clothes – Casa de Berry

2020, clothes, home, organizing

The Shameful Shame

June 26, 2020by casadeberryLeave a Comment

When we moved to Wisconsin five years ago, I was thrilled to have my own small walk-in closet. As someone who had spent her while life content with having part of a regular mirrored-door closet and a dresser, this was a major upgrade.

Unfortunately . . .

this is the current state of my closet.

AND! This is AFTER I removed most of the yarn and work-in-progress bags.

#theshamefulshame

Recently, I have been wanting to pare down. Don’t get me wrong, the pictures of gorgeous closets with luxe finishes, endless rows of handbags, walls filled with expensive shoes and rack after rack of shirts, jeans, dresses, etc. are beautiful to look at.

But they are not me.

I don’t know if it is being older, because it’s definitely not being wiser, I am not sure when (if?) that will ever happen, but I am wanting to pare down. I like having a “uniform” which for me it’s soft pants or jeans, light top, and a cardigan. I usually carry one handbag for months/years, and since I received my dream bag last Christmas, I have no plans of switching. I don’t faff around with lots of jewelry – usually earrings, especially since I cut my hair. I do have some pieces for special occasions but my everyday outfits are predictable and comfortable.

I have big plans for my closet, including some accent wallpaper. Which might run into issues with the center shelf bracket.

My husband said it would be no problem and he could install the wallpaper.

I need to be more respectful of this space. Every December I start throwing boxes and bags everywhere I can stash them because I hide everyone’s presents here. That needs to stop. No more throwing yarn here instead of putting it – oh I don’t know – in the storage space I have in the basement?

No more of that. Respect for this space will beget less stress for me because right now, just walking in makes me nervous.

Looking forward to sharing the process, and hopefully, the progress with this space.

2015, clothes, clothing, house, husband, ikea, organizing, wisconsin

My husband’s walk-in closet

May 23, 2015by casadeberryLeave a Comment

I know. How fricking lucky are we, right? We get two walk-in closets in our master suite. Mine is still a mess because I haven’t figured out exactly how I want it configured, but Steve did a great job organizing his space, all on his own.

There is a place for everything, so it’s super easy for us to put his laundry away. He also has a dresser, for shorts and t-shirts, socks, etc.

Work shirts and ties:

Heavier shirts and hoodies:

Work trousers:

There is even room for beloved childhood toys, along with sweatpants.

Toiletries and clothing accessories.

Shoes are neatly housed in IKEA shoe racks.

The back of the door is the perfect place for his collection of caps.

Steve also did a purge of his clothes before organizing them, which is exactly as it should be. We do keep heavy winter coats in the closet by the garage, and I am sure some more winter gear will be added to his wardrobe.

Didn’t he do a great job?

2014, accessories, clothes, clothing, fashion

Refreshing a few dressier outfits

February 3, 2014February 3, 2014by casadeberryLeave a Comment

I promised a few dressier outfits and here they are – for going out on a casual date, out with the girls, or just on a day when you want to feel a little more pulled together. The answer, as with most things in life, is in the details, and I’m giving a couple of options per outfit.

Happy Monday!!!

2014, accessories, clothes, clothing, fashion

Refreshing the school run

January 29, 2014by casadeberry2 Comments

I can’t tell you the difference it makes to have my clothes set out the night before. I don’t have to think about it, I don’t question the top going with the pants going with the scarf, etc. because all the thinking has been done.

Here are four options I can put together, using the items I posted yesterday, to take the boys to school:

I’ve added a couple of options to each outfit to include other items you might have in your closet, such as a black cardigan or a denim jacket. Here we go:

Top left: The leopard print top works equally well with a warm yellow topper as with a basic black cardie. Shoes are my Skechers GoWalk, which I wear almost every day, but I am trying not to. Animal print and red are a gorgeous combination which is why I’ve added the scarf. Cute fox earrings add a finishing touch.

Top right: My boys love Marvel Superheroes and hello, I know a few mamas who have no problem watching 2 hours of Thor or Captain America. I wear my Marvel shirt with jeans and red booties for a pop of color, Either the cardie or the jacket would look good, and I must admit I squealed when I saw this ring at Forever 21. I call it my Loki ring because it looks like the headpiece he wears. I’m a Loki girl!

Bottom left: I got this turquoise top at Target 2 years ago and love it. It goes very well with the neutral pants and either cardigan. The leopard print flats and link bracelet add interest.

Bottom right: A neutral print top pairs with gray pants and either the yellow cardie or the denim jacket. Simple pearl studs and my reliable Skechers round out the look.

Next, I’ll be posting some dressier looks!!

