Crammed Closets and Nothing to Wear

How many of us have closets that are bursting at the seams, but we have nothing to wear?
Instead, why not take a Saturday and free yourself from the stress and guilt of past shopping mishaps.

Start by trying on everything that is a spring / summer garment. Yes, I mean try it on and look in the rear view mirror as well. If it is too big or too small, toss it into pre-labeled bins. Only keep one size bigger or smaller than you are and give the rest away.
How great is that….all the clothes fit and you have space!

Next, tear out looks that you like from magazines or ads.
Make a list of the types of outfits you need:
Business Attire: Clothes for work ~ Jackets, dresses, cardigans, skirts, tailored pants
Upscale Everyday: Clothes for meetings, brunch or church
Weekend Wear: Casual clothes to go to BBQ’s, sports games or the beach
Workout Clothes: Must fit and function well
Dressy Wear: One great LBD and other cocktail dresses/ wedding appropriate looks

Now for the fun part… let the magazines fuel your imagination and build outfits according to the categories. Match with jewelry, shoes and purse. Then, take a digital photo of each outfit to record each look. Set a time limit and see how many great outfits you will have ready to wear for the entire season.

Eco – chic shopping tip: If you are missing a top, blouse or jacket to complete an outfit, stop by goodwill to see if you can pick up the missing piece at an affordable price!

A Good Rule of Thumb in Fashion….

If you’ve done it before, don’t do it again!
By Susan Lucas

Ladies, if you wore hot pants and mini skirts in the day, don’t do that again!!
Leave it to the young ones. There’s nothing worse than mutton dressed as lamb!
So what are we really talking about…look appropriate. If floral print is in, wear a small amount as an accent, not a whole dress with shoes. Buy a scarf that exemplifies the trend and shows that you’re up with the fashion trends of the season.

Eco Chic Shopping Tip: I found a beautiful floral print skirt and an army green urban safari jacket at the Goodwill Almaden Store. Where have you found something Great??

When cleaning out your closet…what should you Keep and what should you Donate?

By Susan Lucas

To begin, separate spring/summer and fall/winter and remove the off- season clothes
to another closet or store in plastic out of sight.

• Keep ~ Brand names that fit you

• Donate ~ Cheap clothes that don’t hang well


• Keep ~ Colors that look good on you (pay attention to compliments)

• Donate ~ Colors that wash you out


• Keep ~ Jackets that are well cut for your body

• Donate ~ Jackets that hit you in the wrong part of your hips


• Keep ~ Dresses that look good on you today

• Donate ~ Dresses that looked good on you years ago


• Keep ~ No more than 2 tops in any color/style

• Donate ~ Any duplicate color tops, pants or skirts

Eco Chic Tip ~ When dropping off your donation, quickly check the Goodwill Store for a cool chain necklace, brooch or bracelet. Look on the back for the stamped signature of the designer or just pick up something you love!

Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

By Susan Lucas

Ladies and some Gentlemen, do we seriously need 50+ pairs of shoes? Yes they are beautiful, help us remember wonderful occasions, and look great on display in our closets but what is the limit? Do we keep everything in duplicate in our kitchens - no?! So, what is this thing about shoes?

Just a few things to consider besides the two year rule...are they comfortable or are they cripplers? If they hurt, you will Never wear them, so why not be green and donate them to Goodwill. Someone who has 1/2 size smaller foot will get to be Cinderella and find them. Think of the joy you could pass on while creating jobs for disadvantaged workers!

Eco Chic Shopping Tip....when you drop off your shoes to the Goodwill Store, there may be a jewel waiting for you......I found a pair of brand new Dolce & Gabbana shoes at the Los Altos Store!

October Eco-Chic event was an Eco-Treat!

The Eco-Chic Designer event on Oct.14-15 was a great success! Eco-Chic shoppers had the opportunity to talk to the designers about their fashions, enjoy some wine and cheese and take advantage of the wonderful prices at our GW Los Altos store.

Many of the pieces are now available at various stores in Silicon Valley at fantastic prices. (Store listings)

Highlights of the evening included live mannequins in the window and “on display” wearing both Eco-Chic and Eco-Street fashions and viewing “Dancing With The Stars” dresses donated by celebrity judge, Carrie Ann Inaba. Her dresses will be auctioned shortly on eBay. Stay tuned for details in our next blog.

Save money and be Eco-Chic for the holidays by shopping for your party gowns and outfits. Not only will you find great bargains, you’ll help the environment when you buy re-purposed items. Find some for as little as $19.00-$50.00!

You're Invited! Free Admission!

Goodwill will preview The Eco-Chic collection to the public with a wine and cheese event on October 14th & 15th, 5-8 pm. It will be at the upscaled GW store in Los Altos, 251 Main Street.

The concept behind Eco-Chic is to re-purpose through redesigning what we already have. Goodwill's mission has always been to recycle resources, renew jobs and to re-purpose people. Eco-Chic is one of the ways they are approaching this for the 21st century.

The consciousness that Goodwill wants to create through this form of recycling is:

Re-purpose people
Re-purpose our throw aways
Reduce our landfill wastes
Nurture awareness toward a green, self sustaining earth

The Eco-Chic Team, directed by Monique Tsang, Cynthia Woong and Francesca Ordona have redesigned Goodwill's clothing from high end $1000 + evening gowns to totally cool, affordable street wear. The collection is re-envisioned, reconstructed avant-garde couture to quirky, fun and rockin' recycling at it's best!

Come and be a part of this incredible movement!

See you there!

For more information:

Email susanl@goodwillsv.org or visit http://www.goodwillsv.org/

Video highlights from the first annual Goodwill of Silicon Valley Eco-Chic Fall Fashion Show held at the Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose, California.

For more video clips and photos of the fashion show, visit dicambio.net