Dressing Nifty After Fifty: The Definitive Guide to a Simple, Stylish Wardrobe - Softcover

Corinne Richardson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0978663608 ISBN 13: 9780978663605

Publisher: Willcott & Corn Books, 2006

Synopsis

Imagine owning the perfect wardrobe. It's easy with Dressing Nifty After Fifty, the definitive guide to a simple, stylish wardrobe.

Just as one size does not fit all, one wardrobe does not fit all. Unlike any other wardrobe book, the process outlined in Dressing Nifty After Fifty is highly individualized, asking the reader to start by making a list of her activities during a typical 14-day period. Next, she'll discover how to build a wardrobe on three basic colors, enhance her body shape with clothes, look thinner and taller, add spice to her outfits with her most flattering colors, and combine comfort and style with her shoes. To help the reader complete her ideal wardrobe plan, tips are included for closet cleanup, clothing maintenance, shopping, grooming, travel, and ways to stay gorgeous as time goes by.

By adopting this system of dressing, the reader will have a wardrobe for all of her activities. She will find that by concentrating on the quality, rather than the quantity, of her wardrobe, she will love and wear everything that she owns. Most important, she will gain a sense of control over her life, giving her the freedom to spend her energy and time on the things she wants to do and the people she loves.

About this title

About the Author

Author Corinne Richardson, a retired attorney, writes extensively, consults with clients, and hosts workshops on the many ways to simplify and organize one's life and possessions.

Her background and hands-on experience have come together in Dressing Nifty After Fifty, the quintessential guide for any woman who wants an easy, simple, and sophisticated way to dress that doesn't rob her sanity or her pocketbook.

Corinne has studied fashion and design all her life, with particular interest in color and how clothing decisions affect the way people treat one another. Her other passion is the voluntary simplicity movement.

During her employment for thirty one years as Chief Legal Advisor for the St. Louis County Family (Juvenile) Court, Corinne helped simplify and organize the Court's complex administrative and legal procedures.

In 1997, she took early retirement to start two consulting companies dedicated to helping people simplify their homes and businesses by minimizing their personal possessions and organizing the remainder. Her recommendations incorporate the principles of organization, interior arrangement, personal property appraisal, and Feng Shui.

In addition to her law degree, Corinne holds a Master's Degree (M.V.S.) in appraisal of property. She uses her knowledge about the fair market value of personal possessions in advising her clients about what to keep and ways to get rid of items no longer of value.

To keep current with design trends, Corinne completed a course of study with the Interior Arrangement and Design Association (IADA). She is also an avid student of Feng Shui, the Chinese art of placement, having studied with James Allyn Moser, Seann Xenja, and world-renowned Feng Shui Grand Master Professor Thomas Lin Yun. She was featured in the television special "Faith on Fox" for her Feng Shui work in homes and businesses.

In 2000, Corinne founded Corinne Richardson L.L.C. to consolidate her consulting businesses and expand her services to include ways to minimize, plan, and organize a wardrobe.

From the Back Cover

"Imagine Owning The Perfect Wardrobe"

Learn how easy it is to have the right clothes for all occasions. This book shows you how to create the ideal, quintessential wardrobe that works for you 24-7.

Discover how to:
Look so chic that people will wonder what you're up to.
Build your wardrobe on three basic colors.
Add spice with color.
Look taller and thinner.
Combine comfort and style with your shoes.
Maximize your shopping dollar.
Stay gorgeous as time goes by.

"I recommend this book to any woman over fifty who realizes that she needs to transition her wardrobe for a new phase of her life." -- Marylen Mann, OASIS Founder and Chairman of the Board; Recipient of the prestigious 2006 AARP Impact Award

"Corinne Richardson has produced a practical and simple solution for my wardrobe and cleaned out my closet, as well!" -- Jan Scott, Publisher and Editor of St. Louis Women On the Move and the Women's Yellow Pages

"Dressing Nifty helps women who are making career changes find easy, simple wardrobe solutions for dressing well in their new work environments." -- Anna Navarro, Career Strategist and Founder of Work Transitions

Corinne Richardson, a retired attorney, writes extensively, consults with clients, and hosts workshops on the many ways to simplify and organize your life and your possessions.

