SA Fashion Police

Designing Your Closet – Think It Through

by Tricia Mahoney on December 22, 2010

I spend a lot of time in women’s closets! So I have seen the good, the bad and ugly! Well, not really ugly, usually just really unorganized. Anyhow I know closets! And am often asked to consult on re-designs or build-outs.

This is fun one!

This is completely new space. It currently is a master nursery area transitioning into master walk-in closet.

My client asked me to review the above plans from the builder. These are my notes to her…..

  • How do you access the top shelf (triple hanging)? Does the shelf actually pull forward and down? Or do you climb a ladder?
  • I am not a huge fan of the 3rd level – it is not very functional – good for off-season but challenging to access. I would prefer the third level on #12, #11 and #10 be adjustable shelving and then on the opposite walls make (some) of the adjustable shelves into double hanging. You still have floor to ceiling adjustable on #14 and still have third level on #13 and #19
  • Tall hanging & Off-season (#7 & #8) – above the tall hanging is there a third level for off-season????
  • How are you storing shoes? In section #4? Not sure if you have enough space for shoes? How many pair do you have? How many pair of boots?
  • How many handbags?
  • Do you plan on storing scarves, hats in section #5 & #6?
  • The bench (below the window) – make into a short bureau and create another mirror version of it on the right of the bureau. This will give you more draw space (which you need!)
  • how about putting a mirror to the left of the window and another bureau to the right.

As you can see the plan she had needed tweaking.

So when you are designing your closet…..

  1. Think it through!
  2. Map out your needs.
  3. Measure, measure, measure – i.e. if you need 3 ft of long hanging clothing….make sure you have at least that for your new closet.
  4. Count your items – shoes, boots, handbags, hats, etc. – so you have ample room for all.
  5. Map out the two major closet change outs – Spring/Summer vs Fall/Winter – depending where you live and the climate you live in – this will dictate the amount of clothing you have for the seasonal closet transitions. For me I live in Dallas. I have a lot more Spring/Summer clothing but Fall/Winter clothing takes up more space…therefore I use about the same amount of space for my Spring/Summer vs Fall/Winter. If you live in a cold climate and have far more cold weather clothing map that out and be sure you have the correct space for YOUR needs!

Doing a closet redesign is very exciting and expensive….spend your money well and truly take the time to make your closet custom for you!

Yup – this post was also featured on S.A. Fashion Police!

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Tricia Mahoney
True Style. Real Life.

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Bags in Bags – Organization that makes switching bags a breeze!

by Tricia Mahoney on September 19, 2010

I love handbags! They are my most favorite and indulgent purchases. I am a freak when it comes to bags. I change them often and ALWAYS need to make sure they coordinate with my outfit. Because I change them out all the time I have found a few tricks to make the switch quick and painless.

1. A large cosmetic bag – that actually is the size of your bag.This works great because you can keep all of your stuff in the cosmetic bag and when you want to change handbags you just move the cosmetic bag from one handbag to the other. SIMPLE. All your stuff is contained and the switch is a breeze. This is a great tip if you have lots of stuff in your bag.

2. Only keep a few items in your bag. This is what I do. I have my wallet, my small make-up bag (lipsticks, glosses, balm, Advil, spray hand sanitizer), a pencil/pen sleeve (for writing utensils and my grape Crystal light individual packs) and sunglasses case. I keep my bag VERY tidy and organized – it is one of my quirky traits. Switching bag to bag is simple. I just grab my four items and pop them from one bag to the other.

3. bags in bag – this is a version of both. If you have a few cosmetic cases (of varying sizes) you can organized and group items together. Below is a sample of one of my clients bag system:

  • cosmetic case #1 – wallet, cell, sunglasses and gum
  • cosmetic case #2 – receipts, notecards and writing utensils
  • cosmetic case #3 – make-up bag (lipsticks, lip balm and travel size sunscreen and other misc mom stuff)
  • cosmetic case #4 – kid case – travel snack, diaper, wipes in a small ziplock).

When your bag is organized in cosmetic cases this allows you to take out and use cases on an as need basis. For example – if you are going out to dinner with your hubby and only need your wallet and make-up bags…then you can leave the others and just take what you need and pop it into a smaller going-out-bag!

Yup – this post was also featured on S.A. Fashion Police!

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Tricia Mahoney
True Style. Real Life.

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Jeans – How long?

by Tricia Mahoney on October 31, 2008

I get this question a lot, “Should I have different length jeans for heels vs flats?” – YES!

The ideal pant length for EVERYONE is just a hair off the floor – the only exclusion being skinny jeans. This will make your legs look slimmer and will make you look taller! It is the most flattering length bar none!

The majority of my pants/jeans are a length that works with flats and flip flips – as the is my shoe of choice for day-to-day activity. I do have a few pair of pants and one pair of jeans for heels. These jeans are darker in wash and more fitted (tight) than others.

Think about your lifestyle and shoes. Have the majority of the pants/jeans tailored to the height of shoes you wear most often.

I hope that helps!

Yup – this post was also featured on S.A. Fashion Police!

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Tricia Mahoney
True Style. Real Life.

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