Diane Vallere is a
textbook Capricorn who writes cozy mysteries with a stylish twist. She authors
the Style & Error Series, currently optioned for TV, the Mad for Mod
mysteries, and upcoming fabric shop-themed Material Witness mystery series. She
launched her own detective agency at ten years old and has maintained a passion
for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Learn more about Diane and her books
at her website. Today one of Diane’s fashionista sleuths joins us to give us
some tips on reorganizing our closets.
Ten Ways Ten ways to reorganize your closet
By Samantha Kidd
1. Color: Lots of industry pros will tell you this is the way to go, but I’ve found it can be distracting. What if you only have one item in orange? Do you give it away or move on? No. I say move on.
2. Decade: When you have a lot of clothes and want to honor their stylistic integrity, this is the best option. Items that would normally not make the haven’t-worn-it-in-a-year cut can become entire sections. The key here is to be aware of the difference between fashion and costume. Not that there’s anything wrong with either!
3. Fabric: If you live in an area of the country that has varying temperatures (or you have an on-again/off-again allergy to cashmere,) this might work for you. Be warned, though, that this involves a lot of tag checking, which can sometimes lead to hours lost on the Internet trying to decipher those little cleaning icons.
4. Size: I eat a lot of pizza and pretzels. Don’t get me started.
5. Price/Value: There are times in a woman’s life when we need to spend a little extra on an outfit. A fun experiment is to sort your closet according to what you spend on each item. Poor choices will become evident quickly! As will poor shopping companions.
6. Function: Casual. Cocktail. Workout. Work. Spying. Seduction. Imagine the possibilities.
7. Silhouette: Dresses, pants, skirts, coats, culottes, knickers, skorts, harem pants, caftans. You know the drill.
8. Alphabetically: I dare you!
9. Comfort Level: Fashion is not supposed to be comfortable! Throw out anything with an elastic waist!
10. Buy What You Want To Wear: This is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Fashion should be fun. If you don’t want to wear it, don’t. Hang what you want to wear in the front and bury the rest. If you share a closet, maybe put some of that other stuff on his side. He’ll never notice.
The Brim Reaper
When
an over-the-top collection of vintage Hollywood costumes comes to Samantha
Kidd’s hometown, it brings a hatbox full of hype. Close friend Eddie is in
charge of the exhibit but when hype turns to homicide, he turns to
Samantha for help. Brimming with good intentions, she loops in the cops,
but after one too many cloche calls, she’s soon in over her head. If
she can tear the lid off the investigation, it might mean a feather in her
fedora. And if she can’t? She might get capped.
Buy Links
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/partymonstrrrr/3466332859/">partymonstrrrr</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
6 comments:
Waving Hello to Diane!
I've got to read this book! Wishing you much luck!
Waving Hello to Diane!
I've got to read this book! Wishing you much luck!
Hey Diane, you're a Capricorn, too? How cool. Okay, so this whole closet organization thing kind of mystifies me…I go with the stuff it in, pull it out methodology. :D
This sounds like an entertaining read!
Hi Terry, yes, Capricorns unite!
The stuff it in, pull it out methodology is still one up from the throw on the floor, pick it up methodology, so you're on the right track.
Hi Gemma, thanks for visiting!
Hi Diane. What a great idea for a mystery series. Sounds like a lot of fun to read. At my age, it's comfort over fashion, I'm afraid. I think I still have a couple of pieces from the '70's in my closet. I know I still have the fringe vest from my hippie days. I just can't seem to part with it. Is that considered a "vintage" piece these days?
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