Welcome to Real Life Style Blog!

Can changing your wardrobe really change your life? Of course it can! Imagine how light and powerful you would feel if 100% of the clothes in your closet were the right clothes for you right now. Imagine that your wardrobe reflected both your personality and your personal style, while suiting your lifestyle. That, ladies and gentlemen, is called Real Life Style. Want to be able to look and feel put together in just 2 minutes a day? You can.

Click here for more information about how you can work with Lani and click here to schedule your free consultation. Because fashion should be an outlet for fun, not frustration!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Lani Finally Buys the Closet She Deserves

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, sans elastic waist pants!

I'm big on everyone, especially service providers as myself, practicing what they preach. This is why my closet is organized by category and color and never has more than one season's worth of clothing in it at one time. Maintaining multiple closets in multiple cities the last few years has created a challenging environment for my usually seamless organization, as has the new maternity wardrobe I've recently acquired.

My first thought upon seeing the "mini" walk-in closet in the master bedroom of our new DC apartment was, "I'm finally getting the closet I deserve." After years of making do with small places in NY, I couldn't believe my luck. But as it filled up over the last two years, the poor design has slowly been revealed.The two long double hung shelves all along the back wall, which seemed to provide so much hanging space, were cut by a third if you actually hung anything on the left and right sides of the closet. And much of the hanging space was made impractical by the constant interruption of the rods by brackets and such. Since nothing slid easily on the hanging rods, keeping my clothes in the right order was a lot of work because every time I moved one hanger, I had to move 5 others by hand. I was turning into one of my clients before they called me, feeling overwhelmed by all my stuff when I opened the closet door every morning and only wearing the accessible parts of my wardrobe. Completely unacceptable!

THE OLD CLOSET
Old Back Wall & Left Side View
Old Back & Right Side View
Old Right Side View

Making the decision to close my NY apartment came with the realization that the double wardrobe I had enjoyed for so long was now going to have to fit into my one impractical closet. Something had to change and it could not involve buying the one bedroom next door to expand my closet! This is when I decided to take my own advice and invest in an Elfa Closet System from the Container Store. The 25% off sale also helped my decision process along! As I tell my clients, the best thing about Elfa is that it is flexible. Once you have the basic components, you can add and take away hanging rods and shelves as your needs change. This also contributes to the resale value of your home as the new owner can do the same thing. See here how I made a client’s existing Elfa System Closet functional for her with the purchase of one hanging rod.

THE NEW CLOSET- LEFT TO RIGHT AND DETAIL
Now I open my closet and feel joy and peace. Elfa’d or not, two wardrobes were not going to fit into one closet and I was forced to do some necessary editing. Take it from me, this is much easier when your entire wardrobe is in one city.  I’ve also re-learned from working with a smaller maternity wardrobe something else I tell my clients, which is that sometimes it seems as if you have more clothes when you actually have less, because you wear a bigger percentage of them. With a place for everything and everything in its place (and in one city!), I know exactly how many pairs of black flats I have, which keeps me from buying new ones I don’t need. Of course, there is a chance that my feet could grow a half size from pregnancy and I’ll need to buy a whole new shoe wardrobe anyway... 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

5 Ways to Wear a Fur Scarf

Welcome to my birthday blog! Yep, I'm 35 today. Does that mean I'm officially in my late 30's or does that not start until 36? Would love your thoughts!

Today I'm going to highlight one of my favorite trends this season, The Fur (Faux or Real) Scarf. I love a fur scarf because it ups the style quotient of an outfit INSTANTLY; because each piece you wear it with looks brand new; and because you'll get as many compliments as I do when I wear mine!

Now before you think, "I can't afford this trend," let me tell you that the one I own cost $19.50 at H&M. There is no excuse not to look fabulous!

1. Over a Cardigan
2. Over a Coat
3. Over a Blazer


Try color too!
4. Over a Dress, Day or Evening!



5. Over a Sweater and Maxi Skirt
Bonus Look! 


Now, go use your fur scarf to stretch your wardrobe exponentially!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

My Favorite Fall Looks 2011

Here are some of my favorite ideas for Fall 2011. Those of you who attended my trend seminar last week will recognize some of these looks!

Mixing Brights
A Touch of Animal Print
Sequins on Everything
Forties Tea Dresses with Black Tights and Fabulous Shoes
What are some of your favorite ideas for Fall 2011? 

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Beauty Culture in LA

While most of my time in Los Angeles was spent working, I did fit in a few cultural excursions. The Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City is part of a breathtakingly modern complex and the surrounding buildings are part of the experience. Established by Wallis Annenberg, the museum is the first cultural destination in Los Angeles dedicated solely to photography.


According to the website, the current exhibit, BEAUTY CULTURE, "provides a seminal examination of photography's role in capturing and defining notions of modern female beauty and how these images profoundly influence our lives in both celebratory and disturbing ways.

Featuring works from over 100 world-renowned beauty, fashion and fine art photographers, BEAUTY CULTURE encourages a social discussion about the allure and mystique of the pursuit of female beauty, as well as its cult-like glorification and the multi-billion dollar industries that surround it.

BEAUTY CULTURE presents diverse viewpoints on beauty as it has evolved through the 20th and 21st centuries. These viewpoints are at times challenging, daring, and controversial."

It was interesting to see how our beauty ideals change through the decades. Contrast Cheryl Tieg's iconic poster image from 1978 with the image of Lakshmi Menon, the first Indian model to really catch on with the Western fashion press.

©1978 Albert Watson                                          © 2007 Prabuddha Dasgupta

The show also examines unhealthy beauty obsessions, such as the world of child beauty pageants and extreme plastic surgery.

Beauty, Age 4, Las Vegas, Nevada
© 2006 Susan Anderson/ Courtesy of Patrick Painter, Inc. 

And how funny is this photograph? Read all the way through. I promise it is worth it for a good laugh at the "realities" of picture making.
Annie Sprinkle: Anatomy of a Pin-Up                                         © 2006 Zorro

The show runs from May 21st to Nov 27th, 2011 at the Annenberg Space for Photography, Century Park 2000 Avenue of the Stars #10 Los Angeles, CA 90067. Admission is free!