clothes – the Spiff

A Small Task That Will Save You Money & Time

April 4, 2014 No Comments

Don’t be jealous of my life when I tell you I spent last Saturday morning cleaning out my underwear drawer.

Welcome to adulthood, kids!

While it doesn’t sound glamorous, the results make it so worth it. I promise.

Here’s why you should do it too…

1. A crowded underwear drawer can mean that you’re squishing your bras. And when I saw my very expensive bras (that I bought on major discount) getting creases because they were so crammed, I realized it was time to do something about it.

Protect your investment in your underwear and make sure they all have room to breathe.

2. Much like cleaning anything out, it’s going to save you time in the long run. No longer do I have to sift through items I don’t even need to get to the things I use on a regular basis (like where did all the extra straps come from?!). No longer do I have to toss the ugly underwear aside to find the pretty ones.

Seriously, where do all these extra straps come from?!

When you can reach in and grab exactly what you need, it saves time and frustration when getting ready.

3. Cleaning out a drawer like that also alerts you to what you need next. If I were to have gone underwear shopping before last Saturday I would have bought whatever, but I certainly wouldn’t have known what it is I’m lacking (or need to replace). Now that I can see everything clearly, I know exactly what to get next.

You save money by knowing (and seeing) exactly what you need. The best way to do that is to go through each piece and make a list.

I bet you’re not feeling sorry for me anymore, are you? Ha! I promise the clean out is worth it and it only takes about 20 minutes!

clothes

The Right to Bare (Slimmer!) Arms

April 16, 2013 No Comments

Want slimmer arms this Spring?

I’m sure there are some fabulous exercises all over the Internet that will help you get there, but since that doesn’t happen over night, here are some ways to dress so that your arms appear slimmer (Oh Oh it’s magic, you know!)

1. Wear thin layers and make sure they’re not tight. Not only is that uncomfortable for you, but it draws the eye to your upper arm, rather than away from it.

DKNY Top
found at Lane Bryant

2. Wearing ruffles or any kind of embellishment around the neck of your shirt or dress keeps the eye drawn to your neck and away from your upper arms.

3. Avoid, at all costs, the puffy sleeve. They only add bulk to the area you’re trying to slim.

4. Draw the eye to the slimmest part of your arm (making everything else look slim in comparison) with sleeves that go all the way to your elbow. Remember the cardigan talk?!

Now that you know now to cover those arms up, think about this. Working out just your arms and getting them toned, would fool the rest of the world who sees them into thinking two things:
A. You should never be messed with.
B. You’re awesomely toned every where else as well.

Think about that next time you can’t get up the gumption to go to the gym. Working out just your arms would still be beneficial (and chances are, if you start there you’ll get excited to work out the whole sha-bang :)
The Spiff aims to arm your arms with the best look possible, you’re welcome :)

clothes, spring, wbir

Look Like You’ve Brought It

April 10, 2013 No Comments

Good Wednesday to you!
Here’s yesterdays segment to help you get over the hump of the week AND the hump that could be spring dressing.

I say “could be” because dressing for spring doesn’t have to be a perplexing pull between summer and winter. With these 5 things, you can combine both your favorite sweaters and your favorite tanks to create a series of really awesome spring looks.

In other words, you’re going to be bringing it this spring. You’ll be waking it up and bringing it before anyone else has a chance to find theirs.

Boom.

Watch.

Oh, and come back tomorrow for the part about scarves I didn’t get to on the show!

clothes, spring

The Cardigans you Don’t Want

April 9, 2013 No Comments

Now that we’ve established a pretty solid comparison between cardigans and chicken broth (thank you very much), let’s talk about what kind of cardi is right for your body.

Not all cardigans are created equal, and just like ingredients in a recipe, if used the correct way, a cardigan can really highlight the right portions of your body and make everything look good (a virtual feast for the eyes, if you will…ok maybe I’m taking the food thing too far).

Let’s break this down by what portion of your body you’re attempting to mask…

1. The sisters, the girlfriends…your BOOBS.
If your bra’s are hard at work keeping your ample blessings at bay, what you want to do is stay away from cardigans that have big buttons. What those buttons will do is add weight to your boobs. So the kind of sweater you should look for is the kind that cascades in the front. This will give your girls the most flattering fit without competing for eye-attention.

Tummy hider? Not so much.

2. Cardi Tummy Tuck
Cardigans are like the cloak of invisibility to a tummy-if you get the right kind. Go for one’s that have buttons down the middle and a tapered line on the sides. This will help give you a long lean line right down the middle.

Or if you want something more simple, go for colorful cardigans that hit your hip bone and wear it with a black shell or shirt. That will darken your problem area and draw the eye towards the color. What you DON’T want to do is wear one of those super short sweaters that stop right past your boobs. All these do is draw eye arrows to your problem area, which is certainly what you don’t want.

3. Let the Sweater do the Lying for your Hips

Bum hiding length

Shakira is right, hips don’t lie. But a shorter sweater will do all the lying for them by saying things like, “What are you talking about, this girls hips are teeny tiny!” It does this by balancing out your figure and drawing the eye up and away from the heavier portion of your body.

What a Shape-ster

To hide a bigger bum,
you can go the opposite direction and go for a longer sweater that stops right where your hips start to taper in, and you’ll draw highlights to the smallest part of your legs and white out any wider mistakes.

4. Give Shape to the Shapeless
If you are one of those people that just needs a little junk added to your shape trunk, go for a belted cardigan. This will give your body the illusion of an hour glass figure giving you every right to sing a breathy happy birthday to whomever you please.

All these sweaters can be found at Gap and Old Navy.
Happy spring everyone!

clothes

Why Cardigans are like Chicken Broth

April 8, 2013 No Comments

Colorful cardigans are the chicken broth of your closet.

They’re necessary to have around because they can be added in to plenty of outfits. And they’re good for toning things down and making a look a lot smoother and/or appropriate (if, say, you work in an office that requires sleeves).

I’ve found, in my still growing cooking experience, that chicken broth is the same way. It’s handy to have around because a lot of recipes call for it, and it’s good to tone down something that tastes a little too…strong.

I stayed away from cardi’s for a long time, because sometimes they add too much “sweetness” to a look. The image I maintain isn’t “sweet” at least not all the time. I go for an edgier feel and cardi’s generally don’t vibe “edgy”.

But I have found that paired with just the right jewelry and lots of black, cardi’s can translate almost anything you want to.

If you’re trying to disguise your arms-cardigans go from being chicken broth to being as necessary as salt.

Salt is required in almost every recipe (even the sweet ones!). And by having a spoonful of cardigan in almost every outfit, you’ll disguise the wider part of your arm and highlight the smallest portion. Cardigans do this by ending at your elbow or below-the smallest parts of your arms.

How great is that?! The one pictured came from Forever21 (are you surprised?) and was less than $12!

If you own them in every color you can bring pops of vibrancy to otherwise boring black and white or gray ensembles. Something else they’re good for-is disguising bad sleeves. I have a shirt that has unflattering sleeves, but I don’t have to stop wearing it because I just wear it with a cardi!

They’re certainly a staple in my spring closet. Especially when it’s too cool to go without sleeves but too warm for a jacket. They’re the perfect spring chicken broth!

And tune in tomorrow for The Spiff live on FOX for the 5 items you need to merge your winter and summer wardrobe into perfect spring looks!