Tools of the Trade Part 1

The Right Tool for the Job

Sometimes, when you are climbing a mountain, it's good to turn around and see 

how far you have come and enjoy the view.

My New Year's Resolution is to shop my closet.  I am actually surprising myself and doing really, well.  I did purchase a pair of rain boots because the other ones took a turn for the worse, and it was raining, and cold, and the wet toes thing wasn't working for me and the rain wasn't about to stop.

(Old sweater, t-shirt, jeans...new boots..they did keep my toes warm and dry)

One thing I am realizing, is that I have some great clothing in my closet!  Probably, the reason that the item sits, unworn, in the closet, is maybe a missing button, or the neck is scratchy because of a tag, or the item needs to be hemmed.  I am rediscovering the tools that I see the wardrobe gals keep with them at all times on set.

*The leather punch is great to make your belts fits perfectly.  

*A good pair of dedicated wardrobe scissors for cutting out scratchy tags(or all tags)! 

Don't be using it for kitchen or office items. Wardrobe only! 

Don't tell your kids where they are either.

*Fashion Tape, it's great for that pesky button-up blouse that plays peek-a-boo.

*Travel sewing kit, because sometimes it's nice to have it already threaded.

*Lint roller There's a white cat hair with your name on it.

*A good tailor It's their job to make you look good.

I am not saying that my New Year's Resolution is over.  I'm having fun seeing how far I can go shopping my closet.  In fact, I have discovered that maybe, just maybe, the 

destination isn't the reward, but the journey.

Last Day of the First Month

I'm trying...

Well, how has your New Year's resolution coming along?

Well, I do like champagne, but I'm not a big drinker so cutting back on alcohol was an easy one.  Shopping, not so easy.

I found these shoes by mistake on-line!!!  I had to buy them.  And there goes my resolution. 

Well, here is the thinking...

They aren't real Valentino Rockstud heels!!! 

Maybe I'm wrong, but they look so good and I will wear them.

So, here's the lowdown...

I'm not sure the Valentino Rockstuds are worth the money, but definitely, they are made a lot better than the Kaitlyn Pan shoes that I found on Amazon.  Yes, Amazon!!!!!!!

You can see the stitching is a little off, but that's only if you get up close and personal.

The Valentino Rockstud has beautiful stitching and is more comfortable.

So, unless you knew the difference, you wouldn't be able to tell.  (Maybe my girlfriends can, but who is going to tell them?)

Shhhhhhhhh. :D

Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse

Minimalism

It's that time of year...shopping sales.  Am I the only one that lays in bed and shops from their iPad, then remembers when the package arrives?

This is not a new coat.  It belongs to my daughter and I stole it from her closet last year because Peacoats were in style and she wasn't wearing it.  I was looking at sales because I want this year's style and this coat is flared at the bottom.  Okay, I was looking at sales on my iPad, laying in bed, and if I wasn't careful, there would be a package on my doorstep 
in a few days..."What's this?".

Mindless.

So, I will not let perfection be the enemy of good and this nice coat keeps me warm.  I can share with her, she shops my closet all the time...(I stalk her on instagram).

The whole reason that I started this was to get to know my camera and it turned into a whole fashion, must have, want, gotta keep up with the Jones' kinda thing.

How many baby seals did I kill, having so many fossil fuels pumped into the environment by having things delivered IN TWO DAYS?!!!

My closet.  I think I can find what I need.

Hope for 2017

Happy New Year

I hope this finds you happy and healthy.  A year ago I gave up bread.  At first, it was really
hard because there's bread in EVERYTHING.  Seriously, I would be eating, putting something in my mouth when I would realize that I was eating BREAD (tortillas, empenadas, cake, crackers, and macaroons...doesn't look like bread, but it's bread all right).  The issue wasn't that I was gluten intolerant or anything, it was that I was eating a lot of bread.

A LOT of bread.  I didn't even realize how much until I tried to eliminate it from my plate.  At first, it was hard, because, let's be honest, bread is AWESOME!!  But, it's not food.  I was looking through Pinterest and stumbled across the "Fifty not Frumpy" blog by Susan Street.  She had adopted a vegan diet and mentioned that by not eating refined processed food...bread, pasta, potato...she had lost 30 pounds.  I tried it and I lost about 15!  

