We’ve been talking about how to build an office-friendly wardrobe that will also work for those hours and days when you are NOT at the office. The goal, of course, is to have a closet full of basics that you can mix and match and wear for years to come. The place to start any wardrobe overhaul is by assessing your existing wardrobe, which includes making a list of pieces that you are missing.

As you go through your closet and try on everything that has survived the purge (pieces that fit AND are in good condition AND are classic enough not to reflect a specific trend or moment that has long passed), you need to take note of what you DON’T have. While you might easily identify gaps in your basic pieces — no trench coat, for example, or no office-appropriate jeans — you also need to think about the details: Do you have the right undergarments for every piece in your closet? The right shoes for every outfit? The right accessories for every look?

That fabulous white shirt won’t look so fabulous if you’re wearing it with a green bra, trust me. Or even with a white bra that shows RIGHT through.

Make two lists as you clean your closet: one list of Big Pieces (trousers, skirts, blouses, dresses) and a second list of Foundations and Accessories (lingerie, jewelry, bags, shoes). These are the things you need to shop for, because these are the things you actually NEED. Nothing else, at least for right now.

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Not all bodies are created equal — some girls, for example, get the curves, while some girls don’t. And of course, as with all things about our bodies, we typically pine for what we don’t have (curly haired girls want straight hair, and vice versa) instead of working with — and appreciating — what we have.

Fashion media focuses on skinny girls — the models, even for plus-sized clothing, are wee little things without hips or breasts. But most women are not twee stick figures; real women come fully equipped with breasts and hips and thighs, and translating fashion trends from one extreme to the other can be tricky. The secret is not to start with the trends, but with your own shape. Rather than trying to smash your curvy self into skinny jeans and a tank top, learn to make fashion choices that make the most of what you have.

Today: Five basic tips for dressing your curvy best.

Photo courtesy of Lane Bryant

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I love handbags; I love them even more than I love shoes, if that is possible. A bag is a terrific place to test out bold color or texture. A bag is an easy, and inexpensive, way to change your entire look. And no matter how much bean dip you ate during the holidays, your bag still fits come January.

Work It, Mom! loves bags, too, and they have paired up with the lovely people at CareerBags.com to give one lucky winner a BRAND NEW bag, suitable for work and weekends. To enter, join the Career Bags group at Work It, Mom! and upload a photo of your bag.

Complete rules and all the Fine Print can be found here.

Come for the contest, stay for the contents of my handbag!

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I am so glad you posted about finding the right bag for your shape. I had just been thinking of bags but I had a different question about them. I am trying to find the universal bag. The bag that goes with absolutely everything, that is nice enough for work but casual enough for the weekend. The biggest dilemma I have is what color to get. I have a ton of black bags and a few brown ones and then some random colors (mostly orange). But I always find myself changing bags whenever I change jackets or my clothes have a specific color scheme.

Can you please tell me what color bag to get? Would it be ok to get a nice bag in a color like orange or green or should it be a basic like black or tan?

Or are we all just relegated to having to constantly switch bags?

Nadia

Oooooh, good question. I’ll bet Nadia isn’t the only one wondering about this. How many of you are carrying a basic brown or black bag all the time because you’re not sure how to make a colored bag work?

I thought so.

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I love handbags. I could stop shopping completely if it weren’t for handbags. I have wee little evening bags and gigantic tote bags; I have bags in suede and leather and canvas and nylon and silk. I have an exquisite beaded bag, and a crazy Vera Bradley paisley bag.

I love bags.

The secret to a really successful handbag, especially for the office, is to choose one that can hold all your stuff AND that is the right size and shape for YOUR size and shape.

Let’s start with the stuff that needs to go inside.

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We’ve talked before about building a basics wardrobe, and about how important it is to have go-to outfits; now it’s time to think about ways to keep that closet of essential, workable pieces interesting and fresh.

The answer, of course, is accessories.

Kashmere scarf, Bluefly, $65.00

The idea of accessorizing scares a lot of women, though — they don’t know what to choose or how to wear it. Here is a short list of five accessories you really need in your closet; over the next month, we will talk about how to make them work, for every day and and for special occasions.

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