taken seriously by the fashion industry. However, I am nearly obsessed with fashion and clothing. My style is minimalist to the point of almost uniformity. My favorite designers are the "UN"-designers Jil Sander under her and Raf Simmons, Zoran, Eileen Fisher, and Norma Kamali, yes, even her Wal-Mart stuff! As far as "designers" I enjoy Alber Elbaz and Stephano Pilati, but am drawn to their strict tailoring more than their fanciful pieces. I am lucky enough that I sew and more importantly know how to fit, which is handy since I don't exactly have the cash or the lifestyle to outfit myself in designer fashions day to day.

I hope you enjoy the site and feel free to write comments on the different outfits.

Reset: Minimal Closet 2.0

I'm still using this to catalog clothes I own but in a different way than I started with. A lot of the tools have changed or gotten better since 2009. Pictures of individual items will be posted here instead of outfits. Then hopefully, some Polyvore sets will develop from that. I am working through this process with Sally McGraw from alreadypretty.com based on her book by the same name.

This project started as a way for me to catalog my outfits after a closet cleanout. I highly recommend this activity as soul cleansing and ultimately better than a spa treatment. I found I had far too many pieces that looked great on the hangers but still never got worn. I also edited the colors that I planned to wear to make getting dressed easier.

My color scheme is based on black. I have heard all the pronouncements about black being aging etc. but it is still my best neutral. I am a Deep Winter/Star/etc. with light cool toned skin and dark brown hair that is just getting the faintest strands of white. Unfortunately, I wished I looked good in camel at this point it would be easier to hide the dog hair!

I am more interested in shape than color. I often include a jacket or coat in my outfits as it gives me a better line. This is a personal preference also due to the fact that my desk is directly under an air conditioning vent at work so even on the hottest days I am still freezing.

I have divided up my outfits according to the categories that make sense for my life, though there will be times Play goes to Work and Lounge goes out to Play. You will not see the other areas of my life like, cleaning or workout, frankly, nobody should have to look at me in those clothes but they are still necessary.

After the culling, I took my digital camera and documented each complete outfit along with shoes and accessories. In part this is my catalog, I do check every morning and see what I need for that day's activities. I am also interested in your opinion so feel free to comment. Of course, being an opinionated woman myself I reserve the right to disagree!