Purge Process: Cleaning Out Your Closet, 101

As I strolled through Eastern Market with a friend today, we were chatting about my recent closet purge and I thought my experience might be worth sharing on the blog.

About two months ago I took a serious look at my closet. Inside I found some amazing pieces that I will wear for as long as the clothes will last. I also found a ton of "on trend" pieces that I wore twice and never touched again. I decided it was time for an intervention with my closet.

The steps taken below did three things:

1. Successfully purged my closet
2. Made me money off of my old clothes
3. Gave me discounts on future purchases at a major retailer

Tim Gunn's "A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style"

Chapter Three "Diagnosing the Common Closet"

Read Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style
I love, love Tim Gunn. His style, flair, and superior vocabulary have kept me a fan for all thirteen years he has been on Project Runway. I bought this book on a whim at a used bookstore and found it to be the best possible read for a grown woman trying to curate her own personal style. The entire book is a gem, but 'Chapter Three: Diagnosing the Common Closet' is key to starting your purge process.

Implementing the Gunn Strategy
Clear your schedule, kick out your roommate/boyfriend/husband, open your favorite bottle of wine, and begin. Thoughtfully diagnosing your closet will take time, you don't want to be rushed or distracted. As you will read in the book, Tim recommends separating your closet into four piles:

1. The Soul-Stirring Pile
2. The Repair Pile
3. The Give-Away Pile
4. The Throw-Out Pile

Pile No. 1 - You Look So Good You Turn Your Own Head
Any piece in this pile means you feel amazing when you wear it. It can be anything - the perfect little black dress you spent way too much money on, or the best fitting t-shirt you bought from the Gap. Whatever the cost, who cares. The rule simply is: if you feel amazing in it, it goes here and it earns the right to stay.

Pile No. 2 - Trip to the Tailor
Pieces in this pile are things that you love, that you feel great in, they just don't fit quite right. Sometimes $20 worth of tailoring can make you feel like a million bucks. Tailoring is an added expense, and something you rarely splurge on when you're younger. Know this, you always look your best when the clothes look like they were made for you. Invest in these pieces and make them perfect.

On No. 3 and No. 4 I do differ in opinion to the Yoda of fashion, Tim Gunn. I would change No. 3 to the Resale Pile and No. 4 to the Recycle Pile. Here's why:

I have donated bags and bags of clothing to Goodwill over the years as I casually took a few pieces out of my closet. This time, I was doing a major overhaul and I wanted to re-think the Give-Away and/or Throw Out strategy.

Pile No. 3 Revised - Make Some Money
I had quite a few nice things in my closet that were definitely worth something, so I went online and found the most popular, best-reviewed consignment shop in DC. I dropped off my pieces I thought were of value, four weeks later they mailed me a check for $200. Every piece sold. If you have spent a decent amount of money on your clothes, and they are gently used, why not get some money back?

The results of my own closet purge

Pile No. 4 Revised - Fashion Should Never Go To Waste
I never know what to do with the old tshirt that has a hole in it, or a dress where I just couldn't get that food stain out. You don't want to give these away because they are in poor shape, so how can you recycle the fabric? Lucky for us H&M just started a great new program where they will take any clothing items back, regardless of brand, and recycle them. Not only are they saving fashion from the landfill, but they also give you a coupon for 15% off your next purchase for every bag of clothing you bring in. A shopping discount and diverting trash from the landfill? Stylish and smart.

H&M Coupons for Recycled Clothing

Want to Learn More?
Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style can be purchased here

Learn more about H&M's Recycle Program here

Good Luck!
S.

Television Talk: Dressing DC for the Small Screen

On Wednesday night two of my favorite things combined: great fashion and addictive television.

I attended a lecture series at the Smithsonian called "Dressing DC for the Small Screen: Costume Designers from House of Cards and The Americans". The panel discussion included costume designers Jenny Gering (The Americans) and Tom Broecker (House of Cards: Season One).

Jenny and Tom were a total delight! They were warm, engaging, and most importantly, provided incredible insight into the level of thought and detail that goes into dressing the characters on these shows.

Below are a few snipits of information I found most interesting from the discussion. Enjoy!

