WEDU Interview; Jackie Walker

Oh. From his a special presentation of w. we do you Tempest St. Petersburg Sarasota. Do you have a closet full of clothes yet find yourself saying I have nothing to wear. What's happened the psychology of the closet. With the doctor was a delicacy. Now. What. Welcome on Kathy on room all for an acquittal and one said that her closet looks like a convention of multiple personality cases. Does that sound anything like you. Chances are that your closet might look a little bit like this one. Stuffed full of clothes in all sizes and shapes and colors. Maybe you have clothes with the sales tags still on them clothes you say you wear Someday when you lose that 10 pounds. Clothes that you just can't bear to

part with. Well our guest today says that our closets are a reflection of our life our attitudes our ambitions even our fears. She's here to help us with all of this. What does Jackie Walker the doctor of cosmetology welcome Jacki. Nice to have you. Let's talk just a little bit about the psychology of the closet. Some people say it's the scariest room in the house. It is but I feel it's a room of emotion. We act out all our emotions in our closets. We look at things they tell us stories and we just have everything in there. And it is it's a room of emotion for a woman. And you talk about the circle of life in which you say that our closets are not always in harmony with their life. Right see it doesn't start in the closet. I start with a woman when I analyze her and I figure out with the circle of her life who she is on the inside her fear is what she sees in the mirror what she does every day by percentages in her circle. And then I bring her closet into harmony with her life. Can you just look at this dress and tell us what it says about the

woman in this closet. Well everybody has a fashion persona so when I look at clothing and I see the personality I can kind of help the person to develop their persona. And this is a very romantic dress. It's a classic romantic. Again it's in the book it's in the quiz. It's all about fashion person US. Jackie's book which she wrote along with Judy Taggart is called i don't have a thing to wear. The psychology of the closet and it's available in bookstores. We're joined now by the woman who's been brave enough to let us look inside her closet Danny Gallagher thanks TNT that takes a lot of nerve. You're working mom got a lot going on in your life. How do you describe your closet. I'd say it's a room that I hate going in but the daily full of clothes that I wear. Maybe less than half of why do you hate going in there. Because I know I'm not going to find what I want. You know every woman goes and things. I know exactly what I'm going to wear today and that I get in there and it didn't doesn't feel right doesn't look right

it's not what I want. But this is your big day because we've brought Jackie to your house to give you some tips. All right what do you say you're wearing less than 50 percent of your clothes. Well I'm sure less than half of it. Well what you need to do to start off is you need to make a date with yourself to the most important person in your life. And go into your closet and basically get an order with who you are and what you do classify. The child all the jackets first and look in the mirror and say is this need to I love and do I wear. And you go through the jackets in the pants and then the skirts and the tops and you make piles for charity consignment shop alterations dry cleaner laundry. And then you'll be wearing 100 percent of your closet because in there is what you love. Does that sound good. It sounds great and I have to go back to the multiple personality thing when she cleans out her closet that might be who she is at that moment. But how does she know she can feel the same way Tamar.

To women dress for emotion and then dress for need that every woman has an internal fashion persona. Your classic unnaturally dramatic or romantic mood dresser there are some divisions so I would have to ask you a few questions figure out who you are and what your percentage is and that will tell us what you're going to wear and feel comfortable in. You brought out a few pieces from my closet that I have and the reason I did this is in talking about percentages that's who she was as a child and how she dressed. But the other thing I believe in the cyber sense is architecture we don't tire self-esteem into a number sewn in the back of our hands. And the one thing that's the most important in architecture is the top. And 75 percent of your closet should be in tops and the neckline. And the architecture. Is extremely important. So that is going to give you youth. And give you a look that you live. The other thing is how tall are you. About five five. OK it's about your space.

And so just as a shoe example if your buy five are under you should always wear a heel that is shaped. And you wear higher your. Rest of the time. Almost all my heels are about that life that I had. OK well this is great because it's narrow but if you ever come down shorter make sure it still narrows out it's all about space and architecture. It takes a while to learn all this. You know it really does I've been teaching this for over 25 years and it's all in studying women and I heard something new from every private client. But basically what I try to do is give you self-esteem in your closet. And I want to never change you just enhanced you. We talk about self-esteem we all remember things like when we were kids your arms are fat don't wear sleeveless shirts we've seen some of your clothes your motion and all that. You carry around some things why do you choose these neckline. I would say that my emotions pretty much in all of it really. Now I I love fitted clothes I need to feel that

