It's About Time Ruth Wong

Karan leads us into battle of the closet

I know I'm not alone in this, as many women -- as well as men -- wrestle with unwieldy, overstuffed closets.

How does your closet look? According to designer Donna Karan, "For you to look good, your closet has to look good."

Needing help and inspiration, I pulled out a book I've had for about 10 years, "Simple Isn't Easy: How to Find Your Personal Style and Look Fantastic Every Day!" by Olivia Goldsmith and Amy Fine Collins.

» Do you have a closet full of clothes but feel that you never have anything to wear?

» Do you sometimes shop until you drop, but your purchases don't seem to work?

» Do you want to be better dressed each and every day? And spend less time and money on clothes?

These are some of the questions posed by the authors, and this book, only 4-by-6 inches with just 200 pages, delivers answers!

Since the book is out of print, I'd like to share some inspiration and fashion nuggets from the book:

» Your wardrobe is your most public and direct form of self-expression.

» Style must come from within. Know who you are and how you want to look.

» The solution to dressing well is not more or different clothes, but fewer clothes.

» The problem is that we have too much; we shop too often and badly. More stuff actually makes more style problems, not fewer.

» Shop in your closet and find what you feel best dressed in. Then analyze why you like those outfits.

» Clean out your closet and admit your mistakes. Try to see a pattern in your past errors.

» Get rid of sentimental favorites taking up space in your closet. The author asked herself, "Is this a closet or a diary?"

My favorite inspiration: "Opening a closet door should be like arriving at a really good party where everyone you see is someone you like."

This all agrees with what I tell clients: "Less is more, identify your treasures, quality over quantity, and simplifying frees you to live (and look) your best."

If you've been fighting the "battle of the closet" and want to be better dressed, I encourage you to purge your closet and refine your wardrobe.

In my next column, I'll share more tips from the book to help you streamline and organize your wardrobe.

See you in three weeks!