Advice
Welcome to our advice section. Every week I answer new questions submitted
by readers on Organizing, Image, Fashion and Event Planning.
You can read my "AddSPACE To Your Life!" column every week
in San Diego's “The Coast News" or read the archived columns
below.
E-mail your questions to advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
8.12.04
Full figure means snug shirts
Dear Kathi,
I am full figured with no waistline. What clothes should I buy?
Jessie,
Waitress
Jessie,
Avoid wear baggy shirts that fall straight from your bustline to your
hips. This practice makes your entire body look as wide as your chest.
Buying shirts with a snug fit and princess seam under the chest is
a good practice. Shirts that fit snug at your waist with tailored
lines will accentuate your waist and draw attention to your lower
areas. Keep suit coats long and make sure they hit below your hips,
ending at the widest part of your bottom, not above it. This will
give the appearance of a longer torso and minimize your hips. Suit
coats with three – four buttons will minimize the bustline.
Another important item to consider is your slacks. Wear slacks with
wide legs that fall away from your hips. This will help you avoid
the upside-down “V” look and you will elongate your torso
at the same time.
Dear Kathi,
Help! Is there a way to organize my car without having everything
spread across the seats all the time?
Vicki, Legal Assistant
Vicki,
There are many ways to organize your car. It sounds as if you work
in your car. If this is the case, consider getting a small plastic
vertical file box for your paper work, storing it on the floor behind
the passenger seat for easy access. Also, a trash bag that hangs behind
your seat is indispensable. You can purchase organizing pockets that
hang behind your seat and magnets that hold your cell phone onto your
dashboard. Expandable storage bags for your trunk are indispensable.
These trunk bags are nylon and collapse down to one pocket or expand
to up 8 pockets to hold your grocery shopping and other purchases
upright in your trunk. An often-underused area in your car is your
glovebox.
Typically this space is stuffed with repair receipts that can easily
be stored in a file at home. Handy items to keep in your glovebox
are a flashlight, comb or hairbrush, registration/insurance information
and the maps that pertain to the area you live in (not ones from your
trip to Montana three years ago. Store your important papers in a
single envelope for easy access. Once every week, go through your
car and purge the items that don’t belong there and you will
be on your way to clean seats and room for passengers.
Dear
Kathi,
My husband and I have recently downsized to a smaller house. We are
finding it very difficult to let go of things we have always thought
to be important. What are your suggestions? Kerry T of Del Mar
Kerry,
Congratulations on realizing that you need to release a few possessions
from your life. As people move into new homes they discover that items
that were once an integral part of their life no longer serve them.
Even though they no longer need or use these items, they still feel
sentimentally attached and find it difficult to let go. My suggestion
is to think about how each item in question is now serving you. For
starters, is it serving you at all or is it simply collecting dust
in the corner? If it is only collecting dust, donate it and send it
to new owners who will use it regularly. You will find this liberating
and energizing. If you decide to keep it, move it into an area where
it can be viewed or used regularly. If you can’t do this, it
needs to leave your possession for good. Release and let go.
Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner
based in San Diego California.
Please
submit your questions to:
advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
.
San Diego Professional Organizer