After that, I eliminated alcohol....well, drastically reduced my intake.  I lost another 15 pounds.  Now, I practice drinking Kombucha and water during the week, and on the weekend, I will enjoy a glass or two of wine.  The real reason I did this was because I lost some very nice jewelry while drinking lots of shots of tequila.  Lots of shots and expensive jewelry don't mix.  Nice jewelry, jewelry that my husband had given to me.  Jewelry that I miss and won't be able to replace anytime soon.  That was really painful.  I had to evaluate what was important in my life.

2017 is going to be the year of gratitude.  I am going to live well by living simply.  I am going to try to shop my closet.  I am going to reduce the amount of meat that I consume. I am going to practice giving back.  I am going to re-evaluate what is means to be American, what it means to be human, and what it means to be a CONSUMER.

Live simply so that others may simply live.  That is my goal.

What are your goals for 2017?

Thank God It's Friday

Wait, wait...no.  It's Wednesday.

So, I got to time travel a bit, I feel like I just gained two extra days.

Except it's not Friday.  I woke up this morning thinking it was and the whole morning was discombobulated.  So, boyfriend jeans...make it work with some heels.

I'm standing in the middle of old New York street on the studio backlot.  Good thing you can't see the doors, because there aren't any doorknobs.  When a movie shoots back there, the decorator provides all the "dressing", like the doorknobs, the porch lights, the mailbox, etc.  It's not very interesting without the dressing...kind of like women.

Shoes from Aldo.

Link here: http://www.aldoshoes.com/us/en_US/women/shoes/high-heels/SERGIOA/p/47730131-32

They came in black and burgundy too.

The Amy Purse (medium) by Salvatore Ferragamo...I added the poof.

Purse link here: http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/salvatore-ferragamo-tote-amy-medium?ID=1568656&CategoryID=16958#fn=ppp%3D180%26spp%3D46%26sp%3D1%26rid%3D111|BOOST SAVED SET%26spc%3D55%26rsid%3Dundefined%26cm_kws%3Dsalvatore ferragamo tan purse %26pn%3D1|0|undefined|55

I hope this finds you happy and healthy and you enjoy your Friday.

Wednesday! :D

-julie

Summer Sales 

Smells like Fall, yes?  No?

This little blouse was on sale at Banana Republic.  It covers the back of my arms and is light and airy, perfect for the last days of summer.

The stores are selling pumpkin spice everything and even Starbucks got on the bandwagon and launched the Pumpkin Spiced Latte early this year!  Is it time to pull out the booties and scarves?  Kids are back in school here in SoCal, and it's a slippery slope until Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then the New Year...the New Year!!!!  Slow down...time to transitition.

Suede booties by Rag and Bone.  I found a pair by Toms that look almost identical.

Link here: http://www.zappos.com/toms-lunata-bootie-taupe-suede?ef_id=VuTCjAAAAIuo49Fj:20160816182332:s

Distressed jeans from Hollister...okay, ONE little hole and you can't see my skin...

Target belt.  Necklace by Kendra Scott from Bloomingdales.  It came in lots of colors...

Link here: http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/kendra-scott-rayne-pendant-necklace-38?ID=771854&CategoryID=3376#fn=ppp%3D180%26spp%3D30%26sp%3D1%26rid%3D111%26spc%3D33%26rsid%3Dundefined%26cm_kws%3Dkendra scott pendant necklace %26pn%3D1|0|undefined|33

Okay, maybe a few more holes, but NO skin!  :D

Don't Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Good

Summer, Fall...which is it?

Feels like Summer, but Fall is in the air.

I love the look of an off-white purse and with the days getting shorter, there isn't much time to wear out all the summer pieces before Labor Day...is that still a thing?

So, striped shirt, peep toe booties and off-white purse are a nod to summer, but the black blazer is good for mornings outside and air-conditioned offices inside.  Hollywood Secret:  Sound Stages are FREEZING COLD.  The hot lights heat up quickly, so stages are kept very chilly, so make-up won't run and actors won't sweat through their wardrobe.  If you ever come to visit in Hollywood, bring a jacket for set, you'll need it.

The pictures are a little fuzzy because I got a new lens for my camera and I am learning how to use it.  I almost didn't post because of it, but as my Daddy used to say, "Don't let perfection be the enemy of good", I'm learning.

Leave a comment if you please, I would love to hear from you.  What do you wear for transitional pieces from summer to fall?

-julie