2014, clothes, clothing, fashion

Refreshing the old wardrobe

January 28, 2014January 28, 2014by casadeberry2 Comments

Keeping two growing boys in clothes that fit them (easier for the younger one, obviously, with all the hand-me-downs) and look good has been a full-time job lately, with the various growth spurts that have taken place. I think my oldest is about to do some sprouting so soon it will be time for all new pants and shirts that don’t bare his bellybutton when he raises his arms.

However – my husband, my very own Tim Gunn, the man who, two weeks after we started dating, pointed at a pair of jeans on a Banana Republic window and said “those would look good on you” (and was right!), said to me “you need clothes.” So, for a change, I got a few things for me and not our monkeys.

Now, not all these things are new, but I was thinking SPRING and put together some of the old and some of the new in this board. Just the fact that we got me three new pairs of pants is amazing. Two pairs of jeans and one pair of trousers, because I’d been wearing my two old pairs of jeans to death.

The three pairs shown are all super comfortable to wear and fit me well. I am 5’1″ with serious hips and short legs, so finding things that fit is not always easy. From left to right:

Jeans – Modern Straight from LOFT, Gray – Lee’s Relaxed Boot Cut, and Jeans – Levi’s 512 in Black.

I will show you some of the ways I’m going to put various combinations together in the next couple of posts. See you then!

2013, clothes

Pretty lady underthings

September 16, 2013September 15, 2013by casadeberryLeave a Comment

I don’t remember the quality of garments being so poor when I was growing up. Now it seems that a piece of clothing will last only if you are lucky, and that goes for undergarments as well. Last year I purchased some new bras at a very popular underpretties place, and within 4-5 weeks the wires were poking through at the ends. About 6 months later, I bought a couple more and the same thing happened.

This time I decided to try another store and ended up being very happy with my purchases. The bras I bought were the Maidenform Comfort Devotion Embellished Extra Coverage in both the nude color below and in black:

I also bought this gorgeous DKNY Balconette bra:

I got coordinating underpretties for both types of bras, and as of now, they are the two types of bras I will be purchasing from now on. Having the right type of undergarment sets me up for a day of comfort, and not worrying about having to adjust, tug, or pull, all day long.

Have a wonderful week!

2013, bedroom, clothes, husband, organizing, storage

Not so very masterful after all

July 15, 2013by casadeberry4 Comments

You’ve seen them. On Pinterest, magazines, blogs, etc. Those gorgeous master closets with chandeliers and fancy rugs and maybe an ottoman (or a sofa!) in the middle, or if you’re lucky, a whole separate island or vanity area for primping and glamorizing.

source

Well, that’s not going to happen here.

Our master bedroom has a plain old closet with ye olde mirrored sliding doors. We are keeping those because they bounce a great deal of light around and as dark as our house is, we love all the light we can get. Unless it’s time to sleep. Then we love our light-blocking panels.

But I digress.

This is the starting point. I’m so sorry.
Left side:

We’ve had the white unit for almost 10 years. Steve reinforced the back, which was bowing in, and it’s good to go for another 10. He gets two drawers, I get two drawers; my makeup and most of my jewelry go on the lower shelf. We share the top shelf and he gets the middle shelf.

Right side:

Did I mention we share?
Yep, he gets the top level while I (being all of 5’1″) get the lower one.

Since we didn’t have a good place for my long skirts and dresses, we decided to move things around, and give the old thing a paint job while we were at it. Nothing fancy, just the same Valspar “Cream in my Coffee” we have in the living room, but it was an improvement over this loveliness:

Of course, things got a lot worse before they started to get better:

I still have a lot of sorting to do, given my array of costume jewelry, so things aren’t 100% finished. But we are both happy with the results so far.

Hopefully, I will have more (neater) stuff to show you soon!

Have a wonderful week!

clothes, clothing, colors, fall, fashion, favorite outfit

Fashion Friday: Favorite Outfit

October 14, 2011November 15, 2011by casadeberryLeave a Comment

I’m not a big fan of sweaters — cardigans are one thing but closed sweaters make me claustrophobic. This one, though, is so comfy and the neckline is not so tight so there’s no problem.

I love the richness of winter colors, browns and bronzes, olive greens and ambers, and my favorite of all colors, burgundy. Not in this outfit, but then it would be my lipstick ;D

Have a wonderful weekend!

accessories, autumn, clothes, clothing, fall

Fashion Friday: Fall is here!

October 7, 2011by casadeberry1 Comment

I am deliriously happy because my favorite season has truly arrived – no more deceptively cool mornings followed by blistering hot afternoons. No. Now cold mornings are followed by cool afternoons, and sometimes, even rain! Swapped my summer shorts for my beloved jeans: