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I Don't Have a Thing to Wear: The Psychology of Your Closet
Let the “Dr. of Closetology” help you organize your closet and your life! For every woman who has ever stared despairingly into her closet, wondering why none of her clothes work, here is the perfect uncover who you are on the inside, dress for it on the outside, and bring your closet into harmony with your life!
It's 8:00 a.m., and you've got a big day ahead. Face to face with your closet, you pull out the suit that's needed altering for two years, the blouse that doesn't go with anything, and the shoes that...why did you buy them, anyway? With the reject pile rising as fast as your frustration, you shout the lament of women
“I DON'T HAVE A THING TO WEAR!”
Stop the material madness! Let two top fashion experts show you what's really hiding in your a true reflection of your inner self. Now you can
-understand your attitudes and beliefs about clothes and shopping
-dress for your real life—not the past or the future
-identify your fashion persona ( it's not what you think!)
-avoid impulse buys and other shopping traps
-make every item in your closet work for you!
Practical and fun, with revealing quizzes and other great tools, I Don't Have A Thing To Wear sheds light on the darkest corners of the closet—and lets you shine!
It's 8:00 a.m., and you've got a big day ahead. Face to face with your closet, you pull out the suit that's needed altering for two years, the blouse that doesn't go with anything, and the shoes that...why did you buy them, anyway? With the reject pile rising as fast as your frustration, you shout the lament of women
“I DON'T HAVE A THING TO WEAR!”
Stop the material madness! Let two top fashion experts show you what's really hiding in your a true reflection of your inner self. Now you can
-understand your attitudes and beliefs about clothes and shopping
-dress for your real life—not the past or the future
-identify your fashion persona ( it's not what you think!)
-avoid impulse buys and other shopping traps
-make every item in your closet work for you!
Practical and fun, with revealing quizzes and other great tools, I Don't Have A Thing To Wear sheds light on the darkest corners of the closet—and lets you shine!
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 10, 2017
I found this book randomly on a bookshelf of a cafe, and finished skimming it within about an hour. I would give it a 3.5 stars, because I did learn some things from it.
Here are some of the pointers that I picked up:
1. To have a wardrobe that makes sense, you should first analyse your daily life and how it affects how you clothe yourself. For instance, if you spend 60% of your time working (in office wear), a wardrobe with only 20% officewear is problematic. It sounds like a no-brainer but I must admit I had never thought of it that way - that's why I can never find anything to wear, because my wardrobe is incompatible with how I live my life. And also all those clothes that are in there that are just lying there because I can't get rid of them - there's maybe 30% of wasted space already.
2. It's all about proportions (proportion of upper body to lower body), less about how wide you are. There are six important horizontal lines: the neck/shoulder line, the waist, the wrist, the skirt hem, the pant length, and the jacket length. If you are able to find your proportions and dress in a way that balances out your top and bottom, you'll be fine.
Some of the book is a little too fluffy for my taste, but in general I like how the advice is quite methodical and not prescriptive in a condescending way. It did make certain assumptions such as how women mostly enjoy shopping and retail therapy, which I did not agree with, but those did not take away the validity of other points, so I'm willing to let them slide.
Here are some of the pointers that I picked up:
1. To have a wardrobe that makes sense, you should first analyse your daily life and how it affects how you clothe yourself. For instance, if you spend 60% of your time working (in office wear), a wardrobe with only 20% officewear is problematic. It sounds like a no-brainer but I must admit I had never thought of it that way - that's why I can never find anything to wear, because my wardrobe is incompatible with how I live my life. And also all those clothes that are in there that are just lying there because I can't get rid of them - there's maybe 30% of wasted space already.
2. It's all about proportions (proportion of upper body to lower body), less about how wide you are. There are six important horizontal lines: the neck/shoulder line, the waist, the wrist, the skirt hem, the pant length, and the jacket length. If you are able to find your proportions and dress in a way that balances out your top and bottom, you'll be fine.