To look your best in the prime time of your life, follow the easy steps to Dressing Nifty After Fifty. Why wait any longer?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1: Put your best foot forward

Fashion is personal. It's about being comfortable - both physically and mentally - in what you wear. It's as much about how you feel when you look in the mirror as it is about how you look to others.

This book is not about owning it all. It's about creating a simple wardrobe that is suitable, stylish, and looks wonderful on you. Isn't that what we all want?

Private and public image

How you dress says a lot about you: as a reflection of how you feel about yourself and as an invitation to be treated in a certain way by others.

When I put the time and effort into looking as good as I can, I feel better. As my Grandmother Minnie Richardson used to say to me, "You've done yourself proud."

I have also learned that the clothing I wear sends out a message about me, whether I intend it to or not, and affects the way others respond to me. I think part of that phenomenon is that others treat us in the same way we treat ourselves.

A few years ago, I facilitated a discussion group of men and women ranging in age from about 50 to 75. I called the group "prime-time retirement."

When I started the group, I couldn't help but notice that quite a few people wore Bermuda shorts, worn-out tennis shoes, and old T-shirts, usually with some sort of writing on the front. I decided to ask those "casual dressers" to participate in an experiment for the next month.

I asked them to wear the following dress code whenever they left their houses: full-length jeans; plain pants or khakis; plain, white T-shirts; moccasins or walking shoes; and nice-looking navy, black, tweed, plaid, or madras blazers. Then, I asked them to notice how the general pubic responded to them. This would include grocery store clerks, salespeople, filling station attendants, and neighbors.

At the next meeting these casual dressers reported that, much to their surprise, they were treated with more kindness, assistance, friendliness, and, most importantly, with more respect than they had thought possible.

Perfect time for a simple wardrobe

Even though those casual dressers in the prime-time retirement discussion group changed their appearance, they were still asking those basic questions: Who am I? Where am I now? What do I want out of life? What are my priorities? Where am I going?

You too may be grappling with these same issues even though you are still working (full-time or part-time), starting a home-based business, recently retired and trying to figure out what you want to do next, volunteering your time, or pursuing a project or hobby.

Whatever your lifestyle or whatever changes you may be contemplating, now is the perfect time to simplify your life so you have the time and energy for the people you want to be with and the things you want to do. A wonderful way to begin is to simplify your wardrobe.

Benefits to a simple wardrobe

Perhaps you're wondering about the benefits of a simple wardrobe. Personally, I have never been able to make any changes in my life unless I knew upfront what the benefits to me would be. Here they are.

1. Deciding what to wear is a snap when you have a wardrobe that fits your every need. It means owning that wonderful pair of khakis or jeans that goes almost anywhere by simply changing your accessories.

2. Your closet will be organized, and you will be able to find everything because your clothes will be at a manageable level. Sometimes we have so much that we lose track of what we have. A friend of mine said that she knew she had gone too far when she counted 49 turtleneck T-shirts in her closet.

3. You'll find yourself buying fewer, but higher quality, items for your wardrobe. You can afford to splurge on that fabulous purse to carry every day. Or maybe it's about finally owning that designer trenchcoat with a zip-out lining.

4. You'll love and wear everything you own. A small wardrobe is better than a closet crowded with clothes that don't fit, that you never wear, and that you've forgotten why you bought in the first place. It's such a downer to find you've outgrown a lovely sweater with the price tag still on it.

5. You'll gain a sense of control over your life and a new freedom. No longer will you have to worry about what to wear or how you look. The less you worry about how you look, the more self-assured you'll be. The more self-assured you are, the more relaxed you'll feel. And, the more relaxed you feel, the easier your life will be and much more fun!

If you're convinced a simple wardrobe is for you, turn to the next chapter to get started with three easy steps.

Edition details

• Publisher: Willcott & Corn Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0978663608
• ISBN 13: 9780978663605
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Shelley Dieterichs
• Number of pages: 187
• Editor: Christine Frank