Tom Broecker: House of Cards

Robin Wright as Claire Underwood on Netflix's House of Cards

On Claire's Shoes
Claire always wears heels because she is considered an equal to Frank.  In Tom's words, "If you are going to go toe-to-toe with a man, why not do it with a little extra height?"

Claire is a commanding woman with an equally strong presence. If you look closely, any scene that includes Claire and other women will show Claire to be the only one in heels. All the 'background women' are wearing flats. Clearly Claire's power goes all the way down to footwear.

People's posture change depending on what shoes they are wearing. For example, a woman stands very differently in heels than she does in flats. Claire's strength, confidence, and stature fiercely stand upon her Louboutins. Always.

On Claire's Clothing
Claire's clothes are her armor. Nothing can get to her through her wardrobe.

Claire never wears prints, Tom thinks they date too quickly. I couldn't agree more.

Claire often wears a great collared shirt, which serves the purpose of framing Robin Wright's exquisite face.

The show looked to women of European political stature, rather than here at home, for the inspiration of dressing Claire Underwood.  Specific references were Carla Bruni and Samantha Cameron.

So who does Claire wear? (Included, but not limited to)
Skirts - Gucci
Dresses - Ralph Lauren and Narciso Rodriguez
Cardigans - Ann Taylor
Collared Button Down Shirts - Banana Republic
Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Tom and his crew typically shop at department stores. Each garment needs to be altered to perfection, which is very difficult to do with loaned garments from fashion houses.

On Claire's Signature Bag
The Yves Saint Laurent Muse bag was meant to be a few years out of season when they shot Season One. In DC, and politics in general, it is considered vulgar to show your wealth. Your constituents might not be too happy to see you rolling around in money while they are trying to put food on the table. In this case, it's Claire re-purposing of an old-faithful rather than running off to Neiman's for the latest season's collection.

Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood in Netflix's House of Cards

On Dressing Kevin Spacey
Tom accompanied Kevin Spacey to London to work with a tailor he (Spacey) had a personal relationship with. Tom fitted him for twelve custom suits for Season One. Spacey thought sourcing the suits from London was a way of paying homage to the original House of Cards, based in the UK.

Apparently Kevin Spacey is obsessed with watches. He has up to eight at at time on set with the costume department. Someone's entire responsibility during shooting one day is to make sure the right watch stays with the right suit.

Spacey's character Frank Underwood wears a robin egg blue tie in Season One, the tie was actually Bill Clinton's. Apparently when the two men met in person they did a tie swap. I wonder what Bill got off of Kevin?

Frank is never dressed in a french cuff. The concept is that Frank should always be able to roll up his sleeves and 'get to work'.



Jenny Gering: The Americans

Kerri Russell as Elizabeth Jenning's on FX's The Americans

On Dressing Kerri Russell
Jenny says Kerri Russell is delightful to work with. She has her own ideas but trusts Jenny to know what is best for the character and the scene.

Russell's character Elizabeth is aware of her sex appeal, which she often uses to extract information from her targets; however, she doesn't overtly show it. The sexiest outfit Elizabeth might wear is a pair of really tight jeans or a silk blouse that has just one too many buttons undone.

Elizabeth & Philip Jennings disguised on FX's The Americans

On Creating Alter Egos
One of Phillip Jennings' (played by Matthew Rhys) most frequented alter egos is Kurt. The commentator asked if Kurt was wearing corduroy in one photo. Jenny said 'Oh no, corduroy is way too casual for Kurt! Kurt needs a blend...he's a permanent pressed kind-of guy.' If you watch the show and are familiar with the character of Kurt, you can understand why I cracked up at this moment of the discussion.

Often times the starting point for an alter ego is a wig. Inspiration has to come from somewhere!

Kerri Russell and Matthew Rhys on set of FX's The Americans

On Styling Characters for a Period Show
Jenny and her crew have partnerships with vintage shops across the country. Deadstock is the jackpot if they can find it. (Deadstock means vintage clothes that have never been worn, with the tags still on)

If she can get her hands on dups (duplicate items of the same clothing) it makes life so much easier for stunt scenes. It's less of a headache to re-shoot a blood spatter scene if you don't have to worry about cleaning the vintage suit in-between takes.

