clothes

The change in weather means only one thing …

3rd October 2022 by Fiona Mobbs

The change in weather means only one thing … your warmer clothes need to come out again!

But, what if when you try them on they are a bit tight? What are your options?

Buy new bigger sizes?
Try to slim into them (eat less / exercise more)?
Have your favourites altered?

Buying new

Have you noticed how some clothes make you look slimmer and some really don’t flatter? If you struggle to get the flattering ones all the time, please contact me to discuss how to nail this every time. (I really do make shopping easier; here’s one example of how!)

Of course, you may not want to spend a lot of money on new clothes if you think your increased size is going to be temporary, so you might like to shop in charity shops or online (Ebay, Vinted etc). You can find some absolute treasures there, and I help people find them there as well as brand new in shops. (I have some tips on ‘recycling’ clothes here, too).

Slim

How realistic is this with Christmas on the horizon? Well, if you are determined it could be the answer. You can certainly feel excess through your clothes. You don’t have to watch the scales!

Alterations

This might be your last resort, and not one that people generally think about. If you find a good dressmaker, they can work wonders with your favourite (or expensive) pieces. If you need inspiration about what can be done with something, please get in touch. Although I am not a dressmaker myself, I do have ideas that you might not. Plus I can input what will suit you from a body shape and clothing personality point of view, not just from the colour perspective. Worth a conversation before you let go of something and regret it later.

Letting go

Of course, you could let go of something either for free or to sell on. If you loved something, my advice before you do this is to at least take a photo of it, so you can recreate something in future if you ever want another one, and you can have it in a different material, colour, etc if you have it made.

If you want any help with your wardrobe, please contact me. It may surprise you what I can suggest, and what compliments are waiting for you.

A final thought but we tend to see more static in our hair and clothes at this time of year, too. If you want to read my tips on how to help prevent this, try this article.

What is life about?

30th May 2022 by Fiona Mobbs

Possessions

Having recently lost my last parent, the experience of clearing a lifetime of accumulated things (clothes, odds and ends like Christmas cracker contents, as well as pills, glasses and photographs etc) it makes one think about what is important in life.

Whatever you believe happens after death, the truth is that we leave this “stuff” behind for others to use or dispose of. Whilst a lot of it had a practical use and was needed, there was a lot that was excess to requirements – perhaps gifts over the years that, because of the thoughts about the giver, meant they could not be disposed of. Just like my parents, I now keep every little treasure my mum gave me, as a memento of her thought of me when she bought something like a pen or shopping bag!

Leaving Your Mark

When thinking about what was important to mark someone’s life and achievements, you can’t bag up the epitome of someone like their fun in “stuff”, unless it is captured in enduring words or pictures (photographs or letters/books). That is why I wanted to self-publish my little poetry books – it will be a record of my thoughts well after I depart! And I guess why so many others I know are now doing the same and becoming authors.

Acknowledging the big things

For me, the crucial things are the milestones and big achievements (or disappointments) in your life, in your work and personal life, like gaining certificates, awards, medals, having children, raising money for charity or doing deeds that will benefit others, maybe breaking the law, and so on. Of course if your life is happy and fulfilled that is wonderful but how will others know that it was, or what your struggles and challenges were? In today’s world of social media, we are recording this ourselves as it happens, like a public journal. This is in addition to what others write about us, like in newspapers, village news sheets and so on.

What’s important to you?

In questioning what “stuff” is important, I wondered what those Ukranian refugees grabbed as they left their homes. That situation would determine what was important to you, when you have to take only what you can carry in one little case, including clothes. What would you grab?

Hangers – 5 Tips To Make Them Work For You

30th January 2020 by Fiona Mobbs

In this blog I cover the different types of hangers you can get, the considerations you need to make to choose the right one/s for you, and where to get them.

Wikipedia says “A clothes hanger, coat hanger, or coathanger, is a device in the shape of: human shoulders designed to facilitate the hanging of a coat, jacket, sweater, shirt, blouse or dress in a manner that prevents wrinkles, with a lower bar for the hanging of trousers or skirts.”

That’s a great description, but there’s more to consider to make the best decision about which hangers are right for you, as there are a lot to choose from. This is what I think you should consider:

The amount of space you have to hang clothes;
The materials and quantity of your items (silk, linen, cotton, wool – and whether hangers will make an impression in the garment);
The hangers themselves (hanger materials, size, cost, thickness, and ability to do the job);
Your body shape and size (there are hangers for children, women, men and larger/heavier items – we are all sizes so hangers need to be too); and
Budget (hangers cost, but you can get good ones on a budget or for free).

SPACE

When it comes to space, how much you can hang depends on the garments you are hanging (how chunky the items are), plus the width of the hangers, and obviously your space. Some hangers take up more room on the rail than others.

Can you fold items (like chunky knits) and store them on a shelf or in a drawer, especially if folding will not affect their appearance when you go to wear them?

CLOTHES MATERIALS

Getting the right hangers for you and your garment is important, especially if you value your clothes. For instance, would you hang your best silk shirt on a wooden hanger – I wouldn’t – in case it splintered and pulled the garment! So you might choose a softer hanger like a material one.