they that they talk about me and who I am when I'm wearing them not just. You know not just something that I've thrown on but something that I feel good about especially in business when I sit in front of clients or or at a conference I need to feel like you know that they're the right fit for what I'm doing. And then of course when I'm home and you know it's OK to be rumpled and playing with my baby and so on. So. When I talk to a woman I take her back to her childhood and I ask her first recollection of shopping. Was it how did she go with her mom. Because you see in your life what you are saying about people saying things about you. It starts in childhood with her first recollection of cloth and shot and you remember that. You know I what I remember as my mom saying I hope that your daughter if you ever have one is exactly like you. Because I was so picky and I over analyze everything and I you know didn't like certain colors and I only wanted

certain things that I think she was so frustrated that first in probably every subsequent shopping trip after that said. Well you know you are a plastic natural. And. To take the quiz in the book to find out what I don't know I mean well in that last look of course these are attributes but it's the natural in you that's indecisive it starts in childhood. You can't make the decision very picky and it's in the queers and what happens to you is that from childhood your recollection of these memories. Is what you see in the mirror when you look there. Because a man looks into a mirror and sees his face but a woman sees every insecurity she's ever had. Starting with that memory. So you will always carry that with you so that's why you have to figure out who you are. Today. And figure your percentage architecture and that closet will be a breeze it's a huge room of self-esteem of obesity. Danny do you think you wear such a small percentage of the things in your closet. Partly because your life maybe has changed a little bit sent to you said Oh.

You know I was in the business and spent most of my day in an office environment or with clients. This past summer I've had a change to spend more time at home now working out of the house so I have a little boy I spend a lot more time. Being less formally dressed in more casual dress. I have a big percentage of my closet that's still there for when I switch back into the work mode. Still it's a lot more relaxed these days. I think Cathy and I talked about the circle of your life a few minutes ago and I would say that every time you go through a passage in your life work to child or you draw a circle simple circle and you do a chart of what you do every day. So if you work full time before it was 60 percent of your life and you work corporate. But now you transition so really do your circle redo your pie slices and then redo your wardrobe. How do you get rid of the clothes that you have in there or do you just Section them off and. Analyze them. In other words it's that date with yourself. If you had a corporate suit.

And now you are not doing that look at the jacket and say Can I wear the jacket with jeans. Can I take the straight skirt that went with the suit and put a sweater with it in a loafer. Depending on your persona. So you never just carte blanche throw anything out. You analyze each piece in your current lifestyle. We make it work. Most of it gets in our closets some are gifts but mostly it's from shopping and we shop for all kinds of different reasons for emotional satisfaction emotional outlet to be with friends. Dark closet start with our shopping trips. Most of the time women just shop for emotion. And what you have to do is shop with a list. So after you analyze make a list and then your shopping will be effective. Shop with a less that I had when I was about to do research the store we look at the car and see what we have see what we need and caulk. Then instead of just going out and charging into a store for a motion. Buy back to what you already have. Who you are and what you do. So I have brown pants I work in a casual office I

need two tops to go with these brown pants that's on my list. That kind of thing. Once you clear out the clutter in your closet and the clutter in your life of who you're not anymore. Then you make the list and you say do I need a new black trials or. What will I be doing for the season. Do I need a new white blouse and you make a list for classification use of the blouse as I need to get 75 percent tops 25 percent funds. After you buy has it be a key point. Do a dress rehearsal. Get up again in the morning make 20 30 40 alphas out of what you have a dress rehearsal. One morning take pictures of them. Write them down. Whatever you want to do I do this for clients and then when you get up at six in the morning and you're taking your son somewhere you're running out. Now I know what to put together. You've already planned. Because Jackie you say that when we get dressed in the Morning we're not just getting dress. We're looking for a dose of self-esteem out of that closet. I'm walking into that room of emotion. And when you say I don't have a thing to

wager and you're staring at just tons of clothes. What you're saying is I have nothing that makes me feel good today. So fill your closet with best friends. Do that dress rehearsal up front and then you'll know that everything you put on your body you know love. And when you're confident on the inside. You'll be successful on the outside. Whatever you do. Doesn't that sound sort of like a dress up day when you're a kid. Just go spend your day in your room and that sounds fun. Does it sound feasible for you. It does I you know I have. I've bought a lot of things that I know that I love going through my head and you know what don't I love anymore and should I get rid of it or. I have a sale tip for you know women spot shopping on sale. It's all about the price don't do that when you see an item on sale pick it up and look at it. And interview it. Look at it and say do you look in a store. There he was. Yeah that's what I do. I tell people to do it. Teach your clients but here's the key. Do I love you. Oh how many ways can I wear you. What will you

do for me in my closet. But here's the biggest question of all whether I pay regular price for you. If you wouldn't put it back because I guarantee you it will hang in there with a ticket on it. You bought it for emotion. Because it was less expensive. Have you done that. So it didn't only buy. For a lot. Put yourself into clothing that makes you feel good. I teach every woman at the end of every day to celebrate themselves. That's what it's all about. So don't stress in front of your closet. Do it upfront. Make it easy. Now conversely from the sale point of view a lot of people have a lot of money will they just go spend designer clothes fashion accessories a lots and lots of money yet they're still not happy. You say that this is not related to price. There's a difference in buying on sale if you see something you love more than anything and you can't spend that money. You can buy something again on sale but you bought it for the right reason you loved it. It's when you buy something on sale just for price not for need or love that

it ends up cluttering your life in your closet. Your wife is your closet but you can also dress well without spending a lot of money. Oh I see so many people that look at designer clothing and then go put it together somewhere else. I really I believe that it doesn't take a lot of money to look wonderful and feel wonderful it's just the right pieces for who you are and what you do. Real quick the differences between men and women. You say men wear 90 percent on average of the clothes in their clothes that men wear 90 and get 10 percent of the space. Women were 20 and take up 90 percent of the space because to a man a tie is a tie. To us a skirt a sweater a whole story whole story. But Danny you first saw that issue quite nicely right now has been has his own cause in another room and I don't have to worry about sharing my space so I get 100 percent I may only wear 10 20 30 maybe 30 I get it in mid week but and he has his own space. It's much smaller closet.

Yeah and the other thing is I believe we have things I call them past lives living in our closets that just clutter our lives and I don't like women to trip over their past lives to get to the present one. So I believe in passing things along to charity or consignment shop because you have things living in your closet from a past life. Corporate they could give another woman hope. So you just pass them along. What about that cocktail dress that I just can't get away because it was the best date of my life. Oh now it's a different classification This is called in the stat I was addressing. This is something you've had years ago like I have my father's bathrobe. I have my mother's volunteer uniform from the hospital when she was a pink lady with her badge on it. Take those things out of your closet put them somewhere else and just visit them. From this town as your reasons but don't clutter your life every day with them. Now Jackie you've identified the seven dominant fashion personalities we've already talked about the natural right has a lot of natural in her and not a lot of makeup. Not a lot of jewelry and the natural hand.

Of course no nail polish or anything like that wanted to do it didn't take the time. And then there is the classic The classic loves the hardy jacket the trousers or the skirt the loafer the pump. The classic wears the same jewelry all the time. She takes it off at night puts it on the dresser and puts it right back on in the morning. Then the romantic the romantic is florals soft flowing skirts pearls but one strand that drops right here a drop earring. And then the dramatic. The dramatic shops. Every day it's her breath she wears rings on unexpected fingers she wears animal prints. She's very very dramatic. And then the moo dresser is a combination of all of them. The problem is she can't get dressed. She gets up every morning tries her clothes on 15 20 times finally leaves the house and spends the whole day asking everyone she meets.

Does this look OK on me. So she's constantly in search of her identity. Now the others she spoke of are divisions of the main ones like the modernist is more of a very pared down classic. But if you really know your persona. You will never make a mistake and you're always different percentages. And I have like I'm a 90 percent classic five drama five for a manse. So figure out your percentage and you'll never buy the wrong things. So Danny after having heard all that I read it back in your closet I. Mean. When they're here we are making that date with yourself so what we're going to do is clean up the closet and classify it and this is a dress that we saw before and this again is your persona. It has a wonderful classic look to it. And again we talked about the natural it's easy to weigh or it's one piece dressing but the last little bit of your persona is your essence and yours has a little bit of

romance and that's what the floor rolls are. So it's a great dress and you put it in your dress classification. And then what you're going to do is hang all these things that you leave on the door again by classification. Make your piles that you want to take to consignment shop and alteration in charity and dry cleaning or a long story and then once we get everything out of here and you're wearing 100 percent of your closet then we'll make outfits for you and then we'll make you a list. And when you shop you can bring everything home and we'll make more outfits for you. So remember it's not again an alphabet that you buy together it's options in your closet. And again everything has to go back into its classification at the end of every day. And you have a lot more in your closet and where hundred percent of all your things. And a new closet pared down categorize room to breathe. What do you think yeah. Now we get to go shopping. Sounds good. Thanks so much for letting us come into your closet and again Jackie

Walker thanks for being with us the doctor of cosmetology. Her book is called i don't have a thing to wear. The psychology of the closet you can find it in bookstores. You can also go on Jackie's website. You dot dressing the dot com. We hope that you'll have fun in your closet but thank you for being with us right now. I'm Kathy.