Some of us have “clean out the closet” lingering on our to-do list for months. We read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, got all worked up about our clothing “sparking joy”, then we tossed the book aside and went back to our old bad habits. My problem is one of attachment. That frayed-at-the-sleeves Michael Kors Collection blazer from 1998? Too good to throw out. The circa 1987 Anna Sui dress? I’ve been saving it for my daughter. All those tees that have sprouted tiny holes? I’ll wear them for yoga. It’s just so much easier to close the closet door. Lately I’ve been curious about the “capsule wardrobe”. Have you heard of it? The idea is to narrow your choices down to 37 pieces that you’ll wear for the season (or the next three months). The key is that everything goes with everything else and that you LOVE every single piece. But even to start on my capsule wardrobe, it would require a bit of a closet purge, so I’m going to call Astrid Niemelannen of Astrid Couture. Mainly because I need my hand held.

Here’s what Astrid does. She’ll come to your house and go through your closet, piece by piece, and in a sweet but completely honest way, let you know what you should toss, repair or alter, or redo altogether. Then she will whisk the pile away to her studio and, voila! A few weeks later you have what could be considered an entirely new wardrobe, made up of garments you already own, but now fit you to a T. She’ll take your mother’s old damask coat that you can’t bear to give up (because it still smells faintly of her) and refashion it into a current piece. Your grandmother’s wedding dress becomes your daughter’s. That party frock that’s simply worn to death? She’ll make a copy. A keen eye, a Master’s degree in fashion, and couture level alteration experience all over Europe means Astrid knows of what she speaks. If you need some hand-holding or just a bunch of repairs and alterations that you’ve been putting off forever, call Astrid.

astridcouture.com