Some of the book is a little too fluffy for my taste, but in general I like how the advice is quite methodical and not prescriptive in a condescending way. It did make certain assumptions such as how women mostly enjoy shopping and retail therapy, which I did not agree with, but those did not take away the validity of other points, so I'm willing to let them slide.
August 3, 2024
In general I love reading style books. I like getting new ideas on organizing my closet, making my garments last longer and tips on how to evolve my own style. Sadly it is far between books giving me advice on sustainable change, and how to dress with individual and persistent style, not to impress somebody else, whether a future partner, those higher on the corporate ladder, friends and foes or just someone passing by. That elusive first impression!
I give this book a two star rating just because I actually managed to find a tiny amount of golden nuggets hidden in the densely written text (even if you claim to be a doctor in closetology it doesn't mean you have to use a style worthy of a scientific article in the Lancet). But there are also pieces of advice that made me wonder about the ethics of the authors. A quote that caught my eye, and sort of sum up the book in general to me, was said about fake copy designer handbags,
"We think these inexpensive fakes are just fine for a fashion ego boost".
There are also quotes by people whose ideas about fashion and shopping are not in sync with modern times. Who in general buys 2000 bras each of black, white and beige, to scatter around their homes and boats in order not to have to think about shopping for that item again, that year? Talk about conspicious consumption.
Having read this book I wonder if getting dressed really is such a struggle for many women (this is a book adressed to women only), and if this kind of pseudo psychology feels helpful? Perhaps it is, and then this book might perhaps be of help.
I give this book a two star rating just because I actually managed to find a tiny amount of golden nuggets hidden in the densely written text (even if you claim to be a doctor in closetology it doesn't mean you have to use a style worthy of a scientific article in the Lancet). But there are also pieces of advice that made me wonder about the ethics of the authors. A quote that caught my eye, and sort of sum up the book in general to me, was said about fake copy designer handbags,
"We think these inexpensive fakes are just fine for a fashion ego boost".
There are also quotes by people whose ideas about fashion and shopping are not in sync with modern times. Who in general buys 2000 bras each of black, white and beige, to scatter around their homes and boats in order not to have to think about shopping for that item again, that year? Talk about conspicious consumption.
Having read this book I wonder if getting dressed really is such a struggle for many women (this is a book adressed to women only), and if this kind of pseudo psychology feels helpful? Perhaps it is, and then this book might perhaps be of help.
January 21, 2020
This one I found very interesting. Pie chart of actual clothes was super interesting.
November 25, 2022
A little outdated (lots of advice to look in phone books for sales and wear crocodile skin print everything) but I love the silly little quizzes and stuff
July 7, 2023
Really 3.5 a little dated but still a lot of good advice
June 17, 2019
I don't even know why I bought this book. My closet is already organized. I don't have that many clothes, so I don't often have a hard time finding something to wear. The book didn't really apply to me, but if you've got a messy clothes and need some help with it, then this is a good book for you. There's tips and quiz's, and it's pretty interesting.
http://lindsayslibraryblog.blogspot.c...
http://lindsayslibraryblog.blogspot.c...
August 11, 2016
Picked this up for a dollar at GoodWill. Worth even less. I guess I know "what kind of dresser" I am now, but I should have read about the two authors first. Both from Florida. I felt like their tips were really geared for warm/hot weather. Also, I don't care what they say, I love A-line skirts. If they really sucked that much, why do decent designers even carry them?
I should know better than to read something like this.
I should know better than to read something like this.
April 11, 2009
I love books that tell me something about myself, and that tell me something about clothes. This book is ok.
February 1, 2010
It spoke to me! Changing careers, changing sizes, making some sense of those clothes in my closet and on my body...
October 6, 2011
i'm on a makeover book kick ... this one is okay but not exactly revolutionary. a lot of the advice is obvious. best for those who work in an office setting.
January 31, 2012
Parts of this were good, parts were kind of duh. I would really recommend it unless you are organization obsessed or really can't find anything in your closet to wear.
February 11, 2013
An easy and entertaining read. We really only wear 20% of our clothes.
January 22, 2015
Cute read
May 19, 2008
I am constantly reading this book again and again:) and yes, I have an autographed copy!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews