Category: care

Wardrobe Essentials

There are tons of lists that will tell you what you NEED in your closet. A great pair of jeans, a little black dress, a blazer, etc. I completely agree –probably with all of them. There are essentials which everyone should have in their closets. But what about the essentials that have NOTHING to do with clothes? I believe there are some–and here are my top 3:

Tailor

1. A great Drycleaner/Tailor/Shoe Repair

Yes, I know technically that’s three right there–but often these are housed at the same business, so I’m lumping them together. If your closet is something that you invest money into–or even if you just need your clothes to look amazing you’re going to need one of these three– if not all at some point.

A great drycleaner helps you take care of your clothes. They should have a great knowledge of fabrics and cleaning–and be vocal about sharing that with you. My drycleaner is not shy about letting me know what items might bleed, might pill, might need extra care. Listen to them and tell them your concerns–in the perfect situation they can help your clothes last for years.

A good tailor is an amazing find! Again communication is key–but a great tailor should be able to not only take care of hems, tears, etc, but should be able to take in, reconstruct, make any clothing more beautiful. I have more than one piece in my closet that started out as something else–dresses I’ve made into skirts, skirts into dresses–that were completely redone by a skilled tailor.

Shoe repair–and handbag repair goes right along.  We know how I feel about shoes–the right person should help care, clean and keep your shoes looking like new!

2. A Steamer

I know, it’s not sexy. And as much as I love clothes–I hate laundry. And ironing. But, again, if your clothes are an investment, they need to be taken care of well. A steamer is great for fragile fabrics, is easier to use than an iron, takes less time, and can take up less space. There is no need to spend big money on one–I have a basic hand held and I love it! It allows me to be wrinkle free and freshen clothes in the minimum amount of time.

3. A Mending kit

I know–and I’m not saying that you need to spend your down time sewing. In fact, I don’t believe you need a traditional mending kit– but it’s the easiest name for odds and ends.

-Safety Pins. These babies are the duct tape of fashion, their uses are endless. In fact you could probably devote a single blog just to that.

-Shoe pads/Blister rub–to protect your feet and those amazing shoes.

-Extra buttons– I just keep the ones that come with my purchases.

-Shirt pads–the lovely little pads that fit into clothes to protect from sweat. Have I mentioned it’s already in the 90s in LA?

-a Good mirror with good lighting– you will never know what your outfit really looks like if you can’t see it.

 

These are the things I think we should all have. So what about you? I’d love to hear the things you consider “essentials” that aren’t clothes!

What Gets Cut

Investment Piece: What Gets Cut
Investment Piece: What Gets Cut
Investment Piece:What Gets Cut
Investment Piece: What Gets Cut

It’s the time of year. And a phenomenon. People are cleaning out, tidying up, organizing, and making more for the new. I get it, I do it, I applaud it.
I’ve written before about cleaning out your closet: see it all in one place here. And, of course, there are people who are better at getting rid of stuff than I am.

We know that I am fascinated by what we hang onto-the stories those pieces hold, but I’m equally fascinated by what gets cut from our closets. Does getting rid of something mean that you don’t love it? (Often, no). Does it mean that it doesn’t look amazing? (Again, often no). So, why do we cut what we cut?

I know we all have a method of deciding what to cut from our closets. Asking if the item sparks joy is a great place to start. I also ask if it fits who I am/who I want to be/various parts of me. Where I can wear it/what I can wear it with? If it’s holding a spot for something I really want? (For example hanging onto something that’s almost right, instead of saving up for what I actually want). There are times when I can talk myself into keeping something, and talk myself into giving away something. Certain pieces I wish I had held onto; there’s no fail proof way to cut things.

The above dress and skirt are things getting cut from my closet. Did I love them? Yes. Could I think of how to wear them? Yes. But, in these cases, I realized that I didn’t LOVE them as much as things on my Wishlist, so I cut them. (Protip: if you want to get rid of something but are scared about regretting it take your pic in it, and put it in your car for a month. I promise it’s like hanging on (the pic) and then by the time you actually get rid of it, you’re aok with the loss). My wish is that these pieces find new homes where they are loved.

Does that make cutting something easier? I don’t know. No matter what needs cutting, there are times when getting things out of our closet is not easy. And that fascinates me.

I would love to know: what’s your method for cleaning out and cutting things from your closet?

Below I’ve linked some of my favorite organizational items, as well as pieces similar to the ones above.
(Interested in items I’m cutting from my closet? Email me! Or should I sell them on Instagram? I would love to know your thoughts!)

XO RA

Note: this post does contain affiliate links. While that does not affect the price for you, I may earn commission from them. Thank you for your support!

Cleaning out supplies:

Red Floral Dress:

Yellow Skirt:

Investment Piece: What Gets Cut

Getting to Know You

Loves! It’s the new year, new us, and I wanted to take a little opprotunity and properly introduce myself. Maybe you’ve been following since my blogging journey began, maybe you’re new here, either way I’m so happy you’ve found yourself in my little corner of the Internet. Thank you for listening to me ramble, share my theories on fashion, shopping, and life.

In the video we chat about my new fave series here on Investment Piece, sharing the stories from our closets. I would love for you to be a part of it! You can learn more about our project here! If you want to share your story with us, email me at racheladelicia@investmentpiece.com.

As promised, here’s a little bit of what I’m shopping right now:

And most importantly, I would love to get to know you! What kind of content best serves you? What do you love? Let’s share a laugh over some champagne and get to know each other!

I’m so grateful you’re here!
Xo RA

Fashion Week: What is it Good For?

Loves! NYFW has come and gone. LFW is in process. Paris, Milan, all the fashion weeks are happening, have happened, or will happen. But, the reality is, even though fashion week may be all over your social media, most of us won’t go to fashion week. Some of us won’t even buy the fashion presented there. So, fashion week, what is it good for?

I had some thoughts about it, so I made us a video. (Yes, I ramble and sometimes lose my train of thought. It’s a good time)

I would love to get your take on fashion week! Let me know EVERYTHING!
Xo RA

I’d love for you to join the conversation about fashion week. Have you gone? Are you going? Do you buy runway? Do you think it’s worthwhile?

Let’s chat!
Xo RA

Wardrobe Crisis

Investment Piece: Wardrobe Crisis

I write a lot about cleaning out your closet. Mainly, because it’s a process I rot to keep on top, but also because I think it’s important.

You’re not familiar with my “closet cleanout” methods and thoughts? Catch up here, here, here, and here. I’ve done attempts at minimalist closets (kinda) here.

This all comes down to some beliefs I have about our clothes, shopping, and the world. I think what we buy matters. I love clothes, I love the freedom style gives you, I want so many things. I also want the women and men and kids who make our clothes to make a living wage and work in safe conditions. There is a difference between well made clothes and fall apart clothes. But I don’t think you should have to spend a fortune on every piece, think wearing designer head to toe can be stale, and strive to get great clothes at a bargain. I can want all the new pieces, all the classic pieces, and believe that hanging onto to every piece is a habit we should break.

I don’t always know how to reconcile all these beliefs, my love of shopping, and what we’re offered. There are times when I want to go minimalist, and times when I would buy everything if I could. I don’t know what the answer is.

I’ve started this book more than once, and while it’s amazing, have struggled to get through it. Not because it’s not what I need to be reading, but because sometimes these issues are easier to ignore than to face. However, I think we have to talk about them. I love fashion and think what I spend money on matters (as do budgets). How do we let those things co-exist? What’s the best way to shop in a way where you get to express all your style and yet, shop responsibly?

I’m still figuring it out. And maybe, this is a group project. Let’s chat about it:

This afternoon I’ll be going live on Instagram (@racheladelicia) and FaceBook (RachelAdelicia) to chat all things wardrobe crisis. Like how I love Zara but worry about the people who make my clothes. How I think a closet full of clothes you won’t wear is useless, but am not ready to go minimal. If I think I’m in a wardrobe crisis, are you?

I’ll be saving and posting the conversation many places! I hope you’ll join!

XO RA

Sunday Chronicles: Self Care

This was first published back in Feb, but with Friday’s post, and my thoughts turning towards Self Love–it seemed like a great time to repost! Enjoy! XO RA

Sunday Chronicles, Investment Piece, blogger, fashion, self care, treat yourself, CA, TX

Loves! It’s the month of love, and treats, and showing people you care. I hope the first person on your list to pamper is yourself–not because self care is indulgent, but because there is no way to care for others if you are depleted. There’s a reason why the air stewards and stewardesses tell us to put on your own air mask first; if you’re not taking care of yourself, there is no way you can take care of others. And loves, this can be a hard time to take care of ourselves. I promised to never get policital (though I broke that promise here), and this is not meant to be a political post. However, it is irresponsible to ignore what’s happening. Many people are scared, disagree with the administration, with loved ones, are protesting, are mad at protesters’ and every day there seems to be something new happening and to be concerned about. How do we care for ourselves during this? On either side, how do we pursue what we think is important politically and stay sane? And personally, how do we take care of ourselves so that we can take care of our loved ones?

I have found this Medium article, this MTV one, this wired, this self care, and this article helpful in navigating self care, because unfortunately it’s not all wine and shoe shopping (those can be included though) and meditation (though that helps too). So what is self care? In my world, it means listening to your mind and body, giving yourself what you need, treating yourself like a loved one, and protecting yourself like a loved one. And loves, that’s a lot easier said than done. My list of tips below are by no means comprehensive, and if they don’t work for you, that’s ok. Self-care is by definition is inherently personal. However, these practices help me. I’d love to know how you practice!

Be OK Not Being OK
I’m a perfectionist. I have grand plans. I also have a hard time being vulnerable in front of people (and I know that’s weird for an actress, all I can say is that when I speak a writer’s words, I give myself permission). My point is, it can be hard to admit that you’re not ok. Or not 100%. That maybe you need a break–from social media to plans to vacations. No one is on or together all the time. So, it’s ok not to be ok, to take time to take care of yourself. Stay in with a movie, or a bath, or a book. To take a day off and rest. To get out of town and think about things. To not be strong all the time. The overall, encompassing thought of most self-care manuals or advice is to give yourself what you need, and for me the first step (and often most important) is recongnizing that I need something.

Turn Off
Get off social media, get outside, do yoga, meditate, unplug your phone; however it is that you turn off. For me, it’s getting offline and reading. My yoga, Pilates, and spinning practices are also my forms of meditation. (I’m working on building a meditation practice). All of this means that I give myself permission not to be involved every single minute. I don’t need to read every article, work all the time, or say yes to it all. I try to give myself an hour a day where I’m unreachable and doing something for me, yes this is more often than not my workout, but I find that when I give to myself, I can give to others.

Telling My Loved Ones What I Need
This is also hard if we’re conditioned to people please or we want to say yes. It can also be scary to be vulnerable, to admit that we’re depressed or we need help. However, from being honest about needing to stay in to asking for help, as scary as it can, I find that when I’m honest with my loved ones things go so much better. We’re all in this together so no matter what you need, be it time alone, a listening ear, a hug, there’s a great chance people understand, and want to help you.

Of course, if you find yourself not being able to care for yourself, professional help might be for you. And loves, I’m a fan of therapy, we all need support sometimes, let’s not make that a stigma. Find a therapist in your area here.

Take care of you. I’m off today taking care of me. Meet you back here tomorrow?

Wishing us all a week of radical self-love and amazing shoes! XO RA

Vintage Jewelry: Care and Cleaning

Investment Piece, fashion, blogger, vintage, belts, high fashion, necklaces, CA, TX

Loves, we’ve spent a month chatting about vintage jewelry. Brands I love (Monet), stores I love (Platt Boutique) and ways to wear vintage pieces Belts as necklaces). But now that we’ve been treated and have our vintage jewelry, how do we care for it? How do we clean it? Loves, I wouldn’t leave you hanging! Get my best tips for care and cleaning your vintage jewelry below!

Care
Put it how you will: “Offense is the best Defense”, “A Pound of Prevention is worth an ounce of cure”, or “A penny saved is a penny earned”; the best way to care for your jewelry (vintage or modern) is to store it properly. What does this mean? Everyone has a different system, my grandma wrapped her necklaces seperately in tissue, I have a friend who collects vintage ring boxes; the point is your jewelry should be stored in a dry place where it can’t get tangled or scratched.

Don’t sleep in your jewelry. Simple and seemingly straight forward, during sleep your jewelry can get twisted, hit, or dirty, and is best off your body. Loves, I admit that I have a bad habit of sleeping my necklaces, but I’m trying to get better at this!

If you’re wearing perfume or hairspray apply it, and make sure it dries, before putting on your jewelry. Oils in these products can damage or discolor your jewelry, and we don’t want that!

Inspect your jewelry regularly. If a stone is loose, or anything is broken, take it to a jeweler.

Investment Piece, fashion, blogger, vintage, belts, necklaces, high fashion, CA, TX

Cleaning

Loves, here’s the thing. Depending on the stone and medal of your piece, the cleaning instructions can vary. Gold and platinum can usually be rinsed with soapy water. Silver needs to be polished. No chemicals at all should be used on pearls, in fact, only wipe them with a soft cloth. If you have costume jewelry with foil back, be aware that water will ruin the piece. Also, various stones require various cleaners, or can have senstiivities to various cleansers. There are many basic jewelry cleaners on the market, and if you follow the instructions they can be great. My advice? Take any jewelry that you’re not sure how to clean to a jeweler. Not only should they be able to let you know the best way to care for your piece, many jewelry stores offer free cleaning. In fact, some of the best jewelry care advice I have gotten is for any repair or care concern to seek out the jewelry store with the best reputation in your area–even if it’s Tiffany’s. The professionals there will not risk the store’s name and can be trusted to give you the best advice they can. And of course, you don’t have to see out a Tiffany’s, several smaller jewelers (like my friends Platt) are fantastic with amazing reputations! A great resource when looking for a jeweler to trust is the American Gem Society (you can find their listing of jewelers here).

I’d love to know: how do you store your jewelry? What are some of your cleaning tips?

XO RA

Selling to Consignment Shops

Investment Piece, fashion, closet clean out, style, consignment shops, CA, TX

You’ve done the work, you’ve cleaned out your closet, stored what you love, and now have a pile of cast offs. We’ve talked about what to do with them here, and again I will say, consignment shops are the way to go! Consignment Shops are often looking for new, clean, on trend looks; though vintage shops and some stores have different requirements. This Fashionista article has great tips on how to make sure your things are consignment ready, and of course if you have any questions a quick call to the store you’re looking to sell to should clear things up!
Looking to sell online? My favorite online consignment stores are TheRealReal, Tradesy, and Vestaire Collective. They each have a section that spells out their process and requirements! (I also love shopping at all three sites!)

Need some tips on how to organize the items you’re keeping? I love this piece from InStyle, because if we’re going to invest in our closets, they should be places we want to spend time!

I’d love to know: are you a consignment lover? What are your tips to sell? And tell me all about your closet!

XO RA

Detox

Investment Piece, Fashionblogger, new year, Detox, resolution, CA, TX

How are those resolutions coming? I find that there are some different camps when it comes to resolutions: those who make them, those who think they are stupid, those that stick, those that break them fairly quickly. The process of goal setting and achieving is one that I find fascinating, and one that isn’t always so cut and dried. I’m a believer that any day is a good day to start over, but the beginning of the year can provide a fresh start that lends itself to goal setting. And like many of you, one of my first goals for the year is a detox. What do I mean by that?

Detox means so much in our society. We’ll have friends who simply live on juice, who forsake social media, who cut things like sugar and carbs out of their diets. Detox is seen as both a punishment for eating poorly and a great reset. It’s both trendy and decried by some experts. So my detox? While I’m longing for more veggies after the holidays I don’t think of this as punishment. As one of my favorite spin teachers (yes, again, I’m a Soul Cycle junkie) will tell you punishing your body doesn’t work. This is a chance to give my body what I need, to reset, and regain habits that help make me look and feel great. And loves, I’m not just detoxing my diet.

Yes, there will be more juice, veggies, and excercise this month; less sugar, alcohol and carbs. But after last year and the holiday season I’m ready to look at all areas of my life, cut out what I don’t need, and build on what makes me the best me. I, and you, have goals to achieve, trips to take, shoes to buy. And I want to make sure that I help myself out! So I will be “tightening” my diet, paying attention to what makes me feel good, giving myself what I need (and long term yes that means treats now and again!). I’m a shopper, which means budgeting is not always fun, but I’m determined this year to master my budget and include the trips, shoes, fun, and yet become financially stable (repeat after me: savings accounts are sexy). I’m going to detox my closet, get rid of things I don’t need–and repeat this method throughout my house, and life. None of this is about punishment, but in order to be the best version of me I can, I’m willing to detox and get rid of anything that doesn’t serve me.

Sounds intimindating? Maybe, but I’m looking at this as fun! I hope you’ll come along for the ride! I’ll be sharing some of tips I pick up–I’m meeting with budget experts and skin care specialists! We’ll clean out our closets and get inspired with our remaining clothes (need a reminder on how I clean out closets? Gotcha! here and here Need help with your clean out? I’m available for consultations? Email racheladelicia@investmentpiece.com)

What are your thoughts on detoxing? Raise a juice with me?

XO RA

Make-Up Bag: No MakeUp

Loves, so many of my posts say ” no makeup”, I’ve made a big deal over makeovers and you may have begun to get the hint: I’m not a big make-up person. It’s not that I wear nothing, I can’t live without mascara. It’s just that I’m not a fan of the overly made up look. I love the look of glowing skin. I simply just want my skin to look great, and look like it’s that way on it’s own! So below are the products that I use to make my skin look like glowing skin!

image

This gold mask from Peter Thomas Roth helps firm and tighten my skin, and the gold makes it dewy and gold! The instructions say to leave on for 20 mins. I’ve worn it all day with mascara and lipstick–I love it!
Peter Thomas Roth 24k Mask

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This moisturizer from Glam Glow is radiant–under foundation, as the base, it’s just pearly enough that I glow, and feel like I don’t need much else! Pro tip–put it on your collar bones for a night out!
GlamGlow GlowStarter

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Even great skin needs help, and that’s where Glossier comes in! I love their blendable and light concealer and tints–they aren’t heavy, don’t sit on your skin and they look completely nautral. These are my go-tos when I “wear” makeup, but they give me the fresh face, “no makeup” look that I love!
Glossier

I’d love to know! What do you do for makeup?

XO RA