Jenny uses her mom's own vintage pieces quite often on Kerri Russell. Apparently there is a pair of boots that Jenny would die to have, but her Mom and Kerri Russell both have very small feet, and Jenny missed out on that gene.

When curating a wardrobe for an episode, Jenny wants to know down to the month when the writers have scripted the scene. For example, they start filming the next season soon and it opens in November of 1982. Jenny has been doing extensive research to find the perfect pieces to replicate the exact time and place of the show.

District Doughnut: Damn Delicious

I anxiously crawled out of bed this morning to walk down the street and finally get a taste of our new neighborhood addition, District Doughnut.

As we approached we could see the line was most definitely out the door, but I can assure you, it was worth the wait. My husband and I purchased one of each available flavor and two cups of coffee, here are our findings:

The coffee was a great brew. Classic (but quality) coffee to pair with the classic breakfast pastry.

The Key Lime Doughnut was by far our favorite. Sweet, tart, and beautifully presented. (top left)

The Brown Sugar Doughnut was our runner up. Simple, light, and slightly sweet.  (bottom right)

The Dulce de Leche came in third. Quite sugary but with a delicious caramel sauce. (bottom left)

The Goodfellow was our fourth and final, and not because it wasn't delicious, it was just so much doughnut! Glazed in a Nutella Ganache with Crispy Bacon toppings, this was quite the decadent doughnut and not for the faint hearted! (top right)

I loved the overall vibe of District Doughnut. A clean, crisp interior design with carrera counters and accents of turquoise and lavender. This space was designed with a modern approach but oozes vintage vibe. District Doughnut has applied for a permit to provide outdoor seating, but for now it's either lean on the counters inside or take your doughnut to go.

District Donughnut
749 8th St SE (8th between I and G)
Eastern Market Metro Stop
http://www.districtdoughnut.com/

Happy Hilling!
S.

Day Trip: The Art of Getting Lost and Morais Vineyards

My husband and I did not have big plans for the Labor Day weekend, but we did want to get out of the city for at least a day. We decided to take the car out for some back-road country driving and ended up somewhere between Prince William Forest Park and Route 17. The country roads were beautiful. We stopped to read historical markers and bought refreshments at corner market stores that have probably remained unchanged over the last century.

We passed a Flying Circus Air Show and so many beautiful farm houses just yearning for someone to bring them back to life. After an hour or so we decided to head back towards civilization and happened upon Morais Vineyards. With no agenda and no timeline, we stopped to check it out and I'm so glad we did!

Morais Vineyards is a small winery that just oozes Spanish mission charm. As you approach the vineyard the main tasting room will be on your right. This portion of the winery is less than a year old. The space consists of a large circular tasting bar with many tables along the perimeter for lingering. The building also has a wrap around patio that gazes out over the vineyard. You could also cozy up on picnic benches down the hill under a pergola.

The tastings are quite the steal! We were there for at least two hours between the actual tasting and enjoying a glass of Sangria on the patio afterwards. We purchased a bottle of the Moscatel and some of their delicious salted dark chocolate which came to the grand total of only $75.

Tasting Details
Classic Tasting: $8 per Guest + Tax, (8) Wines which includes a small cheese plate
Deluxe Tasting: $15 per Guest + Tax, (15) Wines which includes a small cheese plate, extra chocolates for the dessert wine pairings, and a souvenir wine glass

While we enjoyed the variety of reds, whites, and roses we tasted; overall, they were not full bodied enough for me to take one home.  However, where Morais really shines is in their dessert wines.  The Moscatel, Jeropiga, and Cherry Wine (served in a chocolate cup) were by far my favorite outside of the Cab Franc. Pay the extra few dollars and do the Deluxe Tasting so you can enjoy the sweeter selections, you absolutely won't regret it!

Tasting Room Hours
Saturdays & Sundays
12pm-6pm

Address
Morais Vineyards & Winery
11409 Marsh Road
Bealeton, VA 22712
www.moraisvineyards.com

Enjoy!
S.