Nor would I hang it on a wire hanger or a hanger that didn’t fully look after the shape of the garment. Take a look at your hangers … have you got different shape ones in your wardrobe, and do they match your body shape? Some people are quite straight across the shoulders, whereas others quite round. If you have straighter hangers that you are hanging a blouse on, does that imprint the shape in the shoulders or sleeves?

Women showing shoulders — Woman showing her (straight) shoulders

Woman showing (rounded) shoulders — Runner showing rounded shoulders

Can you see how the lady with long hair has straighter shoulders than the runner?

QUANTITY OF CLOTHES THAT YOU HAVE

If your garments are squashed in a wardrobe, do you need to weed a bit? Perhaps you can select items you do not wear that often and place them in a suitcase or vacuum storage case, so that you can see the clothes you want to wear more easily, and they will then be less creased. This will save some hangers too.

HANGERS

Hangers come in many shapes, sizes and materials. Some of your choice might be personal preference, or it may be driven by cost, aesthetics in your wardrobe (having everything look neat and the same), but I would urge you to think about their function for you.

Plastic more curved hangers — Plastic, more curved, hangers

Velvet trouser, dress, shirt hangers — Velvet hangers with bottom rail for trousers or skirts

Do you have different hangers for trousers and skirts? If you fold garments over a hanger’s bar, and you do not use them regularly, be prepared to find that they have a line mark on them, especially if they are heavy. Plus you may find the hanger bends out of shape or breaks if it is not suited to the weight of the garment.

Equally, some skirt or trouser hangers may leave a “pinch” mark on the waistband if they have particularly strong grips.

Beware of the metal or plastic hangers that you receive your dry cleaning on. They are good for some things (and certainly don’t take up much space in the wardrobe), but they may not be best for your favourite or most expensive items.

One problem you may encounter is keeping the garment on the hanger. This is something the shops have battled too, and they’ve come up with a plastic hanger with a strip on the top that acts like a rubber hanger, thus keeping the garment in place. If you are offered these at the point of sale, I would urge you to accept.

Rubber hanger, with rounded shape

YOUR BODY SHAPE AND SIZE

I have covered body shape above (where shoulders can be straight or curved).

Have you noticed that hangers vary in size? There are hangers for children’s clothing, female clothing (which can range from a small size to a larger size) and hangers for males, which tend to be broader than for females. Your hangers need to be right for your size garments.

WHERE TO BUY HANGERS

You don’t need to buy all your hangers – unless you want your wardrobe to look the same. Most people have a mix of hangers, maybe because they need different ones for different items anyway. Don’t forget to ask for the hangers when you’re buying clothes, as they will often let you have them.

You can buy in bulk from Amazon, ebay, Hangerworld, or from department stores (like John Lewis), Argos, and supermarkets. They will vary considerably in price, so do shop around.

When I do a wardrobe review with someone I am interested in their objectives for that exercise. I will advise on hangers as part of the process if appropriate. So, if you would like some one-to-one help in this matter, please give me a call.

STATIC IN YOUR HAIR, CLOTHES & BODY

4th November 2019 by Fiona Mobbs

Have you suffered from static in your hair, clothes and hands?

Annoying isn’t it, and it can be embarrassing when your clothes are hugging you more than they should!

What makes static and shocks happen?

Static electricity leaps between two objects that have opposing electrical charges. You can experience a “shock” when shaking someone’s hand or touching a door handle, if one has a negative charge and the other a positive one. If you have a large amount of static electricity that has built up in your body, you may find that your clothes cling, especially with today’s non-natural materials, or your hair seems to stand up when you don’t want it to! Static is also caused (or caused more) by friction.

Why do we suffer from static in our clothes, hair and body more in the autumn/winter?

There are a couple of reasons why we suffer more from electricity in our bodies and “electric shocks” more during the autumn and winter, and this blog will also cover what you can do about it.

Very dry air or cold weather increase static electricity, so static shock takes place more often in the winter when the air is especially dry.

We’ve all got off an aeroplane and had our hair stand on end, or seen someone else’s. The negative electrons passing through the air conditioning in that environment are attracted to positive electrons in objects such as our bodies, and hair and some fabrics accept the electrons more readily than some others.

What can be done to reduce or eliminate static in us?

Firstly, synthetic fabrics attract or retain static more than natural fibres like wool, cotton and linen. Therefore, you can help yourself by wearing more natural fibres, even if that is cotton underwear or a cotton slip. This seems easier said than done these days, as spandex, polyester, nylon and other fabrics with stretch seem to be added to most clothing, to increase comfort and ease.

There are some products we can use, for example for our hair, house cleaning, or clothes washing that are purposely designed to counteract static.

Be aware of where you are experiencing friction – for example, perhaps you could reduce using a hair dryer with a plastic brush. Try leaving your hair to dry naturally, or use a wooden handled brush with natural bristles.

If you are particularly suffering from static, you could try putting your bare feet directly on a floor, and hopefully the negative electrons will travel down your body and into the earth.

I also found these ideas with an internet search:

Lightly wet your hands then brush them over the surface of your clothing to reduce static.
Target extra clingy areas by applying talcum powder to your skin.
Rub a dryer sheet over offending articles while dressed.

I hope you find these ideas useful. Please let me know if you have tried anything and it has worked for you!